My Dodge Dakota, the "Comvee"

[daddyusmaximus]

Looks like a dream build. Well done. More room than a camper shell would be nice. One question... That engine cage looked to be fully welded in. Is it not removable in case the engine has to come out?

new sliders are cool 3/16 2x3 with a mix of some 1/4" thick legs that tie into some 1/4" CNC press brake bent gussets I bent around the frame and tie into the rear leafspring hangers and front LCA mounts
altho I miss the bodydamage, because chicks dig it...

Tell that to my wife when I come home with a dent. Get old and the CDI factor is forgotten. My truck is off road toy/expo rig/ one and only daily driver.

 

[underdrive]

As always, nice work.

I do have a suggestion about your brake lines routing tho - how about placing the T-ee near the passenger-side coilover mount on the axle, then running the brake line up the Panhard bar to the driver-side frame rail? Then it's a reasonably short and hopefully easy run up to the master. This way you don't have 2ft of brake hose to worry about where it dangles as the suspension cycles, and in case you do decide to drive thru the canopy of a fallen tree (everyone needs to experience this at least once on their lifetime!) its branches got nothing to snag and rip out

 

[hansshanks]

what is your idea to eliminate drag link rod end bind. I am running in to the same problems on my long armed grand Cherokee. I am running a hi dana 30 front out of a Cherokee. but I converted to the 99-04 wj grand Cherokee knuckles, brakes, and rotors. So I could have cross over steering and Hi steer. but when the pass side droops out, the Heim binds. I am running 7/8 rod ends on my drag link with a 3/4 hi misalignment spacer that yield 20 something degrees of deflection. The solution I have come up with so far was to buy 1 1/4 inch rod ends and run a hi mis spacer that necks it back down to 3/4 inch. This combo yields around 33 deg of offset. my only hesitation is that the weld in bungs for the rod inch push me up to 2 inch 1/4 inch wall tube. I still need to cut the tube to length and do a test fit for clearance issues

 

[hansshanks]

or what about running the brake lines down the long arms?

 

[underdrive]

Running brake lines down the arms works fine, we've seen it done a few times already. But considering where the arms attach to the frame, you gotta bring the lines back to the pivots first before you can run down the arms - not a big deal for the driver side cause it's just a straight shot back from under the cab firewall, but for the passenger side you gotta go across the frame first and then go back. Extending the factory front right line makes that easy since the manufacturer already did the hard work for you, but if you're starting from scratch it's just more work. Plus now you got the brake lines running right next to the tires, which is not different from how the factory has them, but still I think it's a good idea to keep things that can seriously cripple a vehicle away from things that have been known to self-destruct rather violently for variety of reasons that are not really under the driver's control.

 

[Nick02]

Just wanted to show that the ole girl is happy and healthy!
Also wanted to try my Halloween costume on!

 

[hansshanks]

what about just running it down the drivers side arm and then to a T on the axle like the rear axle does? possibly upsizing the primary line running from the maser cylinder to the T at the axle?

Running brake lines down the arms works fine, we've seen it done a few times already. But considering where the arms attach to the frame, you gotta bring the lines back to the pivots first before you can run down the arms - not a big deal for the driver side cause it's just a straight shot back from under the cab firewall, but for the passenger side you gotta go across the frame first and then go back. Extending the factory front right line makes that easy since the manufacturer already did the hard work for you, but if you're starting from scratch it's just more work. Plus now you got the brake lines running right next to the tires, which is not different from how the factory has them, but still I think it's a good idea to keep things that can seriously cripple a vehicle away from things that have been known to self-destruct rather violently for variety of reasons that are not really under the driver's control.

 

[gmacmt]

That thing is so rad. Great thread.

 

[underdrive]

what about just running it down the drivers side arm and then to a T on the axle like the rear axle does? possibly upsizing the primary line running from the maser cylinder to the T at the axle?

Yeah that could work fine. Still don't like much the idea of brake line right next to the tire tread, but that's what the factory did too after all. Btw no need to upsize the main lines, Ford used a single 3/16" line per axle for years and they worked fine, even for the 1-tons with their huge calipers - front splits at the frame block (or driver-side hose), rear splits on the axle, either way it's a single 3/16" line leaving each of the master's 2 ports.

 

[Nick02]

Well, felt like I should give it a new paintjob. It has been five years and the old one was faded to another color and chalky.
And I kinda like the tumbler from batman soo.....
I started with the camper

Then sanded the rest of the truck, masked off the cab, hood, fenders etc and repainted it first.

And that is what two days of work looks like

A little flex shots of the walmart build quality, failed rock crawler made into a failed family camper for fun!

Gotta take it outside because everything cool needs pinstripes!

A little Flexin

Gotta love Cleator!

Inside the bar is awesome!

 

[onemanarmy]

Ha. great work, from start till now. So you alternate time living in the Dakota and the Mog?

Does anyone give you crap for the headlights? They don't appear to be DOT approved (not that I care, just curious)

 

[Nick02]

Ha. great work, from start till now. So you alternate time living in the Dakota and the Mog?

Does anyone give you crap for the headlights? They don't appear to be DOT approved (not that I care, just curious)

I spend all of my time in the Unimog, I could imagine that it is too annoying poping up the camper every day haha.

The headlamps are hidden in the grille, I designed the entire front end to be street legal here in Arizona haha! The Equipment section of ARS covers motor vehicle equipment, I studied the laws before I made the front end and carry the rules with me in-case an overzealous police officer does not understand them fully.

The front headlamps meet ARS 28-941 for a multiple beam road lighting equipment arrangement, they can be covered with a material that does not change the color, but does not modify the light output, in my case my "phantom grille" Additionally they reveal persons and vehicles at a distance of at least three hundred fifty feet ahead for all conditions of loading.
And to meet ARS 28-949 the driving headlamps also have to be DOT approved and adjustable. The headlamp and heal-lamp buckets are out of a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, they are the smallest DOT headlamps I could find at the time. I waterjet a bracket out and mounted the factory buckets behind the grille so they are adjustable with the same factory setup and thus meet "applicable federal safety standards and can be adjusted to focus and aim pursuant to applicable federal safety standards."

Here you can see them turned on

I also have the required reflectors on the front, specifically the reflectors are legal under ARS 28-932. Reflector and lamp mountings mounted at a height of not less than twenty-four inches and not more than sixty inches above the ground, they are mounted to the front crossmember.

But yeah, never been pulled over for headlamps here, DPS is concerned/obsessed about mudflaps instead.

 

[onemanarmy]

Oh I see now, I was talking about the lights that are mounted where the factory headlights were, just thought the lights behind the grill were extra 'off road' lights, didn't know they were actual 'headlights'

Very interesting and unique way of thinking.

Have a hard time finding 1994 Cutlass headlight housings? been a while since those things were on the road, and most haven't escaped the junkyard.

 

[Nick02]

Oh I see now, I was talking about the lights that are mounted where the factory headlights were, just thought the lights behind the grill were extra 'off road' lights, didn't know they were actual 'headlights'

Very interesting and unique way of thinking.

Have a hard time finding 1994 Cutlass headlight housings? been a while since those things were on the road, and most haven't escaped the junkyard.

Haha I know right? probably why I haven't been pulled over yet, I keep them on when it gets dusk out.

They use the same headlamps in Saturns, Cameros etc so they are flooding the yards down here in AZ.

 

[thatbikefella]

What an awesome job on this. When I was about 19 or so, I had a 2WD Ranger that I had visions of this sort of build. I tent trailer that opened to the sides would replace my bed. Dabbled with the idea of converting to 4WD. Nova Scotia rust, lack of funds and location/gear to do the work killed my dreams. Glad you went for it! Looks like a riot. 13 years later, I'm thinking of building something similar again.