so my $500 dakota needs some front end work (pretty much everything but the control arms) gonna end up about 500 installed total (about$350 in parts) cant be going in winter with front end issues. i had to replace the rear end this spring ($400) so im this investment will at least let me sell for about 1200 when im ready to move on....what are you guy planning with yours before the snow hits?

 

Front locker here.

But in the city we won't get any snow till late December to January, and only a few days 1-2 in if we get a hard year. LOL

The mountains will get plenty of snow soon.

 

run that truck INTO the GROUND... no payments, cheap transportation and real steel bumpers and frame... fix it up and keep it... I have 2 Dakotas one i aint using presently the wife wants gone but compared to payments I aint making and the terms under which I have seen people ger screwed under to buy 3 year old or less cars, I can't part with a good backup $300+ payments and more down payment than I have tied up in either truck...newer vehicles wont do point to point B any better they just look different and cost too much to do so

$400 rear nd replacement... wow you got hosed.... I hope that was not all just for the rear end did you pay to have it put in?
I love U pulls esp on half price day for parts like that and owning a torch makes fast work of the crusty U bolts.... I can do a rear end swap on one of these trucks on my back in < 2 hours

 

This guy. He knows it perfectly.

My family relentlessly tells me to scrap my 93 that we have owned since it first hit the sales lot. For under 3k I can build a mild 5.9, replace the trans, entire suspension, rear end, and do an ***-ton of interior mods and work. I'll drive my Dak till either it kills me or the doors fall off. But if its the latter I'll just put new doors on lol.

Edit - For a 20 year old truck it has ZERO Rust. Thats right, NONE.

 

ill be moving to cali and the truck will not pass emissions so that is why i would get rid of it. i love my dak just want more creature comforts i.e. heated seats, a/c, power windows all the good stuff.
no the 400 was parts and labor. i dont have the tools or all of the knowledge or the room to do some jobs so i would rather pay to get them done

no rust? holy **** my cab corners to the fenders are rusted out with rust above the back tires. rust is an issue with my dak

 

my 2 have VERY LITTLE rust surprising for IL trucks... I have seen them 10 years newer and much worse than my 93 or 94.... not just Dakotas but all brands; it seems they lost 50 years of stee; protection technology when they figured out how to stop the clearcoat peeling issues of the late 80s-early 90s.... they peeled but were usually solid underneath. I am just now starting to see some pretty bad rusted out Dakotas seems like the 96-older ones held up better than Ford or especially Chevys Any config of S10s and the full sized clubcabs oh my God they rusted out quick around here! Fords werent as bad except for clubcabs but still rusted worse than most Dakotas around here

that said I have recently seen a couple in the salvage yards by me with very bad frames... one was a 96 whose body was like new.

 

I'm out in TN so we don't see a whole lot of snow in my area (which I hate since I love it and am half canadian) but I have religiously washed my truck during the winter for as far back as I can remember. Been in the old Tank since I was 3 years old.

As for comforts I have a/c, heated seats are pretty simple, just swap in some newer seats with the elements in them, If I could stand the crayon barf pattern seats in my red interior I would have heated seats already, but i'm just a bit picky lol. And our trucks had power windows and locks, just a bit tough to find the stock parts. I have never seen them around here.

 

the rust is more of an issue for resale people dont like buying rusty stuff lol. my truck had factory ac but thats long gone dont think i want to invest in making it have power anything. im just happy it has a strong motor and good clutch!

 

im kinda excited! my passenger door outside handle, turns out the linkage inside the door was all seized up so a little lube and screwdriver im back in business! im super stoked about this!

 

I would like to do some suspension work, new seats, sub box, led lighting and throw in a 318. I really like my truck and want to keep it for as long as possible. It's been good transportation and does everything I want and need it to do.