03 Dakota ext cab

[Vimes]

More progress. They put the bed on and found that there was a minor error on body lines, resulting in the cab being raised about an inch. Such is customization, but this is a happy error as I've been concerned about the truck being too low. I was considering a taller tire to raise it up a little, which would be fine since it's being built as a racing driver and not a dedicated racer. It's nice to see my vision finally starting to come to life. The only thing that would have made it better is if I'd used a regular cab but I'm a rather large man and need the extended cab for the legroom.



The engine is also being test fit. The fabricator will have to put a small notch the cowl to fit the engine, and he figures I'll just need a low cowl at most for the hood. I'm planning on a fiberglass or carbon fiber hood, and I don't think it will need a cowl at all. Exhaust manifolds won't fit around the frame so a set of headers will have to be fabricated, which the shop can handle. I might see if they can build a set of tri-y headers to boost midrange power. There's also been no decision made on the oil sump or steering rack. The engine came with a front sump and I can use a standard rack behind it, but if we go to a rear sump I can use a Mustang electric rack and not have to work out the EPAS stuff in the cab.





The bed had to be cut to make room for the A-arms. I wasn't expecting this but, what can you do.





The transmission tunnel is too small. The truck originally came with a 4 speed automatic which was much smaller than the 8HP70. I'm thinking it will have to be extended to the rear of the cab, but we'll see on that.







I didn't get pictures, but the rear diff is kind of tight under the bed. There's plenty of operational room, but the space for it is about 2-3 inches taller than the diff itself is. If the rear diff needs work I'll have to drop the cradle, which is just 4 bolts.

On the wheels/tires being a bit too wide and close, I'm going to get the wheelwells cut out so they make a round opening instead of a rectangular opening. Going with round openings means minimal cutting to get the necessary room, then a light fender flare to get the coverage. The fronts stick out an inch too far, but the rears almost fit inside the wheelwell. It won't take much at all to make them look factory.