1987 Dodge Dakota 'Indianapolis 500 Official Truck'

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sobiecam

sobiecam

College Student
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Location
Clermont, IN
For those of you who don't know already, I have a slight Dakota fetish. In Spring 2012 I traded my 1994 Plymouth Acclaim for this 1987 Dakota. It's an Indy 500 truck which included a package of a dash plaque, graphics, light bar with off road lights and fog/driving lights. This truck is #250 or roughly 500 for the "Trackside" graphics package. The "Streetside" (doesn't have Indy 500 in huge letters on the door) was a dealer added package whereas the Trackside was done by creative industries.


The carburated 3.9 is a little tired and with the A999 it's fuel economy is lacking. The truck when I got it was completely original (but well worn), so far I've replaced the radio and speakers, did engine maintenance, and coated the frame. New brakes also got installed over the summer.

I plan on building another 3.9, but fuel injected and turbocharged along with building a A500 for it and then repainting it and putting the package together!

Here's a pic, more coming when the new engine comes to Indy
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Jeez man, you should feel soooo guilty for suckerin the guy into that deal!! Nice negotiating right there!!
 
4spdragtop said:
Jeez man, you should feel soooo guilty for suckerin the guy into that deal!! Nice negotiating right there!!
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He thinks he came out on top, which for his situation he did. He wanted fuel economy and I wanted a rare Dakota, we both one respectively.
 
Messed around a little today on the Dakota, I started pulling the engine out of the "Red-headed-stepchild" donor Dakota (a 1989 Sport), and I'll be buying a turbo this week. The turbo is a Holset HX35 that I'm getting from a member on turbododge, I will more than likely end up with a custom intake to use Multi-point injection with a Megasquirt fuel management system.
 
Love that body style Dakota.Like the turbo 3.9 idea,nice ride.
 
Thanks guys, I'm still working on my "trifecta" I have the blue 88 Mopar Express, a red 87 Indy dak, now I need a white 89, if the sport I'm taking apart wasn't in such awful shape I'd restore it too.
More pics!
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These were taken after the first time I gave the dak a bath, here's what I traded to get her

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I bought a 1987 Dakota Indy 500 truck brand new. I was 19 years old and working at Suburban Dodge in Metuchen NJ. Mine was the two wheel drive version and came with all bells and whistles,but the stripes continued to the front fender and there was no 500 numbers on the door.
 
nice dakota heres mine; from el paso texas short wheelbase regular cab
 

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I almost bought one with all the graphics brand new.... Dad talked me out of it telling me how the graphics would all fade and peel off in a few years.... I ended up buying an all red 2wd 88.... and sodl it a year later to buy the Shelby I still own today.....
 
66plyValiant said:
2wd's are easy; change the rotors in the front; and in the rear change the axles and brake drums or have your drums drilled for 5 bolt pattern til there worn out then replace them with 5 bolt ones
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Yeah that is what I am planning on doing.
 
ragtopfury said:
I almost bought one with all the graphics brand new.... Dad talked me out of it telling me how the graphics would all fade and peel off in a few years.... I ended up buying an all red 2wd 88.... and sodl it a year later to buy the Shelby I still own today.....
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LOL! The graphics on my Dakota have held up better than the paint over the years, I guess everything worked out for you in the end though with the Shelby Dak though!


After seeing a presentation given by a student in my Motorsports class yesterday I think I am going to set up the truck to be able to run E85, though I'm hoping with the Megasquirt that I will still be able to plug in another tune that will allow me to run standard gasoline as well.

E85 just seems ideal for the application, it has high octane and burns cooler, which will help save the pistons, though it will consume more fuel I think it'll be more beneficial to run through the engine versus Premium pump gas...
 
I was trying to buy one from Pete's Wreckers in Newport News a couple of years ago. It could have been saved but they could never contact the owner. I had a Dakota that I friend had given me and I was going to make 2 out of one. I was not able to find very much info on the trucks, they are pretty cool. I did restore my 89 Shelby. That was a fun truck, but not very fast.
 

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sobie - yeah it all worked out... and now my oldest son will drive the Shelby until we get his 65 done...

hyper - The before shot of yours looks identical to mine before I re-did it... Same rust on the roof at the windshield, too....lol And you're right - not very fast, but it was labelled as a 10th faster than the 1st year 454SS that chevy did... At 82k, and never having it apart, I'm still chirping the tires going into 2nd if I get on it just right....
 
well guys, the turbo 3.9 build has sorta went to it's grave and died on us, I think that in the long run that swapping in a 4BT Cummins diesel engine into the little Dak, as it'd end up with slightly less horsepower than the turbo 3.9 but would more than likely have double the torque and much better fuel economy than an injected, turbo'd 3.9L. In the mean time my uncle finally gave me the title for the very clean 1987 shortbed Dakota that I've been using odds and ends from so a full blown drag project is in order, more than likely using a 340, though it's possible that I could put in a turbo 3.9 if I decide to go that route
 
sobiecam said:
well guys, the turbo 3.9 build has sorta went to it's grave and died on us, I think that in the long run that swapping in a 4BT Cummins diesel engine into the little Dak, as it'd end up with slightly less horsepower than the turbo 3.9 but would more than likely have double the torque and much better fuel economy than an injected, turbo'd 3.9L. In the mean time my uncle finally gave me the title for the very clean 1987 shortbed Dakota that I've been using odds and ends from so a full blown drag project is in order, more than likely using a 340, though it's possible that I could put in a turbo 3.9 if I decide to go that route
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so that means your going to rip apart an original pace truck to shove a sinky rattley old diesel engine in it?

diesel's belong in 1/2 tons, if thats the case I guess I will unsubscribe from this thread
 
66plyValiant said:
so that means your going to rip apart an original pace truck to shove a sinky rattley old diesel engine in it?

diesel's belong in 1/2 tons, if thats the case I guess I will unsubscribe from this thread
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Awww it's a long ways off, I have a feeling that it's going to end up with a lightly (ultra budget) reworked fuel injected 3.9L in it for a while
 
welp, after taking a look at how much a diesel swap will cost me :sad6: I decided that the turbo 3.9 build will go on! so I did some window shopping on Summit and Hughes Engines websites and came up with a build plan

-bore block .030 or .040" over
- Sealed Power SpeedPro forged aluminum pistons (318 parts are a direct fit for the 3.9)
-Eagle H beam Rods (again, small block V8 parts)
-Plasma Ductile Rings
- ARP fasteners/studs for everything
- Clevite bearings
-Hughes maincap girdle (will have to cut down for the V6)
-Reworking the factory iron heads by decking, porting, and larger valves, hughes roller rocker kit
-Custom made intake manifold with multi port injection and Magnum V8 throttle body
-Holset HX35 Turbo

a FelPro top end gasket kit showed up today straight from FelPro, not sure if I'll use all of those gaskets or not, may order different valve seals and MLS head gaskets elsewhere and I only plan on using the cork valve cover gaskets for break in only

I'd post pics of the gaskets to make the thread a little more entertaining but we all know what gaskets look like and on top of that I broke my cell phone :cheers:
 
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