Do you have a rear wheel drive Dodge Dakota and you yearn for the go-anywhere properties of four wheel drive? If so, all you need to do is fine a donor 4WD Dakota that is a similar to yours in the chassis length and you can literally swap the body from your truck onto the chassis of the donor Dakota. DodgeForum Dakota guru Crazy4x4RT (his 4Wd swapped 1g Dakota is shown above) put together a quick how-to in the 1st generation Dakota section after a new member asked about adding four wheel drive to his factory rear drive pickup. This is not exactly a DIY piece but it contains a quick walk-through of how to “easily” add four wheel drive to your Dakota thanks to the fact that these trucks are all body on frame.
Realistically, the toughest part of this type of 4×4 Dakota project is finding the right donor truck that will work with your Dakota’s body but if you can find something that fits – this is really the best way to get four wheel drive in a truck that wasn’t originally equipped as such. Best of all, this thread also has some brief Q&A on the swap with Crazy4x4RT providing tips along with quickly explaining the other options.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
