RE: Finally bought a Dakota...

From: knox.james@sympatico.ca
Date: Mon Apr 06 2009 - 04:45:37 EDT


Hi Matt. Most DMLER's modify their trucks from stock, thats progress. OFF topic a good investment I use is a Garmin GPS which gives me the speed I'm driving as I move vehicles for a dealer throughout Ontario. Many speedometers are not accurate. Try and make it to the DML BBQ.
 
Jim , 91 Dak Spt
 
 
> Date: Mon, 6 Apr 2009 00:16:15 -0700
> From: teseract@moparhowto.com
> To: dakota-truck@dakota-truck.net
> Subject: Re: DML: Finally bought a Dakota...
>
>
>
> I don't think I'll submit a pic until I get the vinyl off the side of
> the truck. ;) I will say I'm surprised how firm the ride is on my '95
> compared to my friend's 2000 SLT. Especially after pumping the tires up
> to a decent pressure from the ~30psi the dealer had in them.
>
> The chrome I could live without, I'd rather have some of the newer
> Dakota 15x8 or 16x8 rims. As I recall the chrome rims are 6" wide, and
> there's 31x10.5" tires on it right now and you can feel the "wobble" and
> the contact patch doesn't look that great, there's definitely more wear
> on the middle of the contact patch than the outside. The speedometer
> is quite a ways off, I drove by a radar sign on the way home doing an
> indicated 30mph and the sign said I was doing 25. I guess I get to do
> 5mph over everywhere now. ;)
>
>
> MattB
>
> knox.james@sympatico.ca wrote:
>> Nice Dakota Sport Matt. The lower left switch positions on my 91 and I think Jon has one on his 95 were for driving - fog lights, on mine the 2nd switch is for OFF ROAD lights on the roll light bar that some sports came with. Your chrome wheels were introduced in 95 and are difficult to obtain now. On the DML WEB site is a place for members truck pictures if you submit them to Jon.
>>
>> Jim, 91 Dakota Sport, 4x4, 318la
>> Toronto, Canada
>>
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------
>>
>>> Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2009 04:16:44 -0700
>>> From: teseract@moparhowto.com
>>> To: dakota-truck@dakota-truck.net
>>> Subject: Re: DML: Finally bought a Dakota...
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Seems fine so far, good power. Agreed on the turning radius, but not
>>> NEARLY as bad as my father in law's '90 club cab with the 8 foot bed!
>>> Talk about a parking garage disaster.
>>>
>>> I'm now noticing little things, though, like I think the tires might
>>> have a flat spot (sat at the dealer since October from the looks of the
>>> Carfax). The steering feels "loose" (has about 1/6th of a turn slop
>>> either direction off center) so I'm suspecting it'll need a pitman arm
>>> and/or some tierod ends soon unless this is "normal" (this is the first
>>> vehicle I've owned without rack and pinion steering). The gas pedal has
>>> to be totally mashed to the floor to get it to kick down, so I suspect
>>> the cables need adjusted. It has a slow "ooze" oil leak from the valve
>>> covers, not unusual on a car of this age and a cheap easy fix.
>>>
>>> My main concern is when I caught a whiff of antifreeze when I was
>>> running it after I left the lights on by accident (no idiot buzzer like
>>> my Neon). Hopefully it's just a hose that needs replaced, but with my
>>> luck it'll be a bad head gasket. Of the last 4 cars I've purchased, 2
>>> of them had bad head gaskets that didn't display themselves until I got
>>> a hold of them. Doh.
>>>
>>> Then there's the two mystery switches on the lower left dash... one must
>>> be the driving lights but oddly it's a 3 position switch, and the second
>>> is one little metal toggle switch... who knows what that does!
>>>
>>> Factory service manual was just ordered... gotta love old Mopars. ;)
>>>
>>> MattB
>>>
>>>
>>> SandMan wrote:
>>>
>>>> Date: Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:34:50 -0700
>>>> Matt, I had a 92' Dakota 4x4 CC about 10 years ago, was only 4 things
>>>> wrong with it:
>>>> 1. It was only the V-6, great on gas but piss poor on torque,
>>>> transmission was always "hunting".
>>>> 2. The turning radius was awful!!! My old full-size F@rd would turn
>>>> circles inside what the Dak could do.
>>>> 3. I drove a 99' Dak... I wanted the V-8 plus full time 4x4, then
>>>> the gas prices went up... Ouch... 10-12mpg. Maybe I should have kept
>>>> the V-6 after all???
>>>> 4. 92' was one of the years w/ bad paint...
>>>>
>>>> Don't get me wrong here, I loved that truck at the time, despite its
>>>> flaws. Had 125K on it at the point of purchase, I had to put a
>>>> waterpump on it (pain in the butt) & new shocks. So & spent $200
>>>> bucks in repairs plus normal expenses (gas & oil changes) for 2 years,
>>>> that ol' truck did good by me. You'll enjoy the Dak, plus where else
>>>> do you find a brotherhood of ownership like this?
>>>>
>>>> SandMan
>>>> 99' Dakota CC, 318cid, 4x4 mostly stock ;-(
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>



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