oh.. the 5 speed isnt factory... someone swapped it. along with the seats... I want to change them also.. I think they are out of a durango.. comfy.. but ya cant lean them forward to get behind them..

 

I may be fixing to buy an 03 R/T for my wife and I know she'd rather have the 5-sp. wana trade?

 

Naw.. I am really enjoying the project..even though its just beginning , its something me and my oldest step son can work on together which is something we need. We have not really bonded to well.. unlike his younger brother who loves to go hunting and fishing with me..My Dakota project is much more than just fixing up a truck, its fixing a relationship with a kid plus.. he wants to learn body work.. and I made arrangments with my buddy( who is going to do the body work) to let us hang out and be part of the job.

 

Did you ever confirm what tranny is in it? I highly doubt it's a NV4500 since they're supposedly a very tight fit (if at all). The NV3500 is much more likely and still has a fairly deep 1st.

 

not yet...havent really crawled under it to look .. figured id wait till the exhuast guys put it in the air or when we take the bed off in the spring

 

Not sure which trans in in mine yet either but it has a 3:92 rear end and 1st ans 2nd gear are near about useless. Unless I specificaly have to stop at an intersection or something I don't even take it out of 5th. it just pulls right back up to speed. Feels like it needs a 6th and 7th gear.

 

lol I know the feeling, even though I have only driven it a few times to get things quoted.. I found myself wanting to go for the none existant 6th gear lol

 

Yeah, I'm not even sure 6 would be enough. If it was as close to 5th as the rest of them are it would need 6th and 7th. I wonder if they make smaller 2 speed rear ends like in older dumptrucks

 

dunno.. never heard of one.. I figure once I get thru this phase of the project (lights, wheels, exhaust and paint) I'll start saving to put the original interior (seats) and trans back in.. but that may be well in the future as I know its going to cost alot.

 

you can do a full custom interior that looks 10X better than factory and costs a lot less,

and i would not put the auto in, a stick R/T is beyond rare, change the gears in the rearend and you wont be looking for the next gear