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1990 Rebirth ('97 Conversion)


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OK, got some more tweaks done to the bar and got the mounting holes for the main hoop drilled. This bar was not built for the truck and so all the mounting points have been a sore spot for me. The wheel wells actually slope down slightly toward the middle of the bed (at least mine do). The bed has been thoroughly used in its past life, so I'm not worried about it being perfect, but I still want it to look good.

 

This is the gap that I have right now.

 

 

And I got my light, so here's how it looks on the bar:

 

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I wouldn't be too worried about the gap since the bolt holes sit mostly flush. I'd just use some big washers to spread the load out on the wheel wells. Are you going to run the wiring through the bar? I had that same bar when I had my '90 Dakota and it was a pain to get the wiring fed back through after I had it repainted. I remember the stock lights that came on the Dakota, they must have been like 6" X 9". Looks good though! :thumbsup:

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I wouldn't be too worried about the gap since the bolt holes sit mostly flush. I'd just use some big washers to spread the load out on the wheel wells. Are you going to run the wiring through the bar? I had that same bar when I had my '90 Dakota and it was a pain to get the wiring fed back through after I had it repainted. I remember the stock lights that came on the Dakota, they must have been like 6" X 9". Looks good though! :thumbsup:

 

Were they Bosch? Cause that's what was on the bar when i got it. They were trash, but they were pretty huge. I will definitely be running the wires through the bar before I bolt it down for good. I just need to decide which lights I'll get.

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I think they were Bosch, my late teens are a little foggy. They also had big plastic covers that said DAKOTA across the front. I was 19 so I thought they were awesome. One of the tabs was welded crooked from the factory and made the light tilt a little sideways, drove me nuts!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've got a lot done on the light bar. It's been painted, but I scratched in some places while installing it and wiring the lights. I'll reprint it when I do the bed liner. The reverse light is wired and works well. The spots are Procomp 100w 5x7s if I remember correctly. I won't get to finish wiring until this weekend to know how well they work. Any way, here is a shot I took at work today.

 

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I've got the same lights on mine. They seem to work ok, but be careful, the lenses on those tend to break easily (or so I've come to find out).

 

I paid a little extra ($7) and got a warranty on them. For three years, if even the paint tarnishes, I can bring them back and get brand new ones. I'm not sure if it will cover breakage, but possibly. You can see in the picture that I still have my temporary hardware holding it in. That will be corrected this weekend as well.

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I've got the same lights on mine. They seem to work ok, but be careful, the lenses on those tend to break easily (or so I've come to find out).

 

I paid a little extra ($7) and got a warranty on them. For three years, if even the paint tarnishes, I can bring them back and get brand new ones. I'm not sure if it will cover breakage, but possibly. You can see in the picture that I still have my temporary hardware holding it in. That will be corrected this weekend as well.

 

If you got that through us (4WD Hardware) it covers everything. I even get the warranty for most of my stuff, and I work here!

 

And if you did get it through us make sure you call me so I can apply your CC discount.

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If you got that through us (4WD Hardware) it covers everything. I even get the warranty for most of my stuff, and I work here!

 

And if you did get it through us make sure you call me so I can apply your CC discount.

 

A CC discount? Awesome! Can I get that after the fact? I actually got them from a 4 Wheel Parts store about 15 minutes from my office.

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Unfortunately, it's just through me. I had to get special permission from the managers here in the call center. You can always call me in the future and we can have it shipped directly to your house or you can pick up in store if it's more convenient. I'm working on trying to get CC in our club program so that we can add a code onto everyone's account so that you all get the discount with everyone / at every store. But it might take some time. I'll keep everyone posted though.

 

Nice looking rollbar by the way.

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So I installed some new injectors today. I'll have to report back on the performance since I haven't driven it yet. But the great progress I made today was on the light bar. I ended up rewiring everything. I took my time to route everything nice and neat. I installed quick disconnects at the base of the bar, so that I can remove the bar without having to rewire it. The spots are connected to a factory fog light switch and I can turn them on independently (at all times). I'm very happy with the how everything ended up (not so happy with the process).

 

Here is a shot of the reverse/cargo light. Its the only light on in my garage. Its on a separate switch as well, so I can use it as a backup light, or a cargo light whenever.

 

 

It has a diffuser on it to scatter the light. Here is a shot of the ProComp lights:

 

 

I will have to repaint the bar when I line the bed, but for now, my lighting is finished. I'll snap some daytime pictures tomorrow.

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What kind of bar is that? That is just the kind I'd like to put in mine.

 

I'll chime in and steal some thunder... That is the stock bar that came in early Dakotas. It's pretty thin steel and was originally held together with some funky plastic clips.

I don't know the specific years it came in but I had one on my 1990 Dakota. The later ones in that body style had chrome light bars that mounted on the bed rails.

Looks sweet in an MJ.

Any thoughts of bedlining the bar? I know mine had a problem keeping paint on the wheel well bars, but I did a lot of dirt road driving.

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Any thoughts of bedlining the bar? I know mine had a problem keeping paint on the wheel well bars, but I did a lot of dirt road driving.

 

The paint I used on the bar didn't hold up very well, so I may just use the Upol Raptor on it when I do the bed.

 

Here are some daylight pics I snapped at my brother's house today:

 

 

 

 

I probably need to aim the lights a little better, but they're close for now.

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Thanks for the comments guys. It's hard to remember what it was like when I bought it. I just remember seeing a lot of potential. Next on the list is bedliner. With 200k miles I need to start putting money away for a new engine somewhere down the road (hopefully further down the road). I'd love to drop a turbo or supercharged stroker in it. I have a feeling that it would cost as much as I have in the truck now though.

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  • 1 month later...

OK guys, I'm trying to make some decisions and I think I've narrowed it down. My tires rub on my control arms right now with the Ravines, but I had a set of black steel wheels in a 15x8 with a 4" backspacing and they rubbed on the bumper end caps. I've decided against control arms because I know they will be replaced with long arms down the road, so I think I will add a 3/4" spring spacer (I already have a decent amount of rake anyway) and then I'll sell the Ravines and another set of wheels to purchase a set of aluminium wheels with better backspacing.

 

These are three I'm looking at currently:

AR23

images.ashx?i=4WD_235885.jpg&partNo=AR&w=380

AR61

images.ashx?i=4WD_AR61.jpg&partNo=AR&w=380

AR62

images.ashx?i=101281.jpg&w=380&h=0&partNo=AR&jeep-parts=true

 

I like these because they are machined, but have a clear coat so I wouldn't have to polish them all the time. I would do spacers with the Ravines, but then Discount Tire wouldn't rotate and balance my tires for free anymore. I figure I should be able to get enough money between the two sets of rims I have to pay for the new ones and the spacers. If they extra 3/4" doesn't fix it, then I'll just have to trim the bumper end caps a bit on the inside.

 

So what wheels do you think would look good on my truck? Or do you have any other suggestions to solve my rubbing problem?

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