I took some pictures. I assume the open holes are for the LA mount, then?



ENHANCE!!!

 

Ya that looks like about the right spot for the LA mounts.

 

Cool thanks. It turns out the truck I was interested in doesn't really have as good a frame as I thought. However, I sold my Impreza today, so I am free to buy if the right deal comes along. I've been scouring Craigslist for trucks, nothing yet really.

 

Waiting on some pictures on a '92 from a guy who says the frame is great. Crossing fingers.

 

Seems like the seller either changed his mind or he sold it, either way I haven't heard back from him. Ah well...the quest continues.

 

This is kind of frustrating. I have been absolutely pummeling Craigslist and eBay for trucks, and I've found trucks just like mine (more than I would have expected). However, on most of them I can see that the rust is just as bad or worse than mine. The few that look promising or either sold or the seller never gets back to me. I've looked through Craigslist in the entire northeast (CT, MA, NH, VT, ME, RI, NJ, NY...) I really do like this truck, but perhaps I should be looking for a new truck. If I were to buy a new one, I'd probably look for either a 2nd gen Dakota or a Ram 1500. The Ram is probably bigger than I need though.

Maybe I just need to be patient. Ah decisions decisions...

 

Desperate enough for a road trip to manitoba yet? I'm pretty sure my parts truck has a good frame I just have no time.

 

The problem with Manitoba is the same problem as looking for something in, say, Tucson. It's a hike, and these days airfares and gasoline aren't cheap. In addition, it's in another country and bureaucratic hoops are magnified.

What I would suggest (I've suggested it before) is to widen your search to include the mid South--which would be Virginia, N.& S. Carolina, Tennesee, Kentucky, Georgia, and maybe even Arkansas.

And nobody has said that you have to look only for a Gen1, if the deal is right, get a decent Gen2.

 

I did a frame replacement on my dakota. I live near bridegeport and drove up to mass with a car trailer and bought a badly body damaged dakota for $600. The frame was good though. I used a rotisserie to lift the cab and bed off. and lifted the engine and trans out. Do not go to a salvage yard, they will charge way too much and now I have an extra truck for parts. Be

 

I think it's just going to cost too much to get a frame/truck from the south. I do really like this truck, but if my options were slimmed down to southern trucks, I think I would part this truck out and buy something different local. Rams and Gen 2 Dakotas are for sale in great abundance. As far as the Gen 2 dakotas go, I thought the front half of the frame completely changed over the 1st gens, but perhaps I am mistaken.