I have a 92 dakota, v8 5.2 which im in love with. My problem with it is that it looks, well, ugly. It has a fair bit of rust, well everywhere. ill try and get pictures tomorrow before i go to work. but I was thinking of doing a complete paint job on it, and fixing the rust. it has a ton on the bottom, even to the point where what feels like cushion is coming out of the bottom. my head lights are pretty dim, and it's just not MY truck yet. any advice on fixing the rust on the undercarriage specifically? Seeing the truck in this condition makes me sad, because I know he's not the best he can be.

 

If it is as rusty as you say it is, it will take a LOT of time to get it back into like new condition. Make sure you get rid of all the rust, you think it's bad now? Wait until you start cleaning up the rust and working back to get good sheet metal you can weld to. Expect to take off alot of steel just finding something good and solid to weld to.

Sand blasters are your friend, they are a great way to get the steel clean and ready. I like to use weld thru zinc primer you can get at a welding supply shop. Get as many new panels as you can find, I think I've seen rockers, cab corners, and floor pans out there for these trucks, so if those are all shot, just buy them new.

If your box is shot it might be easier finding a good condition box off of a scrap truck.

Unless you are really dedicated to fixing it up, you may be better off finding a truck with a bad drivetrain but good body to do a swap. Especially if you have never done rust repair before.

 

St, I think cd got it right. The thing that got my attention was your statement about LOVING your Dakota! These Dakota's are that way - easy to love! Hope you get it the way you want.

 

So I got some pictures here that kind of show the extent of the rust and what i want to restore.

 

I'd try to remove the bed and maybe cab, then blast and re-paint the frame, weld where needed,etc. Looks good to me, but, hey, I've never seen a Dakota that did not look good!

 

Exactley how hard would it be to remove the two of those? I've never taken on a project like this before, but I'd love for this truck to be my first. It's fun to mess with.

 

I've pulled the bed before. It took me roughly an hour. Take off the cap first. Drop the spare. Pull the light wires. Pull the tail gate. Unscrew the 3 screws holding the fill neck. There are 8 bolts under the truck. 4 of which are difficult to reach (the 4 closest to the cab) so take a look at those before you undo anything in case you need to pick up some equipment to aide in loosening the bolts.

I pulled my bed with a buddy. Do not lift at the wells. I lifted near the cab, and he lifted near the bumper on the opposite side. It may be best to get 3 or 4 guys for balance.

The cab is a different story. I've not pulled one yet so I don't have any details on that kind of work. Yet.

 

From the pic the rust on the truck isn't bad at all, you could be off far worse like mine and I am rebuilding mine for the Western Canadian power cruise this summer. I would agree with everyone here and say sand blaster as well a heck of a lot new sheet metal is in order and be awesome, though speaking from a mind on budget, I would try to get my hands on rust remover and replace both the fenders and box. though from the pic of your box I would be tempted to fix it. These trucks are not worth a lot when in original condition, and I would bet that even in ten more years they won't be worth a lot in original order. Exception of the Shelby Dakota and little red express truck. So that means modification You are not really going to get show room out of it, maybe car show quality but don't expect any prizes. If the floor of the cab isn't damaged by rust then I say all steam ahead. That is the real deal breaker for myself. You can replace almost every part body wise through the junkers or rock auto. If you are having a tough time finding fenders or a nice box then I would suggest that. I know personally since I am rebuilding my truck I have to get replacement fenders all from rock auto can't seem to find a non rusty one here in alberta. Also before you get carried away and start a project and stop half way because you lose interest make damn sure that you know what you want out of the truck. If the truck is only going to be used as a parts getter or something along thoughs lines then, just use rust remover and repaint it every few years to hide the rust. Or it is going to be a show baby then you handle it differently.

 

Wow so i was completely unaware of rock auto. That sites going to make my life alot easier.

 

If you're going to pull your bed and cab for a frame restore I'd go for the gusto and do a 2in body lift while it's apart. I can say your truck is in slightly worse condition than mines however mines has lived in Fl it's whole life. To my knowledge it went up to Pa once but that was during the summer. I've also needed to replace the fuel pump on mines so while I had the bed off I had me and 2 friends with wire brushes getting off the surface rust from the cab back then took 4 cans of rustoleom to it. took roughly 5 hours total but we were drinking and stuff so it can take less time I have pics on my phone I'll try and post them up here when i get a chance but The sight was giving my troubles my phone makes the file to big and my comp doesn't compress them automatically when i transfer it. (I don't know pcs to much I'm a mac man) lol