Rekindled Love

Looks great, and I can't wait to see it after paint. 
you mentioned not keeping that 4.7. What's the plan?

In reply to DrBoost :

My goal is to drop in a 392 Hemi and Tremec TR6060 out of a Scat Pack Challenger. Holley makes a bunch of swap parts for that drivetrain in this truck, which makes it somewhat of a bolt-in swap. I'll still need to figure out some headers, have a driveshaft made, and there will be some minor fabrication with clutch hydraulics and some of the wiring stuff, but I'm capable of doing a lot of that myself. There are much cheaper ways to get a running Hemi in it, but I have very specific goals for the truck and... this is the way. 

I toyed with the idea of a Hellcat swap, but I don't want to deal with the extra hassle. The 6.2 adds a considerable amount of weight (the supercharger weighs just over 100lbs alone), complexity, and cost to the build. I want this thing to be simple, reliable, and as lightweight as possible. I'm kind of obsessed with handling and balance. I suspect that a 500 horse, N/A V8 will kind of push the limits of usable power in a small, RWD truck like this, with cornering and stability in mind. I have a few tentative plans for further tweaking the suspension and brakes as well. I just need time and money. 

I have never liked the size or spacing of the pedals in the truck. I could only do a consistent heel-toe when wearing wider sneakers and being very deliberate with my movements. I mean, just look at them. It's almost as if this pickup truck was not actually designed with heel-toe in mind. The audacity!

I had been contemplating throwing a set of Rennline pedals with the red heel-toe extensions, but I was having trouble finding OEM Porsche pedal measurements to compare with my Dakota to see which ones would fit the best. The much closer spacing of Porsche pedals also meant that their brake and clutch covers weren't going to be wider than mine, which is something I was looking for, in order to close the gap more between the brake and gas. I ended up finding a site called performancepedals.com (very creative name) that actually makes custom aluminum pedal covers for lots of vehicles, including a set specifically designed for my truck. They have a few different finish options to choose from and their prices are pretty reasonable. I ordered their standard satin finish pedals because I liked their simplicity and they looked similar to the Rennline covers that I had been staring at. 

Installation was more challenging than I was anticipating because the faces of the steel pedals under the rubber covers were deeply concave. They were like little metal bowls and they were thick. That meant that there were no smooth, level surfaces to mark and drill through, which made it challenging to keep a drill bit steady and aligned. Not only that, but it also meant that the little stainless machine screws that were provided for attaching them were too short to thread the nuts on the rear because of their thickness. After a quick run to the hardware store for some longer screws and better drill bits, I managed to secure them all and aligned them as best as I could. I think they look great. 

Not only are they incredibly grippy (noticeably more so than the factory rubber covers), but I was able to offset the brake pedal cover to the right, about an inch closer to the gas. The gas pedal also kicks out to the left at the bottom (similar to the Rennline extensions), which closed the gap even further. The result is a very big improvement in pedal feel and much more confident heel-toe action. I think they look berkeleying great as well. So much more on-brand for the truck and not cheap looking like the generic ones that are sold at Autozone. As sort of a bonus, they actually included a fourth cover for the parking brake pedal and it's adorable. Completely unnecessary, but cute nonetheless. 

One aspect of the truck that I haven't touched yet, is the brakes. They're long overdue for a refresh. The 2003 Dakotas received a much needed design revision, which is a lot better than the previous version, but this one has some really old and crusty hardware on it. When I don't drive it after it's rained for a few days (which happens often) the brakes like to lock up when I first start driving it again. I have to drag the bake pedal for a little while at moderate speeds to knock the sticky off of the rotors and pads or else the brake pedal acts like and on/off switch. This truck came with 12" discs in the front and drums in the rear, but only the rear has ABS, which is kind of lame. I've managed to lock up the front tires a couple of times during emergency stops and it's unnerving to say the least. 

So here's the plan. SSBC makes a rear disc upgrade kit for this truck. It's supposed to be a bolt-on affair. It utilizes 11.3" vented rotors and calipers with an integrated parking brake. 

I intend to reach out to them and see if I can purchase the kit without their rotors and pads, so I can ensure I get a matching set for the front and rear. I did some research and discovered that their calipers are sourced from an old T-Bird and the rotors are the OEM rotors from the pre-refresh Dakota front brakes. With that knowledge, I managed to hunt down all of the part numbers for matching pads and rotors. I'm planning to go with StopTech's cryo-treated slotted rotors and their "Sport" pads (FKA Street Performance). I ran this exact setup front and rear on my last project vehicle and I loved them. The bite was on par with some of the more aggressive Hawk and EBC pads I've used, but with a fraction of the dust, AND... they're berkeleying quiet. No squeaks. They were my favorite street brake combo that I've used to date. 

With the rear disc upgrade, all new pads, rotors, calipers, and a complete fluid flush (ATE or Motul), plus maybe some braided lines, this thing should finally brake harder and more consistently. I just have to be weary of lockup without ABS in the front. Especially with more aggressive pads. 

Back in the day, there were a couple of people who made adapter kits to fit second gen Viper front brakes on these trucks. They have since gone extinct, which is too bad because that would be amazing. I've mentioned this before, but the major downside of building something this unique, is that a lot of the things I want aren't mass produced. Off the shelf big brake kits don't exist for Dakotas, so I have to make do with what's available or fork out thousands for one-off stuff. 

Once I get this thing back from paint, I'm finally going to turn my attention to the brakes. I'm also contemplating ditching the 3:55 gears for a 3:90 or 4:10 setup. Since the axles have to come out for the rear disc swap, I might try to kill two birds with one stone. We'll see if I can get my bank account to play along...

Well, the truck has been at the body shop for almost three weeks now. I fully expected this because I knew that the paint on it was really terrible and it was going to take longer than they suspected. I guess they did all the body work this week and laid a coat of primer on the whole thing, only to see a nasty reaction with the cheap-ass paint that the previous owner had (poorly) sprayed on it at some unknown point in the past. So they had to basically sand the majority of the truck down to bare metal and start over with the primer and sanding process. The shop owner sent me a few photos from his potato to show me how much sanding they had to do.

I guess it's finally back in all black primer at this point. They're likely painting it on Monday morning and I should have it back by mid next week. I'm planning to throw the new hood on it as soon as I get it home (assuming I can convince someone to come help me out with that). I am so berkeleying excited to finally get it back. 

And I'm moving in the next couple of weeks, to a bigger place with a 2-car garage! I'm so excited about that. My current place has nowhere to do any work and the driveway is really steep. I'll finally be able to start doing some bigger projects because I'll have the space and tools at my disposal to make progress on things. Before I get to the brakes and gears, I want to delete the AC and convert it to an electric fan setup. That will free up a ton of space under the hood and drop another 30+ pounds off the nose. I really enjoy those little incremental projects that don't cost a ton, but simplify and add lightness. 

It's back from paint! Overall, they did a great job for the price I paid. Having said that, it's far from perfect. Since I told them I was planning to install a different hood and grill, they just... didn't paint them. So the rest of the truck is nice and shiny while the hood and grill are faded and E36 M3ty. But whatever. I'm going to install the new hood as soon as I can get a second set of hands to come help me out with it. On to the pics!

Brand new front bumper cover installed.

Side shot.

Aaaaand my favorite angle.

I absolutely love the new spoiler. There's just something so appealing to that little lip on the tailgate. I can't explain it, but I can't get enough of it. 

I'm going to try to get a friend of mine to come over this weekend and help me with the hood install. Honestly, the stock hood removal will be the hard part. That thing is heavy. I think reinstalling the carbon hood will be relatively easy, but I'd rather have another person with me to prevent any accidents with the new paint. 

Man that truck looks so tough.

In reply to dannyp84 :

Thanks! I'm really loving how it's turned out. I've put more time, effort, and money into this truck than any other project vehicle I've ever owned and it shows. It's been an incredibly rewarding project so far and I can't wait to make even more progress with it. 

Love it!

I installed the hood today and it fits pretty well. As I predicted, removing the stock unit was much more challenging than dropping on the carbon piece. The new grill on the other hand, does not fit well. You can see the gap between the grill and the leading edge of the hood, as well as the fact that the bottom of the grill is leaning inward instead of sitting flush with the headlights. Right now, there are only three little nuts on the back of this thing, holding it to the hood. I need to do some more trimming with the Dremel on both the hood and the grill to ensure they fit together as intended. 

There is also supposed to be a bracket that goes behind the grill and screws into the bottom of the hood to support it and keep it from flapping in the wind at speed. That bracket is not attached yet because the factory bolts are too small to thread into the clips on the new grill and I didn't have time to switch them over from the stock one. I'm hoping to get that done tomorrow, make my adjustments with the Dremel, install the new mesh insert I made for it, and then be done with this particular project. I'll post more pictures when it's assembled. 

I also need to figure out what I'm doing for a badge. I don't want a stock badge, but this has been out of production long enough that I can't find any aftermarket replacements. There are usually some custom billet options for these, but I think I missed that bus by a few years. 

After some trial and error with a Dremel, a drill, a few zipties, and some cutting tools, the grill is finally in place. 

When I was shopping for a new piece of mesh to put behind the new grill shell, I stumbled upon this black, honeycomb pattern aluminum grill. Since the Dodges of yore came from the factory with honeycomb grill inserts, I thought it was pretty perfect for this application. 

I'm really hoping the weather dries up over the next few days so I can take this thing out for a spin. 

That looks great. 

Beautiful truck!

very nice!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This truck rules.  Once upon a time I had a 4.7 Dakota.  I loved that thing, but yours is way cooler.

 Really like the look!  I had a extra cab Dakota R/T with the 360 but the regular cab looks better.  

That's the only vehicle I've ever totaled..  :-0  Hydroplaned in the rain and hit a bridge abutment.

In reply to Kendall Frederick :

I definitely agree that regular cabs have the most visually appealing proportions. I was originally on the lookout for an R/T, but all I could find were extended cabs and I didn't want one of those. I had my heart set on a regular cab. That really sucks to hear that you wrecked yours! 

I love what you're doing.  You don't see these old Dodges done right too often!

Lowered trucks are definitely not my thing, but this is just beautiful.   Well done, you should be proud of it!

Thank you so much! I am definitely proud of it! This truck brings me joy unlike any vehicle I've ever owned. I really, really love it and I get so excited every chance I get to take it for a spin.

I've owned several vehicles in the past that I thought were pretty cool, and I would occasionally get compliments from strangers when I was out and about in those vehicles, but not nearly as often as I do with this truck. Men, women, kids, seniors, and everyone in between seem to appreciate this thing. For me, it was really unexpected because sport trucks seem to be such a rare thing these days. There is also this pervasive opinion of lowered trucks being "ruined," which I vehemently disagree with. Then add all of the import-esque styling cues on this thing, and I was definitely predicting some scowls of disapproval. But instead, it's been quite the opposite. 

In reply to Manual_Trans :

It gets attention because it is uncommon and awesome!  Lowered trucks are better, unless you are going off-road, trucks are for hauling and to haul you have to load.  Love the factory box flare look, my Armada has a similar look, part of the reason I bought an older one.

I have one of these! Sadly for my, it's a 5.2 Sport extended cab 4wd automatic, not near as cool as yours. I bought it from a widow who's husband beat it a bit, so I'm (slowly) trying to pull it back from the edge.

Love your truck

Love the truck!  I would do everything in your power to resist the temptation to remove the AC though.  So many scenarios where the small weight drop doesnt nearly outweigh the loss.  From experience haha

In reply to SpeedAddict502 :

This wouldn't be my first time deleting AC in a project vehicle. Here in Western Washington, we only really need it for a small window of time in the summer. I have indeed suffered the consequences before, but it's not frequent enough for me to worry about, honestly. If it gets really hot, I'll drive my comfy daily driver with fully functional AC instead of the race truck.

When I eventually swap a Hemi into this thing, I have no intention of figuring out the plumbing or going through the process of adapting an AC system from a donor vehicle to my truck's harness. That's a bunch of non-vital weight that I have no interest in paying for or installing. So like... why wait?