03 Dakota ext cab

[ryeguy2006a]

Glad to hear the project is progressing! We always love pictures though.

[Vimes]

Small update - the former Camaro SS rear diff now has mounts that are tacked in and ready to be welded. I had thought about doing a Dodge unit just to keep it "in the family" but those only come with 3.08s (auto) or 3.92s (stick) and what I need is more like 3.23 to 3.45 depending on what I wind up going with for tire diameter. This one is a 3.23 The welder is on vacation so no action right now. There will also be some reinforcements added that are ready to be installed but not in the pictures.

[Vimes]

A more substantial update - the shop made some decent progress on it over the last week or so. The new K-member has been fabbed up but not permanent yet as they will need to rejigger it a bit to accommodate the engine. While the weight is important, I'm liking the larger tubing they used for it over the initial attempt. The shop said the smaller tubing would have worked fine for handing the weight and power, but the larger tubing is easier to mount the suspension to. I don't mind extra weight for actual benefit, and I see this as a benefit.

They're ordering a set of aftermarket engine mounts, as the factory used these giant fluid filled can things. They said they could use the factory ones if I really wanted but it would not be very tidy looking and, of course, adds all that weight. I checked, and the factory mounts are like 10-15lbs to a side vs about 4lbs to a side for the aftermarket mounts. They'll also need to fab up a cross member for the transmission, then they can do the floorpan mods as the whole thing will be sitting up a bit higher into the truck than the factory setup.

The guy doing the work said it shouldn't be too much longer before they'll be ready for powder coating. I'll be having it done in something durable, not pretty, as this is going to be a daily driver when it's done and not a show queen. 'm pretty happy with how it's coming along, just wish it had come along a couple of years sooner.

Silver lining though, I've pretty much worked out exactly what I want to do with it once it's back home.

[Vimes]

Having problems getting pics to load today.

[ryeguy2006a]

Really cool update! Looks like there should be plenty of room now.

[Vimes]

Minor update - picked up a fiberglass bed cover today. These things are impossible to find for my truck. I've been looking for months for one of these things. No pics right now, it's really nothing to look at right now. If you have a newer truck and want a hard cover, get it while you can since they seem to stop making them after X number of years.

The plan is to make some modifications to it because it's not quite what I want, then use it to make molds and make one that is what I want. I'm planning on making it out of carbon fiber for weight, not appearance, so it should be quite a bit lighter than that chopped fiberglass one is. It'll also be a permanent mount, not a bed rail thing. I'll probably try using a set of hood hinges to get a little more lift out of it than you get with a normal bed cover. Making something like this will be a new adventure for me, but won't start until I have the truck back in my own shop. If it works out, I might try making other parts for it. This will be a year or two down the road though.

[Vimes]

Minor update. Progress is slow, but continuing. The shop has had to direct more manpower to the repair side due to workload and not people not wanting to work for a change. The welder said he'd have it sitting on its wheels inside a week if he could be left alone with it. Probably just as well as I'm working my property pretty hard right now. It's getting to be too crowded where I live so I'm working on getting ready to sell my house and move deeper out into the sticks.

Anyway, I'm a lot happier with the heavier bars up front. Similar reinforcement will be going in the back.

[Vimes]

I have a substantial update this time - the truck is sitting on its tires! There's still more work to be done, but they're finally making some real progress. Once they finish it up, everything gets pulled off and the frame will be cleaned up and powdercoated. The powdercoating will be for durability, not show, because this truck will be driven hard.

It's also looking exactly like I expected it to, although it is a little lower than I expected it to be. I specced 4-5 inches of clearance underneath for speed bumps. If need be I can fiddle with it when it's closer to completion to get it up a bit higher. The missing bed makes the rear look stubby, but with the bed and the front clip on it'll be balanced - more or less 5ft length for the bed, 5ft for the cab and 5ft for the front. The front clip/bed length being close to equal is what makes the short wide such an attractive truck, and I'm getting this with the extended cab I need with my height.

This should also show exacly why the Corvette front cradle would not work. It's more clear now how close the front wheels are to the cab, and how low down the cab is in relation. The fabricated cross member lets the engine sit in line with the front wheels like it's supposed to.

[ryeguy2006a]

Huge congrats!! Will they be adding anymore bracing between the lower control arms?

[dhutton]

Huge congrats!! Will they be adding anymore bracing between the lower control arms?

I was thinking the same thing. It looks like a lightweight drag racing setup currently. But then again I am not a mechanical engineer.

[Vimes]

Yes, more bracing will be going in. The shop has been doing both dedicated drag frames and street frames for years, and the round tubing they're using on mine is almost twice as large in diameter as the drag setups. I told them that this will be a daily driver, that I will occasionally track at a pro-touring event although I'll just do that with it once. I'll also be hitting a drag strip with it just to get times - I don't expect it to be a great drag racer, but ya still gotta have that time slip.

Despite the jump in progress, this is far from done. The engine and transmission will need to be installed to see where additional bracing needs to go. The transmission tunnel will likely have to be cut out all the way to the rear wall of the cab to make room for the driveshaft as the engine and trans will be sitting higher inside the cab than the factory stuff. Once the cross members are figured out, he'll start adding some triangulation bracing.

Of course, I definitely appreciate the criticisms and advice. I'd rather hear them now than after it's done even if I ultimately decide to go against them, like the 2x4 vs 2x6 debate. I was won over on 2x6 until I saw 2x5 C-channel on the factory frame, with a cargo capacity of 2400lbs .