New to the board. A friend of mine owns a BITD-7100 prepped Comanche, and I co-drive it with him. He's currently playing in Iraq, and the truck's in storage. Last time out, we busted it up pretty bad, and it's become apparent that to campaign the truck successfully, it's going to require a lot of modification to get the front unit-structure to hold together. This is what brings me here.

We're possibly interested in building a Dakota as a interm/full time replacement for the Comanche. Due to the nature of racing, I can't justify starting with a late-model truck, just to tear it up(I can't afford to throw the money away) so a 1st gen/early 2nd gen truck is probably the best option.

I've found a ragged out '92, 3.9L, auto, 4wd, ext. cab truck. It's ugly, but complete, and runs well. Thinking seriously about stripping it out and starting a build. From the little reading I've done so far, it appears the '92-3 v-6s have the highest power rating of the 1st gen trucks. Other then that, there seems to be little difference.

So my questions;
Are there any known weak points/issues with any given years? For those of you who really beat on your trucks, what do you commonly break?
Anything special about any given year that would make it better for my intended usage?(to wail the hell out of it )
Specifically the front axle/drive- How do the half shafts hold up? Will they separate like the chevy IFS halfs will?

Before anyone asks:
Pretty much has to be a V-6 - rule book/class requirement.
I'm aware the std-cab would weigh less, but the ext. cab makes for a lot more room inside(racing seats, harness and cage take up a lot of space-biggest complaint about the Comanche)and the extra wheel base never hurts.

Thanks for your time.

 

things to upgrade/ replace

rod bearings (mine just crapped out)
water pump
ditch the mech. fan for an electronic one
oil pump
oil sending unit
the ax -15 tranny you cant put too much power though it (assuming its a manual cause racing an automatic is stupid)
chip
tbs
take the separator out of the intake(i believe its nicknamed the keg)
pully bearings
bypass the a/c it draws off horse power
chop the exhaust pre-muffler and hollow the cat
wider tires
lose as much weight as possable


and that should get you

 

First off, welcome to DodgeForum!

How about some more information about the type of racing you do...

 

Out of that list, I'd scratch off rod bearings, water pump, oil pump, oil sending unit, and pully bearings... each and every one of those fall under the catagory of why replace it if it ain't broke! None of those parts are what I'd consider common problems.

It doesn't have an AX-15 tranmission... he posted it was an auto, so it would be a 42rh.... but also rather weak for racing applications. Swap it out for a 46rh or even a TF 727 to save weight if you don't intend on using overdrive.

And never hollow out a cat! If you don't want it, remove it completely and weld in pipe. Hollowing out the cat will actually rob the engine of more power than the fuctional cat you just destroyed!

Also, whatever you do, don't get a JET chip for the engine computer. They are useless. If anything, go with a mopar performance PCM.

But yes to the keggar mod and electric radiator fan. Those will both help.

 

i bought mine with a pipe "replacement" cat just figured if he didnt have a welder easy mod everything else on my list is from personal experience of things to replace



oh and a better 2 or 3 core radiator if you can fit it, again mine went to crap in a biscuit shortly after i bought it

 

I understand that, but they still aren't common problems to these trucks! There are engines out there that actually are notorious for eating the various bearings and have oiling problems, etc. You just gotta understand that when you list off all these things it really makes a great engine sound like a real POS. I've seen a 3.9L with over 400,000 miles on it never rebuilt. And I know how I treat my 5.2L and its been tough enough to withstand the abuse without showing any signs of wear! Sure, if you don't take care of any engine, those parts will go bad quick, but when someone comes on here and asks for the common problem points of a vehicle, why scare them away with a really long list of stuff that doesn't really apply?

 

Good point the previous owner failed to love his truck he didn’t change the oil for 3 years and on the 5th oil change I did in 2 months I decided to roll a magnet though the oil and low and behold metal filings all though it is a lovely truck all in all but i wish i kept my wrecked ford because ford gas motors are built well in my 97 f-150 5 speed I could red line it all I wanted and it never gave me a problem until I wrecked it in some bad weather after owning it a year and a half (was not my fault btw) and now I own a 96 dodge that after 2 months the engine gives out and it even had 40k less miles on it both trucks are good trucks but from my personal experience ford makes good engines. But when it comes to diesels dodge Cummins are strongest imagine that a a "hybrid" dakota spawn of ford and dodge would have saved some money too having a free jasper reman. engine but how could i have known the full extent of the trucks problems


p.s. if i dont make much sense i havent slept in a while

 

Am gathering this is off road, so the front end maybe a soft spot if coming from a solid axle Comanche.

 

i would suggest beefing up the frame. and check all the lines running underneath the truck to be on the safe side...

 

I was a little un-clear there, sorry about that. It's desert racing. This is from the '08 Vegas to Reno 500 mile.
Drift.jpg?t=1274763201
BITD is Best in the Desert: http://www.bitd.com/
BITD-7100 is similar to SCORE 7-S or "stock mini-truck"

I guess my main worry is the front suspension/drive. Running in the stock classes will require using stock arms, etc. How do the ball joints hold up to abuse?

Chassis strengthening is pretty much required(Full roll cage, extended clear to the front and back of the truck)
Bigger radiator, trans- engine oil- and power steering coolers are all pretty standard for desert racing

Thanks for the suggestion on the E-fan and the 36RH. Both thoughts already occurred to me. TF-727 didn't. Any clue how much the 727 weighs compared to the 32/36RH?
If I do this, I'll probably get(oh, god, no,...) the Dana-35 front center and slap 4.56 gears in it.(unless there's a difference in the D-35 in front apps. I'm still in the research phase on this.

Well, it's a 318,.. what you expect?

Scare me off? Scare me off! With broken parts?
I did say I was racing a Comanche up there!