2nd Gen Dakota Tech 1997 - 2004 Dodge Dakota Tech - The ultimate forum for technical help on the 2nd Gen Dakota.

Bull Bar did it's job, I guess...

Old Jul 25, 2011 | 07:18 AM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by BLSHOG10
good thing you had that bull bar but overall imo it shouldn't cost you over 950 to having it looking like new that 2500 estimate is ridiculous.. good luck and keep us posted
Mine was $400 for repro hood, $150 for paint, $50 for grille, $200 for entire front bumper from a parts truck here on df
 
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Old Jul 25, 2011 | 08:55 AM
  #12  
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Yea idk why the shop insists on used parts...new bumper assembly is under 200 new...just about all that is necessary. 500 dollars to recondition a used part instead...i could have done it myself if it werent for the hood. Im sure the mounting area isnt straight so i might as well have taken it in. At least i know everything is straight...plus i have a lifetime warranty on their repairs.
 
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Old Jul 25, 2011 | 09:14 AM
  #13  
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I think the fact you had the accident and the bull bar kept the damage minor would be all the reason to fix this one or get another one.

I know a couple of guys with the Hunter line of bull bars, they are well built and just as beefy as the Westins and can be had for under $150 shipped.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-04...ht_4402wt_1165


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-04...ht_4436wt_1165
 
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Old Jul 25, 2011 | 10:16 AM
  #14  
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Hammer thank you so much, I'm ordering that second one
 
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Old Jul 25, 2011 | 01:10 PM
  #15  
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the truck is just a truck, replacable.. good thing you wern't hurt... It's fxable, not that badly hurt anyways.. maybe it's just time for a new front winchready bumpeR?? with that thing, good luck on pushing it back. it's tough as nails.

it could have been worse, chin up!
 
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Old Jul 25, 2011 | 05:28 PM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by NickCornell
Hammer thank you so much, I'm ordering that second one
No problem, I'm actually contemplating ordering that one myself for my Grand Cherokee. It's the Overland 4x4 edition and although it's my daily driver, I will use the thing camping and on some fishing & hunting trips like trout fishing where I don't use a boat or upland bird hunting where I can use a cooler in the back for the days kill and I don't need the truck as it gets a good 6-7 mpg better.

I have a front receiver hitch on the Jeep for a portable winch (winch was a "hand-me-down" from the truck when I bought a larger one), and have built myself a light bar for when the winch isn't on. But it doesn't offer much protection. I was going to start in on a bull bar myself, a hitch mount model that I could slide off and on as there is no such thing commercially available. But I can buy this one that is probably much better looking than one I can fab up and just weld a 2" square tube on it, drill a couple holes for the pin, call it a day and probably not have any more in it than if I made one.

I know it won't be as strong slid on the receiver hitch as it would be tied into two frame points, but I can't mount one with the hitch in the way. Plus it has to be removable for the winch mount, not to mention I just started working on a rod/tackle holder for the front for surf fishing and fishing the sand bars on the river for cats at night, so it would need to be portable. Kinda like having the hitch on the front, it's like having a swiss army knife. Anything you can weld a 2" square tube to can be stuck on the front. LOL...

With winch & 130 watt lights I modified the fairlead to hold:


With my home-made light bar:
100_0147.jpg
 
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Old Jul 25, 2011 | 11:48 PM
  #17  
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Well Rakaric, I just thought I'd let you know that I really feel your pain right now. I was walking out to my truck after work, just about 100 feet away from my truck when I saw a man backing up. To my surprise, he didn't stop, he backed straight into the front of the Dak. I yelled at him like no other to make sure he wasn't gonna drive away. That's a brand spanking new bumper cover on there, literally a month old. There doesn't seem to be much damage, one side is way lower than the other, so something under may have been bent. You're not alone man.
 
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Old Jul 26, 2011 | 10:38 PM
  #18  
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Yea I just hate the fact that this happened. I'm a good driver but now insurance rates will go up like I'm a hazard. It's really stupid because I've been driving for 7 years and this last year sucked. Money is tight right now, which sucks. I hate spending money. A lot. lol. I'll have to look into that bull bar. Half the price that I originally paid for doesn't seem like a bad deal at all. Time will tell, and I checked with the shop on Monday and they didn't even start the repairs yet, ugh. Of course, only me would get in an accident after a crazy storm that knocked out power everywhere and right before 3 thunderstorms in 3 nights that flooded the Chicago area. Stupid.
 
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Old Jul 27, 2011 | 12:24 AM
  #19  
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May as well have your front end aligned after that impact. Doesn't take much to knock it out of wack. Good to hear your ok.
 
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Old Jul 27, 2011 | 11:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Rakaric
Yea I just hate the fact that this happened. I'm a good driver but now insurance rates will go up like I'm a hazard. It's really stupid because I've been driving for 7 years and this last year sucked. Money is tight right now, which sucks. I hate spending money. A lot. lol. I'll have to look into that bull bar. Half the price that I originally paid for doesn't seem like a bad deal at all. Time will tell, and I checked with the shop on Monday and they didn't even start the repairs yet, ugh. Of course, only me would get in an accident after a crazy storm that knocked out power everywhere and right before 3 thunderstorms in 3 nights that flooded the Chicago area. Stupid.
Again, I know exactly how you feel. My rates went up after mine last winter. At least you didn't crash before that crazy storm and have no truck or power. We didn't have power for like 3 or 4 days and they're still cleaning up trees around here. I don't know about you but right now it's pouring here. There's been some strange weather lately. Anyways good luck getting yours fixed.
 
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