Im thinking of putting a 2" body lift on the Dakota week after next. Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

the front 2 bolts on each side of the radiator will be a pita. i had to heat mine

make sure your hoses are in good shape that attach the gas filler neck to the tank

to raise the bumper we clamped it in place and drilled new holes and used new bolts

unbolt the tranny lines front the front of the motor also if automatic

 

1) Buy the body lift kit for our generation truck
2) Unbolt the body from the frame. On the ext cab, there are 2 radiator support bolts, 6 cab bolts, and 8 bed bolts (I don't know about the other trims). Remove the bolt for the steering shaft "slip-rod" to allow the steering shaft to expand. If auto trans, also unhook the shifter linkage and cooler lines.
3) Using a jack with a 4x4 block of wood to disperse the weight, jack up one side of the bed and slide in the blocks. Then do the other side. There shouldn't be anything in the way of jacking up the bed.
4) Jack up the cab using the same method as the bed, but go slow. VERY IMPORTANT!! KEEP AN EYE ON ALL WIRES, HOSES, ETC THAT ARE BEING STRETCHED. Make sure none of them get pulled apart, cut, etc.
5) Slide the blocks under the cab one side at a time like you did with the bed.
6) With all blocks in place, make sure the cab and bed are perfectly lined up and put the new bolts in place. VERY IMPORTANT!! USE A GENEROUS AMOUNT OF THREADLOCK ON ALL BOLTS! I had to learn this one the hard way by loosing a bolt. Luckily the block stayed put.
7) Remove the lower radiator hose and trim it as necessary or buy a new one and trim it if it looks to be in bad condition.
8) Relocate the fan shroud or install an electric fan.
9) Remove the front bumper, and re-drill the holes 2 inches lower on the mounts to push the bumper up.
10) If auto, cut the shifter linkage rod that comes down from the steering column and weld in the provided extension peice. I would suggest welding the new piece high up on the rod so you don't have to worry about the adjuster jamming up if the rod is no longer perfectly straight.
11) If 2wd, weld in an extension on the steering shaft.
12) Double and triple check everything got tightened back down and you're done.

I think that about covers it. If I missed anything, somone chime in.

If you have air, expect the job to take 2-3 hours. If you don't have air, its going to take a heck of a lot longer.

 

Thanks guys. I do have air and a shop to put the truck in. I believe i can take on this project. My tranny is a manual so I guess I wont have to worry about that part. I will buy my kit and get to work week after next.

 

Seems like with this kind of job, one problem runs into another problem and then into another one so I think ill dig a little deeper into my pockets to have the kit professionally installed.

With that said.....my truck is a 1993 Dodge Dakota, Ext. Cab, 2wd, Auto tranny.

Im sure some of the things that 95_318SLT listed are obvious to a place that installs lift kits.

Besides the steering shaft extension, what else should I point out to him that he may need to know to install it on a 2wd Dakota. (BTW im not purchasing an electrical fan so keep that in mind)

Also I think the place im having it installed is charging like $80 an hour, im sure theyre not going to hurry to get it done, but do you think a place that installs lift kits, will install this kit on a 2wd truck in 2 hours or less?

 

To put the blocks under the body and bolt the body back down, with a floor jack and air tools, it can be done in half an hour or less. The real time consuming steps are making drop brackets for the fan shroud, lining up and redrilling the bumper mounts, and welding the shifter extension and steering shaft... fabrication takes time. A shop may already have some stuff made up, or be able to make it in much less time than I could when I did my lift, so its hard to say. Call up some shops and ask around, cause nobody on here will be able to tell you what the shops in your area are capable of.

 

Yea nobodys open on a sunday around here though, anyways back to this question:

With that said.....my truck is a 1993 Dodge Dakota, Ext. Cab, 2wd, Auto tranny.

Im sure some of the things that 95_318SLT listed are obvious to a place that installs lift kits.

Besides the steering shaft extension, what else should I point out to him that he may need to know to install it on a 2wd Dakota. (BTW im not purchasing an electrical fan so keep that in mind)

So basically what is different about installing this kit on a 2wd rather than a 4wd?

 

i need to know that information so when i call places they can have a better understanding of what needs to be done, or if they can even do it.

 

The only difference between installing this kit on the 4x4 and 2wd is that steering extension. The 4x4 has enough slack in it, the 2wd doesn't. Everything else is the same. We get asked this about once a week on here, which is why this info is in faq2.

And thats fine that nobody is open on a sunday, cause thats what monday through fridays are for. But that doesn't change the fact that we can't tell you what they are going to be able to do, so asking us how long they will take or how much it will cost is pointless.

 

sorry if i sounded like a smart ***, just thought id ask the question today and call around tomorrow. And now that i know it will take around an hour with the right tools, i know that if they tell me its going to be a 3 hour job ill no that they are full of bs.

So im assuming they'll no that they have to adjust the brackets, bumper, shift linkage spacer ect. Right?