Hello everyone! So my father passed away in December of last year and left me his 93 Dakota. It's a V8 automatic RWD truck with about 210K miles on it. This truck sat for about 4 years in his driveway before I took it over. I should point out that I am not a mechanic and have basically YouTubed my way into getting this thing to run again and I wished I had joined this forum sooner so I could have documented its journey but I guess it's never too late to start. Anyways here's what the engine looked like when I first got it.


And then a few days... maybe weeks... later


Had to pick up a few missing parts from the junk yard and obviously a new battery but seeing this progress had me excited. Shout out to ChrisFix from YouTube for the awesome video on how to properly clean an engine.

I remember my dad always filling the radiator with tap water so a flush would be pointless. I went ahead and bought a new radiator and thermostat.


After changing all the fluids, filters, and plugs, I got her started with only a few codes. The exhaust had several leaks and an injector needed to be cleaned. Right now the only code I'm getting is 15. More on that later.

I did replace the fuel filter before I fired her up but when I noticed the fuel gauge going crazy, I decided it wouldn't hurt to replace the fuel pump as well.

Lucky for me, not only did my dad also leave me a chain hoist but the bed has a system that made lifting it a breeze.



Why not spray some undercoat paint on the rusty frame while the bed is off right? I skipped the leaf springs because I might just have to replace those.

 

Sorry to hear about your dad. Truck looks good though. And that is an awesome hoist, probably makes lifting the bed a lot easier than using a crappy cherry picker like I do. Your dad left you a good truck, I worked on and off as a mechanic for 15 years, and there's no truck I'd rather drive than a 1st generation Dakota. Wish one of mine had a V8 though LOL.

Just keep an eye on the frame where you painted over the next several years. If you see any rust bubbling the paint up, you're really going to want to strip off all the paint (ugh, I know) and the rust underneath, down to bare metal, and repaint. I used POR-15 on my one Dakota's frame in 2012, and by 2015, it was bubbling up. I ignored it, because I said, it's POR-15, you're supposed to be able to Paint Over Rust. "Must just be a few small areas." By 2018, it was flaking everywhere, and by the time I got serious about fixing the **** Over Rust situation, it was too late, and I had some holes in the frame. Hopefully that does not happen to you, if you're down in Texas, maybe you'll have better luck. They use really nasty stuff on the roads up here, and maybe I did not wash the frame off well enough before I painted.

 

Thanks, I really appreciate that. And hey whatever helps getting the bed off right? As for the frame, the paint adhered to the frame so nicely I didn't even think of that. I used Rustoleum professional grade undercoat but I'll definitely keep an eye on it. Thanks again.

 

Welcome to the forum!!

Sorry to hear about your Dad.... I lost mine 2 years ago, this November. Your truck really cleaned up well! IMO the radiator was a smart move.