http://www.dakotaconvertible.com/

they have a VIN ID on that site, not very active but you can find detailed answers for these trucks there.

Well i think i am going to buy it, for 300$ salvage title, non running, everything is in great shape and yes i think the parts alone make it worth while.

BTW- I thought the 90 dakota convert, there were only 8 made, correct me if im wrong. Dam one hell of a score if you did manage to get the first years production model. If your ever going to sell PM me.

 

900+ made in 90...8 made in 91

 

The copy of the letter from Chrysler that I have says they made 909 in 1990. Rumors say anywhere from 8 to 11 in 1991, but no one can confirm one way or the other... or know how many still exist.

 

If you don't want it , I'll take it!

Only way I know to narrow down to month and year is that ASC put a sticker on the driver door. It was stamped with the month and year they did the work. Unfortunately they were poor quality and didn't last long at all. If it is still there , more than likely it is not readable.Mine says 12/89. Then there is the Chrysler label in the same jamb on the cab. Also just month and year. Mine says 11/89. My vin is 658181. I don't know what number they started with. My guess would be 5 or 6. Because they only made about 150k Daks or so a year, I doubt they started with 0 or 1.

 

The ASC sticker is still there, but difficult to read...I don't see a date anywhere on it. Just verbage about how assembled by specialty company...The VIN plate on the door says 8/89. VIN # 622295

 

Andrew, we paid $1300 for the '89 vert we have now. It was a 4WD V6, 5 speed, w/200K miles, running - but tired and a bit beat up.

I say "was" because the V6 is gone, and I've got a nice rebuilt 5.2 waiting to go in its place. I think most of us convertible owners go through the debate about keeping the truck original or modifying it to suit what we'd like to make out of it. I'd have to agree with Robert that a truck with higher mileage is a better candidate for customizing; a low-mileage truck in good shape might be better kept stock.

As for difficulty, the 4x4 V8 swap isn't any harder than the 2WD swap, until you get to the transmission. If you want an automatic you can find them, but you might have to convert/modify other parts of the truck if it originally came with a 5 speed (pedals, console, etc.). If you want a 5 speed for your 4x4 you'll probably be looking for the later NV3500 transmission (something like 95-03), preferably from a Dakota since the RAM version has the shifter too far forward. They're a little tough to find in some parts, but not impossible.

One advantage is you can do this swap without having to fabricate/weld-up motor mounts or any other hard pieces. Everything already exists to put a V8 in your 1st gen Dak. You will have some work to do though, especially if you decide to run a MPI Magnum V8. That takes a later engine bay wiring harness and fuel tank and pump, as well as a few other bits and pieces.

 

Well, I can tell you from values they have gone up a bit compared to several years ago. Most trucks I see that have lower miles are priced in the 4500 to 7k range depending on year, options, and work done. Most nice ones needing very little work seem to fetch 5k to 6k on ebay and craigslist. I paid a little more for mine than I would of liked too but, I didn't have to ship it either plus I have a new convertibler top on it already and even though it has some storage issues it does just have under a tick of 95k miles.

As for the automatic, it would be fine but, if you plan on running more than a stock 318 I would get it built up. Also, if you get an automatic I would recommend getting one with 3:91 gears out back. To be honest for a really nice truck I would pay no more than 10k restored completely. There was a restored 1990 4x4 on ebay a while back that brought close to 10k but, the truck had everything redone. It was a really nice truck.

 

Here's one that sold on Ebay. Looks like it needs a new top and who knows what else.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Dodge-Dakota-Convertable-Pickup-1989-dodge-conv-pu-/281170690131?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4177144053&vxp=mtr