RE: Buying a 1989 vs. 1991+ 1st Gen Dakotas

From: Brian (hskr@cox.net)
Date: Fri Dec 26 2008 - 23:36:02 EST


Not sure what the '89s used for fuel delivery, but if it was TB injection,
not sure how much a ported TB would help out, or if you could even find
anybody making ported TBs for the non-magnum V6s.

Depending on the condition of the truck and the price, I think I'd hold out
for something a little newer. If nothing else, the MPI in the
GenII('91-'96) would be a huge bonus for me anyways. Plus the bump in power
would be something I'd seriously consider. Also, even if you are by
yourself, I think you'd appreciate a CC better than a RC.

With the future "mods" you already have planned, you may be better off just
starting with a V8. By the time you spend all the money doing the upgrades
on the V6, you'd be right where you would have started had you gotten the V8
to begin with for power. And you'd have spent more getting the V6 to that
point than just starting with the V8.

brian cropp
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-dakota-truck@bent.twistedbits.net
[mailto:owner-dakota-truck@bent.twistedbits.net] On Behalf Of Matt Beazer
Sent: Friday, December 26, 2008 8:29 PM
To: dakota-truck@dakota-truck.net
Subject: DML: Buying a 1989 vs. 1991+ 1st Gen Dakotas

Hello, I'm new to the list. This is an intro of myself and to ask some
questions of the list, so it's a bit long, I apologize in advance.

I don't own a Dakota as of yet, but I've been thinking about picking up
a first gen Dakota for a while, as the prices seem to be "in my range"
and I'm a Mopar guy (every car I've ever owned was a Chrysler produced
vehicle). Currently I own a '98 Neon (115k) and a '98 Voyager (195k).
I'm from Spokane, WA. A friend of mine has a 2000 Dakota 4x4 5 speed
with the 4.7L that I've helped work on, so I have some idea of the
layout on Dakotas. I've done quite a bit of work on vehicles, which
ranges from engine swaps and rebuilds in the old 2.2/2.5L turbo
Chryslers to simple stuff like water pump, timing belts, clutches, etc.
on the lers, the 2.0L in the Neons and in the last year working on my
wife's Mini. Needless to say I know my way around a Mopar's engine bay,
though I'm short on experience with RWD/4x4 setups. Most of my
experience is in FWD, making cars lower and making them handle better,
not raising them and putting bigger tires on. :)

In the last 2 years we've gotten a heck of a lot of snow here in
Spokane; in fact we just broke the record for the most snow in recorded
history in a 24 hour period (15" was the record, and we got 26", now
it's more like 32-36" in the last 10 days). I've been wanting a Dakota
for a while. Mostly I'd use it for "hauling stuff"; dump runs, home
improvement stuff, etc. It would also be a "backup" vehicle to my Mini
and Neon, as well as a snow vehicle. I work in a job that requires I
get to work no matter the weather, and I can't have my boss picking me
up in his Jeep all winter! I don't plan to do much towing, the only
occasion I'd see myself doing it would be if a car broke down. In that
case I'd be towing a max of 3500-3800lbs, but this isn't vital as I can
borrow other tow-vehicles.

I have an opportunity to buy a '89 Dakota V6 4x4 long bed with 120k on
it from a co-worker who needs something "bigger". I've done a lot of
research and I know that the pre-91 Dakotas had some suspension
differences, and a slightly different 4wd and suspension setup. I also
know the '89 V6 was a little weak at 125hp and 195ft/lb, but the Magnum
engines in '92 made 175hp and 225ft/lb, and also had multipoint
injection and other improvements. There was no extended cab in '89, so
it would be a little tight if I had to transport my 2 kids in it too in
a squeeze. Is there anything else that would make want to re-consider
the '89 vs finding something 92-up? How about just looking for a 318
equipped Dakota? My commute is only 3 miles each way, so fuel economy
isn't a huge problem as long as it's around 14mpg+ or so city.

Here's my plans if I go for the '89:

* Crank torsion bars to raise front end 1.5-2"
* Use "Add a leaf" on the rear to raise the rear 2"
* The '89 Currently has Pirelli Scorpion tires on it, unsure what size,
but I'd like to go at least 31x10.5 on the stock 15" rims, though I'd
prefer 32x11.5 for the extra ground clearance and width, but I have
doubts on being able to do this without a more extensive lift or body lift.
* Edelbrock "shorty" headers, unless anyone has a better recommendation:
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=EDL-68513&N=7
00+4294924930+4294908110+4294907880+4294923429+4294840047+115&autoview=sku
* Other exhaust upgrades... anyone have a good recommendation on a
free-flow muffler that's not too horribly loud (silence is not a
requirement) and still sounds ok? 3" piping from the cat back, correct?
* V8 Throttlebody or bored throttle body
* Further down the road... cam upgrade? Not sure what I'd get here.
* Also further down the road... I'm assuming that most of the gains in
the "Magnum" V6 were in the heads... is this a direct-swap or more of a
headache than it's worth?

Thanks for the help,

MattB

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