Ivan
Lost in Space
Don't quote me on this, but I believe that's going to be the more robust combo vs. the 318 or 360 and the 4spd auto.
I can't wait to see your progress and trips!
Durango as Expedition Vehicles.....?
- Thread starter ghcoe
- Start date
Don't quote me on this, but I believe that's going to be the more robust combo vs. the 318 or 360 and the 4spd auto.
I can't wait to see your progress and trips!
ghcoe
Adventurer
Thanks guys.....
I went back to the salvage yard and picked up the drivers mirror. I installed them today and they work fine. Nice thing about the bigger mirrors is that they are heated too. The wiring is already prewired so it is just unplug the old, and plug in the new. Takes about 10-15 minutes to do the swap. I think the bigger mirrors look much better for this application. Being a expedition vehicle that is .
I went back to the salvage yard and picked up the drivers mirror. I installed them today and they work fine. Nice thing about the bigger mirrors is that they are heated too. The wiring is already prewired so it is just unplug the old, and plug in the new. Takes about 10-15 minutes to do the swap. I think the bigger mirrors look much better for this application. Being a expedition vehicle that is .
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This looks great. I know this is an old thread but maybe you're still watching. I might inherit a '99 Durango with 130k miles. I'm thinking about whether it is worth any investment into making it an overland rig. What's been your experience since this last post. I'd be mostly in the Columbia Gorge and Central Oregon area.
Thanks!
Thanks!
ghcoe
Adventurer
It did quite well for most of what I threw at it. I still have it as a back up to adventure if my Jeep is down. The biggest issue I had with it was going over extremely rocky roads. The 4.7 just did not have the low end grunt I was accustom to in my Jeep. My '77 jeep Cherokee I can hold the throttle down a bit and it will just work it's way through rough terrain the 4.7 would slow to a stop on the rocks and would ether require a lot of throttle to get over the rock or a shift into low range. If you throttled over then you could hit the next rock hard. Low range was too low for certain sections so it was a shift back and forth from high to low and back.
The '99 Durango should have a 318 or 360cid and you may find a different result. Also, you have the ability to put a aftermarket lift on it.
Overall I do think it is a viable Overlanding vehicle. I liked the narrowness for fitting on tight trails and it has lots of room for camping gear and/or to sleep in. Very comfortable for travel. Front suspension articulation is a bit limited (may be better with aftermarket lift kit), but the rear is quite impressive and does seem to keep the power on the road (mine has a limited slip in the rear).
Like most vehicles some Durango's are better suited for this kind of travel. In my case it came with the large wheel/tire option which came with a lower axle ratio than most. It came stock with 31" tires over a 28" tire. Also, it has a limited slip rear end with the larger rear axle. It came the 321 transfer case as well.
You would have to evaluate what you have and if it would work for you and your intended driving needs. The good thing is that there are lots of these in the salvage yards now so if you don't have these options a upgrade is not too difficult and a reasonable cost if you can do the work yourself.
Good luck and if you do decide to go with the Durango post up here so we can follow. George.
rholbrook
Member
Don’t laugh too hard! The D I wheeled was an RT. It was amazing. I’d fill it with my wife and 6 kids. Load a weeks worth of gear on top and on the hitch rack, and just go. Cape Lookout was our place to be each summer.I'm thinking of converting this to off road....
I didn’t lift it but upsized the tires slightly and trimmed a bit of inner fender. The 3.90 gearing with the 360 was great. Air down a bit and just point and go. ?
