all links in faq are dead like a bed. before I do anything to this old rust bucket, whats the biggest tires I can put on until I get around to the lift? asking for a friend, which is me. yermy

 

Depends on if 2WD or 4WD.

I'm rocking P235/75R15s on my 1988 2WD LWB; 4WD starts off a bit higher, can fit a slightly larger tire as is.

As to where to get parts - All over. I tend to buy from RockAuto, Amazon, Ebay, Advance, and O'Reilly's. Sometimes NAPA.

And of course the local boneyards.

RwP

 

Which links in particular are not working for you?

 

ok I did some reading. its a 2wd. oh well. going for 3" maybe 4" of lift.


so coil spacers for the front, says 2 per side. does that literally mean 2 spacers, stacked on top of each other? do I have to get different shocks once I put these spacers in? I was gonna go v8 coils but $$$$ is wayyyyy cheaper for the spacers.

so doing that will get me 3"...hehehe now the rear is add a leaf. seems simple.


now according to that beatiful write up of a faq, it says for my 2wd bad boy:

whats the deal with 32's or 33's? please, enlighten me.

last inquisition, as for the body lift I read as follows:

my inquisition is, does this HAVE or need to be combined with the coil spacers and/or rear leaf spring to make things level? or is this just an alternative to one of the options??


muchos gracias fellow dakota'ers

 

Spacers will go one on top, one on bottom of the coil spring if you're using two. Stacking against each other is an easy way to end up with a front end spread across the highway ...

Do remember, you'll be torquing the front suspension out of the design zone; your ball joints will have shortened life span with that much suspension lift.

You'll also probably be riding on the bumpers, or the shock will be fully extended, at that height.

The thing with 31" tires is that they will fit; any larger, and you may have problems.

DO be aware that without regearing the diff, your get up and go will dun got up and went ... because, going from the P215/75R15s that were stock on my truck (which are 27.5" high) to a 31", is like shifting your rear gear down from the current (probably a 2.94 if 3 speed auto, 3.55 if 4 speed auto; I'll use my 2.94 as a basis) 2.94 to an effective 2.61 . Shucks, moving from P215/75R15s to P235/75R15s made a noticeable difference in how fast the truck accelerates from a standing start. 'S'alright - It still does a 1/4 mile in under 3. Minutes.

The steering column ends up on something bolted to the frame; the other end is connected to something bolted to the body. If you space the body up, the intermediate shaft won't fit anymore. If your current column is a tilt, you can probably use the same parts I used to make my intermediate shaft, you'll just have to measure to make the shaft portion the right length.

It's not instead of, it's in ADDITION to. Unless, of course, you'd rather not be able to steer it.

If I may ask, why 31" on a 2WD? It hurts the gas mileage, it makes it tippier, and it causes a realm of problems on shortened life on the suspension parts.

RwP

 

What size engine are you running?? I stuck a set of 31 10.50 15s on my 87 lwb. It had a 2.2 with a 5spd. It was an absolute dog. Hills that I used to run 4th up, I was down to 3rd gear with the accelerator to the floor. I used to woop up on my buddy with his lifted 4x4 s15 with a 2.8 v6. Not with the 31s. He was waiting for me. I only ran them on the rear, they filled the wheel well nice, and looked awesome. That was it, drivability sucked. The sway from the sidewall made it handle completely different, definitely had to slow down on the curves. He he, brings back memories. I was in my late teens. I got sick if it being slow, so I switched back to the stock size. I could actually use 5th gear again.

 

Ok throw all this suspension lift crap out the window.
on a 2 wheel drive truck you end up putting way to much stress on your suspension and steering components. Then you'll be constantly throwing away money and time replacing broken parts.
Instead go buy a body lift kit for one of the 4x4 trucks. It comes with blocks, bolts, washers, bumper relocation brackets, steering shaft extension, etc. With a 3 inch kit you get the clearance you want while keeping a very low center of gravity, you add no extra stress to your suspension parts, you actually gain extra space to work on the engine trans and exhaust, and with the 3 inch kit you can fit 32x10.5r15 tires.

People think these suspension spacers and blocks are the way to go .they're not especially on a 2wd. U out too much stress on parts that aren't designed for it. If you found a complete pre fabricated kit that had all the proper geometry designed in then that would be the way to go, but the price would be north of 2 grand and I haven't been able to find a kit like that for a 4x4 let alone a 2wd.
They don't make the 3 inch kits for 1st gens anymore, however you can order the 3inch kit for the 2nd gen and everything will bolt right up except the bumper mount brackets but that's as simple as drilling a couple extra holes

 

DON'T DON'T use those twist in spacers that corkscrew their way in between the springs.... youre better using a spacer that is like a donut that works like a cushion that goes under the spring, between it and the control arm. but the best/ safest way would be those V8 coils.... you get what you pay for, and beyond all you DON'T want to create an unsafe rattle trap..... when those corkscrew spring "expanders" pop uot, and your wheel well comes crashing down on your oversized tires, you'll know.
given the age (miles is another thing) of the truck by itself even stock replacement springs for what ever engine you have in your truck will probably make it sit higher. You don't want to go high enough that your truck can't be aligned right.....

 

I just want my truck to not look like a mini truck when I'm hauling my stuff around.



Can I not have height??????


I cannot find any pictures of a first get Dakota, 2wd, lifted on 235s, 30s, or 31s.

Why is it on the faq to put spacers on the suspension of this thread says otherwise? I'm being tugged in both directions.

 

It's a compact truck, Dodge designed it that way.
A body lift is allot simpler. You shouldn't need a lift to run 235s, or 30s. I almost think the 235 is larger. I ran 235s on my 87 2wd no problem. It's your truck, so you do what you want. My brother ran those cork screw coil spring spreaders in his full size bronco no problem. For the rear you could always flip the axle to the bottom side of the springs. The front is more complicated being ifs, to much lift will bind the ball joints and you'll be in a world of hurt if they fail while your driving. Easiest thing to do is find a full size truck if you don't want it to look "mini" that's exactly what the Dakota was designed for.