first of all my name is george and i own a 2001 dodge dakota 2wd ext. cab v6 slt. i have had it for some time now and was going to get a new truck. decided i didn't need it and would rather put some money into it and make it look a little better.

as you know the 2wd sits a lot lower than the 4wd. my question is can i get a leveling kit or something like that that will get my truck up to or maybe a little higher than the 4wd sits. i have read about about cranking the tbar but never see anything for my year truck in regards to leveling kit. also, if i was to put on a leveling kit or crank the tbar's will i need new shocks? also what do you recomend? i do no offroading but do tow my 19ft bass boat at some times, never far and always pretty flat land, no hills.

any suggestions would be great!! thanks guys.

 

first of all welcome to the DF
and tbar crank wont work on ur truck for one major reason, ur truck aint got no tbars lol
only on the 4x4s
for leveling out the easiest would prolly be a body lift and the cheapest, it would just lift the body off the frame, but for suspensions i don't believe any of the lift kits are still in production for the 2wds the only ones that were out there were the fabtech lift and doestch tech lift they were pretty much the same thing the fabtech was just a lot more expensive, the only way u would really be able to do a suspension lift is with coil spacers up front and flip the leaf springs in the back to on top of the axle, but with all that u'd be better off just getting a real 4x4

 

well now you know why i am here asking questions...because i don't have a clue about trucks. i can change the oil but thats about it.

to the info you gave me i have found both of these kits you mentioned. i think i am going to buy the doestch one but have another question now the 6/3 it mentions, does that mean 6in front and 3 in back? i figured it did if so what size rim and tire would be good with this set up so i have no rubbing and also what about for one that is 3/2? and one last question, is there anything additional i would have to buy for this kit other than new rims and tires? and to what you said about buying a 4x4...it was between a new truck and a swimming pool for wife? you can tell who won that one...here is the add for it:

Doetsch Suspension for 97-99 & 00-03 Dodge Dakota 2WD

97-99 & 00-03 of lift kits are included in our Dodge lift line. Kit # 62039 is shows. Both models will fit the Dakota & Durango. However, please specify motor & cab specs when ordering.
Kit #62039 - 6/3 Lift
This kit contains upper arms, 3" lift coil, rear shackle, 4 DT3000 shocks

 

if you get massive tires you will need a re gear.

 

now its not a 6/3 lift thats just a typo on the truckaddons.com website, and the actual truck in that picture doesn't have just that lift it also has a body lift on it i believe cause it looks like there is a large gap betwenn the body and frame in that front fender well, that 3/2" lift is 3" in front and 2" in the rear, our trucks actually have a 2" rake on them (front sits 2" lower than the rear) so it will still not be perfectly level, but i believe that this lift would put u right about if not a little bit taller than what a 4x4 sits at, so it would look like thunder's

for rims and tires that's ultimately up to you personally i like the look of the 15"-16" rims on lifted trucks, and i wouldn't go with a taller tire than what the 4x4 guys go with max i forget the number but i think its a 33" tire, for rims tho just make sure they have the correct backspacing, u've also got to match it up with the look of your truck, post some pics and we will be able to give u a couple of suggestions as well as make sure what bolt pattern u've got and what the factory size of ur rims are.

warning tho u will have a hard time finding rims for ur dak if u've got the 16" rims stock cause they run on a 6x4.5" bolt pattern and there are only like 4 vehicles in existance that use that, the dak, durango, vipers, and i believe the pathfinder?

 

imho, dont lift your truck. It will kill your rearend especially for a 2wd. If you want to lift it look for a 4wd dakota, they are easy to find! It will be cheaper for you and wont make you look like a jackass =P

 

thanks for all the info guys, i really appreciate it. i will update when i do whatever it is i am going to do. thanks again!!