1999 Dodge Dakota Sport

I bought this truck in early 2007. It's a club cab (i.e. it has a rear bench seat) and has a 3.9l V6 under the hood. The colour is Flame Red with silver viper stripes along most of the length. A "Snug Top" hard bed cover is fitted. As soon as I got it home, I immediately started removing some of the "interesting features" that the previous owner had added. I had already got him to agree to remove the 20 inch chrome wheels and personalised number plate in return for a price reduction, but here are some of the other little jobs I had to undertake in the first year of ownership:

• 5 new 235/75TR15 Michelin tyres
• Fix the PRNDL shift indicator - the cable had broken off and required re-soldering
• Remove silver viper stripe from front bumper... the rest of the stripes will stay for now
• Replace the blue LEDs in the interior dome lights with standard bulbs, so that I can see in the dark
• Replace flashing Red Green Blue LEDs in the stepwells with standard bulbs
• New brake disks, as the old ones were downright dangerous
• Remove the air horns that played "Dukes of Hazzard" (Dixie) - replace with new set of factory horns
• New battery (the old one failed after a few weeks, trapping me at work)
• Remove "V8 Magnum" fender emblems, and fit correct "V6 Magnum" items
• Replace the driver's door mirror that was glued on with a used item from the States (this one is bolted on!)
• Replace ridiculously loud side-exit exhaust system with a more standard rear-exit system, that includes a catalytic convertor
• New water pump bearing (once the exhaust was made quieter, you could hear the noise the bearing was making)
• Replace damaged rear centre lap-belt with aftermarket Securon lap-belt
• Replace tail light lenses (originally they were fitted with "blue dots" but one had fallen off, leaving a nice big round hole)
• Replace aftermarket clear headlights with standard ones, so I can see where I'm going this Winter

History

The truck was imported from Canada into the UK in September 1999 by comedian Jim Tavaré. A plaque inside the truck suggests it was previously used at the July 1999 CART Molson Indy race in Toronto, as a drivers parade vehicle for Juan Pablo Montoya.

VIN decode
1b7gl22x6xs307201 1  US B  Dodge 7  Truck G  5,001-6,000 lbs. L  Dakota / sport 4x2 2  sport/SLT 2  2-door Club Cab X  3.9L V6 MPI 6  (check digit) X  Dodge City (Warren), Michigan	My truck at Wheels Day 2007, pic by Dean Phillips
Side view by Greg Lakin