MichiganDak
GenI
 
8/04/2002
00:41:29
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 Subject: Report on the 3" 2WD Body lift
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I'll post photos tomorrow (pefect before/after ones).
For those with 2WD that are considering this, I'd say go for it.
I saw a lot posts that may do it - so I've gotta give you a fair warning of what I went through.
For those that are complete novices (as I was, I think I graduated to 'Clueless Expert' though), get a friend that knows mechanics. He/She doesn't even have to have done a lift before, just know the basics. I had a friend that came over, and I did the work: while he checked and gave me options for when I got stuck.
That leads to this. What are some things that you may get stuck on? (at least, stuff I myself got stuck on) [I'll relate more if anyone has specific questions]
I put a hitch on my truck (I haul trailers now and then - which is one reason I'd never buy a Ranger/S10 while my heart beats!), the power of the Dakota is a no-brainer.), if you have a hitch, your REAR bumper will be tricky. We ended up only being able to move the bumper 2.5 inches up, instead of the planned 3. The kit used the stock brackets - you just have to drill new holes. This would require you to dril through the actual hitch chassis. In the end, the 2.5 inch raise was perfectly fine. Barely noticable.
Front bumper. Remounting this baby was a pain. Not sure if it was just because I didn't have the plate that was required for that part, and/or the directions for that part were whacky. Had to improvise a bit, and drill a new hole 3" farther up on the inner mounting bracket. Actually no biggie. But it took us over an hour to figure out how to tackle this. Thankfully, it wasn't a scorching day! (sunny though)
Lastly, being a 1997, the Steering column shaft was corroded a bit, so it was a pain to get off. A lot of gentle persuasion was needed (a hammer, but had to be very careful - this was the steering column afterall!). This part was a two man job - unless you could jerry-rig the steering wheel, good luck soloing this! (the experts no doubt have a proven technique for this though)
The good news?
Jacking both sides up, front and back, was a breeze. Inserting the spacers, simple. As far as brake lines, fuel lines, and power steering line - just had to remove the brackets. Everything had enough slack! This I was amazed at. Remounting the fan shroud looked hard, becasue the directions said there were tabs on it, but mine didn't have tabs. 5 minutes with a drummel took care of that - just cut into the lower right shroud, and broke off an inch's worth. Easier then it sounds.
In summary, it took 8 hours to complete. If you don't have bumper problems, shave off 2 hours there at least.
The test drive went perfectly. Monday morning I'll drive on the highway and see how that goes.
This wasn't brain surgery - just plain work that you can't rush. Worth the result? I'd have to say definately!
-Dan
I cap my Dak.
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RE: Report on the 3