1st Gen Dodge Dakota Restoration

Exterior restoration of a 1992 Dodge Dakota in my home garage

[@mikemccabe7124]

im just starting to restore my 1994 dakota exterior and interior after I spent the year prior doing the complete everything under carriage from New rack & pinion, ball joints, tie rods, poly bushings etc, etc on up to a mild built 390 stroker w/a new trans i just finished putting the 3 layers of premium sound deadener on 100% of every panel inside the cab including doors,floor, side & rear walls & firewall & ceiling which made so much of a difference its a night and day difference inside now now its time for new paint if I can getvit to turn out almost as nice as yours I'll be extremely happy thanks for the video it gives me the ambition I need get mine done

[@PaulPatrickRogueMissionary]

Great job! I picked up a 94 5.2L SLT, with only 145k for $1.6K, over the summer and I'm doing something similar. You just gave me inspiration to go a few steps more. Your truck looks awesome!

[@julianprice6179]

Cool find. You still got the truck? I just scooped up a 96 3.9 slt with 114k for 750 bucks. Runs good just need to do some suspension work

[@PaulPatrickRogueMissionary]

@@julianprice6179 That's awesome Julian. Great steal. Check out Rock Auto. That's where I got a ton of my front end suspension as well as Detroit Axl. Still got my truck. She sat for the past year because she wouldn't start. I took off the bed, replaced the fuel pump and still wouldn't start. Then my buddy and I did a complete tune up, fixing all the to do stuff for a truck that won't crank. About 3 months ago I went ahead and bought the ECM after finding out the old ECM was from a 94 Dodge Ram Van. She fired right up after that. She runs great now, but have to replace the master cylinder now. Nickels and dimes! That's what old trucks do to ya! lol

[@DragSlicks]

Just got a 92 3.9 with 115k for free want to learn a little about these Dakotas and maybe do some fun stuff with it it’s the 3.9 not the 5.2 but I can’t complain about being randomly given a truck lol

[@iamnotu79]

Gorgeous! I don’t know how I ended up here but I’m glad I did!

[@metalenium4044]

Whoah! Looks showroom! Much patience! Better than out of the factory. I am amazed!

[@kellytascarella5025]

So amazing to see this truck brought back to life! Absolutely love how it turned out!

[@carlbush32]

Awesome I have a 95 and a 96 don’t see much content like this. Thank you

[@bigalsmallengines]

Man that was AWESOME! Great job. I'm no body and paint man myself. Wish I could do that, but I'd trust someone like you that has done it a few times. Cheers!!! 🍻 I have a 93 Dodge Dakota LE 3.9L. 173,000 Miles and still going. -Al

[@H-BrosProductions]

I gotta be honest, this is exactly what I want to do with my life with that exact truck. It's my only dream. I have yet to learn the skills and techniques but I will and i know it will be challenging but worth it in the end.

[@chevpasmore5809]

Hella good job bud. I just picked up a 91 that I am in the middle of restoring.

[@340dakota6]

Excellent job, and super gratifying to do it yourself. Its a ton of work prepping/painting. Congrats!

[@kipbrown1549]

I was head painter at a body shop. You did the body work the way it should be done. I could not follow you painting it[moving to fast] but the end product looks good. Overall you did a great job ////////////////////////////////////////

[@arealsourapple]

You did a really good job with this. I did a frame replacement and mechanical "restore" of my '93, but the body is rough. I did a Rustoleum paint job to make it all one color (it had all different doors on it) but body work and painting makes me nervous and put simply, I struggle with patience so body work is far from my forte. However I want to try my hand at it this summer and I'll use your vid as inspiration!

[@paulmbylbie6065]

Turned out real nice.....I tryed to finish painting mine b4 I had to move out of a house we were renting got bodywork paint behind cab & bed & now it's sitting gotta get it finished

[@houstonhensley9324]

My first truck, white extended cab Dakota with a v6 magnum

[@normdannen3399]

You did a great job on a classic. The v8 alone is worth the effort. Mine doesn’t look quite as professional, but I still love driving it.

[@MidnightPolaris800]

Brother that is an incredible amount of work and the 1st gen dakotas are beautiful trucks. My brother had a 94 4x4 x cab like that one. I drove it for a year. Great trucks

[@kcsham555]

Impressive high-quality work and truly inspiring

[@autolapse3693]

Thank you!

[@joshr3501]

Nice! I traded a running, driving, hunk of junk with a heater of a 97 ranger ranger for a SUPER clean 92 2 door 8 ft bed Dakota recently and looks like it’s been repainted patriot blue. Mine is about as close as you can get to yours without doing the full resto like you did here

[@MrSmokingfrog1]

Beautiful work man. I just had my 93 Club Cab painted Granite Crystal Grey, it looks sick with the 33's now. I also removed all the side moldings and wheel well moldings too, much cleaner look.

[@Aplushandymanservice]

I just found me a 95 club cab 4x4 with a 318 did you do anything special to fit the 33s

[@MrSmokingfrog1]

@@Aplushandymanservice Yes, 2 inch body lift, 2 inch suspension lift, and trimmed alittle off the front fender bottom corners. You will need to reposition the rear rubber brake line abit, but no parts needed for that.

[@josesanhernandez5709]

Great work

[@drewevans7696]

Awesome job, man!

[@joselomeli2133]

Mine is 1995 and I am working from inside out .my electrical engine and last my paint thank you for sharing

[@adamroberts5876]

Looks just like the one I had. Loved that thing

[@AntonioMartinez-xz3pt]

Nice 👍🏼 i just got me a Dakota as well las December and I’ve been working on it since then 🙌🏼

[@craftsman123456]

Great work. Love the pin stripes

[@bobbyrayparris6711]

I got a 1996 club cab SLT I am trying to do body work on it and paint it and my tool box camper shell and I would like to it a coat of black sealer to keep the chassis in good shape ... I want my to shine as much as this one ... you did a amazing job!

[@kianofrizzell8293]

I like that really nice paint job

[@rodneyhayles1543]

I love it. I have a 91 dodge Dakota 5.2 L. LE nice trucks.

[@MrBNARick]

WELL DONE!!!!

[@juancarranza8075]

I’m buying a 1995 dodge Dakota and my friends dad said he could help me work on the truck

[@jerrymeredith2412]

My 93 is gray over Silver LE rear wheel drive, V6

[@650gringo]

I met a guy who owns a brand new Ford pickup and a '94 Dakota. He says the Dakota is a better ride.

[@Ahoooie]

Very nice work.Looks better than factory tbh.

[@Blakethegoat]

Such a nice job

[@jeffleonard3479]

Nice work and color!

[@OU812NVME]

MoFo Awesome nuff'n more needz said.

[@imarobotbeepboop766]

damm thats clean

[@eduardocarrillo6165]

Very impressive work, Original look. Envious........ you got time to do a Second Gen. 2004 4.7?

[@mikespence7250]

Me and my son restored my dads 92 dakota, did all of this as well as the interior. Those window sweeps on the bottom door edge for the windows are impossible to find! Post a link of your paint materials if you would.

[@Blakethegoat]

Can’t wait till I get a garage in my new place so I can start on my Dakota

[@jaimecastillojr1421]

Hi, doing my own restoration a regular cab Dakota. Nice work, where did you get the fender flares from? What paint did you use for undercoat? Thanks in advance

[@autolapse3693]

I got lucky the truck had all of the original moldings so I didn’t have to source those flares. As far as paint goes it was all PPG Shopline and Poly Clear for the base coat clear coat. The undercoat was from a company called raptor. They sell it at local auto parts stores near me. Worked way better than I was expecting, I don’t like thick clumpy undercoat so this was closer to a paint with very minimum texture.

[@chriswillet6739]

@@autolapse3693 Did you get new windows rubber seals and glass channels if so where did you get them

[@thomashall9792]

@@autolapse3693 How has your fender repair work doing? I noticed that you didn't address them from the inside? Was curious to know if rust has returned. I have had that issue.

[@lenoortiz4354]

Can you fix mine pls.. I feel it looks like it's ready for scrap metal😓

[@edgarfragoso6362]

I got a 93 V8 LE with a 155 k miles on it I'm the second owner I need to get it all fixed from the exterior around how much do you waste on getting it all painted and the process to it

[@danielcole9641]

Does anyone know where to get small parts? I have a 94 as well. My dad gave it too me because he got a new truck. It's the truck I was raised in and my dad put his soul into. I want to restore the looks because it's mechanical like brand new. However the inside shows it's age and the paint. First time doing something like this and I want to surprise him with. Missing a lot of little clips. Headliner is toast. Carpet is worn through. Paint is too metal. Not sure how to tackle it.

[@autolapse3693]

I didn’t come across one website that had everything Dakota related. It’s a lot of googling parts and comparing to make sure you’re getting what you need. eBay seems to have a fair bit of things you’ll likely need but regardless it’s a lot of time and effort to find everything and actually install it all. But it’s possible, I rec starting with a few small items to get the ball rolling and go from there

[@RalphP1024]

I'll also ask, what color is that blue?

[@autolapse3693]

It’s called bonsai blue metallic. It’s the original color that came on the truck new!

[@jondoes7836]

I wish I could find and restore the 1988 Dodge Dakota Sport I purchased new. I still miss that truck. Traded it in for a new 1995 Ford Mustang GT.

[@TurboCavalier]

I have both rn lol

[@theguyinmaine]

Beautiful

[@HornetKingOfficial]

Looks amazing! Where did you find the replacement window weather seal kit for both side windows?

[@autolapse3693]

Thanks! I think they were made by a company called Precision. I believe they are also for sale on eBay

[@HornetKingOfficial]

@AutoLapse Great thanks! I wish I had the patience to do this to mine!

[@severinocarbone3928]

Hey, I own a first gen Dodge Dakota and I was wondering where did you get the window rubber seals for the door windows? BTW love the bodywork and paint you did looks great!

[@autolapse3693]

Thanks! I got them online from Precision. But they also sell them on eBay and rock auto. They call them glass channels

[@jerrymeredith2412]

Try Roc Auto

[@robertocruz1177]

I always wanted to know where to get those. Thanks guys!

[@mgmaier75]

This was an absolute amazing video!! However it looks like you didn't do any body work so many dents. Great Video Tho!

[@DanielHernandez-mh8bu]

Excelente

[@rainmaker3700]

Nice job! Did you send the chrome out to be restored or did you just spray it?

[@autolapse3693]

The front bumper was in good shape and just got cleaned up, while the rear bumper wasn’t salvageable and got replaced with a new one

[@masterloki4004]

I have a 95 Dodge Dakota, and the paint is pretty messed up and this makes my dodge look like dog water

[@cc3968]

Were those new outer belt line moldings? Where’d you get them?

[@autolapse3693]

I was able to source a drivers door outer belt line molding from a junkyard that was in good shape. No luck on the passengers side one tho so it got re used unfortunately

[@413built4]

If you dont mind me asking... Roughly how much was the cost of this restoration?

[@autolapse3693]

Ended up about 2k in parts. There were a lot of things replaced that didn’t make it on camera

[@toodumb2know]

nice where did you get the outer belt line weather-strip for the door I can find the inner but cant find the outer one to save my life

[@autolapse3693]

I found one in really good shape at a junkyard but ended up having to reuse the one side. No one makes them anymore it’s a shame

[@pizza4prezident143]

@@autolapse3693 no one makes the shit we need anymore haha

[@PentastarGarage]

How long did it take to get those back fenders molded and welded???? I gotta do the same thing on mine and need to know

[@autolapse3693]

Probably 4-5 hours. An hour or two to cut out and weld in the pre made panel and probably two hours total spreading filler and sanding. It didn’t need to be absolutely perfect cause the fender flare covers most of it

[@PentastarGarage]

@@autolapse3693 ah ok, yeah my back fenders are pretty rusted out and I can't afford to buy a new fender or box or anything so I'll have to do some welding and stuff

[@autolapse3693]

@@PentastarGarage highly rec buying something like this. Will make your life 10x easier www.carparts.com/details/Dodge/Dakota/Key_Parts/Wheel_Arch_Repair_Panel/1992/FIT1585147L.html?TID=gglpla&origin=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1N2TBhCOARIsAGVHQc52lGCA814I7OwJCPFuPdm_M27cBMcrzy5wj9HGuqcVEYWzeV6d7RgaAk6PEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[@tomc8157]

Did you do a frame off or just do the body? I'm doing a 96 5.2 4x4, 5 speed, short bed, standard cab. Stripped it right down to the frame and doing it bumper to bumper.

[@autolapse3693]

I would’ve loved to have done a frame off resto but that wasn’t in the budget for this one. It was left together, the body was fixed and painted and the frame was coated

[@tomc8157]

@@autolapse3693 Honestly, it hasn't been that expensive. I did all the grinding of surface rust off the frame and refurbished all the metal parts myself which were all in excellent condition thankfully. If you need new control arms or other suspension parts, I probably wouldn't have done this. They just don't exist anymore. 97' and up Dakota's, you can go into any parts store and get everything you need to rebuild the truck same day. Since 96's are becoming extremely rare to see on the road in good shape anymore, I decided to keep doing the 96.

[@autolapse3693]

@@tomc8157 very awesome. I would’ve loved to go through it all but it wasn’t in the cards this time around, since I was doing the truck for someone else. Parts can definitely be difficult to source

[@PentastarGarage]

Hey what is that black paint looking stuff you used? Kinda wanted to use that on some of my parts and frame of my truck

[@autolapse3693]

The wheel wells were coated with Raptor Liner, most auto stores sell it. The frame was done with POR-15 that was brushed on

[@official_angel_2377]

I need to restore mine i got a 1992

[@waynestoner9850]

How much did this cost to completely restore? How much would it cost to restore exterior and interior?

[@cvaz8330]

loveeee it

[@ricardoayala1832]

I own a Dodge Dakota Shelby 1989 if any one is interested in buying one ..

[@johnverdin6600]

What year is your dakota

[@jeffleonard3479]

You should have painted the grille body color.

[@panikindavillage9687]

Steve Steve Steve Steve

[@grandfresh9196]

I wish i could do mines like that..U got skills my man..

[@autolapse3693]

Thanks my dude!

[@howl1ng673]

Hey, quick question if you see this. Where did you source your sheet metal patches

[@autolapse3693]

eBay actually had a replacement patch panel for the bedside wheel arch. That got used to replace the wheel arch and the left over is what I used to repair all the corners

[@judahbrutus]

The music was way too much. You did a good job but the truck is just ok looking

[@Jake-yv7wy]

If you ever want to make some big cash let me know.. ill drive my dakota to you

[@z71.devlin48]

Where’d you get the red stripe decal?

[@autolapse3693]

www.phoenixgraphix.com/p-d/9193dd.php

[@jonmeadow3699]

BRO HOW MUCH TO DO MY MINT GREEN 96 DAKOTA

[@Sbrer]

A paint job does not equal a restoration.

[@dodgeramsport01]

He did more than a paint job! And that's depending on the vehicle and the shape the parts are in!

[@TheBlackmamba06]

Do all that work & not fix the dents 🤔

[@autolapse3693]

The job started out as family asking me to just spray paint it so it was one color. So what your watching is the result of going way overboard while also holding back from a show car quality job

[@dodgeramsport01]

Might have been the look he was going for! I have a body shop/restoration shop and I get the same thing! Just paint it! Customer knows what they want! Pays either way!