Outdoor Recreation Network - Off-Highway, Jeep, & 4x4 Fun

A '99 Dakota Built for the Trail

Loren Squires' built '99 Dakota

Short Cuts

By:John Nutter and Loren Squires

A '99 Dakota Built for the Trail

Loren and the Dakota at a recent trail ride. Check out the suspension.

On vacation in Colorado.

On the trail at Dresser Wisconsin on 'Midwest Weekend' in August '99.

In Colorado again.

Colorado again.

Loren Squires was one of the first to take a new body style Dakota off the street. He started almost two years ago with a stock truck and 31x10.5 all terrain tires. Nearly from the start Loren craved a lift and bigger tires, but none was available at the time. Lack of a lift didn't stop Loren, he kept 'wheelin the Dakota anyways.

Loren added on several enhancements while he was waiting for a lift to become available. One of the first additions was a Ramsey winch mount and grille gaurd combo and a Warn 8000 lb winch. The grille gaurd has done an admirable job of protecting the front of the truck from smaller damage, but Loren doesn't baby this truck. He's actually bent the bars in far enough to dent the front fenders and even tilted the whole assembley down while the winch was double line back to the bumper. Under-hood additions include a K&N air filter wrapped in a pre-filter as well as a Quick-Air 2 compressor. After a few dents down low, Loren added nerf bars. A local fabricator built these nerf bars -- they are much stronger than most commercially-available nerfs because they are made from thick-wall tubing ith four support bars connecting them to the frame. I can personally attest to that these bars will support the weight of one entire side of the truck and both tires off the ground, all without the slightest hint of flex.

Loren has some valuable insight for others considering buying and building a Dakota for trail use. Loren writes: "Here are the goods on one Dakota that had to wait for some additional extras, and other trailing necessities that didn't wait. If you're going to order a Dakota, here are a few tips. First, get either of the V8's. You won't regret it. The V6 just isn't powerful enough, and has only marginally better fuel economy. Sand, mud, and larger tires can really soak up the horse power, and the V8 shouldn't let you down. Also, order the skid plate package. This includes front differential, transfer case, and fuel tank skid plates. Until you lift the truck, these will be put to very good use. The heavy-duty electrical and cooling packages are also good buys, and cheap insurance. Don't forget the limited slip -- it isn't a locker, but it will surprise a few people, and makes a significant difference. Also, don't buy the Dodge hard plastic mud flaps. They are fairly inflexible and when dragged on rocks and logs and such, they can damage the fender flares they're attached to. Build your own out of the thick rubber semi-truck mudflaps. They can be cut to however you like."

Loren also explained the his lift better than anyone else could, so I'll let him tell you about it "This particular Dakota is equipped with a 5 ½ inch suspension lift. Of course, there are both pros and cons to this. The major pro is that it gets things up and out of the way of trail debris. The con to this lift is that is to weak and to low. That's right, if you don't make some serious changes, the lift actually decreases your ground clearance. Serious damage will occur if you take this lifted Dakota off the dirt roads and onto real off-highway trails. The lower cross member bracket and the lower control arm brackets are just too low and too weak." Fortunately there is a way around this.

The lower control arm brackets include a compression bumpstop underneath the shock; this is what reduces the ground clearance. Loren reports that the lower cross member bracket is flimsy at best. Loren made them both better than original design. First, the lower bump stops were cut off, and retaining straps were used to limit the suspension extension. Second, the cross member was replaces by a much more beefy member fabricated by the owner. This provides the necessary strength to do any real off-roading.

Unfortunately the manufacturer of the lift kit neglected these critical areas. But your own enhancements can make it better, and cheaper. After these changes this rig has, amazed many onlookers. Why these betterments weren’t addressed by the lift company is anyone’s guess, especially with how expensive the kit is, after the changes you won’t be disappointed."

Other under-truck enhancements include RS9000 shocks, 33x12.5 Swamper Radials and American Racing 767 rims.