Ok, I'll be completely honest here. I don't know a whole lot about automobiles. I'm 17 and I'm looking to get into it though, I definitely wanna go to school for stuff like this, I have a 91 dodge dakota that I've got huge ambitions for.

My question for you guys, is where should I start? First off, the interior is stock and needs work, the exterior is rusting and I am most definitely painting it. I need to know where to start. My budget is around...$1000 right now.

If anyone can point me in the right direction, I really would appreciate it, I want to eventually murder this truck out but first I have to do bigger things before we get to painting.

 

First thing to do is make it safe, legal and reliable, then work on fast and pretty. Also, more information on the truck would be helpful (engine, trans, short or long bed, reg or ex cab 4X2 or 4X4), and what your final vision for the truck is, murder it out dont tell us anything.

 

+1 on that... and we like pictures too.

 

Ok thanks for the feedback, I'll get some pics up soon.

Some of that I'm not to sure about, because I'm not really truck savy :\.

automatic, long bed, reg cab, 4x2.

My final vision would be lambo doors, w/ my tailgate shaved. I'd like it lowered too. I want it to be reliable, as in never break down. I don't care about how fast it goes, it's strictly cosmetics really. I want everything black, I was thinking about starting w/ new custom lights. I was planning on using a dull black.

 

i hope you're kidding about $1000. if that's all you have you should choose between paint or a lambo door kit. either one is going to eat that pile of money alone.

 

Actually, unless you plan on painting it yourself you won't be able to get it painted for $1000 (unless you take it to MAACO, but I wouldn't let them paint anything of mine). The shop I worked at would charge $3000-4000 to repaint an entire truck.

As for getting a tailgate handle relocator kit, unless you're planning on making your own, this one is good...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/87-96...Q5fAccessories

As for lowering the truck, read this post for the rear, (FAQ2 has suggestions for the front)...
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...ut-blocks.html

As for being reliable, keep up with maintanance and these trucks will take care of you.

 

yep yep. a harbor freight paint setup (if you have a compressor already) isn't so expensive. most of your money is in paint. painting is a lot of work, though.

i don't trash maaco...a coworker got a $1600 maaco paint job on his thunderbird in 2005, and it still looks better than anything i could do today. he didn't like how dark it came out, but it has grown on him.

i will consider it, but none of my vehicles are ready for paint : ) we have harsh winters, so i am never going to have flawless paint. i'm ok with that.

 

I agree with that. If I were you, take care of your maintenance all right now, most bang for your buck. Fluids, tune up, etc. If the truck is fairly new to you, as you start driving it more you are bound to find little things that come up fairly quick. Then, if it were me, I would move onto the body work, at least getting rid of the rust and bad spots before next winter.

Lowering, as said early, can be researched in the FAQ2.

The coolest paint job I have seen in a long time was done on an H2 that honestly didn't look like an H2 anymore. I caught up with the driver of it and asked who did it. He did it himself using military paint from Sherwin Williams paint, like used on the Hummers. All matte, black and two tones of gray in a camo pattern he made himself. All the chrome was taken off and painted, tinted windows. It looked pretty mean. He said the military and Sherwin Williams wouldn't help him learn how to apply it, so he figured it out and did it himself. Something about the necessity of using a pressure pot.

 

Thanks for all the help guys. Those two links were very useful, I planned on doing all this work myself with the help of my dad, who bought me the truck.

Someone mentioned that $1000 isn't enough...that's all I have at the moment, so I'm trying to use this for cosmetics, dents, dings, and paint. I planned on doing what the person above me said, going to Sherwin Williams and getting a specific type of dull black paint, and doing it myself. If someone could post up more info on how to paint it, etc, that would be great.

Here's an example of the kind of paint job I want...

 

I just typed up the thread for body/paint work:
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...ml#post1597436

If you have any specific questions about it feel free to ask. Just remember the final product will look as good as the amount of time you're willing to put in to it.