SR's 1992 Dakota

[SirRobyn0]

Seems like there are a few guys here that also like and / or own a Dodge Dakota. So with the square getting it's transmission rebuilt I've been driving the Dakota, and thought I'd share a few pictures. And it really will be just a few. I've owned the truck since 2002, as I've said before I'm terrible about taking pictures, but have been getting better in the last few years.

So back story on the Dakota. I got it in 2002 with just over 200K on the clock. Today it has 419K. 3.9L 42RH transmission LE. Engine has never been opened up (I knew the PO so I know that's the truth), transmission has been rebuilt once. It was my DD off and on though the years. When the bird farm was much smaller it could handle hauling what we needed to haul. The square came along from a friend that passed away, at a time I was just starting to think about getting a full sized truck. In the past 5 years I've barely put 2,000 miles on the Dakota. Last year it went from the farm to haul water back and that was it. Not more than 200 miles. In the past week with the square out of service I've already surpassed that. Knowing I can't be without a reliable truck, in September I fixed some long standing issues. New fuel pump, new ECM, new crank sensor, and one heck of a cleanup. Of course a lube & oil was in there.

It was actually kind of fun driving the Dakota last week. With it all cleaned up and running like it should, it's been enjoyable. Right now it's canopy is off and it has been off for years, but I'm almost temped to put it back on the truck and maybe I'd use it a little more.... Pictures!

I'll go backwards in time. These were taken oh about a week ago.

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[SirRobyn0]

These pictures are going to be from 2011. Taken in the Methow Valley area of Washington state. We'd taken a camping trip over there and stayed at the KOA in Winthrop.

All I remember about this picture is it's taken over there somewhere that we stopped.

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This is on the way home, somewhere on Highway 20, North Cascades pass. We didn't take our motorhome, because I didn't have a good way of towing the Dakota, and we wanted the Dakota with us for certain roads we wanted to drive over there, so we used this from a friend instead.

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[idahovette]

@SirRobyn0 the only thing is if you put the canopy back on, you would probably have to haul something that wouldn't fit..........right?...that would be my luck

 

[SirRobyn0]

These pictures I have marked as 2016, I'm sure that the barrels had grain in it for the farm. The Dakota pretty much hits it's limit at 4 barrels of grain, anything more than that I don't feel like I could stop it quickly enough in panic situation, my square being a C20 handles 8 just fine, so obviously twice as much. But for a long time the Dakota did this work, just in smaller loads.

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[SirRobyn0]

@SirRobyn0 the only thing is if you put the canopy back on, you would probably have to haul something that wouldn't fit..........right?...that would be my luck

Right. That's why I ended up just leaving it off. From 2002 when I got the truck until I don't know exactly but around 2014ish, that canopy was always on it. I'd take it off a few times a year to haul barrels or something else oversized. But I'd wait until the square is done and back in service. My thinking is I would just haul anything I needed an open bed in the square and anything covered in the Dakota, but yea, my luck dictates it would be on for about a week!

 

[SirRobyn0]

IF I decide to put it back into any kind of regular service a few things will need to be done. #1. I gotta get front tires on the truck. #2. I need to get some supplementary lighting on it. The headlights have always sucked the lenses are yellowed so they need to be replaced and probably fog lights installed. #3. I need to replace the front marker lights as they are literally falling apart. #4. The radio is ancient and doesn't work correctly. #5. The headliner was taken down, because it was in such bad shape, I've got those silver sun windshield things office clipped up there, but I would need something better. The board for the headliner is gone, to now. I've thought about gluing up like that thin speaker carpeting.

 

[Midnightmoon]

Looks like a great old Dodge Rob. It's definitely worth the effort to throw some parts at it.

 

[SirRobyn0]

@Midnightmoon I agree it is worth it. She's really a solid old truck. There have been a couple times when the Dakota kind of got parked for a bit, but each time I've found a reason to fix it back up again. It's just hard to justify the money and time for a vehicle that's only been seeing a 100 - 200 miles annually. And then that means I have to insure it all the time if I'm going to drive it on the regular. I really think if I follow though on the running it with the canopy on it idea during the winter that I might just use it a fair bit more.

 

[Midnightmoon]

@Midnightmoon I agree it is worth it. She's really a solid old truck. There have been a couple times when the Dakota kind of got parked for a bit, but each time I've found a reason to fix it back up again. It's just hard to justify the money and time for a vehicle that's only been seeing a 100 - 200 miles annually. And then that means I have to insure it all the time if I'm going to drive it on the regular. I really think if I follow though on the running it with the canopy on it idea during the winter that I might just use it a fair bit more.

I understand completely. The insurance is definitely something to consider. It was approx $700/year to add my Dakota on the insurance. We are using it a good bit right now, in fact the wife is taking it to work the next few days while I put her F150 in the air to spray the fame down with Fluid Film. So, it is easy for us to justify the extra insurance expense, at least for now.

 

[SirRobyn0]

@Midnightmoon So I've also got the 1996 Jeep Grand Cherkoee and the wife's minivan on the insurance so there is that already going on.

 

[CheemsK1500]

The 1st gen Dakotas are very underrated and well-built. Those old Mopar engines will run forever too. The early to mid '90s is peak Mopar for trucks IMO.

 

[SirRobyn0]

The 1st gen Dakotas are very underrated and well-built. Those old Mopar engines will run forever too. The early to mid '90s is peak Mopar for trucks IMO.

I completely agree, I think that time period is the pinnacle for a lot of vehicles, simple fuel injection systems, best if it's some version of multiport. And simple ECM's running the fuel system and converter clutch. For most manufactures such as Dodge it's still the classic engines. It's unfortunate that Dodge couldn't carry on with the 440. I think a FI 440 magnum would have been good ram motor.

If your aware of the Chrysler corps history with small and mid-size truck this will be all stuff you already know, but if not you might find it interesting, but Dodge's first attempt at a pickup that was not full sized was in the 80's, the Rampage was a compact version of the elcamino, the Rampage was on the Omni chassis with the 80's Charger front nose. It failed miserably and was pulled after 2 years. Dodge and Plymouth sold a rebranded Mitsubishi might max as Dodge D50 and Plymouth Arrow. So the story I was told when the boys in truck design wanted to build a mid-sized pickup they were basically told they couldn't spend any money, so they came up with the idea of essentially cutting down the full sized ram, to make the Dakota with. I really don't know how true that is but I've heard similar stories about the Dakota so I think there must be at least some truth to it. But the result was (for it's size) a pretty heavy duty truck that wasn't full sized.

There are really only 2 things I can complain about with the Dakota. The turning radius sucks. I think the square turns tighter. The gas mileage is only moderately better than the full sized ram. Conversely things I like about the Dakota over the square, the extended cab. I cannot tell you how nice it is to have that space. If your carrying passengers back there they better be children or midgets... But it's a great place to put some bags of groceries or tools out of the rain. My great Dane doesn't mind riding in the back seat, but she prefers the front passenger seat in the square lol. Despite the turning radius it is more maneuverable in parking lots than the square.

 

[CheemsK1500]

I've always considered the back seat on extended cab trucks of all varieties to be tool storage. My dad had a Ford with the "Super cab" once. As a small child, I didn't mind it, but as an adult I now realize how cramped they really are.

 

[SirRobyn0]

I've always considered the back seat on extended cab trucks of all varieties to be tool storage. My dad had a Ford with the "Super cab" once. As a small child, I didn't mind it, but as an adult I now realize how cramped they really are.

10 or 15 years ago I did ride in the extended cab of the Dakota one time. My wife drove and female friend of hers was in the passenger seat. I did not want to make a lady ride back there. I sat sideways with my feet up and put a pillow behind my back and that was fine. Actually normally I keep on of those plastic totes behind the drivers seat with straps, ropes, extra fluids ect in it. Of course long bed was not an option with the extended cab, which makes the bed awfully small in my opinion but still I hauled a lot of loads with the Dakota.

 

[Soundmound]

I had a 94 extra cab 2wd Dakota. I wanted an OBS and got hustled into buying the Dakota. It was fine while the mileage was low, then it started doing Dodge things. I got out of it and never really looked back, but my brother drove it for several years after.