As you may know, I scored a '99 D for $500. It had a few problems such as T-case and rotten brake lines. So far I have less than $1000 in it which includes the purchase price. This thing runs like a scalded dog and breezed through the WV vehicle inspection. The interior is in excellent condition. It does have a few minor rust issues such as the rockers. Those are being replaced in the spring. With that being said, I don't have a problem putting some money into it.

First up:

I think I need to do the T/S lift. The D is sitting on 265/75-16's. The passenger front is rubbing against the inner fender on tight turns. The driver side inner fender is missing. Unfortunately, this has wreaked pure havoc with the exhaust manifold bolts on that side (but that is for another time).
I need to get new tires on it before the snow flies. Obviously I must get the inner fender replaced as soon as possible. Is there anything else I need to do besides the T/S lift to make the same size tire fit?

I can post some pics after work.

Thanks

 

Subscribing, as I am about to do the T&S also. I want to order 265/75/16s afterwards if all is good.

 

I know this started out as just a T/S lift thread, but figured what the heck. I’m just going to make it the $500 Durango Project thread. So, where would you start? I definitely need to do the T/S lift. I’m open for suggestions for anything you might see. For what I paid for it, I’m willing to dump quite a bit of money into it. Keep this in mind though; it won’t be going off road, nor will it ever be a show truck.

Some things I’m interested in:

Body work
Paint job…hey, I’m a loyal Titans fan (go ahead and laugh if you want to). The Raiders scheme has to go!
T/S lift
Nerf bars
Dual exhaust
Fixing all of the ghetto mods

Here is what we have to work with:

View from all sides:









Right front has very little clearance:



Right rear, not so bad:


Shackles have definitely seen better days:


Ummm, yeah:


Under the hood:


Yep, it’s cracked:


Ghetto battery hold down mod:


Ghetto air intake mod (I really love this one):


My version of ABS bypass:


So, there you have it. Where would you start? I paid $500 for it and have about $500 in parts in it so far, including a transfer case. If you want pics of something, just say the word.

 

- Put the right sized rubber on there.

- Replace the rusted out suspension parts.

- Don't waste your time or money on a lift. That's my opinion.

- Next, replace the bungie items as you are already planning.

- Fix the exhaust manifold.

- POR and undercoat any rusted areas underneath since it obviously was left with salt and no underbody care for the last decade.

- Recheck energy and fund levels once that is all done.

Still a nice deal for the amount spent.

IndyD

 

Definitely agree, even after the money spent to get it fixed up you'll still come out with a good deal I think.

 

Well, that was a nice deal. I live in WV too, lucky I didn't see it! haha. I am intrested in the T/S lift too, I'd love to get my D up in the air, even if just a little.

I do suggest one thing though along with what Indy said. Patch those rockers before the snow starts flying, even if u do a horrible job. It's just damage control.

 

Well the T/S lift is usually a pretty manageable task and I would recommend it simply for looks and the ability to run a little bit bigger tires. However, I wouldn't get too fancy with dual exhaust. A good cat back stainless steel single will be plenty.

 

Where in WV are you? I'm in Follansbee...northern panhandle near Weirton.

I don't have much choice but to do the T/S. I need new tires so the question becomes, spend X$ for 15" wheels or $60 for a lift and keep the same size tires? I'll take the cheap route and keep the 16's.

The exhaust manifold isn't leaking, but the bolts are in bad shape. I don't dare mess with that until spring. It's very likely that some of the bolts will break off or strip. I'm planning on pulling the heads in the spring/early summer anyway, so I'll tackle it all at once.

The rockers are already patched for the winter. It wouldn't have passed inspection otherwise. The underside isn't as bad as it looks in the pics. It's mostly surface rust. The driver side shackle is the worst of it. When I do the rockers I'm going to drop the tank and clean everything I can and hit it all with Ospho. I don't think I'm going to have it undercoated. If there is any rust still there, the undercoating could hide it. If I could drop everything from underneath and get to all of it, I would probably have it undercoated. I will probably use an old trick and keep it sprayed with linseed oil every oil change.

 

The rear shackles you get from autozone for $40.00 and then crank the torsions up 8 turns its simple to do you need a wheel alignment after