Hi, I have a 1999 Dakota Sport, 2wd, 5.2L. I've nearly paid it off, and now I'm looking to actually make it mine.

I'm a big fan of the Toyota PreRunners, even though I converted to a Mopar Nut 20+ years ago. What I want to do is to convert to 4wd suspension and add a nice suspension-lift, without changing the drivetrain from 2wd.

I've been into 2wd off-roading since my ('78) Plymouth Volare days back in the '80s, when I would fly past stuck Rangers and S10s in southern Georgia.

I've seen a number of posts dealing with the Drivetrain issues of 4ws conversions here. I haven't been able to find any info concerning just the suspension. Do you know if there is anything I should watch-out for? I'm looking into junkyards here in south Florida, trying to find a decent '99 Dak 4wd frame to try to use.

I know it will be cheaper to just sell this truck, and find a 4wd Dak, but that defeats the purpose. I would then be in the position of swapping the transmission for a 2wd, and removing the front diff and shaft, etc.

Once the suspension is set-up, then the other work begins. I plan to put my sheetmetal skills to work, trying to add some styling touches from the old PowerWagons. Key word there is 'trying'.

Thanks.

 

I like the idea... but I hate to say this... Im no help. I hope someone can help you out.

 

sounds pretty cool, i've seen guys that have done this on other forums so i know its possible, i am unfortunately not much help on this but if you can make it work then more power to ya...

Cheers.

 

Im not sure i understand why you want convert to a 4x4 suspension... do you really want the torsion bar set up? or are you just hoping to get some lift in the front by putting the stronger suspension under it?

either way i think the best way to get a prerunner dakota would just be a lift kit up front with the rest of the stock suspension. there are a few kits (not many) that can get you between 1" to 5" of suspension up front. go to http://www.doetsch-shocks.com/17.asp and check out those kits.

let me know really what you wanna do maybe i dont quite understand. but i hope this helps

 

Hi JMNeel,

That looks along the lines of what I'm looking for. I was thinking about the 4wd suspension because of the difficulty in finding suspension lifts for 2wd Daks. The 3/2 lift is around the starting-point for what I am looking to achieve. I work bizarre hours at my job, so I tend to ramble around the point or jump ideas around.

I'm a 2wd fan, and I found plenty of 4-5" lifts for the 4wd suspensions. I just don't like the extra maintenance and additional parts that 4wd drivetrains bring to the table. I do like the extra strength that the suspensions usually bring, though. Toyota's PreRunners (used to, at least,) have the same beefier suspension that their 4wd models have, without the transaxle, hubs, and all the rest.

I'm mechanically inclined, but from a bodywork / armouring background. Mechanics, on the other hand, I only have VW bug and bus experience, along with repairs for what broke-down on the older cars I used to have. I've helped friends install lift-kits in Broncos and Jeeps and such; but when you get down to the details of what would be involved, practically speaking, with swapping-out the 2wd suspension components with 4wd . . . Maybe I should look at a different angle. Maybe instead of looking at the component-level, I should look at system-level; instead of looking at swapping components, I should look at the frames, swapping the body, engine, trans, and electronics, would possibly require a custom driveshaft also.

Thanks for the help. Now I think I can see some more details.

 

Thanks for the responses, guys. If I come-up with a solution for the suspension, I'll post it. I'll try to document with photos if I actually go that route. I'll do the same for the 'Power Wagon' conversion if I can get the ideas in my head to fit reality. I'll have to see if I can bribe a friend who's good at photoshop with a couple (few) 6-packs to mock it up for me.

 

lol beer is an excellent motivator! I have soooo many ideas for my truck, I just need to work on that reality thing your talking about. Reality sucks... well rather being poor sucks. Money helps to make car stuff happen

 

I know your looking more for the suspension system. But here is a link with the wide fenders for your Dakota. They also have a link for suspension systems. Check them out maybe they got the suspension as well.
http://www.glassworksunlimited.com/index.html

 

haha money doesnt help... you cant decide what to buy when you got it lol

 

lol well i have a HUGE list dont you worry!! right now i need to get a real job so i have extra money coming in