Hey guys! I currently drive a 2005 Dakota and I am not sure what I should do with it. I've been tossing around the idea of doing a full build up of it with 4BT and solid axle swaps, 35" tires, stretching the rear frame 12" for more bed space, swapping in suspension seats and custom center console in place of the front bench, 3" body lift, custom fuel tank, and an all aluminum camper/shell hybrid. All of which would get me set up pretty close to a stock 2500.

My complaints about the Dakota are poor gas mileage with the 4.7 (biggest reason for wanting to do the 4BT swap,) practically no options for upgrading the suspension without doing a SAS, tiny bed size (camping gear for 3 people for 4 days leaves no spare room in the bed even with a canopy,) and pathetically small gas tank (only 22 gallons? come on Dodge...) Aside from all of those, the truck has been fairly reliable and really opened up where I can go camping.

What's holding me back from trading my Dakota for a 2500 is all of the trucks in my area are either out of my price range, are really high km/have a lot of rust/other damage, and the 2500 won't fit into my parking spot. (I live in a condo where the parking is in a parkade with a 5'6" clearance, friggin' sucks.) I'm also not sure if I really need something as big as a 2500 as I am not towing or hauling stuff where I would need that much truck.

Either way I go, any serious mods won't be happening for at least a year or two. Just trying to figure out what the best route to go would be. Cheers in advance for any advice/opinions!

 

Sounds like you do not really need a "truck". This is simple. Fix up your Dakota. Keep the modifications modest. Repair / replace everything in kind, as stock. (CV's, hubs, brakes, ...) Do not start swapping stuff. ADD a 1.5" lift spacers to the front struts. ADD a 2" lift block to the rear springs. ADD a 3" body lift. Replace the shocks with RS5000 series. Put a quality set of AT 32" tires on. THAT'S IT.

(Without going into a whole lot of text descriptions/debate/pros/cons ... that is the true sincere Coles notes reply you need. Now get started. A year or two is way to long to stew on getting into what you really want to do)

 

I've already got a leveling kit, was one of the first mods I did actually. Tires are a 265/70r16 Duratrac, so not far off of 32" either.

I may not "need" a truck right now, but once I have the space for a couple projects (building a car to take out to wasteland weekend and various woodworking projects) I've wanted to do for a while, the usefulness of a truck gets a lot higher. I'm sure I could tow a 4500lb car with my Dakota, but it sure as hell wouldn't be happy about it and the mileage would be horrendous.

 

Properly setup, your Dakota will tow up to 6000lb without too much trouble. Sure it will labour some, but that is the nature of towing. Towing is not just driving around with something dragging around behind. It is a whole different driving mindset and method. If speed or mileage are much of a concern, then anything in the realm of trucks or suv or towing are forbidden territories.

PS: The step-up from a Dakota to a 2500, in terms of the mechanic components of the vehicles, is huge. Never able to get a Dakota anywhere near a 2500 class unit through mods. If what you are really after is what sounds to be more space for creature comforts, a 1500 may be a nice fit.