is there any way we can beef up the independent front suspension on our trucks without doing a solid axel swap. Just some heavier duty parts or something? These dakota's dont exactly have the most durable front ends. Any ideas?

 

Pay someone else to do the solid axle swap?

 

well i wouldnt mind the solid axel swap but would you have to get out and lock your hubs in like on older 4 wheel drives cause yeah that aint happening. i dont mind doing that sort of thing its just not something you should have to do on a 98 dakota. If it just had heavier CV joints or a bigger axel or both or something i'd be happy.

 

Technically you could run the hubs locked 24x7 if you wanted, that's how we're all set up now anyway. Or get a full-time axle that doesn't have unlocking hubs. Or you could get an axle with a CAD and use a 4x4Posi-lok cable to actuate it.

Unlocking the hubs would increase fuel economy (marginally). I'd prefer to have unlocking manual hubs on my 2002, they're more efficient than a full time engaged setup like we've got, and they're far more reliable than auto locking hubs.

 

hmm i wonder if you can put lockouts on our trucks without changing the axel. and i wonder if they would look good on it. it would be nice if you could hide them behind the cover and make the cover have like a hinge or something so you could open it easily to access the lockouts.

 

I don't know that there are any conversion kits to disconnect the front drivetrain. On a solid axle swap though, I'd just go with a premium Mile Marker hub and go with it.