So, I snagged myself another 92 Dak today. $1000, not the best price, but I was tired of looking and wanted to get wrenching.

Here are the before pics:











V6, 4x4, manual, LSD rear, 143k miles, needs plenty of work.

Tomorrow I plan on going to the junkyard and grabbing V8 torsion bars/keys and whatever other goodies I can grab.

Then I'll work on removing the bed and cab to do a 2" hockey puck lift.

Other than that, I know it needs:
Motor Oil changed
Diffs oil changed
coolant flush
New brakes all around
New moog balljoints
New shocks all around
add a leaf upgrade
Gas tank skid plate
Bigger tires
some bondo work
Paint
... and all the hidden gems I haven't found yet.

Looks like it's biggest problem is the front upper shock mounts are pretty rusty. Hopefully it's not a huge deal to get those cut off and new ones welded on.

Sucks that it's pretty much dark out.. I'm dying to get started.

 

you got the exact same body as me, other than color, but i look forward to seeing the progress cause id love to do a lot more to mine suspension wise just dont got the money right now. check the two coolant sensors, they play a big role in how it runs, same goes with the coil. the idle air control valve is known to cause idle problems, and then theres that splice problem to be aware of, check the faq's its awesome.

 

I've actually got two of the same body as yours. One is 4x2, the other 4x4. I love the long beds.



I've read the FAQ, but I'll be taking a refresher on it tonight to see what all I can get done tomorrow.

Not sure what all suspension stuff I'm getting into yet, need to get mechanicals in order first. I was thinking hockey puck + AAL + torsion crank, but after seeing Crazy's lift leaf brackets, I might try that + a torsion lift key and see if that's enough to get 33's under it.


I just jacked up the rear and checked... it's got an LSD in back. Happy about that!

 

Today's Progress:

Changed the oil, flushed the coolant, topped off the power steering fluid, new air filter. Chopped off the old rusted out muffler and hitch assembly. Removed the bed, wire brushed the big flakes of rusty paint off and sprayed some rust reformer rustoleum all over the frame. I'll hit it with a second coat tomorrow. Also hit three rusty body spots with the brush, sandpaper and some bondo.

Pics:













After further investigation, I need to totally redo the front suspension. New ball joints, tie rod ends, tie rod centers, pitman arm, idler arm, new upper control arm/shock mount (Crazy, can you direct me to a source for this bracket?)

Also need to redo most of the brake system. All brake lines, drums, shoes, cylinders, rotors, pads.

I think I'm about 2-3.5k from finishing the project, got about $1300 into it so far. I'd be happy with a good truck for a 5k investment and plenty of blood sweat and beers.

Hopefully tomorrow I can finish up the exhaust, rear brake system and lift the bed with hockey pucks.

 

nice man, wish i could do the same

 

I am looking forward to following this thread! Wow, Buick, you have gotten off to a great start! Inspires me to do something to my '93 - love that truck!

 

Very nice work, sounds similar repairs to my truck. Keep up the good work and send more pic's.

 

Got a lot done today, really happy with the progress.

Oil changed my Dad's truck, replaced the VVT solenoid in the wife's toyota and got a ton done on my truck.

All new brake lines, wheel cylinders, shocks, muffler and tailpipe. Second coated the frame with rustoleum rust reformer. Brushed on a nice thick coat of Rustoleum black paint to add an extra layer of protection against the rust. The gloss black looks pretty crappy in the pics, but it looks great in person - way better than a surface rusted frame. While I had a couple buddies here, we put the bed back on and bolted it with some hockey pucks to lift it 2".

Rear is 90% done now, just need to finish the drum reassembly, tail lights, clip the wires back to the bed and service the LSD.

Without further ado, here are some pics:

 

You can work on my truck if you want.

 

awesome!