I recently bought a 2001 Dakota quad cab sport with the 4.7 and a 3 inch lift kit on the suspension. No body lift. It had hit the drivers front corner and took out the bumper and broke the steering knuckle/spindle. I picked up all the parts needed only to find that the knuckle/spindle I bought is too short. There's no way I can attach the upper ball joint to the upper control arm, it's about 3-4" away. Then i looked at the broken knuckle and saw that the upper ball joint mount is about 3" taller then the used one I bought off a truck with no lift kit. Did dodge make 2 different knuckles? I ask this because my daily driver 03 Dakota sits higher then most others I see in town and it's never been lifted. If they didn't would the lift kit have come with a new knuckle/spindle? Most of the components on the lift kit are red and the shocks are Rancho brand but I can see no name on the lift kit parts. Any idea what lift kit brand may be as I've researched a lot and can't find any lift kit for an 01 Dakota that has all the parts my truck has. Thanks in advance for any info.

 

Yes, it probably has a lift spindle with the upper ball joint relocated.

 

Thanks. I finally was able to track down the fact that the kit is a Rancho RS6560 or 6561 so I've contacted Rancho to see if they can get me just the knuckle. If it's too expensive I'll pull the whole lift off. Thanks again.