I've got a '93. One thing they failed to mention is that while you can't lay a sheet of plywood between the wheel wells, Dodge made provisions on the inner bed sides to run boards side to side to create a shelf so you can lay plywood flat. For me this actually worked out better because when I was doing a home repair project, all the smaller stuff that would have normally been on top of the plywood, actually fit below it, keeping it from prying eyes.
I've had a 95 dakota for 16 years. Been my work truck for 10 years for my small home improvement business. It's a v6 2wd automatic. Most reliable truck I've ever owned and super simple to fix for even novice mechanics which in my opinion adds to the reliability and longevity. Great looking and often over looked trucks that are capable of withstanding a lot of hard use for a long time.
Got one with over 450 k on it and all it has done other than maintenance is its first transmission overhaul.. 25 years old this year (96) 3.9 and it has driven coast to coast every summer since new,, I have turned down 8K for it.. When I bought it new and knew how well it has been I would have purchased three of them. I also average 23mpgs.
@@geesecentralstation4263 Keep your fluids change on a schedule.. Dont let small things get away from you. Use correct weight oil.. I always use 10w30 and I have learned to use various brands of non synthetic oil.. A mechanic told me what one oil coats the other brand will clean off.. Use stock plugs,, I found I get the best gas ilage from them.. (copper) keep the antifreeze flushed EVERY two years REGARDLESS of claims of how iong it will last.. Last change transmission fluid EVERY six months! filters aond fluids are cheap .. Hard parts are not.. I have one with 340k on it and its a six!
@@ke4tud You got it! I tell people not to leave a lot of un necessary stuff in the bed of it either. Remember maintenance is king! Love my kota. Its almost there at half a million! 498200 as of today,, (pandemic slowed down travel)
@@geesecentralstation4263 i have a 91 with the 3.9 v6 manual. Best oil I've found is the Valvoline full synthetic 20w50 that comes in the 5 quart jug..
Yay, the Dakota I remember best: first-gen, red, with the 5.2 V8, the restyled '91 front end, the extended cab and the 6-spoke spinning star wheels of the first black-on-white example shown in this video! We still have some of these '91s in Greece used by the Greek Fire Service for forest fires and they have all the features I just mentioned plus the necessary fire-fighting equipment mounted on the bed (a water tank, a water pump and a fire hose roller). They're still in good condition, although the red paint kinda peeled off with the years. There are also a couple of civilian '91 Dakotas running around in Greece, also with the 5.2 V8, the extended cab and the 6-spoke spinning star wheels!
Very cool to hear the Fire Service is using these there in Greece. What a mental picture. I have a '96 SLT 5.2 5 spd manual 4x4 extended cab - LOVE it. I also work wildfire in the Southwest U.S. Thanks for your post. When I'm out this year I'll be picturing FS using Dakotas!! Be well
Wish they would have made one of these for 94-96 dakota when they changed a few things, added NV3500 5 speed manual transmission, added first airbag in truck and also SLT trims etc changes to the gauges and look as well, 94-96 dakota V8 the real brutes when dakotas were really of its own truck, ive hauled with mine way overloaded have had 2200lbs in the bed and had no problems hauling it with the NV3500 5 speed manual transmission with NP231DHD transfercase and the stout 225-230hp/300ft lb torque 5.2L Magnum, my family has had a few 94-96 dakota V8’s all went well past 350k miles im working on 300,000 in my 94 dakota 5.2 5 speed and still has power as it did 20 years ago, only wish it had a solid live front axle as they have full width frames up front! Ram axles fit dakotas perfect FYI had solid axle swapped a few
@@FRESNOSTATE1559 They had high rise intakes aka beer keg with the throttle plates made by holley. What ppl did not know that the high rise coiuld be cut down inthernally and increase power.. and the throttle bodies can be swapped with the 360 318
That V8 gained about 70 hp sometime in the next 3 years after that, which would've knocked 2 or more seconds off 0-60. The Dakota's biggest problems were that it looked like an S10 from the side and Ranger from the front and back. Only later would it get more distinctive.
@@Dankcatvacs how was the ranger a complete knock off when the ranger refresh of its front headlight composite design came out in late 1988? Lol. the ranger was the first small size truck in america to come with composite headlights and then dodge followed 2 years later.
It's funny to hear John talking about the Dakota as being more leisure oriented, because I grew up seeing one get some pretty heavy use. My dad had a '93 Dakota that he used for hauling scrap metal, and we were able to haul all sorts of shit in it. Only reason we got rid of it was because the frame had become dangerously rusty.
I had a first year 87 4X4 and the same thing happened to me. The truck was still running great and I had just put new tires on it all around, then about 3 months later I found out the frame was rusting. This was in 2004 and it had about 190K miles. If I could have a dream Dakota it would be a 92 regular cab long box 4X4 with the Magnum 318 and 5-speed.
Always secure ramps to pickup beds when rolling bikes in or out. I saw a couple of guys try to put a Harley in a truck without strapping the ramp to the truck. Guess what happened next? Front wheel was in the bed but the rear wheel was not.
I love the old 318's but after learning the performance specs and mileage on the dakota, i finally can see why GM never bothered with a v8 option in their small trucks. The vortec 4.3 had very similar numbers and better performance. I guess the trade off would be that the 318 was generally more durable.
I agree with the early years like 1991. After 1992 the truck got up to 230hp and 295lb torque. I have a 1993 model with the 318 and he’ll keep up with mustangs and camaros from that time. I’ve never had a ranger or s10 from back then wax my ass though.
Ironically in 1992 the Dakota got an airbag. I always liked the more conservative styling of this generation. Sure it wasn't pretty but far more practical and in my experience less prone to rust. The newer styling I think used thinner steel and more plastics to get the weight down.
I have a 94 with 250k miles. With the v8 5 speed manual and 4x4. It’s a badass pickup. Still starts and runs pretty great but is needing some love now. Will always be one of my favorite body styles. Not the one in the video but a few years later they really look good.
Had a 93-king cab LE with a V-6 for over 20 years. The most simplest to work on truck I've ever drove, the parts broke, you just fixed them and went on.
I think the 93 Ranger really hurt Dakota sales. It didn't really make the Ranger bigger or more modern, but it made it look bigger and more modern. And that Ford 4.0 V6 was a really good engine at the time (similar horsepower to the 318 in this 91 Dakota). Man.. options really were expensive back then. And they were required as very little came standard.
i love this body style-91-96 and you cannot find a v8 model for sale anywhere. if you happen to see one-it isnt there long even with hundreds of thousands of miles on it. just a great truck.
My truck since the day I turned 16. 1992 Single cab short bed 4x4 318. 198,000 miles just rebuilt the trans because the seals had wore out. Wouldn't trade it for anything
My grandpa had one a few years younger, he sold it because it infuriated him that he was getting about 10mpg with the around town puttering he did but it had trouble towing and he couldn't carry much with it. Of course I thought it was the best looking truck (on the inside) he ever owned, but he was a WWII aircraft mechanic and his primary income his whole life was doing mechanic work on anything from a weed eater to big lawn tractors. When he bought a car he bought it for luxury, and when he bought a truck it had to do everything a truck was supposed to do or it was worthless. He liked the interior but it got worse gas mileage than his Cadillac and that was the real deal breaker lol.
The 2003 was the year Dodge fixed all the issues of the past. The 2003 Dodge Dekota 3.9L Club Cab SLT was the best model. Of course, it came with other motor, transmission, and options. The bed was 6.5 ft, starting price was $21,000 that year up to $27,000. That was more than its bigger brother, The Ram. My 2003 model is known to get 350,000 to 400,000 miles out of motor and transmission. If maintained properly. It is July 6th, 2023, and my Truck runs and looks great. 152,252 miles. Patriot Blue/Silver. Fantastic Trucks. See if you can get 70,000 mile out of a new truck before major transmission and engine work. New 2023 vehicles are made to fail at 70,000, FACT!
i leased a 96, v8 regular cab, auto ,short bed, 3.90 posi (dealer installed)4 wheel antilock,,,man it was a tire fryer,,, i had to put old tires in the bed with 2 liter bottles full of water to get any traction,(215-65-15 TA radials),,,yes the ford lightening was faster ,but only by one car length !!! i took it the the noble ok drag strip 2 weeks before the lease was up ,had to remove EVERYTHING from the truck .inside and out, and the bed too,still got 14.9-15.1 in 3 runs,, it was red and chrome ,like the one in vid, had wide black rubber strip down the middle ,chrome 15 steel wheels which were a free swap option,,,day i turned it in at a GM dealership (GMAC lease)this strange tv coverage was on,,didnt know what till i got home,,,Columbine school shooting .....
I have a fully loaded extended cab 1993 model with the v8. We named him George when we got him used in 2003. The truck definitely has a personality of its own. I never understood why guys would go get a ranger or s10. I always found them hideous in comparison and the lack of a v8 in such a small truck was lackluster. Although George may have 200k on him now, that magnum will still scream like it just rolled off the assembly line with no signs of aging in sight.
I scored my 92' Dakota in like 2000 with 56,000 miles on her as a total loss. Drivers side cab and bed assy. and rear differential wiped out. I repaired the cab and replaced the bed and rear differential and drove her for nearly 20 years years with no issues less when the computer located on the right front fender decided to identify as a lump of charcoal.
I ways wanted a Dakota regular cab short bed 2wd with the 5.2L or 4.7L and a 5 speed manual. Those are hard to find. 3.55 or 3.90 suregrip for extra measure.
The 318 is starved in the setup for the Dakota.. Simple mods and it can be a kitten to a tiger.. The simplest thing is remove that intake! Get a performance intake and get the plenum gasket kit sold online,, change the rear end gearset,, underdrive pulleys and better (less restricted exhaust and headers) and that lil girl will turn .. Here is a secret get the headers from the 93-95 years they are larger from oem.. but I'd go with some shorty headers 2.5 inch low restriction cats dynomax exhaust,, The high rise intake kills off anything over 4k rpm.. you can cut the air channels in it out to increase air but the OEM intakes are problem ridden with plenum failures.. If you got to do plenum gasket change the intake out as a set.. see www.hughesengines.com/Index/index.php it will pay in performance and less maintenance.
This example used TBI, or throttle body injection. After 1992 or 1993, they switched to the Magnum engines, which had Multi Port Injection. The 5.2 (318) then put out around 230 horsepower, and 300 ft lbs.
@@1stchair503 MPI did improve the reliability of the series.. It also reduced emissions. the exhaust were reduced in 94-95 to reduce hp but improve mpg's and it also improved low end torque..
That engine is powerful strong. I agree it should do better but it’s super de tuned shit I remember my dads Ram was faster and better on gas. still today. 🤣🤣 he still has it looks pretty clean too……..
The next year ('92) the 5.2L got the "Magnum" upgrades and was rated at 230hp/~300lbft. I had a '93 in '96 with the Magnum 5.2L. At the time it was fast. For a truck of that era, it was very fast.
@@elcheapo5302 They also restricted the exhaust manifolds later and dropped a few hp ,, That Holley High Rise intake was a secret in making it perform more by shaving the runners down.. low restricted exhaust and multi nozzle injectors and the 3.9-5.2 were on fire! I own a sleeper 3.9 that turns 275hp on a 1/4 mile 13.59 average on pump gas,, Very tough engine,, I have been told it will do NOS with little mods if any,, but I am not into button power.. ;) I also have a 96 that has over 400k and its a daily driver
@@elcheapo5302 Yeah , the ones with the Magnum engines were a whole other animal . You could easily roast the tires from a standing start . A chore to drive in wet weather .
Wow we have come a long way from then. 5.2 v8 making 165 up and 250 lb/ft of torque.all V6 engine's make at minimum double this UP and still have more twisting force
Magnum 3.9 had 10 more horses and had 25 less torque.3.9 works fine for me but she shakes at idle.slant six don't do that.v6 with pistons at 90 degrees makes for a shaker
Tell you what, if Chrysler guys were in charge of Chrysler right now - that truck would absolutely exist today. Even back then, the Dakota was a great truck 3.9 or 5.2 💯
I thought that maybe, in '91, a 318 would have at least 200hp, but being an automatic, the torque is what is important since it will most likely never be revved over 4500.
Toyota got 150hp out of a 3.0 liter V6 in that time period. Did wee bit better on gas and was just as quick if you got the 2wd/5 speed V6 combo. Wouldn't roast the tires off the line like that Dakota though, power was in that 2500-5500 rpm range.
Strange, I remember these 235hp 5.2/318 Dakotas being much quicker than 0-60 in 10.1s. I figured 8s. Must have a strange tall axle or something. My dad had a 2000 Quad Cab SLT 4.7L auto rwd 3.55 suregrip that ran 0-60 in 7s with the wide tires of the handling package. At the time only the Ford Lightning and R/T 5.9s were quicker unless one found perhaps and GM ext cab short bed 2wd with the LQ9 6L.
This was pre-magnum. The 230hp magnum came in 1992 and yes they are far faster then 10 seconds. I have a 1993 dakota with the 5.2l magnum with a rebuilt beefed up tranny, 295 tires on back and a bigger throttle body and I get 0-60 in the 6s
Don’t use the truck for work? Heck back in the day Dakotas were on job sights and ranches, pulling and hauling. You still see them in some fleets. I sure as heck put my Dakota to work and it would keep going.
The 318 was still using the older style heads yet AND was only throttle body injection. The "Magnum" V6 and V8 came out in 92 with 180 and 230 HP respectively. This I believe was stop gap.
I have a1995 Dodge Dakota SLT 5.2 or 318 I absolutely love my truck. But Dodge has a lot of problems and should have been recalls. Platinum plate and gasket the gasket blows out and you will start consuming oil. The plenum plate plexus and causes the gasket to blow out of the sides. It says top end is not fast mine will do 135 mph
He said that children are the only ones that can fit in back, but that's not quite true. I am 6'2, and my brother is 5'9, an he can fit up front and me in back. I would not advise though
165 horsepower? what a dog. my 3.9 v6 dakota makes more power than that. they really choked that 318, that engine is capable of making so much more power.
Авто/Мото
I've got a '93. One thing they failed to mention is that while you can't lay a sheet of plywood between the wheel wells, Dodge made provisions on the inner bed sides to run boards side to side to create a shelf so you can lay plywood flat. For me this actually worked out better because when I was doing a home repair project, all the smaller stuff that would have normally been on top of the plywood, actually fit below it, keeping it from prying eyes.
Also doubles as a comfy seat. That gave me an idea to make a board padded and flip it to carry plywood, etc.
Funny, if it was a Honda or Toyota with an 8' bed, it would've been "brilliant" allowing storage under the plywood. Still using my '94 club cab
I've had a 95 dakota for 16 years. Been my work truck for 10 years for my small home improvement business. It's a v6 2wd automatic. Most reliable truck I've ever owned and super simple to fix for even novice mechanics which in my opinion adds to the reliability and longevity. Great looking and often over looked trucks that are capable of withstanding a lot of hard use for a long time.
Got one with over 450 k on it and all it has done other than maintenance is its first transmission overhaul.. 25 years old this year (96) 3.9 and it has driven coast to coast every summer since new,, I have turned down 8K for it.. When I bought it new and knew how well it has been I would have purchased three of them. I also average 23mpgs.
I have the same truck in a 92 year. Do you have any tips?? My truck has 82k miles. Very happy and excited. What oil do you use??
@@geesecentralstation4263 Keep your fluids change on a schedule.. Dont let small things get away from you. Use correct weight oil.. I always use 10w30 and I have learned to use various brands of non synthetic oil.. A mechanic told me what one oil coats the other brand will clean off..
Use stock plugs,, I found I get the best gas ilage from them.. (copper) keep the antifreeze flushed EVERY two years REGARDLESS of claims of how iong it will last.. Last change transmission fluid EVERY six months! filters aond fluids are cheap .. Hard parts are not..
I have one with 340k on it and its a six!
@@ke4tud You got it! I tell people not to leave a lot of un necessary stuff in the bed of it either. Remember maintenance is king! Love my kota. Its almost there at half a million! 498200 as of today,, (pandemic slowed down travel)
@@geesecentralstation4263 i have a 91 with the 3.9 v6 manual. Best oil I've found is the Valvoline full synthetic 20w50 that comes in the 5 quart jug..
Hey C.Elliott so you get up to about 500km's for a full tank?
Yay, the Dakota I remember best: first-gen, red, with the 5.2 V8, the restyled '91 front end, the extended cab and the 6-spoke spinning star wheels of the first black-on-white example shown in this video!
We still have some of these '91s in Greece used by the Greek Fire Service for forest fires and they have all the features I just mentioned plus the necessary fire-fighting equipment mounted on the bed (a water tank, a water pump and a fire hose roller). They're still in good condition, although the red paint kinda peeled off with the years. There are also a couple of civilian '91 Dakotas running around in Greece, also with the 5.2 V8, the extended cab and the 6-spoke spinning star wheels!
Very cool to hear the Fire Service is using these there in Greece. What a mental picture. I have a '96 SLT 5.2 5 spd manual 4x4 extended cab - LOVE it. I also work wildfire in the Southwest U.S. Thanks for your post. When I'm out this year I'll be picturing FS using Dakotas!! Be well
A friend of mine has this model year Dodge Dakota and it's still in great shape, he takes real good care of it.
I like watching these because I grew up in the area Motorweek was filmed.
I,m only 12 miles from where you grew up
@@deansapp4635 In which direction? North, east , south?
@@briteidea08 Catonsville
My dad had a 92 dakota regular cab with the 4 cylendar. It ran fine. I bet it would've been a beast with the v8
Dave go back you forgot the plywood
We need more Mid sizes with small v8 options
Wish they would have made one of these for 94-96 dakota when they changed a few things, added NV3500 5 speed manual transmission, added first airbag in truck and also SLT trims etc changes to the gauges and look as well, 94-96 dakota V8 the real brutes when dakotas were really of its own truck, ive hauled with mine way overloaded have had 2200lbs in the bed and had no problems hauling it with the NV3500 5 speed manual transmission with NP231DHD transfercase and the stout 225-230hp/300ft lb torque 5.2L Magnum, my family has had a few 94-96 dakota V8’s all went well past 350k miles im working on 300,000 in my 94 dakota 5.2 5 speed and still has power as it did 20 years ago, only wish it had a solid live front axle as they have full width frames up front! Ram axles fit dakotas perfect FYI had solid axle swapped a few
Did you have that holly throttle 👍👍the sound it would do in my dads 96Ram wooooooooooo
@@FRESNOSTATE1559 They had high rise intakes aka beer keg with the throttle plates made by holley. What ppl did not know that the high rise coiuld be cut down inthernally and increase power.. and the throttle bodies can be swapped with the 360 318
I love this first generation of Dodge Dakota, is my favorite, great truck
That V8 gained about 70 hp sometime in the next 3 years after that, which would've knocked 2 or more seconds off 0-60. The Dakota's biggest problems were that it looked like an S10 from the side and Ranger from the front and back. Only later would it get more distinctive.
But also shittier.
They also had significant rusting issues. Some looked ok, others had the beds dissolve faster then a Vega
Yeah the rust is bad but it drives like a full size. :) got the motor of one too. 318
Rangers are a complete knock off .
@@Dankcatvacs how was the ranger a complete knock off when the ranger refresh of its front headlight composite design came out in late 1988? Lol. the ranger was the first small size truck in america to come with composite headlights and then dodge followed 2 years later.
It's funny to hear John talking about the Dakota as being more leisure oriented, because I grew up seeing one get some pretty heavy use. My dad had a '93 Dakota that he used for hauling scrap metal, and we were able to haul all sorts of shit in it. Only reason we got rid of it was because the frame had become dangerously rusty.
Where exactly did it rust ? I've seen alot of Dakotas for sale with bad frames but I cant figure out where they go bad
I had a first year 87 4X4 and the same thing happened to me. The truck was still running great and I had just put new tires on it all around, then about 3 months later I found out the frame was rusting. This was in 2004 and it had about 190K miles.
If I could have a dream Dakota it would be a 92 regular cab long box 4X4 with the Magnum 318 and 5-speed.
To me, this is the best looking Dakotas of all the generations.
I had a 1992 4x4 extended cab. It wpuld woop alot of cars and trucks. It was pretty light amd for the time that 318 was pretty quick
i have this model year and i love it
Always secure ramps to pickup beds when rolling bikes in or out. I saw a couple of guys try to put a Harley in a truck without strapping the ramp to the truck. Guess what happened next? Front wheel was in the bed but the rear wheel was not.
I have a 93 dakota with the 318 and oddly stock it got up to 110 with ease and oddly stable
I love the old 318's but after learning the performance specs and mileage on the dakota, i finally can see why GM never bothered with a v8 option in their small trucks. The vortec 4.3 had very similar numbers and better performance. I guess the trade off would be that the 318 was generally more durable.
I agree with the early years like 1991. After 1992 the truck got up to 230hp and 295lb torque. I have a 1993 model with the 318 and he’ll keep up with mustangs and camaros from that time. I’ve never had a ranger or s10 from back then wax my ass though.
318 much more durable especially the detuned ones
My dream truck back in the day was one with an 8 foot bed for motorcycles with the tailgate up.
Now just wait 7 more years for the Dakota R/T with the 5.9L 😁👍
great looking truck
It sure is!
Ironically in 1992 the Dakota got an airbag. I always liked the more conservative styling of this generation. Sure it wasn't pretty but far more practical and in my experience less prone to rust. The newer styling I think used thinner steel and more plastics to get the weight down.
Overdrive is DISCONNECTED by pressing the button not engaged.
5.2L V8 only making 165hp. Man, we have come a long way in 30+ years.
I like how they filmed this one!
I have a 94 with 250k miles. With the v8 5 speed manual and 4x4. It’s a badass pickup. Still starts and runs pretty great but is needing some love now. Will always be one of my favorite body styles. Not the one in the video but a few years later they really look good.
Always like these. My grandfather had a 1992 Laramie. Was really nice.
Had a 93-king cab LE with a V-6 for over 20 years. The most simplest to work on truck I've ever drove, the parts broke, you just fixed them and went on.
I think the 93 Ranger really hurt Dakota sales. It didn't really make the Ranger bigger or more modern, but it made it look bigger and more modern. And that Ford 4.0 V6 was a really good engine at the time (similar horsepower to the 318 in this 91 Dakota). Man.. options really were expensive back then. And they were required as very little came standard.
i love this body style-91-96 and you cannot find a v8 model for sale anywhere. if you happen to see one-it isnt there long even with hundreds of thousands of miles on it. just a great truck.
I picked up a 91 single cab long bed v8 with 101k and no rust in Iowa for 1200 there's one in Michigan but it's a 93 for 3k
Such a good looking truck
THIS TRUCK IS NEEDED TODAY the 1st gen even had glass headlights,no toothpaste needed😂
My truck since the day I turned 16. 1992 Single cab short bed 4x4 318. 198,000 miles just rebuilt the trans because the seals had wore out. Wouldn't trade it for anything
My grandpa had one a few years younger, he sold it because it infuriated him that he was getting about 10mpg with the around town puttering he did but it had trouble towing and he couldn't carry much with it.
Of course I thought it was the best looking truck (on the inside) he ever owned, but he was a WWII aircraft mechanic and his primary income his whole life was doing mechanic work on anything from a weed eater to big lawn tractors. When he bought a car he bought it for luxury, and when he bought a truck it had to do everything a truck was supposed to do or it was worthless. He liked the interior but it got worse gas mileage than his Cadillac and that was the real deal breaker lol.
Best of Both Worlds
They’re beautiful trucks .
My first car was a 96 with the 318. Five speed, cruise control. Wish I still had the thing.
V-8 5spd manual with 8' bed? Wish l would've known then what know now😂
The 2003 was the year Dodge fixed all the issues of the past. The 2003 Dodge Dekota 3.9L Club Cab SLT was the best model. Of course, it came with other motor, transmission, and options. The bed was 6.5 ft, starting price was $21,000 that year up to $27,000. That was more than its bigger brother, The Ram.
My 2003 model is known to get 350,000 to 400,000 miles out of motor and transmission. If maintained properly. It is July 6th, 2023, and my Truck runs and looks great. 152,252 miles. Patriot Blue/Silver. Fantastic Trucks. See if you can get 70,000 mile out of a new truck before major transmission and engine work. New 2023 vehicles are made to fail at 70,000, FACT!
i leased a 96, v8 regular cab, auto ,short bed, 3.90 posi (dealer installed)4 wheel antilock,,,man it was a tire fryer,,, i had to put old tires in the bed with 2 liter bottles full of water to get any traction,(215-65-15 TA radials),,,yes the ford lightening was faster ,but only by one car length !!! i took it the the noble ok drag strip 2 weeks before the lease was up ,had to remove EVERYTHING from the truck .inside and out, and the bed too,still got 14.9-15.1 in 3 runs,, it was red and chrome ,like the one in vid, had wide black rubber strip down the middle ,chrome 15 steel wheels which were a free swap option,,,day i turned it in at a GM dealership (GMAC lease)this strange tv coverage was on,,didnt know what till i got home,,,Columbine school shooting .....
I love these
I have a fully loaded extended cab 1993 model with the v8. We named him George when we got him used in 2003. The truck definitely has a personality of its own. I never understood why guys would go get a ranger or s10. I always found them hideous in comparison and the lack of a v8 in such a small truck was lackluster. Although George may have 200k on him now, that magnum will still scream like it just rolled off the assembly line with no signs of aging in sight.
Has that timing chain loosened yet
I scored my 92' Dakota in like 2000 with 56,000 miles on her as a total loss. Drivers side cab and bed assy. and rear differential wiped out. I repaired the cab and replaced the bed and rear differential and drove her for nearly 20 years years with no issues less when the computer located on the right front fender decided to identify as a lump of charcoal.
some things never change. '91 14 city/19 hwy. My 2006 with the H.O. 4.7L 14/19. 1991 front disc rear drum. same a my 2006.
I ways wanted a Dakota regular cab short bed 2wd with the 5.2L or 4.7L and a 5 speed manual. Those are hard to find. 3.55 or 3.90 suregrip for extra measure.
I thought the acceleration was mediocre for a V8 midsized truck, I thought it would be at least 25% quicker than what it is.
The 318 is starved in the setup for the Dakota.. Simple mods and it can be a kitten to a tiger.. The simplest thing is remove that intake! Get a performance intake and get the plenum gasket kit sold online,, change the rear end gearset,, underdrive pulleys and better (less restricted exhaust and headers) and that lil girl will turn ..
Here is a secret get the headers from the 93-95 years they are larger from oem.. but I'd go with some shorty headers 2.5 inch low restriction cats dynomax exhaust,,
The high rise intake kills off anything over 4k rpm.. you can cut the air channels in it out to increase air but the OEM intakes are problem ridden with plenum failures.. If you got to do plenum gasket change the intake out as a set.. see www.hughesengines.com/Index/index.php
it will pay in performance and less maintenance.
This example used TBI, or throttle body injection. After 1992 or 1993, they switched to the Magnum engines, which had Multi Port Injection. The 5.2 (318) then put out around 230 horsepower, and 300 ft lbs.
@@1stchair503 MPI did improve the reliability of the series.. It also reduced emissions. the exhaust were reduced in 94-95 to reduce hp but improve mpg's and it also improved low end torque..
@@ke4tud right. By the end of the engines run, in the Dakota anyways, it was making 220 hp and 295 ft lbs.
That engine is powerful strong. I agree it should do better but it’s super de tuned shit I remember my dads Ram was faster and better on gas. still today. 🤣🤣 he still has it looks pretty clean too……..
165hp out of v8...dang...
With over 200 torque output. Which is what Americans like..
The next year ('92) the 5.2L got the "Magnum" upgrades and was rated at 230hp/~300lbft. I had a '93 in '96 with the Magnum 5.2L. At the time it was fast. For a truck of that era, it was very fast.
@@elcheapo5302 They also restricted the exhaust manifolds later and dropped a few hp ,, That Holley High Rise intake was a secret in making it perform more by shaving the runners down.. low restricted exhaust and multi nozzle injectors and the 3.9-5.2 were on fire!
I own a sleeper 3.9 that turns 275hp on a 1/4 mile 13.59 average on pump gas,, Very tough engine,, I have been told it will do NOS with little mods if any,, but I am not into button power.. ;) I also have a 96 that has over 400k and its a daily driver
@@elcheapo5302 Yeah , the ones with the Magnum engines were a whole other animal . You could easily roast the tires from a standing start .
A chore to drive in wet weather .
@@elcheapo5302 kinda like GM did with the Regular 350 and Vortec 350 in the OBS
I have one....is the overdrive on when you turn it on or off...I think it's on I just wanna be sure lol
Wow we have come a long way from then. 5.2 v8 making 165 up and 250 lb/ft of torque.all V6 engine's make at minimum double this UP and still have more twisting force
But that torque occurs at a much higher rpm in todays V6 engines.
Magnum 3.9 had 10 more horses and had 25 less torque.3.9 works fine for me but she shakes at idle.slant six don't do that.v6 with pistons at 90 degrees makes for a shaker
Tell you what, if Chrysler guys were in charge of Chrysler right now - that truck would absolutely exist today. Even back then, the Dakota was a great truck 3.9 or 5.2 💯
It looks like a smaller version of the Chevy. Good looking.
Good machine ❤❤
Ngl with that audio glitch it sounded like he said "John Bebis" lol
I thought that maybe, in '91, a 318 would have at least 200hp, but being an automatic, the torque is what is important since it will most likely never be revved over 4500.
Toyota got 150hp out of a 3.0 liter V6 in that time period. Did wee bit better on gas and was just as quick if you got the 2wd/5 speed V6 combo. Wouldn't roast the tires off the line like that Dakota though, power was in that 2500-5500 rpm range.
I have a 96 dakota regular cab with a 4 cylinder engine, acceleration is just fine but it definitely has trouble getting to those higher speeds
Strange, I remember these 235hp 5.2/318 Dakotas being much quicker than 0-60 in 10.1s. I figured 8s. Must have a strange tall axle or something. My dad had a 2000 Quad Cab SLT 4.7L auto rwd 3.55 suregrip that ran 0-60 in 7s with the wide tires of the handling package. At the time only the Ford Lightning and R/T 5.9s were quicker unless one found perhaps and GM ext cab short bed 2wd with the LQ9 6L.
This was pre-magnum. The 230hp magnum came in 1992 and yes they are far faster then 10 seconds. I have a 1993 dakota with the 5.2l magnum with a rebuilt beefed up tranny, 295 tires on back and a bigger throttle body and I get 0-60 in the 6s
Those pants!!!
Any one knows the most weight these trucks can handle!?
1:40 I love that old Coke vending machine. 👍
A V8 with four-cylinder power. What a novel idea 😂
That was pre-magnum v8 days. I forgot they even offered that engine. The Magnums were quite a bit more powerful.
Mopar uses 4cyl transmissions for everything, that's why.
@@johncholmes643 sometimes I read a comment, that I'm not sure if they're joking, or they're clueless. Which one is this?
@@jasonfalk7696
Dodge transmissions are garbage, when they put the same torque converter behind a diesel they use in a minivan solidifies my comment.
@@johncholmes643 what years?
This is the only Dodge Truck that has a car like interior! Because the instrumentation is borrowed from the retired LeBaron GTS Hatchback!
AM FM with Cassette
Don’t use the truck for work? Heck back in the day Dakotas were on job sights and ranches, pulling and hauling. You still see them in some fleets. I sure as heck put my Dakota to work and it would keep going.
4:48 lord forbid the rain.
I would get Dakota pickups with the V8 made after 1992! The 318ci V8 made 230hp w/ 300 lb-ft of torque! Much better!
Why was the 318 so low on power? Ford's smaller 5L EFI of the era were rated at 185Hp, vs 165. Not bashing, just curious.
The 318 was still using the older style heads yet AND was only throttle body injection. The "Magnum" V6 and V8 came out in 92 with 180 and 230 HP respectively. This I believe was stop gap.
I have a1995 Dodge Dakota SLT 5.2 or 318 I absolutely love my truck. But Dodge has a lot of problems and should have been recalls. Platinum plate and gasket the gasket blows out and you will start consuming oil. The plenum plate plexus and causes the gasket to blow out of the sides. It says top end is not fast mine will do 135 mph
What’s sad is the country setting this was filmed in is probably subdivisions, strip malls and urban sprawl.
People have to live somewhere
@@HAMMER8181 no farms. No food.
I had my heart set on a 98-99 V8 4x4 Dakota until I learned the fuel tank was only 15 gallons!
they also had a 22 gallon fuel tank option
Looks just like an F150
He said that children are the only ones that can fit in back, but that's not quite true. I am 6'2, and my brother is 5'9, an he can fit up front and me in back. I would not advise though
No 1/4 mile times cuz the truck was a dog very slow
160 hp in a v8 is lousy even back then.
165 horsepower? what a dog. my 3.9 v6 dakota makes more power than that. they really choked that 318, that engine is capable of making so much more power.
More reliable than a Subaru 🤣
Ther was a truck 😢
Content copy cat
John Davis is a stud, he must be quite a handful in the bedroom.