I just wanted to post up for a second as I'm just tossing around an idea at the moment. It has been a while since I owned a Dakota from this generation but, I was thinking for something that could be somewhat fun and a truck it's a consideration. I've driven a new club cab when they came out many years ago. The biggest weak link in these is the transmission that I see along with the heater core. Oh yes, intake plenum too I think. With regards to the transmission I'm just wonder if running a separate cooler would help some of those issues along with the ATF+4 fluid. I guess it would help to state that the intention with this truck would be something to cruise around in and grocery store runs. So, no drag racing or anything crazy like that. I'm not sure if I'm missing anything else at the moment but, figure I'd ask here. Thank you in advance.

Really enjoyed my '99 Crew Cab R/T. It wasn't fast but it looked good and did sweet burnouts. Really squirrelly in the rain, though. Better tires would have helped that, maybe.

Fixing leaks and proper trans service including replacing filter and adjusting bands would almost bullet proof that trans in a stockish truck. Almost every time I have rebuilt one of those (100s of them) they had leaky tranny lines or cork pan gaskets that never got fixed and a lot of times people would come to me because another shop told them it needed a rebuild and I could fix it with simple band adjustments and fresh fluid and filter. Another common problem is the cooler had a checkvalve in it and they would get plugged, just cut that sucker out and bypass it.

Other then doing burnouts, I wasn't much impressed with the 5.9 over the 5.2. Wasn't much more usable power, and the higher gas consumption was a draw back, 2 mph lower doesn't sound like much until the gas costs $5 a gallon.

Many of the transmission issues I've seen were in abused, or maintenance neglected, or that stupid check valve in the cooler line transmissions issues. They don't fare well when you blow a cooler line and run them out of fluid until they quit moving....

Sucky heater cores are a pretty standard things these days. The intake is a fix it ones and be done with it deal.

I had an '00 R/T that I put 160,000 miles on in the 8 years I had it. I changed oil every 10K and serviced the trans every 30,000. Only trans issue I had was a broken clip that held the boost valve in.

Did the heater core at 160K. Water pump at 150K, A/C compressor at 170K. Other than that it was fairly bulletproof.

Daily drove it, pulled race car trailer, hauled tons of stuff in it, and drag raced it. 39K when I bought it, over 200K when I sold it still running strong.

All great input and information. Thank you very much so far.

My 97 Dakota 2wd 5.2 RE44 with a good cooler and always use ATF-4 got 287000 miles out of the factory tranny. Changed fluid and filter around ever 30K. Even then the clutches and bands were not toast at the tear down.
I of course never raced it but did tow with it. Towed several B bodies but never up any of our long 7% grades here.

That's great to hear. I have to wonder besides the check valve if lots of people used the incorrect fluid along with servicing the transmission caused a lot of failures compared to harsh use.