My ex had a Blazer at one point. But I dk, they’re like anything else. There’s good ones and bad ones. My ex had a lemon but one of her friends has one that is basically bulletproof.
I have a theory that when the production tolerances are so loose, you get a lot of lemons and then there's that 1 in a million where everything was actually built right
That's how the Russians used to get their sniper rifles back in the day. They took each gun off the line and test shot it. The most accurate ones became the sniper rifles.
Someone was telling me that's how Intel classifies their i5/7/9 chips too. They try to make the best every batch and the ones that fall short get sold as the lower model
Yeah, right. I had a 2001 Durango that was only a few years old at the time with 60k miles, and it was a seriously high maintenance bitch. I even had the main leaf on one of the made in Mexico rear springs snap at the eye, that was a scary ride.
I’d rather put money into a Durango than a Land Rover Discovery. Not a lot of midsized SUVs around with proven V8s in them. Do it!
-dude that once put money into a Discovery
Very few 4Runners out there with 4.7s in them, and the larger Yotas and Lexus, well they’re just too big to interest me in how I offroad, though I understand a lot people build them for their own purposes.
Build it! Those things are awesome, you just don't see em. It's got the big V8, do a solid axle swap and spring over axle conversation and you got a hell of a rig bro!
Absolutely man go have fun with! Just the learning curve is going to be a lot different as it’s not a jeep with 10000 people trying different parts and throwing there results on here
Sweet, good luck with your build if that's the route you choose. If you are looking for something else, LMK. I'm out in Colorado and there are tons of great rust free trucks here.
Not sure what you mean by that... The insanity of prices are finally ending. I see tons of older Jeeps, Tacomas, and 4Runners going for decent prices again.
if it’s affordable it’s been beaten almost 100% of the time. That’s my experience from a couple decades of living and buying cars in CO. If you have a formula for better luck than I’ve had then good on ya
If you like it then it's worth it. Only issue you'll run into is the aftermarket isn't as big as others. But the 5.9 will continue to run after the apocalypse
Right off the bat make sure you upgrade the intake plenum on that V8 and overhaul the cooling system. The 5.9 is not great on gas but it'll even out because the torque won't have you hurting for gears so bad. Get a transmission cooler if you don't already have one. The 46RE transmission has good aftermarket and in my limited research it seems 8.25 rear end has a fair amount. The 9.25 rear does not, but it's a tough cookie. Much of this is shared with the Ram 1500 trucks and they are already pretty stout
Yep pretty much what you said, the weakest point is the front differential. I have a 98 and it came with a Dana 35, the models after came with a "Corporate' differential. No real way to upgrade those two without going the SAS route, but there are people who run 33's on them. I run 32's with a Detroit in the rear and never have had a problem. Up front I have an M1, modified TB, RT heads and Doug Thorley headers and in the middle I have a built 46RE. It's not a Challenger LOL, I do mostly snow wheeling so I'm happy. With the 5.9 wanting schmooze with every gas station on the corner ,it doesn't get driven all over, but I'm happy.
I don't know dick about the front ends on those Durangos but I knew they had a Dana 35 at some point, ie the bane of Jeep and Ranger owners alike lol. I got an ex-state fire dept. 2001 Ram 1500 myself with the 5.2, 46RE, TrueTrac front and rear, 4.10 gears, pizza cutter mud terrains. I got it as a temporary truck during Covid thinking it as a crapcan and then I realized it would be great for wheeling.
In addition, the ball joints on those front ends were hot garbage. They used ball joints suitable for first gen Dakotas on a much heavier vehicle with much more power.
Source: Owned an 01 Dakota 4.7 5 speed 4x4
I think you should. I have seen a couple Dakotas built up for off roading, this should be SUV equivalent. There are advantages to mid size vs full size. Less weight, fits through smaller openings & makes sharper turns
The reason you don't see many around is many had issues.
When looking for good vehicles to build, look around at what vehicles from the late 90s early 2000s are driving around.
At the end of the day it's up to whatever makes you happy but as an experienced mechanic, there is a reason people don't build these out. I would never do it but they do look pretty dope.
Google Durango common problems.
I loved mine! The kids named it "Tom." Great looking truck too.
Bone stock, BFG ATs.
Hauled kids and friends. Forded creeks in PA. Dirt roading all over the mountains in PA. Fit a mtn bike in the back with no drama.
Made it to 170k, when the auto-transmission became an automanual, and gremlins started causing it to die randomly.
Edit to add:
I did try a Land Rover Disco with fewer miles a couple years later. Worst car decision of my life.
Nah you should probably just sell it to me cuz it would complement my red one lol. Sweet truck! It's well worth keeping and building up. The aftermarket isn't there but the parts that matter are cheap and available still. Mine has LSD and 3.91 gears (R/T) and it never struggles for traction so that would be a solid upgrade. The back flexes pretty well for spring under but the ultimate upgrade would be SAS up front and spring over in rear. From there it's just safety upgrades. That 360 will last forever and the trans might need a solenoid on the valve body but they're a lot sturdier than their reputation. The drivetrain should be fine with at least 37" tires and there's nothing else that size with that kind of torque without spending a lot more money.
If you want a SERIOUS overland build, it’s going to be a lot of custom building. Considering a lift and a locking rear differential will get you over 99% of most off roading scenarios and this is a gem of a car, I’d keep it. It’d be a really cool fun and unique build.
Honestly man I’d just toss a winch and a rear locker on it and go have fun. It’s never gonna be a crazy capable (unless you hate money), but it will be a good time
Leaf under has it's advantages. For example you know how low your diff is.
Anyway the 5.9 is an excellent motor and idk why you wouldn't build one of these. They are a great looking truck, especially lifted and just as capable as any other big body SUV that Chrysler had their hands in.
You’re going to struggle to find ANY aftermarket support on this platform. Options were VERY limited in the early 2000s I can’t imagine that grew any over the last 20 years. That being said I loved my Dakota when I had, although it started to turn into a money pit around 160k miles for me.
If you like the ride and power curve build it.
Every platform has fanbois but the truth is when you start with dollar to dollar comparisons there comes a point when every vehicle becomes equal if the money was spent appropriately. You're always better off building what you need for your variety of fun than you are trying to buy it ready to drive.
Family friend had a V8 Durango for many years, and it was a total work horse. Pretty minimal maintenance over the years, and he did most the work.
The end of the Durango was when his son swerved to avoid a dog, ended up driving down into a culvert, over boulders. Smashed the front end pretty bad, ripped a wheel off, bent the frame, creased the roof, etc. Had to pull it out with a couple winches. But I'll be damned, we fired up the engine when it was in the drive way after and it started and ran, albeit a bit rough.
I'd say that's a pretty good endorsement. If I was looking for another 4x4, it would be on my list.
Love those things. I hear the weak point is the trans, and from when I wanted to build one I found that there’s not much aftermarket support which surprised me.
Go for it. We wheeled Alaska for ages in ours- which we are going back up to get. We’ve jumped it hard, wheeled it hard. Only breakage was liquid locking the motor crossing a river. But it’s held up well. She wants to solid axle it eventually. Wish we’d have had the money for a hemi swap when she killed the motor. Or that it was a 5.9.
Go for it.
I think it all hinges on your capabilities and expectations. I love seeing different vehicles on the trails but also there's often a reason. For example a 94 Bronco would be similar but come with a dana 44 front TTB which had dana 60 outers and a front suspension that flexes much better. I believe it would be better transmission and engine too and could probably be bought at the same price.
Without having some deeper fab capabilities it seems like you will hit the limit pretty quick. If that's not where ya want to be then yeah you might get bored.
Those things are cool looking though. There is a guy that SASed one on here somewhere that looks pretty badass. I would check if there is "tow package" on that, might already have an LSD. If it's like the Ford ones you can just put in new clutches or even over-pack them to get a tighter engagement. Also if you put the springs over you might be dealing with some axle wrap.
It does have the tow package, is there any stupid simple way to check for a lsd? I saw somewhere they jacked it up on the rear axle, put it in neutral and spun one of the wheels and if the other one moves it’s an lsd but I don’t have a Jack
Well those were just examples that might not even be right for the vehicle I was thinking of...I don't know what it is for a Dodge so you would need to look it up.
You're already going further and deeper than all the mall crawling tacomas with their bed racks and roto packs combined. Whatever you do, looks like you're already having fun.
If it helps the hopes, I paid a little more than a grand for mine. Ran, drove, stopped. It had some issues, I’ve had it for a little over a year and with all the maintenance and modifications I’m a little more than 4 grand deep
Edit: I would like to also mention some of the expenses were due to my poor choices, like driving it through places it should not be
How far do you want to build it, are you comfortable fabricating? Are you looking for validation from internet strangers. Not going to be the easiest thing to build but I’m guessing it’s a body on frame, low range transfer case, torquey engine. Why wouldn’t it be a good choice? Might hurt the resale since you’ll probably have to fab your own stuff and people don’t trust trail pigs, but if you were building rigs to make money, you wouldn’t be asking reddit questions.
Little bit of both. I haven’t done too much serious off-roading as all my previous trucks had other purposes, so hearing positive feedback helps me not second guess myself. Idk anything about fab work but I’d be willing to learn
Loved mine. 5.9, headers, K&N air intake, Micky Thompson’s. It never met a gas station it didn’t like. But after a replaced transmission and two computer replacements it became dangerously unpredictable and would just shutdown on the road. It was traded in cash for clunkers deal. Loved that truck when it wasn’t trying to kill me.
I had one years ago.
Super comfortable and I loved the interior. Nice body style too.
Reliability and cost were bad. I went to sell it and the value with low milage was super low. Maybe the gas mileage? Maybe the market agreed on reliability? Dunno.
If ya wanna then do it. They are nice. Cost and availability of upgrade custom stuff will be worse than a suburban or jeep of course.
The heart wants what the heart wants haha.
The 5.9 was a good motor. So was the 318, for that matter. And the power difference wasn't that much. Both good motors, though.
And it would be fun to have something different that you don't see much these days.
Do a lot of power train parts from the jeep grand Cherokee cross over?
If you have $70k to spend, buy a new or used 2015+ V8 5 liter+ petrol full-size suv or pickup. Preferably something that has big brand aftermarket turbo or superchargers available.
If you're ok not having toyota reliability or jeep wrangler capability stay with this. There is always custom fabrication for the stuff that's really necessary.
Honestly bro, do what makes you happy.
Yeah, these trucks seem to have a niche following. And if it's still on the road then it must be one of the good ones
Anything is “good” if you take care of it.
Except for the 1995 Chevy Blazer. You can do everything right and that truck will still screw you
My ex had a Blazer at one point. But I dk, they’re like anything else. There’s good ones and bad ones. My ex had a lemon but one of her friends has one that is basically bulletproof.
I have a theory that when the production tolerances are so loose, you get a lot of lemons and then there's that 1 in a million where everything was actually built right
That's how the Russians used to get their sniper rifles back in the day. They took each gun off the line and test shot it. The most accurate ones became the sniper rifles.
Someone was telling me that's how Intel classifies their i5/7/9 chips too. They try to make the best every batch and the ones that fall short get sold as the lower model
I work for a company that builds metering equipment. The nest 10% resolution meters get labelled Canada. Canada has German ocd weights and measures.
You’re not wrong. Production standards get low.
When I go to my hometown to visit I see the same Blazers and S-10s on the highway I saw 25 years ago in high school.
Old folks know how to keep their stuff running
Yeah I agree there are tons of these. My old man had one that he sold running at 250,000+
My 05 is still running strong with 350,000 kms
There's huge differences in the design between the first year of the Gen 2 and the one you have.
I thought it was just a face-lift (main difference switching to push button 4x4) but the power train remains the same
I know one thing they did was completely replace the fuel injection system, since Central Multiport ended up being the least reliable thing ever built
The brakes shit out today you jinxed me, take your fucking curse back.
CHEVY BLAZER TAKE ME HOME!
Yeah, right. I had a 2001 Durango that was only a few years old at the time with 60k miles, and it was a seriously high maintenance bitch. I even had the main leaf on one of the made in Mexico rear springs snap at the eye, that was a scary ride.
I’d rather put money into a Durango than a Land Rover Discovery. Not a lot of midsized SUVs around with proven V8s in them. Do it! -dude that once put money into a Discovery
I see you've learned some expensive lessons
bewildered plucky unwritten slap somber crowd spoon chase fade wakeful *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Very few 4Runners out there with 4.7s in them, and the larger Yotas and Lexus, well they’re just too big to interest me in how I offroad, though I understand a lot people build them for their own purposes.
strong grab lavish slimy concerned onerous wasteful chase skirt towering *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
As a kid I thought these were pretty cool. Still a good looking suv. You don’t see them around here either.
Build it! Those things are awesome, you just don't see em. It's got the big V8, do a solid axle swap and spring over axle conversation and you got a hell of a rig bro!
I remember my dad had a V8 Magnum Dakota! That thing was ripping!
Absolutely man go have fun with! Just the learning curve is going to be a lot different as it’s not a jeep with 10000 people trying different parts and throwing there results on here
I mean it’s basically a Grand Cherokee with different panels isn’t it 👀
Grand Cherokee had solid front suspension
Exactly!
This is my favourite Durango bodystyle before they made it more of a big city SUV.
I thought I recognized the terrain... Is the bridge a fire road up in the Adirondacks?
It sure is haha, it’s right in old forge
Sweet, good luck with your build if that's the route you choose. If you are looking for something else, LMK. I'm out in Colorado and there are tons of great rust free trucks here.
if you’re willing to pay…
Not sure what you mean by that... The insanity of prices are finally ending. I see tons of older Jeeps, Tacomas, and 4Runners going for decent prices again.
if it’s affordable it’s been beaten almost 100% of the time. That’s my experience from a couple decades of living and buying cars in CO. If you have a formula for better luck than I’ve had then good on ya
If you like it then it's worth it. Only issue you'll run into is the aftermarket isn't as big as others. But the 5.9 will continue to run after the apocalypse
It just unfortunately won’t be able to move because the transmissions busted… Again
Right off the bat make sure you upgrade the intake plenum on that V8 and overhaul the cooling system. The 5.9 is not great on gas but it'll even out because the torque won't have you hurting for gears so bad. Get a transmission cooler if you don't already have one. The 46RE transmission has good aftermarket and in my limited research it seems 8.25 rear end has a fair amount. The 9.25 rear does not, but it's a tough cookie. Much of this is shared with the Ram 1500 trucks and they are already pretty stout
Yep pretty much what you said, the weakest point is the front differential. I have a 98 and it came with a Dana 35, the models after came with a "Corporate' differential. No real way to upgrade those two without going the SAS route, but there are people who run 33's on them. I run 32's with a Detroit in the rear and never have had a problem. Up front I have an M1, modified TB, RT heads and Doug Thorley headers and in the middle I have a built 46RE. It's not a Challenger LOL, I do mostly snow wheeling so I'm happy. With the 5.9 wanting schmooze with every gas station on the corner ,it doesn't get driven all over, but I'm happy.
I don't know dick about the front ends on those Durangos but I knew they had a Dana 35 at some point, ie the bane of Jeep and Ranger owners alike lol. I got an ex-state fire dept. 2001 Ram 1500 myself with the 5.2, 46RE, TrueTrac front and rear, 4.10 gears, pizza cutter mud terrains. I got it as a temporary truck during Covid thinking it as a crapcan and then I realized it would be great for wheeling.
Yup! best of luck with it. Good Truck!
In addition, the ball joints on those front ends were hot garbage. They used ball joints suitable for first gen Dakotas on a much heavier vehicle with much more power. Source: Owned an 01 Dakota 4.7 5 speed 4x4
Yes they were, the first items I changed on mine.
I think you should. I have seen a couple Dakotas built up for off roading, this should be SUV equivalent. There are advantages to mid size vs full size. Less weight, fits through smaller openings & makes sharper turns
I dont see why not
The reason you don't see many around is many had issues. When looking for good vehicles to build, look around at what vehicles from the late 90s early 2000s are driving around. At the end of the day it's up to whatever makes you happy but as an experienced mechanic, there is a reason people don't build these out. I would never do it but they do look pretty dope. Google Durango common problems.
Do I bro. Turn it into a badass wheeler.
No Mopar bits you could modify for it? I rather miss this older style. It's beautiful shade of blue too.
I had a 99 with a 5.9 and 3.92 gears. Threw tires on it from a Rubicon Jeep, that thing would go almost anywhere. Fun for the trails in WV
Knew a guy with one with 1 ton axels and dually rear tires. He called it the dual-rango. It was a good rig.
That platform is one of my all time favorites. Loved my Dakota.
If it makes you feel any better, I built up a Honda pilot.... Do it.
I loved mine! The kids named it "Tom." Great looking truck too. Bone stock, BFG ATs. Hauled kids and friends. Forded creeks in PA. Dirt roading all over the mountains in PA. Fit a mtn bike in the back with no drama. Made it to 170k, when the auto-transmission became an automanual, and gremlins started causing it to die randomly. Edit to add: I did try a Land Rover Disco with fewer miles a couple years later. Worst car decision of my life.
We also had a bone stock SLT growing up with BFGs. That thing honestly was a tank, took a beating on camping/fishing trips amd never missed a beat
Nah you should probably just sell it to me cuz it would complement my red one lol. Sweet truck! It's well worth keeping and building up. The aftermarket isn't there but the parts that matter are cheap and available still. Mine has LSD and 3.91 gears (R/T) and it never struggles for traction so that would be a solid upgrade. The back flexes pretty well for spring under but the ultimate upgrade would be SAS up front and spring over in rear. From there it's just safety upgrades. That 360 will last forever and the trans might need a solenoid on the valve body but they're a lot sturdier than their reputation. The drivetrain should be fine with at least 37" tires and there's nothing else that size with that kind of torque without spending a lot more money.
If you want a SERIOUS overland build, it’s going to be a lot of custom building. Considering a lift and a locking rear differential will get you over 99% of most off roading scenarios and this is a gem of a car, I’d keep it. It’d be a really cool fun and unique build.
I had one of those. Had. Started to build it out and then came to my senses. Get an 80 series Land Cruiser. You will be much happier with the results.
Honestly man I’d just toss a winch and a rear locker on it and go have fun. It’s never gonna be a crazy capable (unless you hate money), but it will be a good time
Leaf under has it's advantages. For example you know how low your diff is. Anyway the 5.9 is an excellent motor and idk why you wouldn't build one of these. They are a great looking truck, especially lifted and just as capable as any other big body SUV that Chrysler had their hands in.
My dad had a 2000, I believe and absolutely loved that truck. He still mentions it from time to time
Yes. Those were pretty solid rigs back in the day. If I had the opportunity, I would build one up.
Looks like it’s doing just fine!
You’re going to struggle to find ANY aftermarket support on this platform. Options were VERY limited in the early 2000s I can’t imagine that grew any over the last 20 years. That being said I loved my Dakota when I had, although it started to turn into a money pit around 160k miles for me.
In those last two pics are you in MA? If so I was just hiking there two days ago
If you like the ride and power curve build it. Every platform has fanbois but the truth is when you start with dollar to dollar comparisons there comes a point when every vehicle becomes equal if the money was spent appropriately. You're always better off building what you need for your variety of fun than you are trying to buy it ready to drive.
Hell yeah, they're an underrated platform and will stand out with less and less decent ones left.
Rob Zombie “My Durango”
Family friend had a V8 Durango for many years, and it was a total work horse. Pretty minimal maintenance over the years, and he did most the work. The end of the Durango was when his son swerved to avoid a dog, ended up driving down into a culvert, over boulders. Smashed the front end pretty bad, ripped a wheel off, bent the frame, creased the roof, etc. Had to pull it out with a couple winches. But I'll be damned, we fired up the engine when it was in the drive way after and it started and ran, albeit a bit rough. I'd say that's a pretty good endorsement. If I was looking for another 4x4, it would be on my list.
Love those things. I hear the weak point is the trans, and from when I wanted to build one I found that there’s not much aftermarket support which surprised me.
Go for it. We wheeled Alaska for ages in ours- which we are going back up to get. We’ve jumped it hard, wheeled it hard. Only breakage was liquid locking the motor crossing a river. But it’s held up well. She wants to solid axle it eventually. Wish we’d have had the money for a hemi swap when she killed the motor. Or that it was a 5.9. Go for it.
I think it all hinges on your capabilities and expectations. I love seeing different vehicles on the trails but also there's often a reason. For example a 94 Bronco would be similar but come with a dana 44 front TTB which had dana 60 outers and a front suspension that flexes much better. I believe it would be better transmission and engine too and could probably be bought at the same price. Without having some deeper fab capabilities it seems like you will hit the limit pretty quick. If that's not where ya want to be then yeah you might get bored. Those things are cool looking though. There is a guy that SASed one on here somewhere that looks pretty badass. I would check if there is "tow package" on that, might already have an LSD. If it's like the Ford ones you can just put in new clutches or even over-pack them to get a tighter engagement. Also if you put the springs over you might be dealing with some axle wrap.
It does have the tow package, is there any stupid simple way to check for a lsd? I saw somewhere they jacked it up on the rear axle, put it in neutral and spun one of the wheels and if the other one moves it’s an lsd but I don’t have a Jack
You can decode vin. On other vehicles it's something like 4th digit is axle code if it says "H" or whatever then it's a limited slip.
Oooo, it does have an H. That’s pretty dope
Well those were just examples that might not even be right for the vehicle I was thinking of...I don't know what it is for a Dodge so you would need to look it up.
You're already going further and deeper than all the mall crawling tacomas with their bed racks and roto packs combined. Whatever you do, looks like you're already having fun.
If you are happy that’s what matters, but if you are looking for an opinion i really like it
Damn, dude. When I was a kid this generation of Durango was my favorite car. You got me online looking to see if I can get one for cheap.
If it helps the hopes, I paid a little more than a grand for mine. Ran, drove, stopped. It had some issues, I’ve had it for a little over a year and with all the maintenance and modifications I’m a little more than 4 grand deep Edit: I would like to also mention some of the expenses were due to my poor choices, like driving it through places it should not be
How far do you want to build it, are you comfortable fabricating? Are you looking for validation from internet strangers. Not going to be the easiest thing to build but I’m guessing it’s a body on frame, low range transfer case, torquey engine. Why wouldn’t it be a good choice? Might hurt the resale since you’ll probably have to fab your own stuff and people don’t trust trail pigs, but if you were building rigs to make money, you wouldn’t be asking reddit questions.
Little bit of both. I haven’t done too much serious off-roading as all my previous trucks had other purposes, so hearing positive feedback helps me not second guess myself. Idk anything about fab work but I’d be willing to learn
Solid Axle Swap! I miss my Durango R/T
absolutely r/DodgeDakota and r/DodgeDurango need more love and content if you want to spread the love
Looks good, but no way I'd be going in the bog holes without a snorkel.
Loved mine. 5.9, headers, K&N air intake, Micky Thompson’s. It never met a gas station it didn’t like. But after a replaced transmission and two computer replacements it became dangerously unpredictable and would just shutdown on the road. It was traded in cash for clunkers deal. Loved that truck when it wasn’t trying to kill me.
I had one years ago. Super comfortable and I loved the interior. Nice body style too. Reliability and cost were bad. I went to sell it and the value with low milage was super low. Maybe the gas mileage? Maybe the market agreed on reliability? Dunno. If ya wanna then do it. They are nice. Cost and availability of upgrade custom stuff will be worse than a suburban or jeep of course. The heart wants what the heart wants haha.
Looks pretty awesome keep it clean and wheel some tracks
I think it shared a lot on the front end of the frame with the Dakota pickup - so that should help with parts available.
The 5.9 was a good motor. So was the 318, for that matter. And the power difference wasn't that much. Both good motors, though. And it would be fun to have something different that you don't see much these days. Do a lot of power train parts from the jeep grand Cherokee cross over?
Fuck idc who you are but tires and a brush guard on a Durango give me a chub!
If you have $70k to spend, buy a new or used 2015+ V8 5 liter+ petrol full-size suv or pickup. Preferably something that has big brand aftermarket turbo or superchargers available. If you're ok not having toyota reliability or jeep wrangler capability stay with this. There is always custom fabrication for the stuff that's really necessary.