Since I'd like to install a rear anti-sway bar before any exhaust components
(worried about clearance), I have been looking into the Addco kits for the
Dakota. I'm leaning towards Addco for a few reasons: 1) I've had great luck
with their products on my Mustangs, 2) the customer support center is absolutely
fantastic (more on this later), and 3) the rear bar is mounted to the frame
with bolts instead of clamps (requires drilling, but that's OK for the extra
stability).
For my '95 Club Cab, Addco offers 1 1/8" front and 7/8" rear kits. Each
is available with rubber or urethane bushings. Addco sells their kits
retail over the phone, at prices comparable to what you see in the catalogs,
a tad cheaper than Magnum Performance, at least. But they freely admit that
you can get them cheaper by buying through a local dealer, and furthermore
will point you to local dealers. In my case, they told me that Pep Boys
and Autozone had contracts with Addco.
Unfortunately, the local dealers were far more clueless than the nice
folks at Addco. But it is definitely true that I can order both front and
rear Addco kits through Autozone and Pep Boys. However, neither chain had
any entry for the kits containing urethane bushings, so it looks like I'll
have to order urethane components separately. Since I want to get greaseable
urethane bushings (Energy Suspension has them, in both Summit and Jeg's),
that's not really a problem. If you consider urethane, you should think about
the greaseable bushings as well. Trust me, I know from experience. If you
like squeaks, then you'll love urethane bushings with no grease.
I left my notes at home, so I can't give you exact prices, but here's a
general idea to let you know how much better it is to go through a local
dealer:
Front 1 1/8" kit, shipping & handling not included, nor 6% NC sales tax
Addco retail $171 (Urethane bushings)
Magnum Perf. $190 (Urethane bushings)
Autozone $115 (Rubber bushings)
Even when I factor in tax, and another $40 or so for (greaseable) urethane
bushings, I do much better at Autozone. Rear prices were less, but the
differences between vendors are comparable. Basically, for both front and
rear kits, I end up saving around $50 total by going local.
Next plan is to measure my existing front bar in order to make sure the
1 1/8" bar is a reasonable upgrade.
Ron "I Hate Understeer" Rader
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