DAKOTA DONORS- WHAT YEARS R BEST-Whos used them?

Scratch wanted some more pics,

Another

If anyone wonders why i used 2 frames, its because i wanted an original style bed( flat wood) and the dak frame woudn't let me do that because it kicked up in the rear. Randy

Thought i would bumop this, any more Dakota swaps lately?

Plus this section needs more posts.Im on the hunt for an older dodge or plymouth truck now out west.
maybe even considering a studebaker pickup.

RUMBLON

For those few that have not seen my 57 in paint.

under hood shot

Yep, Viper color. I don't think it would get near as much attention if it was a different color.

That is killer

If I found a 87 era Dakotawith the V6 in it, will the k member take the V8 or will that have to be replaced.???

Rumblon

If my frame wouldn't of been hacked in the first place I would of just put a mustang II on it. There is a 200 hours in just getting the frame to work.

The 87-90 are the same, in 91 they bumped out the nose to fit the v8 easier becase of fan clearance. The 87-90 still have 5lug wheels in 91 up went to 6lugs. But all dakotas will except the magnum v8's due to they run the same motor mounts as the v6. I have owned severel dakotas.

Found a 89 with a V6 in it. Are these V6s any good for a ratrod project? This one is an auto, I would like to build a cheapo ratrod using a mid 40s truck cab. Now that I have the move to Idaho done and a small place built to live I have time to start looking around.

RUMBLON

My 48 Plymouth has a throttle body EFI, 3.9 V6, from a 1990 Dakota, mine has the 5 speed and 3:55 gears. (It actually has the full Dakota frame under it.) The car is fun to drive, it feels fast, even though it really isn't. I can get a chirp from the 235 x 75 x 15 radials through a good tight limited slip rear axle in 3rd gear! I get 17 mpg beating the crap out of it, and it will get over 20 on the highway if I can keep it around 70. When I blow this 3.9 up, there is another one waiting. Nothing wrong with the 3.9, they are tough, have decent power range, a will pull decent mileage. The only issue I see is there is little aftermarket support, as far as performance parts available. I am considering a turbocharger for the next 3.9, time will tell. Gene

Been looking again for a donor for my 50 studebaker truck. ALL of the ones I find are 6s. like this one.

http://boise.craigslist.org/pts/5544695020.html

found this one but I want a small block. Can a 318 or 360 be installed on a 6 cylinder K member?

http://boise.craigslist.org/pts/5544695020.html

so these newer ones cant be used? This is a 318 thats blown. 2000 yr

http://boise.craigslist.org/cto/5535321961.html

If your not intending on using the efi, and will go with a carb, any Dakota truck would probably work. I'd have to take a look under that 4 door truck and see what the frame looks like, and if the drop will be in a good position for whatever cab/body you intend on putting on it.

As far as the V6 to V8 motor, the mounting pads on a Dakota bolt to the frame and those brackets are engine specific. 3.9 fits a 3.9, a 318 fits a 318, and the 4.7 fits a 4.7. How they might interchange between motors is anyone's guess. These days, all the electronics are motor specific, so swapping from, say, a 4.7 to a 318 means you get to swap the complete wiring harness and computer and you better have everything that matches the motor and trans (that came out of a Dakota, or the wiring will be wrong) you want to use. Weather the motor mounts are the same or not becomes a minor issue, you would probably use the ones attached to the motor you pulled out of a Dakota, and they will probably bolt to the frame.

The next thought on the motor mount is will the engine will remain in its original location as a hot rod is built? With my coupe, I moved the drive train back 7". Once you move the motor, whatever was there originally is a pretty mute point. In my case, I just added a 1/4" plate and moved the motor brackets and trans crossmember back the required distance (used what fit the motor and trans and adapted it to the frame where I wanted them to sit).

If you have the ability to swap a frame from one vehicle to something entirely different, motor mounts should be just another step in the frame swap process. Use whatever mounting brackets fit on the motor of choice, and modify them to fit the frame. Gene

This is my project truck

Just recently saw a similar vintage Stude that had the 'treatment' and it was very sharp.
As Gene mentioned, you might start with a comparison of wheelbase dimensions and pay attention to where the rear axle kick-up is positioned.
If you are an accomplished fabricator/welder then making a frame fit your truck should not be all that scary. These frames don't mind being reworked.

.

I believe the round Dakotas are quite a bit wider than the square ones.

R.

the v6 and the v8 use the same motor mounts---we have put a 5.2 in the spot the 3.9 fit----also the motor mount ears actually unbolt off the frame---i have saved several sets and have just recently handed a couple to a friend so he could use them mounting a 5.7 hemi in his 34 plymouth coupe----the gen 1 dakota is just fine for the job at hand--i would watch for a single cab short or long bed.....

Yep, V6 / V8 use same mounts. I just did two swaps using 87 Dak chassis. One for a 52 Dodge pu and the other for a 56 Dodge pu.

also if you find a 96 truck with 6 bolt hubs you can just switch hub rotors to get the 5 on 4.5 pattern----with the 97 up dakota you are stuck with the 6 bolt rotors----there is a bigger choice in the 5 on 4.5 world....

This one popped up recently

http://boise.craigslist.org/cto/5553288642.html

RUMBLON

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OK, so we drive down to Boise and bought this truck. 1992 Dakota 318 magnum. Started right up and sounds GREAT! Drove it onto my trailer for $200.00.

Im going to use it on some project, just not sure what, either this Studebaker truck or keep looking for another mopar projecT.

Im wondering what all I can use from this rig, it has power windows, AC, and it has an OD button, so it has over drive I am guessing.



RUMBLON

Pictures don't work, but you can use nearly all of that Dakota. I used everything from a 90 Dakota on my coupe except the roof and cab back panel, Door shells, inner door panels, glass, the box sides, and about 200 lbs of odd stuff. Then I cut up the sheet metal and used most of it for patch panels. What you can use is only limited to what you can imagine a use for something. Gene

The pics are not showing up for you? Anyone else, they are showing up for me.

Am I correct that the wheelbase for this truck is
130.9 in (3,325 mm) (ext. cab)

According to what I can find on line my studebaker truck has a 112" wheelbase. So I will start planning and collecting parts if I go with this truck. I have a lot to get done on this shop before I can start building in it.

RUMBLON

super steal at $200 !! would be a super deal if the engine or transmission were blown . good score and a ton of parts to use !

Pictures worked today, guess my computer just didn't want to show them yesterday. That looks like a great deal for $200, I would have bought it without a second thought. Gene

I was an rv mechanic years ago and I drove the company's 90 ish Dakota and once the owners pride a 76 corvette. The 318 Dakota was way faster and handled pretty good to.

Daks around here are like gold apparently. Some scrapped out beaters with no titles are asking $1000. No thanks. Been looking for a pre OBDII V6 manual trans one for my project, but no luck so far.

That looks freaking amazing for $200. Definitely a good score! I'd save it for an older coupe project, but that's just me.

...don't know exactly where you are located, and yes, I do know that West-Texas is a huge area.....but it didn't take long to find these. Hook up that trailer and get moving.


http://abilene.craigslist.org/cto/5522104391.html

http://sanangelo.craigslist.org/cto/5545440312.html

Thanks, first one is gone, second one is automatic. BTW, second one location is home. But I am literally all over W. Texas, so it don't matter.

Does anyone know of some Dakota project build threads for these style of swaps. Im going to use this 92 Dakota one way or another, with either a 48-52 Studebaker or one of these Pilot house Dodge truck cabs I have sitting here. I have a 50 and a 52 pilot house five window cabs sitting here.

Just wondering of someone has build threads that may save me some time and give me some options. I want to use the Dakota chassis, engine ect as it runs very well.

Dave

Rumblon, www.KillBillet.com rat rod site has several International trucks built using Dakota chassis in the "50s rat rod truck" section. Most of those guys get after it and get them built, some are very nice trucks with original worn cab finish. One guy used a Hemi Durango under a 50s international, and kept all the computer functions of the Durango on the International.

If you can't transfer the info between a 50s International cab/box and a 50s Dodge cab/box, your in over your head.

Supercuda, In the last 4 months I've bought 3 91-96 Dakotas, 2 were V6 5 speed, for under $500 each. Rusted bodies with good frames, running and driveable. Not pretty, but I'm not using the body panels, messed up or broken doors or glass. I also don't care about the condition of the brakes (I'm going to replace them anyway) or the tires (I'm probably getting new tires as well). But then, I'm not in Texas either. I suspect if it wasn't for the rusty panels, the trucks I bought would likely have been more costly. Sometimes a cheap start costs a lot more in the long run. If a truck has everything your looking for and it functions, spending a bit more is not unreasonable. Any Dakota $1,000 or under is worth looking at. If its been on the market for a while, cash in hand, person to person, is a powerful buying tool.

If your buying a truck your taking apart, don't worry about the condition of the parts you are not going to use, the value is on the parts you want, if those are in good shape, the price of the truck only needs to be less then buying the parts separately,and the rest is scrap value. If the parts are worth more then the truck price, its a good deal. Gene

Finding an under $500 Dak around here means no useable drivetrain as is. Rust is pretty much a non-issue here so if it runs it's 1k or more to start.

http://sanangelo.craigslist.org/search/cto?query=dakota

I don't know how to do the link thing, but do a Craig's list for Rockford IL, + surrounding area, -Chicago, and add more, Debuque Iowa and Quad cities, Dakota, $2000 or less. 97 entries, several repeated, but I'll bet there are at least 80 trucks listed. Gene

I bought a 1995 Dakota regular cab shortbox. The front brake were metal on metal, but it's a 6 lug. I bought 5 lug rotors and hubs which were cheap, and I'll toss brake pads on. Convert the rear to a 5 lug with a Dana 60 or 8 3/4, then I'll swap on my 1960 Dodge cab.
I want to keep the EFI of the Dakota but I want old style gauges, so I have some wiring work to do.... but I want an EFI 318/ 4 speed auto rack and pinion 1960.

My Dakota is low mile 318/auto. It's amazingly good shape, runs like a top, asking price was $500 because of the brakes so we offered $250 and he took it.
Can't lose?