Perdue's 2004 Dakota Build

[Perdue]

Current

Modifications:
Herculiner
XM Roady XT
1" Torsion Crank
265/75-16 Treadwright Warden A/T's
16x8 American Racing Baja
Thule Roof Rack

Planned:
Bed Rack or Tonneau Cover
Custom Bumpers and Sliders
Superwinch EP9.0 Winch

The Beginning
A couple months ago, I decided it was time to get rid of my 2003 Dakota. It had served me well, but things were starting to wear out, it was leaking oil, and I was frankly tired of having a regular cab truck. I was planning on trading it for an FJ Cruiser, but ended up with a 2004 Dakota in the same trim, but quad cab with 38k on the clock.

I'm also working on ideas for an onboard water tank for showers. I'm also trying to figure out where I'll be mounting my spare. I don't want to lose bed space, so I'm thinking about a basket to go with the roof rack. That will be a problem when it comes to carrying my kayak and trying to shuttle my friends' kayaks. My other options are to stuff it in the stock location under the truck or to build a swing out tire carrier on my rear bumper.

Here's a picture of my old truck (pre-topper) just for the heck of it.

 

[ADKdakota]

Hey man, I recognize your old truck from dakota-durango.com.

You'll love the quad cab, sometimes I wish my club cab was a quad but then again I like being able to stretch out lengthwise in the back of my truck when I camp in it. I'm 6'3 so the standard size bed is tight enough.

I just joined over here a few days ago and made a thread, check it out if you get a chance. I love your old truck, so I'm sure the new one will be quite the dakota too.

Have a good thanksgiving.

 

[Perdue]

Thanks, man. I love the extra room already. I kinda wish my bed was longer so I could do a topper and sleeping platform like I had planned with my last dakota, but that's my only regret. I don't mind my tent anyway.

 

[cowboy63645]

You will enjoy the quad cab, I know I love my 03'. What lift did you have on your old dakota? Oh, and welcome to the portal!

 

[Perdue]

The old Dak had a 3" body lift and the torsion bars were cranked for 2". The tires were 285/75-16. My plans were for 2" blocks in the rear and 315/75-16's, but my MTZ's just wouldn't wear out.

 

[cowboy63645]

If the old dakota is any indication to how the new one will look, you will have another very nice dakota.

 

[Perdue]

My wheels will be here on Monday, so hopefully Tuesday or Friday I'll get a chance to run them up to get the tires mounted and balanced. I forgot to order new lugs, so I'll have to figure something out. Maybe I can find some aftermarket lugs locally. I wanted to paint the wheels black before I mounted them, but I don't think weather is going to cooperate...it'll have to wait. Maybe the polished look will grow on me.

Anyways, my next mod will be a Thule rack system, and possibly a tonneau cover after that. Before I work on my winch and bumpers, I'm going to get all of my new camping stuff out of the way. I'm looking for a good two burner stove, some more cookware, some sort of kitchen/eating cover (maybe one of the First-Up Gazebos), a table, and new storage boxes...something a little tougher and more secure than my clear rubbermaid stuff.

Places for 2011:
Audra State Park, WV
Tygart Lake State Park, WV
Dolly Sods, WV
Seneca Shadows, WV
Army Camp (New River), WV
Lake Sherwood, WV
Smoke Hole, WV
Kamoore Mines, WV
Letchworth State Park, NY

With the fishing/kayaking trips in between, that should keep me busy for the biggest part of three seasons next year. I'm trying to plan out a two week vacation for May or June. Work my way up through WV and PA to Letchworth State Park in NY, then back down. I'd like to go to Nova Scotia this year, but I don't won't have three straight weeks worth of vacation available when it comes time to bid at the end of the month. We'll see.

 

[Perdue]

Went and got my wheels and tires mounted today. The tires have about half tread...they should get me through winter and spring, and then I'll go to 33's this summer before I take my two week adventure (I hope). I'm not sure if I like the polished look or not, but it's too cold to paint right now...we'll see.

 

[ADKdakota]

I'm not a fan of polished wheels myself, but its not so much the appearance as the fact that the upkeep is a pain. My harley has seemingly endless chrome and I hate cleaning that damn thing. I think your QC would look a lot better with a set of black wheels, like your 03 had because of the black front and rear bumpers. If you had the chrome grill and bumpers like my truck, the polished wheels might flow a little better. Either way, they look good man and I like that style of wheel.

 

[Perdue]

Yeah...I'm thinking black wheels would flow better. My Grille is chrome and I have been considering having it painted anyway, but when I build my bumpers, they will get painted black too.

 

[Perdue]

Since the last update, I've gotten rid of the Rugged Fails. They were ok, but not what I needed. I replaced them with 265/75 Treadwright Warden A/T's on BFG AT bodies. They aren't bad...I've put a few hundred miles on them and they are doing well. One tire took about 7oz to balance, and still isn't perfect, but it doesn't bother me...you only notice between 40-50mph. The shipping was fast, the price was great, there's not much tire noise...Treadwright did well. I would definitely buy them again based on my current experience. I'm hoping to continue a good experience through the life of the tires.

I also put my roof rack on, and hope to get the kayak out and about as the water starts to warm up. These pics are from the past two days of wheeling and exploring with one of my best friends. We had a blast.

 

[roostercruiser]

I like that Dakota. I had a 2004 also

 

[ADKdakota]

Looks great man. Those are going to be my next tires, same size on Cragar soft 8s when my 31x10.5x15s wear out. I found the Treadwright website right after I bought my tires new...Oh well. Now I know.

They had a hard time balancing my BFG's too and they were new, so it might not even be completely Treadwrights fault. A couple of mine have a ton of weights on them. The tech said my wheels were bent but I dont know how, I've never smashed into anything hard enough to bend a wheel through a 31 inch tire...

 

[cowboy63645]

Truck looks great! I am hoping to get my truck out soon as I have new tires on order but not of places to go around here anymore

 

[blaz]

I like the quad cab. The treadwrights look an awful lot like BFG AT's anyway. Hopefully they perform the same.