Isn't it always the case? The paint and body guy has paint flaking off his sport truck's roof. The mechanic has smoke pouring out of his sport truck's tailpipe. The upholstery guy sits on a milk crate when he gets in his truck. Simply put, professionals in their chosen line of work never seen to find the time to show off their skills on their own ride.
So imagine our surprise when we ran into our friend Dave Sanchez, owner of W.E.C Air Systems in Corona, California. He's a distributor of everything suspension and airbag to many of the cutting-edge suspension shops across the country, yet he picked up his '03 Dakota Quad Cab nearly six months ago and it was still sitting at stock height. Now, it's understandable that since Dave clocks at least 200 miles a day visiting shops, he was not about to cut into his new work truck and lay it on the rockers (although that's what we suggested). But bone-stock? Come on, that's a tad bit hypocritical, don't you think?
After a little persuading, Dave conceded to let us spend the afternoon with the Dakota, and when he dropped it off at Pro Design Hot Rods in Santa Ana, California, we could tell we had already influenced him in the right direction. A color-matched SnugTop lid had already been added, along with a Trenz grille insert and a dark-tint job from House of Tints. Not a bad start, Dave, but let's see if we can't take the Dakota to the next level - literally.
Driving a stock-height truck...
Driving a stock-height truck is one thing. But driving a stock truck to deliver airbag components to cutting-edge suspension shops? Come on! The Dakota still needed to function as a work truck, but there was definitely room for improvement.
We procured a 2/3 drop from...
We procured a 2/3 drop from DJM, which consists of new control arms on the front and DJM's new all-steel blocks on the rear. The control arms come complete with new lower ball joints, grease fittings, bushings, and bumpstops. The blocks come with a correct-size U-bolt kit.
The Boyd Coddington Magneato...
The Boyd Coddington Magneato wheels and Michelin Pilot LTX tires came from Discount Tires Direct. The company has a huge inventory of truck- and SUV-specific wheels and tires. It had no problem supplying the 6 on 4-1/2 bolt pattern or the 6-1/8-inch backspacing required for the Dakota, and also helped us pick out the tires. The P255/55R18 Michelins have just the right mix of low-profile performance and light-truck ratings for our soon-to-be-lowered workhorse. The combo is quite an improvement compared with the stockers.
DJM Suspension offers three different lowering combos for the Dakotas, and we went with the most mild of the bunch: a 2/3 drop. The kit uses a 2-inch-dropped control arm up front and DJM's all-steel blocks in the rear, making for an extremely stout combo that will ride just like stock, since the setup uses the factory leaves, coils, and shocks. Also on the agenda was some new rolling stock. Discount Tire Direct has one of the largest inventories of wheels and tires known to man, and had no problem hooking us up with the new Magneatos from Boyd Coddington Wheels. They measure 18x8 inches with 6-1/8-inch backspacing, and DTD even had the oddball 6 on 4-1/2 bolt pattern that's used on the Dakotas. Discount Tire Direct also helped us select the perfect tire for our application. The Michelin Pilot LTX, size P255/55R18, is a low-profile performance tire, yet it still has a decent sidewall and high load rating (104V) for heavy loads and towing. Follow along as Pro Design's Mike and Gordie bust out the installation in minutes flat, and as always, use the information in the source box to contact Discount Tire Direct, DJM, or Pro Design.
1.With the Dakota up on Pro...
1.With the Dakota up on Pro Design's rack, Mike and Gordie tore through the installation in record time. They began up front by disconnecting the tie-rod ends.
2.Next, the endlink was detached...
2.Next, the endlink was detached from the antisway bar.
3.The shock was the next to...
3.The shock was the next to go, followed by the bracket that secures the brake line to the upper control arm. The caliper was unbolted and hung out of the way.