...well my brothas n sistas...I'm sure this won't come as much of a surprise...but I'm making the command decision to cut bait and pull the plug on trying to finish the Dakota, and build up a big bad 4-door Jeep.
The Dakota is pretty cool...and I don't hate it...but...and believe me I have pondered all of this for...years... - I don't look forward to the time and effort it is going to take to get it 'done', and I don't want to spend the energy to figure it all out. In the same time it'll take (probably less) to figure out how to get the lights and wipers to work, not to mention fabricating some kind of legit roll cage...and the body work...I'm pretty sure I can build the whole Jeep in less time, and...well that ship has sailed, and I've pulled the trigger on my next...and very likely last...off-road build.
Picked up this 2014 JKU Thanksgiving eve - it's a right-hand drive machine (former mail carrier had it), 3.6/auto 4x4, 100% virgin intact and never rode hard. The engine 'doesn't run' (for reasons unknown), and I'm very happy to say this is the core of what is going to be my final, and arguably best, off-road machine. Got it for a very, very good price, and it is 100% complete - full interior etc - a perfect starting point.
I'm gonna gut this -
...drop in all of the awesome driveline from this -
...keeping in mind all of the charm and simplicity of this -
...and it'll feel and perform pretty much like this -
...while looking more or less like this -
...and in the end we'll have 'his n hers' JKUs in the family as mine will nicely compliment the wife's new 08 JKU on 37s -
I'm going to completely remove the OE Jeep electrical harness, install a stand-alone, computer-less, dirt simple, primitive, and effective switch-to-component harness, mod the firewall for left-hand drive, toss in another Ididit steering column and aftermarket turn signal switch etc, drop a nice aftermarket 4.5" suspension kit under it, weld on the Artec hardware to utilize the D60/14b, go full-hydro, and rock on. It's gonna be about 10-times stronger and more capable than Dad's M-38...and I'm calling the M-380.
In the meantime, if'n anyone is looking for a heavily upgraded 4-door Dakota with a legit SAS with leaf springs cocked and ready for your driveline of choice, including a fully reinforced frame, front/rear rock bumpers and sliders, full interior, and PSC ram-assist steering all in place...lemme know :)
- Sam
but with a 140 wheelbase you kicked the shit out of my toyota. I can't remember my score off the top of my head but I think it was around 7-800. so 940 with leafs and a long wheelbase is pretty cherry all things considered.