I have a 93 dakota sport 3.9 141,000 miles. I need some advice whether to fix it up or run it till it dies or doesnt pass inspection. My problem areas are clutch maybe going out. The master and slave cylinder are going to need replaces. Needs new shocks and tires. Thats the little things but my biggest problem it the frames is pretty bad off ill upload some pics of the problem areas later, Is it a good idea to pull the bed off and sand blast the frame and go from there maybe make some repairs? Or just run it till it dies? Right now im 50/50 on it I pretty much need a truck not everyday but a couple times a month so I do have time to work on it.

 

I'd say that it depends on how bad the frame is. If its just surface rust, you don't have any big holes and your suspension brackets are still solid, it would probably be worthwhile to sand it down and give it a protective coat of paint.

 

here are some pics i took close up of some of the bad areas

 

guess you need to decide how much $$ you are willing to invest vs what will the value be after you do the fixes. might just fix the minor stuff and run it till it dies,

 

That's pretty much what mine was looking like when I first got it. Take a screwdriver and poke around the front upper shock mount brackets and see how bad the rust is. If the outer stuff falls off and you don't have holes, you should be good for normal on-road use.

Mine were almost exactly like yours, pretty rough looking. I chipped off the loose rust, sprayed rust inhibitor on them, then coated them thick with black rustoleum. I'm not sure how long they'll last with off-road punishment, but I'm in it for the long haul. When they bust off that just means I can justify a solid axle swap. If you're not planning on tackling rocks, you should be alright.

But again, it's all a matter of how much you're comfortable with spending on it vs how long you're willing to tolerate that condition.

 

well i took it for a drive today down to the next town to pick up some lumber. Im going to put some new shock on it bounched the whole way down the road. ins. is good till feb 13 so i think im just going pull the bed off replace shocks and paint the frame and see if theres anything else that needs done just enough to pass inspection next year. I haul about a half ton at most the quad gear and 2 people. I dont know how much stress that puts on the frame. As far as the clutch goes one min it works great the next it acts funny so I dont know. Is there anything from the pics that I should keep my eye on more then others that i dont see...... maybe put that money that ill save towards a better truck, jeep or suv

 

I have seen some pretty bad swiss cheesy Dakota frames in my local yard recently, my 93 and 94 are both quite solid yet there is a BEAUTIFUL 96 in a yard about 40 mi from here that I asked teh yard owner if he could sell (had papers been turned over to State yet for salvage etc) His reply was "you better have a look underneath that body is decieving" the frame was G O N E.

 

I just bought my 93 a couple months ago and have been working on it hard, I pd $500 for it for basically just the body; I have over $1K more in the truck and counting; and am not quite ready to put it on the road; I swapped a manual tranny in place of its dead automatic; new Magnaflow and Walker tailpipe, cap rotor wires plugs O2 sensor, I have intake gaskets and valve cover gaskets "just in case" new clutch kit, driveshaft lengthened and balanced, different steering column, swapped brake pedal for brake and clutch pedals, new back brakes etc...
I still gotta replace 2 tires and check the front brakes out. and replace the ignition switch as the original I found busted and I didn't get the key with the stick column. Other than lengthening teh driveshaft, balancing it, and new U joints and carrier bearing I have done Everything 100% myself.

 

most of the rust under this thing its the back half thats the worst. Some one had tried to get it up and running before I got it. New brakes and brake line someone had tried to put body filler in it (looks like a toddler could have done a better job) but they tried new spare tire an someone had sealed up the sun roof with silicone to stop leaking. but the sway bar it the front is toast i can sway it by hand