In reply to Azryael :
i had to check your underhood pix to see if this was an RWAL (my system) or 4WAL (my buddy Mike's system). I see yours has the 4 wheel system. Nice truck! Way back in the day (fall 1996), the MY1998 Durango was the reason i got to go to Sweden. We needed a head-start on ABS development in winter conditions, so I got to spend 4 weeks in Arvidsjaur calibrating the RWAL on snow and ice surfaces.
In reply to Professor_Brap (Forum Supporter) :
Thanks!! I agree. It has far too much sentimental value to me to ever let it go, and I will keep it on the road as long as I am physically able.
I do see a lot of them on the road down here, mainly the V6 magnums or the later "Hemis", but most times they don't look as well-kept as mine does.
This has to be the best looking Durango, followed by the newest one; the 2nd gen was bloated and ugly looking to me.
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
Wow! That sounds like a lot of fun! I was just getting started with school over in Germany after we moved back there for the second time in 1996. We had shipped our '93 (or maybe it was a '94, I don't remember anymore) Jeep Grand Cherokee overseas with us after the lemon law allowed us to get all of its faults fixed, save for the fact that it was a 2WD... Imagine getting stuck in the snow in Bavaria in a Jeep!!! Miss that little truck too, and would love to have one with the 5.2 or 5.9 as well. Ours had the same 4.0L my Wrangler does (which incidentally was bought at a military car sales event overseas to replace the Grand Cherokee).
Don't suppose you happen to have any photos from this testing? I always enjoy developmental research and the images that go along with it.
In reply to Azryael :
none of the vehicles or the test surfaces, but i do have a pic of me driving a Lambo Diablo VT. it was a test vehicle for our European colleagues.
That's unfortunate, but I do remember the VTs. A neighbor kid was big into F1 and fast cars, so we'd spend hours talking about the fastest Ferraris and Lambos of the mid-90s while playing games like Need for Speed and the like. His dad was a rather wealthy dude who owned a blue Viper with white stripes, looking like the twin to the car on the cover of the Test Drive 4.
Man, that brings back some fond memories of what felt like a far simpler time in my life... Is traveling back in time a thing yet?
I had a 5.2 ZJ Grand Cherokee that i modded up a bit as a sleeper. KRC Performance, Thorley and Fastman parts were amazing for the price.
The Thorley/Mopar headers are still some of the nicest pieces ive ever put on a vehicle. Fit and finish were just impeccable. The y-pipe on the ZJ was ridiculously restrictive, just replacing that was a massive increase in power.
Does the Durango have that choker y-pipe underneath it?
In reply to kevinatfms :
It does indeed, or at least something that's reminiscent to it.
I have a long list of cars I'd like to buy, and no place to put them, and I refuse to let go of any that I already have. I need a larger truck for farm/work usage, but I also want to get a true family hauler.
Eventually I'll grab an Excursion, throw a ZF6 in, and call it a day. I've had enough time behind the wheel with both the 7.3 and the 6.0 to know I'd be fine with either or. The 6.0 isn't bad once the factory flaws are corrected.
The Durango has third row seating, but it leaves little for cargo space in the rear. I may change my mind entirely after the 5-speed is in. The AC is showing some signs of needing work, so I'll check the pressures, and then likely pull vacuum on the system to check for leaks and any debris in the system.
The 1st gen Durangos are still, in my opinion, along with the ZJ GCs, some of the absolute best looking SUVs out there. Chrysler really did a great job. Plenty of power, good styling that has aged well.
Up here in Hell-inois the only complaint is they have returned to the earth, with rock salts assistance, and an alarming rate. The 2nd Gen ones are even worse, along with the Chrysler Aspen SUV. I mean, Christ, those things rot if you spit on them
In reply to Georges1991 :
The Chrysler Aspen!! That was the name of the Chrysler variant. I for the life of me couldn't remember it. Yes, and they were even uglier than their Dodge counterparts...
I do hope to get another ZJ some day, but that may be a while. When it comes to the 1st gen Durangos, I also have to admit that I prefer the earlier interior styling over the "updated" interior, especially when it comes to the door panels.
It turns out the NV3500 isn't expected to ship until next Friday, so it'll still be a while before I can get the swap under way. I still need to finish up the clutch job on my 190E, so I can get the Durango into the garage. I also need to take a trip to the yard to find a shift tower for the transmission off one of the few manuals that are there, and I might grab a second driveshaft so I can go ahead and have that lengthened so I can keep the vehicle mobile until it's time to do it all. Then I go do what I did on the F350 and do it all in one evening.
I'm actually curious if I could find a driveshaft that's the right length off a Dakota at the yard. It just needs to be 7" longer.
Once this project is knocked out, assuming everything else is good, I can then start on sourcing a 5.3/6.0 for the big Mercedes.
Trans arrives tomorrow!
I still need to grab a shifter tower and either another driveshaft to have lengthened, or just pull mine.
It's here!!!!
Solid looking unit. My intent is to document this with lots of photos, that way I can also blast this out to the rest of the Dodge forums, where "okay" write-ups exist but photos to go along with that are non-existent.
Haven't made it to the yard; might go tomorrow.
It seems parts availability isn't what I'd hoped it would be. I toyed with the idea of just getting a brand new shifter tower, but apart from NOS Hurst alternatives for nearly $400, I can't find a simple stock replacement for the Dakotas. Ram shifter towers are still available, but it would require modifications.
We'll see what happens.
A year later, and the swap still hasn't been done. Haven't had the time to gather up the remaining bits and pieces.
However, after a stuck caliper, I took care of the front brakes, replacing both front calipers with some Chrysler remans, but still seem to be getting a drag on the side opposite of the one that was stuck. I've surmised it's blocked in either the line, or the ABS pump, but the problem is that you cannot bleed the ABS without some fancy Chrysler DRB/MDS tool...
Has anyone with one of these older Mopars actually been able to figure our a solution to scan ABS codes (I've had the ABS light on for a while now) as well as bleeding the system? I see a lot of Innova aftermarket scanners that say they can bleed ABS, but their coverage checker on their website then says it can't be used for ABS bleeding on this particular vehicle. I'm not really thrilled with the idea of having to take it somewhere just so they can bend me over to do something as simple as burp the ABS.
It's been a few more years, life has gotten in the way, but I'm now finally getting everything in. However, I've run into an issue concerning the shifter tower assembly for the NV3500. The Dakotas used a different shifter tower than the Rams, but it's near impossible to find a shifter tower on ebay for a Dakota that's not for the AX-15.
I've not been able to find what the meaningful differences between Ram shifter tower and what came on the Dakotas (other than the angle of the shifter, which is something easily remedied with cutting and welding). Even asking on various Dodge/Ram/Dakota forums has yielded no meaningful answers.
Driveshaft just needed to be lengthened 2", and that's now done. All that's preventing me from driving is a shifter tower assembly. If anyone knows the difference here, please let me know!
The saga continues. After calling around several transmission shops, I'm consistently told that shifter towers are *different* with no real explanation as to *WHY*.
Technically, the tower placement is slightly further forward on the RAM gearbox, but as I understand it the shifter stub protrusion is the same 1/4" for the RAM and any Dakota before MY2001 according to this graphic:
This adds to my hypothesis that all that's different between the Dakota and the Ram tower is the angle of the shifter. The size of the base appears to be the exact same; again, just sits further forward on the Ram. This is all conjecture at this point because without the part in-hand to test I can't really know for sure. I've been scanning the local yards for manual trucks, but none are currently on the lots and when they do show up they're usually picked apart within minutes.
I may have to take the plunge and spend about $50 for a *new* Ram unit to try, or just go ahead and the $400 for the Core Shifter kit which is another 1-2 weeks lead time, and then another week or so shipping.
I got updates. Called another shop on the other side of town and spoke with someone who appeared to be far more familiar with the gearbox in question, since the box is from a '99, he confirmed the stub height is in fact the same and that the base of the shifter tower is also the same. The only caveat is that the angle for the shifter itself is obviously incorrect. What they have is this:
The shank itself is the squared variety, but easy enough to cut and weld the curved and threaded shank from the AX-15 shifter assembly. If I can get this to work successfully, I can finally provide this info throughout the web just in the off chance someone else is doing this swap and can only find the Ram shifter tower. I'll probably grab a unit sometime in the next week. I wanted to get this going before the new year, but at this point there's no sense in rushing. Progress is progress. It's been four damn years, but it ran and drove up until about August of this year when the *new* starter E36 M3 out before reaching the 3-year mark. There wasn't a real rush to get this done so it's not like it sat the last four years.
That said, we are finally close to the end. I was quoted $450 for the driveshaft at a shop out in Seguin, TX, with a day or less turnaround with a fresh tube and new u-joints.
Hell yeah man, progress is progress!
I wanted to get the interior buttoned up tonight, but got sidetracked with other projects, so that'll be something I do tomorrow when the in-laws come over and can keep the rest of the family occupied.
Managed to get the glowforge to the new house, so I can finally laser cut my replacement gauge pod for the 190E, so there's that. Too much to do, too little time.
I think upon completion I will reward myself with a solo trip to visit some friends. I need some me time.
No progress yesterday as much of it was spent prepping for Christmas Day (today, since it's now after midnight) and encountered the lingering smell of diesel fuel the moment I walked outside one of my back doors this morning.
The switchover valve to switch between the front and rear tanks seems to have had a failure in the check valves, so since my F350 was facing ever-so-slightly downhill, the rear tank (which I just filled up yesterday, ugh) drained into the front which then began to leak a total of about 2 gallons of diesel all over the driveway from the air relief line at the top of the tank. That demoralized me for the rest of the day as far as car projects went.
For once I need a day where there isn't just some kind of calamity; what sanity I have left can only get me through so much.
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