so i went out to arizona, and popped in on mopar gnome, and i ended up leaving his place, with this little 1989 shelby dakota. it's solid, rust free, and the motor has been rebuilt. i'm going through it, and it's all good stuff. made the 2200 mile trip from az to fla, without a hitch. (after i rewired the cooling fans to push air through the radiator, instead of pulling it from the engine, and out the grill) plans are to cam it, do headers, and a carb instead of tbi, and then paint it black. i've got a six pack hood going on it, and even the interior will be redone, with all black, and reupholstering the seats with the shelby fabric, with new black vinyl and velour. i'm collecting parts, and it's going to be a quick makeover. will post some pics along the way. will be powder coating the wheels black too. only the shelby on the grill, and perhaps a silver trim ring, around the centercaps on the wheels, will be the only color outside, except for black. doing some custom decals, which will be flat black on the glossy black paint.

Sweet!

nice truck...good luck on your project!

I've got to move SOUTH!! Nice project!

Did you even put tires on it?! Glad it made it and update us with some pics once in a while. Flat black on black is sweet!

no tires. i put them all at 32 psi, and prayed for 2200 miles. got almost 400 miles to a tank, rolling along at 60-65 mph. got new hoses, 4 gallons of water, 1 gallon of antifreeze, and 2.5 gallons of gas. threw them in the back, and went for it, after some final tweaks in phoenix. did the hoses and thermostat (160 degrees, and bypass hose closed off) after arriving here in florida. starting the bodywork, to knock out/fill in the two dings, then will sand it down, for painting. the hood will be hardest, bonding the six pack scoop to it, and making it look like one piece. post pics, when there's something to see...

Cool truck. I'd like to have one myself. If it were mine, a stock looking 408 would be the only nonstock mod. Of course, I like sleepers. The carb is probably the way to go. TBI blows.

actually looking at a stroker for the 318. seems 390 inches, is the best bet for this motor. going to do hemi orange on the motor, once i gut the engine compartment for black paint. slowly, but slowly........ starting on a/c and rewire of lights, and fans to make soldered connections, instead of crimped ones.

front pieces removed. a/c repaired, grill repaired and repainted, along with frame and brackets. everything is satin black, except for lenses and emblem

worked bumper, repaired broken sections in air dam, sanded and painted, replaced front lights, etc., scoop laid out, for measurements and mock up

opened a small section of hood, to let a little air inside, so scoop would be "functional"...

peek inside the "footprint" of the opening. the 4" summit filter, with filter lid, actually cleared the hood, before opening it up!!

yep,thats a small hole in the hood

grill piant looks good,I went satin blackon my hood also

needs some scoop art now

did you use something to fill the gaps on the underside around the edges and support brace gaps?

how are you ganna stick it on the hood?

took my hand grinder, with a sanding disk, and removed the gelcoat from the top lip of the scoop base flange, and removed the paint from the inside of the hood, around the hole. using a hammer and dolly, i "formed" the edges of the opening, to match the contour of the scoop, as it's raised slightly in the front center (seen in picture a few posts above) and slightly curved front to back. after centering in all directions, i taped it off around the perimeter, after installing it from underneath.

i drilled one hole on each of the 4 sides, and pop riveted it into place, to hold it while drilling holes every inch or two, all the way around. i then ran a thick bead of Evercoat Maxim Multi-Panel Epoxy around the scoop, one edge at a time, by drilling out that rivet, then riveting them from above, with a backing washer inside the hood, on each rivet. after it sets up another day, i'll epoxy glass the inside, and mold the scoop onto the hood, making a permanent seal. i'll hit the outside with the grinder and sanding disc again, and then give it a light coat of glass, to blend it in, and finish off with some body filler, to make it all smooth. pics to follow, as i get there.

gonna do 69.5 six pack hoodpins where the hood bumpers are up front, scuff the inside after i'm done glassing, and then matte black the hood and cowl and call them done.

"matching bookends" with him being 140# and she goes about 82#.

Haha!

That's great!!

yep,nice book ends

what model is on the table

airplane?

you do models too?

it's ebay stuff, scratch. i sold off all my model cars, about 5 years ago. hundreds of unbuilt sealed kits, from jo-han, monogram, etc. (i started collecting them, from about 10 years old. you know how hard it is, to buy a model, and not open it, to see whats inside?!?!) i did build planes though, and trains as well. i have (had) a lot of railroad related stuff, collected over the years, been selling it off, and using paypal funds only, for buying trucks, and parts. so far, so good!! here's my latest snag, a pair of shelby glh bosch pilot fog lights, for the air dam. awesome score, as these are hard to find actually.

mounted hood, and shots show how it looks, before glass and putty. the "white" areas in the underhood shot, is actually light coming through the glass, where i've removed the gelcoat, and thinned out the flange a bit, to aid adhesion, and to make it easier to blend in. the cut off sections of underhood bracing have all been rounded on their corners, and beveled smooth, and glued down on their ends, with the panel adhesive, so even though there's a giant hole, the hood is actually still very rigid. next shots will show hood glassed in, then painted.

decided to go with polyester resin instead, as the epoxy resin wont saturate the glass properly. used 1.5 ounce cloth instead of 3 ounce, for ease in working the compound curves. painted cutout in hood with rust bullet, and glassed it in, both sides. working multiple layers, with a slower setting time, i got what i wanted. about 4 hours of hand sanding and the scoop is done, with a smooth as glass seam. will skim in some filler tomorrow, and sand again, to cover any pinholes, then will seal and paint.

<<< BEFORE SANDING>>>

and after, with the scoop blended to hood. skim coat to follow, and will show the bottom, after it's painted. cowl being worked, and both will be done shortly. got some tires, from discount tire direct (ebay) with free shipping. 225-60/15 BFG T/A radials up front, and 275-60/15 BFG T/A's out back. debating doing them, or powdercoating wheels first. tires now, are cracked and splitting, and probably will just be swapped before powdercoat. new brakes front and rear, shoes, drums, all hardware, etc. slowly, but slowly....


<<<AFTER SANDING & SHAPING>>>

thats some very nice hand rubbing

in the last shot, the scoop actually is inside the line, to the right of the ground down rivet heads. the black under the rivets, and to the left, is just Rust Bullet, under the glass. there's no feeling of transition, from metal to glass now, so it's time to paint the 2 stage satin black. also, tires mounted, for safety. (of course, now that they are mounted, i've found a local powder coat guy, that'll do the wheels at a decent price...)

Looking good man!

so i'm racing across town in the shelby, and hit a big dip in the road, that tests the limits of the suspension travel. coming out of the dip the steering wheel gets some slop in it. soon, i'm holding the wheel at 90 degrees from normal, to go straight. drop the speed to 25, and work the wheel back and forth. i get over half a turn, either direction before the truck responds. drop speed to 20, and head down my street working the wheel back and forth, listening and feeling for problems. get into the driveway, and pop the hood. it all looks good up top, but the wheel is more than 90 degrees from normal, for straight wheels. crawl underneath, and find the steering rack has ripped itself free of the crossmember, but the nuts and torn out steel are still kinda sitting in the holes, as the shelby installed crossmember and motor mounts, prevent it from actually falling to the street. now to try to get the dealer to repair this correctly, as it's further damaged than the recall notice suggests:

Quote:

---

Recall Date:
2001-07-06
Summary:
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 4X2 PICKUP TRUCK CONVERTIBLES EQUIPPED WITH V6 ENGINES (BUILT FROM NOVEMBER 1988 - JUNE 1990) AND 4X2 PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH THE SHELBY PACKAGE (BUILT OCTOBER 1988 - JUNE 1989). THE FRAME CAN CRACK AT THE STEERING GEAR ATTACHMENT AND/OR THE STEERING GEAR MOUNTING BOLTS CAN FRACTURE.

Consequences:
THE STEERING GEAR CAN SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE FRAME RESULTING IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.

Remedy:
DEALERS WILL ADD REINFORCEMENTS TO THE FRAME AND REPLACE THE STEERING GEAR MOUNTING BOLTS. IF THE FRAME IS ALREADY CRACKED, THE STEERING GEAR WELD NUTS WILL ALSO BE REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 27, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Component Affected:
STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)
Potential Cars Affected:
4,000
Notes:
DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION

---

i also owned shelby 924, and i recall the dealership sending me a note, back around 2002 or so, telling me to bring it in, for a frame inspection. guess i know now, what the recall was all about. feel sorry for the guys this happened to without a shelby, as the rack would simply bust out, and drop, with a complete loss of control. somehow i imagine this is gonna be a huge hassle with the dealer claiming no parts are available....

I had the recall done on my '90 Dak, back in the day. I would have sworn it was MANY years before 2001, but I suppose my memory is playing tricks on me. Consider yourself blessed it worked out that good!

what electric fans did u use that fit good in between the condensor & radiator? i thought about a 318 swap in my 87 but couldn't find any fans that are thin enough to fit

my last shelby, the fm3 #932 was repaired back around 2002. i had a recall note from the dealership, and they did some welding. i had looked at this, but didnt see any stress cracks.... i have a full urethane suspension kit for it, i was gonna do when the motor was out. so much for that plan....


the factory shelby fans died on this, before i bought it. (got something tangled in them, and supposedly burnt out. i have never tested them) i got a set of flex-a-lite 432's, which are dual pushers. they mount in front of the radiator. there's a probe for the radiator to cycle them off and on, and a connection for the a/c if you have air. they fit easily between my radiator and condenser, and are 2 speed programmable. i had a fanblade go bad, and when i contacted flex-a-lite, they sent me 2 new motors and 2 new fan blades, just because.

so i have a pair of extra motors and 1 extra blade. i run a 160 degree thermostat, and the fan hardly ever runs. there's about an inch or so between the front of the water pump pulley bolts and the back of the radiator. it's tight, but i can disconnect the hoses, and lift the rad right out.

http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/low-pro-pusher.html made in the usa!!

nice find, like youre ideas, can't wait to see when it's done

hey guys, a quick question for ya. i'm going to rip out the power steering, and i'm replacing it with a quick ratio manual rack. does the steering shaft coupler bolt right up, or will i need an adapter, or something entirely different?

don't have the rack in hand yet, but i'm getting everything ready for the swap. should save a couple of pounds, and lose the hassle of the forever dripping power steering lines.

bodywork is done, and i'm getting ready for a new coat of TX9 paint. i'll do the jambs and interior myself (changing the interior to black, from maroon) and the underhood as well. the rest will be done by a bodyshop. (the perils of living on a sand road, with no garage)

last thing to consider changing, is the automatic for a 5 speed, with hydraulic clutch. if i can find a suitable donor, i think i'll make the swap. i'll do the stroke kit when i pull the motor to paint the engine compartment.

so, anyone have any experience with a power to manual swap in a dakota?

the mailman was good to me today. i got a mopar performance nos quick ratio manual rack, from moparts member magnum. was a super easy transaction, and he's a great member to deal with. will do the suspension and remove the power steering and do the rack when i get back home. this should shed about 12 pounds or so from under the hood, and i prefer the manual stuff anyways, with more of an actual feel of driving.

if i can get all the stuff, i'm thinking of a 5 speed as well, and getting rid of the 4 speed o/d automatic. 390" stroker roller replaces the anemic 318, and some hooker super comp 5803 headers will go in. haven't decided on intake/carb yet, but i'm considering a six pack setup. pics when i get it apart.

This truck keeps getting cooler! Keep it up and update us with paint pics!

i will dave. the bodywork is done, and i'm gonna do the engine swap before i do the paint. i wanna shake it all down, and get it right before i add the color. i'm also looking at a 4:10 gear set to replace the 3:90's. need to find a good upholstery guy to take apart and resew the seats with black material for maroon. i'll do the rest myself.

i always forget to update this thing. anyways, after seeing the posts in here, about the truxedo, i decided to snag one too. i also am doing the bedliner, using the herculiner kit. i know the herculiner kit needs a little extra, to get good coverage, so i went and bought a quart locally, and used it for cut work. i did all the seams, and the underside of the bedrails, while waiting for the kit to arrive. (got one on ebay, for 59 bucks, hard to pass on that price)

sitting in a motel room waaaay out west, leaves little time for meaningful work on the truck. i did sand the entire inside of the bed, before cutting in the bedliner. the truxedo top arrived today, and i decided to mount it, since i had already lined under the rails. liner color looks off, because of the huge amounts of blowing sand here. it's actually a really glossy black, even without the uv protector added to it.

it mounted pretty quick, about 20 minutes start to finish. super quality, shipped in 2 days, and the thing fits like a glove. lopro-qt is the one i had to get, to fit inside the rails so the fastback could remain. should have the rest of the herculiner on thursday, and will roll it in, and be done with the inside of the bed. finished sanding the exterior, so when i get home, i'll be sealing, then priming before paint. slowly but slowly, the thing continues.

'nother

been slow going for a while. worked in new mexico, iowa, new mexico again and last time georgia. got my 5803 hooker supercomps and began the work again. as i've posted before, i always cut off the bars on the flange, between the tubes. this allows more room for working them, allows you some flexibility to make wrapping them easier, and makes installing easier, since you can work on a port at a time.

here's headers during removal of excess flange material and using a sanding wheel to smooth out the port faces:


beginning to wrap the tubes with header wrap:


mufflers will be purple hornies, once the headers get sorted and installed:


headers finished wrapping, and coated with silicone high temp paint. helps seal the wrap to keep out oil and water, and also helps reduce temps:


getting ready for transplant:

slight dilemma with hooker supercomps. the directions call for raising the truck 36 inches to gain access. i didnt have 3 foot jackstands, and even if i did i wouldnt want to work that high off the ground. drivers side, i decided i can install from above. a pulled the manifolds, and got the sawzall and sectioned the exhaust and pulled it out in pieces. the manifolds came off easily, with no stubborn or frozen bolts at all. YAY!!! i separated the steering shaft, and folded the two halves out of the way. i pulled the starter, and lowered it to the ground. (i disconnected battery before starting) dropped the header in from above, and bolted it in. took longer getting the steering shaft apart, than it did to install the header. why anyone would jack a truck 3 feet into the air to try to work a header in from below is a mystery...

factory stuff removed:


drivers side, getting ready:


out with the old. the manifolds are supposed to be shelby only items, so not sure if i will scrap them or not? anyone need them?


drivers side in. note split steering shaft, and i pulled starter up out of the way:


passenger side was a bit more problematic. there was no way the header was going in from below, and even from above, it was a no go. pulled the studs from the head, removed valve cover and removed a/c line from firewall and removed oil filter. header was getting closer, but still wouldnt fit. the old v6 motor mount pedestal was in the way. (why shelby didnt remove them, is another mystery) took the sawzall, and removed the corner of it. headers went a little more in, but now hit the bottom of the firewall.

going under truck,. i see the firewall is 2 stamped pieces of metal, with a pronounced lip/flange at the bottom. working between the frame and the edge of the trans pan, i made 3 cuts in the flange up to the point where it becomes actual firewall. using the BFH, i hammered the lip backwards until the two pieces were flush against the floor. tried headers again. so close, but still just a half in or so of interference to get them in.

took the top and bottom motor mount nuts off, and jacked the motor up on the pass side, until the bellhousing bottomed on the firewall. dropped header into place, and put a couple of bolts in to hold it. dropped motor and redid mount, then worked the header mounting it fully.


drivers side, all assembled ready to fire:


went fairly easily from above. i dont believe it would be possible to install in a shelby dakota from below. after putting it all back together, fired it up, and looked for any fluid leaks. none found, and no exhaust leaks either. sweet! ran the engine a bit, then shut it off and let it cool a bit. did this several times to help cure the headers. they smoked like a mother

next step is to get the mufflers installed. the crossmember will have to be modified, as the supercomps exit right in line with the mount. once i get the fab finished, will post some pics. also added A12 hoodpins up front, in place of the factory hood support pieces. going to paint the hood and cowl this week, in flat or matte black. next will be the install of the hughes whiplash cam, and removing the tbi for some carb action. ups/fedex is here almost everyday, as the parts pile starts growing. i picked up a NOS "Mopar Express" kit from another member here, and will most likely use it on this truck. it's a stripe kit, with a shelby lightbar, and a tonneau cover made for first gen dakotas. if i dont use it on this one, will use it on the next. been looking at/test driving shelby trucks around florida, but will likely get my old one back, or one from the ozarks. (my old one is currently an 11 second drag truck in indiana)


stay tuned.......

Have you ever run headers that were wrapped before? It tends to trap moisture and rust them out quickly....

Rickster

yeah, i have. i never had any issues with wrap. just need a good coating under the wrap, and seal it after done wrapping.

fabbed exhaust at a buddies shop. turned the left side tube to the right, and ran the pair back and dumps in front of the axle. welded it all up, and used the muffler mounting point to hang both hornies together. havent decided if i want to wrap the pipes back past the muffs or not.

found a guy in s.c that rolled his shelby, and have been buying all his parts off ebay. got his seat, dash, wheelwell trims, underbody trims, a/c parts, etc. going to send his seat to the upholstery shop (once i find a decent one in the area) and have all the maroon stuff removed and replaced with black. hood is painted, and the A12 hoodpin kit from dales cuda shop looks pretty sweet. going to do a 2 stage metallic black finish, and will start jamming and cutting in the hidden parts. got a guy with a shop that will work with me, and let me use his booth for paint and bake. sweet!!

looking for some decent wheels now, probably black, or charcoal color. going to use the "mopar express" kit i got from member 85shelbycharger, and add a bit of color to the black. trying to find a "deep" pulley so i can remove the power steering pump. the waterpump runs off the ps belt. if i can get the deep pulley, i can run it off the a/c belt. pics in a bit.

dales cuda shop dodge A12 hoodpin set. got a half set from dale, and the pins are mounted into the spots where the hood adjustable bumpers went. put some clay on top of the bumpers, and pushed the hood tight against the bumpers. the clay got squished out except for the spot in the middle where the hole in the bumper was. used that for a guide to drill through the hood. used a 1/2" bit to open the hole, and mounted the pins.






painted cowl and inside of cowl/vent box, hood hinges, etc. *nothing wrong with the seat, it's the dobies seat cover so they dont get the seat dirty



finished sanding hood, used a base coat and then some high fill primer, sanding then will do top coat.






coming along nicely i guess. will be done in another day. (splitting work between the truck and redoing a small fishing boat i have, to make it more "flats friendly" to suit my own needs. )

5 coats of organosol black later (with hardener added) and it's done. you cannot tell the scoop is added to the hood. the sanding took about a half a day, but it was worth it. added the rest of the A12 stuff, and calling it done.



sweat from the hands and arms is leaving marks, but they'll wash off.



always in the way, but i wouldnt trade them for the world. nice and shiny hoodpin plates, with correct lanyards and rivets. (if it was an a12)



full frontal dakota porn.



next is the metallic black body, and i'll probably do the hughes whiplash before paint. once it's all sorted out, the 390 stroker kit will be done, and i'll paint the engine bay when the motors pulled for stroking. slowly, but slowly. still looking for a non ps pulley for the waterpump, and i need a smaller compressor to clear a six pack.

Truck looks great, but I still love the dobie's more!

thanks, i knew you would enjoy that pic.

Looking good! Keep it up, I wanna see that thing black!

i'm getting there. between gutting and rebuilding my boat, working on the house and the occasional actual work, it's taking a long time. on the plus side, i've collected enough parts to build another one, once i get a hold of a decent one. still trying to find the right wheels for this one. i was gonna powdercoat these, but i really need some wider ones in the back.

nice build. I spotted one of those trucks looking abanded near my Dad's place.

guys, i posted this in the wanted section, but i'll add it here too. i need a waterpump pulley for the smallblock, on a NON P/S SETUP. the p/s setup has a pulley with 2 belts, thats about 2 inches tall, from snout to backside of pulley. the manual steering pulley is about 3.75 inches tall, from snout to backside of pulley. (pulley measured removed from motor, sitting flat on a table)

i dont want to go the serpentine route if i can help it. (why waste 1500 bucks, if i dont have to?) anyone have one, or know of one in a yard somewheres?

Good looking truck, coming along nicely. I'm new to this forum. I've got 2 Shelby Dakotas, one runs good, one doesn't yet. What part of FL you in?

hey, welcome to the forum, and so forth. i'm on the east coast, near vero. used to live in tampa, over in sweetwater cove, off memorial. thanks for looking, getting ready to leave new mexico right now, and head back home. hope to have it painted before november hits. more pics shortly.

nice build i love what you did with the hood, ive been looking for a cupholder out of a shelby dakota do you know of a good place to find parts for these or do you have an extra?

it's just a dakota cup holder, with the shelby badge stuck on it. a guy on ebay rolled his truck, and has been parting it out. i got about half his truck now, but i dnt think i bid on the cupholder, which he did have up for auction. lemme see if i can get his info for ya.


i didnt buy it, but moparbednar did. here's the original auction: shelby cupholder

tearing down the truck this weekend, for final bodywork and new paint next week. decided on a high metallic black, with some pearl flake in it. after chasing down an intermittent miss for a long time, i decided to try new wires. i got in touch with sunroofgtx and got his firecore wires for the smallblock. i asked rich what plugs he likes with his wires. rich suggested some E3's, so i snagged a set.

i never found the bad wire(s) but on occasion, i had some missing, backfires, etc. every so often i could hear a loud "snap" with the hood open, as a spark jumped to ground somewhere. i looked for a long time, and never found it. i even used some soapy water, and wet my hands, grabbed a good ground and worked the wires over hoping to get zapped and find the bad spot. never did find it.

the new plugs and wires are pretty sweet, and rich even went in to work on an off day, and fabbed the set up for me. pretty awesome guy, right? the miss is gone, and it seems to me, that the motor is running a lot better. those wires are a lot nicer than any auto parts stores junk, thats for sure.

pics of the teardown this weekend, then of the painting. getting some shelby decals from dave at positive impressions for the windshield and tailgate, and then the mopar express kit is going on. should look pretty sweet in all black. all thats left then will be the interior, and the stroker and six pack.

I loved those trucks when they came out

torn down, ready for some PXR black pearl metallic paint, used on the 300's.

after putting 6 thousand miles on the truck (in 45 days), i decided the pipes needed to go out the back. the sound wasnt bad, but the exhaust getting sucked in the back window was. used a dual inlet/outlet flowmaster 40 series in the location of the stock catalytic, and then ran the pipes out back, using the hornies as tips. still has a nice rumble to it, with the obnoxious rasping sound eliminated.

back end, purple hornies exhaust tips.

got the bed off, and finished the repair to the b pillar, and lower front fender. doing some roof repair at the windshield up top. mopar-gnome knows the deal, and the work is done. sanding and taping up are tomorrow. got some pxr shot on a scrap piece to test the color, and the amount of pearl looks pretty good.

repainting all trim and bumpers, airdam, etc. pulled the door panels, headliner, etc., to get the door seals off, for doing jams properly, so will be doing some fatmat on ceiling and door panels while it's all apart. cleaned off all interior trim pieces with some acetone, then doing a SEM self etching primer coat, then a SEM trim black topcoat.

headliner and seats to be recovered with black, after the first of the year. got custom molded carpet in black, and will mat the floor and rear cabwall, when i pull the carpets. dash is cracked, so got a dash cap, and am using a "hammered" black finish on it, since it comes in a smooth finish.

to finish off the bass ackwards project, the engine will be done last. when i pull it for stroking, i'll finish the black in the engine compartment with a trim sprayer. seems like the right time to do hanger flip since the back is blown apart. might do it now, while it's all open and accessible.

sanding mostly done

udder side.

have to remove belt molding and window gaskets still on this side

pulled back window, and will remove doors next, to jam them properly.

worked interior parts today, cleaning and prepping. all maroon stuff getting done in black.

black stuff cleaned, and getting a new coat of SEM trim black. soft parts just getting cleaned and wiped down with some protectant to keep them soft.

headliner done, armrests recovered, and the interior trim has all been cleaned, primed and painted. got new bezels for the interior handles, new speakers and some dynamat for the doors and ceiling.

finished the primers, final blocking and sanding, cleaning etc. got the jambs shot both sides, and the sills, and interior from the weatherstrip mounting lip, out. dont know if i'll shoot any more of the interior once the seat and carpets are pulled, as anything that could even possibly be visible, is already black now.

going to reinstall the door latch mechanisms that i cleaned and detailed, and the strikers, so we can close the doors properly. will have to make a couple of adjustments to get the lines all matched, etc. then, it's time to hit the outside with basecoat either tomorrow or monday.

anyone know a seatbelt guy to reweb the belts? the guy i found wants like $130 per 3 point belt, dont know if thats high or not. got to have black belts, since it's all going to be black on the interior now, anyways.

Nice Build

Gotta say it's a bit strange to watch all this.
I knew Chuck before he bought the truck, and heard all his stories about finding the right one and buying it. Then all the years of it being around and I even borrowed it once (dang thing popped a bypass hose on me!).
Had a couple shots at getting it, but never pulled the trigger. Then the trade to Dave, his headaches, and then it travels to FLA and gets a complete makeover!
Let's just say I knew it back when it was young!

haha, i like your grand canyon pic. (life's a garden, dig it)

if i was closer, i woulda let the gnome paint it, or at least help.

i blocked the bypass hose, inside the intake. i hate them popping, and i prefer all the water runs through the radiator. this spring, i'll pull the motor, and paint the engine bay. finishing it off with a stroker, six pack and keeping the air will be the last hurdle.

i ordered a 2/4 drop for it, with dropped spindles, and relocated spring mounts for the rear, with 4 new shocks. the coils/blocks were cheaper, but seemed like a half assed kind of solution.

i want another one to do after this, but i also want an a100 truck. i guess whichever one i find first, will be next.


and thanks, mojavekid. welcome to the forum, and so forth.

@ Golden-Arm Is the weather stripping in good shape on ur shelby? I fould out the hard way on my 87 that the door weatherstripping for 87-96 dakota is discontinued & mopar doesn't make them anymore.

Only ones u can still get are the windshield, backglass and the main door seals that push onto the cab to seal the door to cab, but the belt strips & channels are not made anymore. I didn't know this til I torn mine out of my drivers door (they were rotten anyway) but got lucky when I bought 2 whole doors off a 95 model which were in alot better shape body wise and the weather stripping looked brand new in them thats why it has 2 different color schemes lol.

mine are fine, even though i did get a new set. they are screwed in, with 4 screws, behind the glass. you have to pull the windows to get them out. my weatherstripping is great, still soft and no cuts or missing pieces. just cleaned it really good, and gave it a covering of vinyl/rubber protectant to help keep it soft.

ebay and asking for parts in all of the different mopar based forums, will find you the parts that mopar doesnt have. some dealers even stock ns-1 stuff, so you need to have a good relationship with your local parts guy, and have him do some serious searches. i found a guy on ebay that runs a scrap yard, and he'll pull any part you want. only problem is, he wont sell it directly, you have to buy it through the ebay site.

door jamb with some sweet pxr!!

paint done to inside weatherstrip lip, then promptly contaminated with primer dust.

the amount of pearl in the pxr, is pretty sweet. in low light, it's just a black paint, but when the light hits it at the right angle, the color (can we even call black "a" color?) just glows. looking to paint on monday.

final prime and sand, masking and ready to hit the paint booth.

box ready too, as well as lightbar, tailgate and fuel filler door.

maroon into black. used some purple degreaser full strength, and scrubbed parts thoroughly. gave a good rinse, and let them dry. next took some xylene and tack rags, and wiped them all down, and let them dry again.

next i gave everything a couple of light coats of SEM flexible surface primer, and let them dry. next i went with a couple of light coats of SEM trim black. i finished off the parts with a light topcoat of seymour semigloss trim black. the semigloss gives a finish closest to the look of the original panels.

i prefer the SEM paints over dye. dye seems to create multiple shades of the color, and sometimes "blooms", making it hard to create a realistic looking finish. the other reason is, i can always touch up, or even repaint, or add a new piece of trim, and get a match. all i need is some SEM trim black, and Seymour semi gloss trim black.

the cost for changing colors was less than 100 bucks, for paint and materials. this doesnt include the fabrics, such as carpet, headliner and recovering the seat.

sill plates in black.

Lookin good! You could have flown me out there to paint it for ya!

ya sure, now ya tell me.

done. back of cab, nice and shiny.

installing the bed. more hands are sometimes better, than none.

bolting the bed down. getting ready to roll it outside, and check out the paint.

shelby dakota #439 in PXR Black Pearl Metallic. not too shabby, i guess.

Looks good! Cant believe how far its come! I have friends and family in Jacksonville. How far are you from there?

hey dave, jax is about 3 hours north of here. (way up north, where it snows, and stuff)

like the work but why do a shelby like that? isnt a regular dakota cheaper and easier to come by?

not if i already have the shelby, and would have to go and buy a dakota. look at the very first pic on page one. not like i was starting with a survivor or anything.

you see any shelbys on the road? i drive mine daily, and have been back and forth across the country with it, 4 times this year alone. those guys with the pretty red or white ones, letting them sit in the garage arent me. i drive my stuff, and i build them to suit me.

thanks for liking the work. wait and see whats next.....

* i did send you a pm, with a link to that shelby cupholder you were looking for.

too funny. when i was in new mexico, i came out one morning to head to work, and had 2 flats on the passenger side. i got some mesquite thorns, running on the shoulder of the road, to let some trucks pass. aired up with my portable comp i keep in the cab, and went to a tire guy, and had them patched.

putting it back together now, and will have it cut and buffed after the new year. i need some time for the paint to finish curing, as it's still a bit soft. i'm kind of torn between getting another shelby, getting a stepside (thinking of a limelight express truck) or maybe just getting another ramcharger. i guess when the right deal comes around, thats what i'll get.

recently, i went to crank it up, and there was a loud "bang" from under the hood, then nothing. tried the key a few times, and could hear a faint clicking, and nothing else. jumped the relay, and still got a click, but nothing else. tapped on the starter, but nothing happened. pulled it, and found this:

hit the key, and starter wound right up. hrmmmm. wondering where the missing piece was, i reached inside the starter hole, and felt a piece behind the flywheel, as it slipped out of my grasp. after several tries, and a few "not moparts family friendly" words, i broke out the breaker bar and socket, and wound the crank counter clockwise. this brought the piece up again, and after a couple of tries, it finally came out.

called around and finally found a replacement. an exact visual replacement, i kind of wanted to just take the nose piece off the new one, and rebuild mine, but i just traded. the new one fired the truck right off, but man, the cranking is so slooooooooow. the original spun it over like a boss. the new one, like an old lady. oh well. interior is getting closer to being done, but once again it will have to wait until i get back to the shop.

well, i have gone back again, and rethought the engine. i had a 340 for the truck, but another moparts member really needed it for his car. in fact, he had bought parts from the motor, before i bought it without either one of us knowing the other was doing it. when i found out he had the parts for the motor, and needed it, i sold it to him, for what it cost me. he was going to buy it, but shipping from minnie-soda was cost prohibitive, i imagine. he got it for his project, and i was back to doing the 390.

fast forward to this months engines for sale section. i saw a sweet 340 complete, minus carb for sale. even had an a/c compressor, and is a fresh motor. pm's were sent, phone call made, and i am back to going with a 340 again. finalizing the payment and shipping methods, and it will be crated and delivered. thanks dave, for the awesome service and sweet deal.

so now the plans are back to the original. yank and toss the 318, paint engine bay black and remove all of the voodoo wiring, and run a 340 with a carb or three. will do the manual rack with the motor out, and the front end will get all urethane bushings, new shocks and springs, etc.


* Mopar Small Block P0rn!!

got the 340 on a stand now, and am going through it. plasti-gauge checking the mains and rods, for clearances. will use the pan from the shelby, with a new oil pump and pickup. thinking i'm going to remove the fuel pump and block it off, and just run the electric with a regulator and bypass back into the tank. going to run rollers and new springs and cam. going to get it all sorted with a quick fuel 600 slayer, and a six pack setup once everything is all done.

replacing the alternator with an internal regulated, 1 wire deal. not really finalized on the ignition, but closing in on what i want. i'll probably sell off the 340 parts i pull and the rest of the unwanted shelby junk. the only real issue left is to take apart the wiring harnesses under the hood, and snake out all the stuff i don't need, keeping the gauges and keyed ignition stuff. would be a lot easier with a wiring diagram, but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen.


slowly, but slowly.......

Just chiming in with number 612 driven daily. Your build is almost exactly what I am planning. Debating on stroking the 340 I have or not is about the only difference. I love the way the hood turned out also.

pics of 612, or it never happened. mine is the slowest project in the world. i think we went to the moon, faster than i redid mine. one of these days/weeks/years it might be done/worked on/forgotten.....

I will try to get some soon. It is not pretty on the out side. I got it from the original owner, however she had a cheap barney purple paint job put on it and it is faded now to make it worse. However the body is straight with no rust or dents other than the hood. I plan on replacing it with an R/T fiberglass hood so no issue there. The seat is like new. The only problem with the interior is the headliner and the dash is cracked. Oh and the light bar needs work. She had a cover of some kind on it at one point and has snaps all over it.
The sad part is she still has the original rims and center caps but thinks they are worth there weight in gold. I am think 17" torque thrusts will look good on it though.

original wheels arent worth much. anyone could buy mine for 250/set. i've always had "ugly" ones with paint peeling, faded and missing parts. that makes it easier to get the price down, and leaves you guilt-free, when you desecrate it by de-shelby-izing it.


*some might say it's more shelby like, with a black paintjob, and some go-fast mods.

back again, on moparts slowest build. got some 15x6 and 15x8 police wheels, and cop caps. (thinking of doing some cooper cobras this time, instead of t/a radials) doing the manual rack, and entire front end rebuild this weekend. all new urethane bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, shocks, etc. did brakes and bearings, seals and races this past weekend. got a new radiator, and waiting for another carb, then it's time for the engine swap. slowly, but slowly......

That looks SWEET man! Love the paint choice.

thanks! doing the front end, and waiting for my tires to arrive from tire direct. will be back on the road middle of next week, with new suspension, and some new meats. i vow this will be finished, before the decade is out. maybe.