Has anybody put '97 Dakota rims on a earlier model Dakota? I know a
couple of you have acquired some with the intention to do so.
Pre-'97 rims have 5" backspacing. '97 rims have 5.5" backspacing. Well I
looked under my '95 2WD Dakota and the clearance between the upper control
arm and the wheel is pretty tight, not much more than .5", but it is hard
to measure exactly. So I stopped by the dealer and looked under a '97 2WD
with the 8" rims. Sure enough they changed the upper control arm to
increase the clearance. The '97 also has about .5" of clearance. They
removed the portion of the control arm that protrudes out past the upper
ball joint. The ball joint now hangs off the end of the control arm
instead of the control arm wrapping around the ball joint.
So my question is do the '97 rims really fit on pre-'97 Daks? I think
they will clear by 1/8" at least, but I'd like to know for sure before
purchasing a set.
Does anybody know the backspacing of the American Racing or Boyd rims?
I would assume 5", but I'd rather not assume. Also the '95 Mopar
performance catalog listed 7.5" wide 5" backspace Centerline rims for the
Dakota for about $320 each. Newer Mopar catalogs don't have rims. Are
Centerline rims for the Dakota available from other sources?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jiffy lube: I'm sure there are some stores that are honest, but in
general the chain is known for incompetence and dishonesty. I wouldn't
trust them with my truck in either respect. There most common rip-off is
to show you a unbelievably dirty air filter element and claim it is yours
and tell you you need a new one. One person (out of many) who told me
this tale had just installed a new air filter the night before. I hadn't
heard the engine clean out story before. Great scam, charge you to wreck
your motor.
Frank Ball 1UR-M frankb@sr.hp.com (707) 794-4168 work
Hewlett Packard (707) 794-3038 fax (707) 538-3693 home
1212 Valley House Drive Kawi KDX200, Yamaha XT350 YZF600R Seca 750
Rohnert Park CA 94928-4999 '95 Dakota SLT Club Cab V8 5-Speed 2WD
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