> Anyone have any opinions on shock absorbers?
Does anyone not? This was a pretty big thread a little while back.
> Anyone got any recommendations?
I put out a summary of most of the aftermarket shocks available for Dakotas
at the time (no, I didn't keep a copy. did someone else keep one?)
including model numbers, approximate cost, and manufacturer phone numbers
and addresses. No clear conclusions were drawn, other than you generally
get what you pay for. I am quite happy with my Bilsteins (no, you do not
have to play games with the part numbers - there are specific 2WD models
readily available) as they improve control noticeably with no detectable
deterioration of ride quality. I tow a Formula Ford on a two-axle trailer
quite effortlessly. $50 each. Tokicos have also been highly recommended at
about the same price. There also were several specific models made by
domestic brands that were recommended, but I forget which ones they were.
The only 2WD adjustable ones I found at the time were built by Doetsch
Tech, but they're a small manufacturer, and without anyone else's experience
with them, I wasn't willing to take a chance on them.
> AND ANOTHER THING: One of my gear head friends says a couple of degrees
of positive caster will help give the front some anti-dive. You buying it?
Hmmm. I don't know which way that would affect anti-dive, but I do know it
helps make the steering little less light, improves front end grip (reduces
understeer) by increasing negative camber upon turning, and increases
steering wheel self-centering.
> OH YEAH: Just how much of this silly truck is metric anyway? It seems on
every project I got to put my good tools down and go scrounge up the
motorcycle stuff.
I once swore that as worldly man of the future, I would never own Standard
tools. Eventually I was forced into it by my Dakota and the odd Standard
fastener (usually plumbing related) on my Fiat, of all things. The Honda,
Mazda, Audi, Honda mower, and bicycle (were) are all metric.
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