> Point is I want to get my '96 Dak more TRAILWORTHY...
Hey, all right, I'm always glad to see someone taking a Dakota wheeling.
Pay no attention to the weenies who will tell you that you should have
bought a Jeep instead. Personally, I get great amusement from the funny
racks they make up to carry stuff. When you get your Dak lifted you can
charge them to carry all of their equipment in your bed.
(Check out http://www.4x4review.com/products/body/maxrack.asp, you'll see
what I'm talking about. 400 lbs per rack... let's load up three of those
and throw 'em in the back of the Dak.)
> which means putting in
> the 4" Trailmaster suspension lift (what other suspension lifts are
> available? Any?),
No others for '96.
> 33" BFG Mud terrains (I think they should then
> fit),
I know others have said that you can only get 32" tires on there. However,
I'm shooting for 33's when (and if) I ever do this lift, and yes, I intend
to take it wheeling. Just how much fender trimming this is going to require
I'm not sure yet. I have my eyes on 33x10.5 Swampers, I figure they're a
bit more narrow and might tuck up into the wheel wells a bit easier.
> rear locker,
Powertrax is supposed to be releasing their new No Slip differential for
Dakotas. Haven't heard if it's out yet.
> figure out some sort of a swaybar disconnect for the
> front end, and
I've heard this really isn't a good idea with IFS. Plus from what I see it
doesn't look like it would be terribly easy to do.
> fabricating some strong rock rails to attach to the frame to protect the
> sheet metal (kinda like really tough nerf bars)...
I've been looking around for these, all I've found are a couple of companies
that make regular nerf bars (Grizzly and Westin come to mind). If you do
find something you like, let us know.
> 1. Any DML'ers put in the Trailmaster lift? I want to see pictures!!
Walt Felix has a couple of pictures on his "other Dakotas" page:
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/9219/other.html
It's down at the very bottom. There's another truck on there with a
suspension AND body lift running 35's. Trail Master says this is "not
recommended". I say the tires are too big to fit in the wheel wells, looks
great on pavement, but not for wheeling.
> anyone been
> able to find skid plates to fit?
Skid plates were available from the factory (and my service manual shows
them). We got a set for our '98 from the parts counter at the dealer. I
asked about the '95, and they couldn't see them in the catalog. Later I
realized that they were only looking in the accessory catalog, I guess these
weren't considered accessories until the new body style or something.
Anyway, Walt Felix (there's that name again) posted the part numbers last
year. I tried to find his message in the archives but couldn't see it, so I
included it below my sig line.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jason Bleazard http://www.bleazard.net Toronto, Ontario
current: '95 Dakota Sport white 4x4 Reg. Cab V6/3.9L/5spd
current: '98 Dakota Sport black 4x4 Club Cab V8/5.2L/Auto
RIP: '95 Dakota Sport black 4x2 Club Cab V6/3.9L/Auto
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 20:08:33 -0400
From: Walter_Felix <Walter_Felix@email.msn.com>
Subject: DML: Re: Skid Plates for a 93
You can buy them from the dealer. Here are the part numbers.
87-96 Front Axle Skid Plate Part# 4412114 Cost $118
97-98 Front Axle Skid Plate Part# 52019981 Cost $46
87-93 Transfer case Skid Plate Part# 4412171 Cost $52
94-96 Transfer case Skid Plate Part# 52058070 Cost $36.75
87-96 Fuel Tank Skid Plate Part# 4279781 Cost $225
Walter_Felix@MSN.COM
88' Dakota Sport 4x4
WWW.GeoCities.Com/MotorCity/Downs/9219
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