How to LOWER your DODGE VAN (DAJIBAN!)
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- Опубликовано: 4 июл 2024
- After a lot of trial and error lowering my own Dodge van, I decided to make a video aggregating everything I've learned from my own research and experience to save a lot of $$$ and trouble for others attempting to lower their Dodge vans! #dajibanlife
Follow me on Instagram: @dajibanlife
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PO BOX 1624
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
#vanlife #vans #rv #camper #dodge #ram #dajiban #dajibanlife 
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Thank you for being the only person in the entire world of existence to describe Howard to lower the van!!!
Literally the only person!!!
Now I know my idea is unique...
Add a deep weel and wide tires✨️
Nice van buddy
I have a 2000 ram van 1500 v6 3 speed
I camp, fish and hike with it. I’m looking to fix it up a bit more so i’m so glad you’re putting up these kind of videos
Great vid man up there many people have these vans much less post and videos on them I love these vans keep doing what your doing WE NEED YOU
Dajiban.. I've always wanted to build one.
Amazingly helpful vid. Thanks!
Excellent content ! Thank-You.
Thanks A-Lot Man, Appreciate you putting this info out.
This answered so many of my questions. Thank you thank you thank you. I was about to get Dakota drop spindles for my 99. But I think I will be going your way.
Glad I could help
I did get the Dakota spindles, but then found they need modifications to work right. The Dakota spindles do work with the van brakes but you have to grind on the spindle assembly, and also will have bumpsteer due to the steering arm geometry. But that can be corrected with a tie rod drop. I am only going to use the spindles as a last resort.
I just found out about this literally 5 minutes ago and now I'm looking for a van for my buisness
I totally missed your update until your second follow-up video. All I can say is thank you! 🙏 I have seriously had difficulty piecing all this together. I’m about done trying to find decent wheels I like. Damn Watanabe spoiled me.
Glad I could help!
The only way to lower your van the correct way is to flip the axle and notch the frame. You should also notch the front frame so the lower control arm has room to travel
I agree with you the correct way to flip the axle is to c-notch the frame. I actually ran into the issue of my differential knocking up against the body, which is why I decided to raise the van back up for a milder drop. I'll release a tips and tricks video soon explaining more in depth about that. For the front, I'm not sure what you mean
Just got a 97 I love it so far. U never know how great these are until you have it
They're pretty groovy
Going to do this
Changing leaf springs from spring over (SOA) to spring under (SUA) try using a wedge (found on most 4x4 websites and stores) to fix the driveline angle so the axle pinion points towards the rear output of the transmission. Also wonder how it would work with a solid axle swap in the front and use a transfer case like the one in my Jeep ZJ 5.9 limited which is AWD not 4wd. Just think a Daji would be fun in AWD.
I've thought about this AWD conversion possibility. If I ever switch over to a manual trans, I'll definitely look into this. Theoretically, it should work as long as the suspension geometry in the front isn't thrown too far out of whack requiring crazy amounts of modification/fabrication
like right off the bat nice video
I completely love the Dajiban life style i seen in a video there starting to do Astro vans also, i have a Astro I've been waiting to strip down an do something with.... Do you know where to look to get a idea on making it a properly build to meet there specs? Mind you I'm doing this build in middle Tennessee out of respect for the culture they have started. Thanks
Yeah I've seen some Japanese Astro van builds, but I think that culture is still pretty new. I don't think there's a specific site to go to. From what I saw they mostly go the ultra comfortable touring van route with them. But at the end of the day it's your van so do it how you want to. I'd look at social media Instagram specifically for ideas
Question- when doing a raised spindle on the 1998-2003 Van you recommended to use Dakota brakes. The Dakota brake rotors are 6 lug and the vans are 5 lug. Can you just source 94-97 dodge van caliper and rotor to use with Dakota raised spindle?
Yes, for 98-03 you would have to convert to 94-97 brakes/rotor to use the Dakota drop spindles
So im gonna turn mine into a Dajiban and a vanlife vehicle for camping!
I have a Dodge Ram Van. Its bad ass. 99' 5.9 ci extended Passanger. I love it. Lets rap. This van is going to be so Hoon!
Doing a 97, after I swap the v6 for a 5.7 hemi
Thanks for the info. I purchased a 1999 2500 van and just replaced the engine. And now starting to work on the bodywork and suspension. Can you send me an update of how things are now. I noticed that your video is a few years old now. But I wanted to get the latest info on how it is going with your van. I’m wanting the look of a Dajiban but not looking for the performance. But I want a smooth ride and a good sound. More a cruiser but I love the look and the stance of the Dajiban.
Cool I'll be making an wheel alignment video soon so you can see the update then
I get using the Dakota spindles but IF you are going to use those brakes as well from those listed years, are you not then having to use that 6 bolt hub pattern?
AFAIK you can't redrill those to 5 lug (not enough space) and isn't that same 6 lug bolt pattern quite limiting regarding the choice of wheels?
Don't quote me on this, but I believe the 94-97 vans rotors might fit on the Dakota spindles. It's been a while since I did my research. Did I say you needed the Dakota rotors in my how to video? That information would be most accurate.
Regarding wheel fitment, you'll find that the 5-lug pattern, at least for the 98-03 van (5x139.7) is extremely hard to find wheels for. The selection is super limited. I don't remember off the top of my head if the 94-97 vans had the same lug pattern as mine, but I think they do. I never searched for Dakota wheel replacements, but I'd imagine it's easier to find its 6-lug pattern, or at least just as hard as the 5-lug. So either way, it's a wash. Hope that helps.
@@dajibanlife3017 Thanks for the info, I have been tempted on several occasions to buy a Dakota of the years we are talking about and have avoided them once I found out how few aftermarket wheels were available in that 6 bolt pattern and how much of a pain it is trying to get 5 lug to work any which way. From what you have said about the vans and what I can find about Dakotas its almost as if Dodge deliberately chose such goofy patterns. Thanks again.
I watched this video the night that I left the van at the shop to get some work done and have them cut the front springs.told them to hold off and now I got the moog springs. I only want to lower the rear about 3 to 4 inches, so gotta figure out which options to explore first.thanks for the video!
Glad I could help! Watch out for a tips and tricks vid coming soon!
@@dajibanlife3017 BTW which flip kit did you purchase?
Let us know how your lowering goes. I got the rear drop shackle kit myself. Wish I had seen this before ordering B3500 front springs but just ordered the 7390s. The B3500 springs are not that expensive if i end up wanting to use stiffer springs and will have to be cut down.
@@snake_eyes_garage The front is absolutely perfect with the moog springs mentioned in this video. I am using 16x8 wheels with 225/60/16 tires and it looks exactly how I wanted. The rear is going to need more experimenting because I Will be running bigger rims and I Will have to raise the rear after installing the flip kit.
@@Dinyman Western Chassis rear flip kit 2113. Atleast thats the universal kit pictured in the vid.
On summit I found two Moog 739x springs for a ram 3500, 7396 and 7394, which one did you use?
I ran the 7392s but they are discontinued. I had a viewer install 7394s recently (a few weeks ago) and sent me pics. He got a 3" drop and said it rides well. Looks great. I'd look at what the differences are between the 7396 and 7394 and see what works better for your setup. I'm guessing the only difference will be spring rates
Hey what kinda tires r u running? (size/type) I have a whack load of questions. :) And ideas. I have a 99 3500 extended window van lol (essentially a bus) cheers
245/65/17 all terrains nitro grapplers
Yes
How did that all cost you please
wonder if you could put airbags on the front instead of the coil springs....
Probably could
I got the v6 shorty and the mpg is garbage but I kinda want to turbo it
Nice
Follow-up question: What about the rear shocks? Do the stock shocks still fit/work when the rear is lowered so much? If not, what do you think should be used instead?
Stock shocks will work for up to a 4" drop. Anything more than that and you'll have to source shorter shocks. Dodge caravan shocks work, but I'd recommend getting shock extenders ($60) and heavy duty shocks
What headers do you use
Just the stock ones
Would you happen to know what I need to do to lift my van? I have a 99 dodge ram van, is there a spring and or shock I can use to lift it? Thanks.......... Axl
They sell spring spacers. They're basically just thicker rubber/polyurethane spring seats? I'm not sure exactly what they're called but they're universal fit for the front. For the rear you can get shorter shackles or spring helpers/add a leafs. There's other things you can do to achieve lift in the back, but I'm not going to recommend anything more as they are not as safe. I might be forgetting some ways. But for stock feel, those would be the things I'd do for lift without going full custom suspension
DajibanLife I’ve searched everywhere for a leveling and suspension lift but for some reason, the 99 to 2003 vans don’t have anything. Some guy told me they changed something. I believe the spacer you are talking about would be the one that fits on top of the spring....... not for those years. The rear is easy to lift
They do have spring spacers, they're just universal fit. I bought some and ran them for a while... Something star brand. Polyurethane spring spacers. Measure the diameter of the spring and order the corresponding size spacer they should fit
Hi. I have a 2003 dodge ram van b2500
Do you know if I can put 15" rims on it? Thanks
Yeah 15s will work
@@dajibanlife3017 thank you
I have 91 v8 extended with this work?
Not sure about the front, but rears should.
got the same van but its van life not drift life
How much did it cost you to slam it? I wanna drift my van
About $1k, but I experimented a lot with parts. If you buy the parts you need, I'd say you could do it for $500-600
Awe man I'm so looking for a van now lol
How can I restore my van's ride height. The person I bought it from raised the rear about 4 inches
Undo whatever he did
@@dajibanlife3017 I need to find the stock u bolts
You can buy them new aftermarket or cop a pair from the junkyard. I'd buy new ones, u bolts stretch
@@dajibanlife3017 I thought maybe there was someone out there, possibly manipulating the original geometry and dynamics of their van (which happens to be the same year as mine) could offer to sell their stock OE parts.
Lol. U-bolts you definitely don't want to buy used if you can avoid it. They're like $40. If you mean the retaining end (spring clamp?) I probably have those lying around somewhere... But you're going to pay more in shipping than just popping them off at your local junkyard. They're heavy.
What do you think it would take to manual swap a dodge van?
I'm actually thinking about doing this soon. My auto tranny is starting to die and instead of replacing it, I'm thinking of swapping it with a manual from a ram truck. I don't know if it will work, but everything should bolt together. The only iffy point would be the cross member but that can be fabbed up. Hopefully I'll be looking into it soon!
Or you could just go with an LS swap like @chadsci on IG lol
Sweet!! I actually think a 2WD Dakota manual transmission might be the better bet because they put the same motor in the Dakota. The 318 I believe?
I'll be honest I was just thinking about this. To me it makes sense on paper to get a transmission from a 2wd Dakota of the same era but then the question is how to mount the gear shift
Yeah that could work too. I haven't dug too deeply into it yet. Gotta do some research about tranny specs and see if they're different between dakota/rams. There might be some curb weight issues... I know there are some souped up Dakotas out there so the aftermarket might be more robust for parts too
Haha I have and I don't even own one. Best of luck to you!
Did you go to North High?
Is that some kind of euphemism? No not North High
@@dajibanlife3017 sry just thought you looked familiar. I just bought a dajiban 97' 5.2L and was wondering if you were in the South Bay area.
No worries. Wasn't sure what you meant. I'm in the LA area
@@dajibanlife3017 bro you crazy familiar tho. Anyways, if you were to buy another dajiban, what year(s) would you prefer?
94-97 for the looks. 03 for the tech. I'd pick tech over looks any day
Get an a100 van and mod it
Can you make a vid on how to lure the kids in ?
Candy duh.
Yikes.
Why everyone messing up their van doing this can't drive it everywhere like a normal van
Because they want too plan and simple.
The only place I can't drive mine is offroad
I take my van anywhere i want to go! I lowered mine the same way and it rode like shit! Then I made some frame adjustments and it rides like factory again. You need to notch the front and rear frame rails but I suggest buying the drop spindles for the front because you need a rust free frame to do what I did.
Great tutorial! Do you have an Instagram account?