1993 Dodge Dakota LE, 5.2L Magnum, A518 Auto trans, RWD, 182,900 miles, Original Owner

No more projects remain on my list. This started last July with a new muffler and catalytic converter. The suspension, brakes, and steering systems are 85% new (high quality) parts. New u-joints, motor mounts, body mounts, bump stops, valve cover gaskets, coolant hoses n flush, among other items including eliminating every squeak, rattle, clunk, creak, and rub. Only thing that does not work on the truck is the ash tray light. Last project that I just concluded was painting the driver's side tan mid section from the door back, then compounding, polishing, and waxing the entire truck. Restored black trim and tires all around, shampooed the interior top to bottom. I did the large majority of the work myself with the irreplaceable help of my friends here on the Dakota forum You know who you are! And a very special thank you for our dearly departed Ralph who we all miss. His cyberprints remain all over my truck.

 

Well, you think you're done, but pretty soon you'll look at your truck and think, if I added...... It never stops. The dance just changes pace.

 

About 5 years after I bought my Dakota and knowing repairs were likely coming soon, I committed to keeping it as stock as I could and actually getting off on keeping it stock. I kept that commitment and I never thought twice about it. There were a few reasons for keeping it stock. One big one was exactly what you brought up. I didn’t want to feel compelled to “add” things. No lift kits, no fancy paint jobs or wheels, no souping it up. Heard too many horror stories and I didn’t want any part of that. Another reason is I didn’t want to mess around looking for parts. The stock parts would be easiest to find and the least expensive. I don’t enjoy working on automobiles so I wanted to keep repairs as simple as possible. And a third reason as I learned with time is that a 29 year old stock vehicle is more rare and sexier than a 29 year old souped up automobile. 😊

 

It looks great. Really clean. Congratulations!

 

Very nice. Wanna do mine?

 

No. But you can do my engine compartment next chance you get. Yours is much cleaner than mine.

 

I can only take credit for not making a mess of it since I bought it. The previous 2 owners kept it clean too. I have taken it to the car wash and sprayed it down though. Leave the engine running. I found that out the hard way when I was 18 and about the firing order after I changed the cap/rotor/plugs/wires as suggested on my 68 Riviera. Spray the inside of the rotor cap with WD40. That's when I found out the library usually has some repair manuals too.

 

This is so inspiring to me! I am looking at a similar list of fixes on mine and besides changing the oil, everything I have to do I am doing for the first time. Others have told me it's an old truck, to sell it and get something else. But there is no reason to retire a truck from that time period (aka a GOOD truck) at 104k miles. It's got at least 160k left on the engine.

Really nice work on the paint! I'm glad to see you put the stock V8 emblem back on. When people don't replace the emblems it makes the vehicle look naked. It's a small detail that I always notice. My father in law repainted mine and didn't do any sanding, primer or clear coat. Gave it a very temporary breath of life on the cheap and it was nice of him to do, but I plan to go over it with the stock-match rattle cans complete with primer and clear coat once I'm able to only worry about aesthetics.

I pretty much have to replace everything that's made of rubber on the truck besides the tires and brake pads.

 

Yeah, that rubber doesn't last forever. About the only rubber I haven't replaced (beyond door and window stuff) are the leaf spring and rack bushings. Everything else (and I mean everything else) has been changed out. Most difficult: Lower control arm bushings...cuz the coils had to come out and it was a real PITA to get them back in. The motor mounts were a royal pain but I wisely hired out for that job. I knew it would be a pain. They had to hack the old ones out with a sawzall. I wasn't gonna do that laying on my garage floor...no way! Most precarious: Body mounts. I have 8 of them (extended cab). The bolts secure to captive nuts that are buried inside the cab ribs. You strip or deform those captive nuts and you have to cut up the cab to get to them. Happened on one of mine. Others barely survived intact. Glad I did it because the mount washers and frame were starting to get rusted so I was able to clean and paint them.

Good luck!

 

I replaced my valve cover gaskets in the Spring so I have no oil leaks anywhere. I just checked my oil consumption and I am burning exactly 1 quart of oil per 3,000 miles. I don't think that's too bad for a 29 year old, 5.2L with 183,000 miles. Not sure how it compares with others.