Tag: Dakota Kits

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The D52 Caliper brackets are almost ready!

This has been a long time coming, but I have my proofs! Just a few small edits to go and production will start.

proper caliper brackets for the Dodge Dakota/D150 based front suspensions I have been using for some time.

This will convert a 87-96 Dakota to use the full-sized #D150 brake rotor on the Dakota spindle and allow use of the Wilwood D52 two piston caliper as an upgrade and bolt pattern change to the 5 on 5 1/2″ bolt pattern. This will also allow the use of the Wilwood D52 caliper the following models.

DODGE B150 1985-1994
DODGE B1500 1995-1997
DODGE B250 1985-1994
DODGE B2500 1995-1997
DODGE D100 PICKUP 1986-1989
DODGE D150 PICKUP 1985-1993
DODGE RAMCHARGER 1985-1996
DODGE B150 1994
DODGE B1500 1995-1998
DODGE B250 1994
DODGE B2500 1995-1997
DODGE RAM 1500 VAN 1999-2002

These will be available very soon, still setting up my “store” to pick up a pair yourself.

And getting underway is alloy hubs and big rotor options along with other caliper options. Working on a full brake ecosystem for these trucks and vans.

 

 

Pricing will be $250 a pair with hardware and instructions. Shipping through USPS Flat Rate is my first option. Also considering an Amazon store for added convenience. And once underway, I am starting my new aluminum hubs and a “big rotor” options.

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Next video up, Rust removal click bait!

And some metal shaping too!

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GM To Dodge spindle caliper bracket

Fully supported caliper and machined mounting surfaces for accuracy and squareness to the spindle . Likely cast steel, then machined.

Thinking this is the design I want to go with. Making a few edits for production and printing a model. Filming the progress as I go here when it comes time to do some test fitting.

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Dodge Brake upgrades

Things are still moving around behind the scenes, just moving slow. I was hoping we would have things in production by now. Things are in place but family matters have been getting in the way for all involved.

But you Dodge guys!!

Brake kits, you want them, so I have an idea on how to improve the front brakes.

I have in the past done custom machine work to adapt bigger and better brakes to the Dakota/D150 spindle. But it’s expensive to pull off. Now that CNC machining has become so prevalent I have found a local partner that can make some of my ideas into reality.

If you are interested, please drop me a line at steve@industrialchassisinc.com and Let me know your thoughts.

I am going through the list of applications for cross-compatibility. Looks like the vans will also be in this list of compatible spindles. So long as your vehicle uses the A16 outer and A18 inner wheel bearing, these components will likely fit. The later vehicles have an ABS Tone Ring inside the hub. That will have to be dealt with also for those want to retain the ABS functionality.

DODGE DAKOTA 1987-1990
DODGE DAKOTA 1991-1996
DODGE B150 1985-1994
DODGE B1500 1995-1997
DODGE B250 1985-1994
DODGE B2500 1995-1997
DODGE D100 PICKUP 1986-1989
DODGE D150 PICKUP 1985-1993
DODGE RAMCHARGER 1985-1996
DODGE B1500 1998
DODGE RAM 1500 VAN 1999-2002

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We have achieved a soft open

These last two years have been very interesting. The shop has been operating at very limited capacity since August of last year. We are now at a point were we can start ramping up production. Some parts are available now, but building inventory is always going to be slow.

I made the decision to stop making a few low volume parts, like the Studebaker clips. The issues now with the Mustang II spindles is going to require a redesign of a kit I have been producing for nearly 18 years. And the fixture was damaged in the move. I really don’t want to go through the trouble to redesign and build from scratch again on those. I am going to focus on the trucks more. In design right now are my un-parallel rear four bar kits. With air bag or coil over options. There will be a standard height and a Bridge Notch type. Also is a Pre-Z front suspension kit. This will get you 2″ closer to the ground for those of you wanting to lay frame/rocker.

The shops main focus is full builds. Industrial Chassis is the house brand of parts to Phoenix Hotrod Company. You can find them over at www.phoenixhotrods.com This site will remain as the focus on parts and chassis builds.

I am moving away from Facebook. The ad pushes and cultured content are just too much. Please make an account here on the website and join the forums. I do not collect data on you, will not sell your information and can focus on your questions better.

Forum

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Stupid viral outbreak

I apologize for the lack of updates, but we are having growing pains. The new building and the move has taken way longer to accomplish than anticipated.

First the shut down and move since the first of the year, moving the equipment to the new location in Tempe AZ and the merge with Phoenix Hotrod Company, all of which was underway when this shut down has occurred. Most of the move went fairly well, but getting the trades in the new location to do build-out of the building was slow or delayed. But the thing that is absolutely kicking our butts is the dust collection system for the plasma table.

The new location is air-conditioned. Going to be so nice for those hot Arizona summers. In fact, this past summer we broke a record of days over 100º by one day (so far) and it’s been really dry. Our Monsoon storms were non-existent this year, which was sort of a blessing as a lot of our equipment was stored outside. And as it goes, the last thing we need before we can ramp up production is the dust collector. The plasma table can really kick up some dust when we are cutting. The portable units we have for temporary use just are not capable, and I can plug up the HVAC filters in minutes. There have been promises to get this system up and running since early September, not even close. The blower fans needed haven’t even been made yet.

So the minimal cutting we can do without choking everyone out has resulted in something. As a test run, we made two of the bolt in kits for the 47-55 Chevy/GMC trucks. One is spoken for, the other is up for grabs!

The other products can resume as soon as we can. Look forward to an announcement on the www.phoenixhotrods.com page, I will have the web store up here and there as Industrial Chassis Becomes the “house brand” for PHC. And trying to talk the boss into a Grand Opening party/Throwdown/Meet-N-Greet or maybe a pancake breakfast or something.

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Do work son!

Yeah, things are progressing. The move is moving forward. It’s looking like about six weeks or so of this posting that we will be back.

The web-store will be back when we are able to produce. There may be a delay in between when you order and when we ship, but no more than a week as we sort the production and shipping in the new location.

This has been one of the wildest journeys so far. The potential here is going to be next level for the entire team.

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More new stuff on the website

I have been working on getting the framework done for the new features I want for the website and fixing some of the dumb stuff I had as place holders. Still not done, but happy with some of the progress.

What I received in feed back from customers was navigation on the store, difficulty finding product and such. So my solution is to put multiple paths to find what you are looking for. At the top of the page are categories based on what you have. Not completely finished with them at this point. What I intend is a bit of information, history and links in each and everyone of those by make and year model.

I will also be working on updating and adding new product. So far I’m pretty happy with the new Theme Plugin from www.woothemes.com . Those guys have been more than helpful getting me going after my crash.

Soon we will have some project updates too. We currently have three full on turn-key projects. The 53 GMC is painted. Thank you Cam at Fury in Color! Rick’s 40 Plymouth is making progress, and we took possession of Bob’s 1964 Ford pickup. Look for pictures of that one soon, it’s really eye catching (in a good way!)

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New feature coming soon

 

One of the reasons for doing the redesign is for you the customer to navigate and find products easier.

The other is to add in a new forum that will go live in the next few days (I hope) where you and I can engage in a more technical sense.  I get asked to help people sort their suspension issues on all sorts of vehicles.

I am working to put together a searchable forum where we can get in-depth with the true geometry of what makes your IFS work and why. This will  be a subscription service, Sorry folks but more and more of my time is being taken up by answering questions. For those of you who are customers, you will get access to the forums, but for those of you on the fence, the fee will be minimal. In that forthcoming forum, we can get in-depth to get your ride working the way you want it to.

 

Eventually, I would like to expand the forum to be an offsite, 3rd party tech line for any aftermarket hot rod parts manufacturer. If you would like to participate in some way, PDF files of instruction sheets of kits you have installed would be helpful in growing to that goal.

As always, I appreciate some input.

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Ball Joints 2.0

In my last post, covered the Chrysler style screw in ball joints commonly used on Mustang II front ends. Today I want to talk about the Dakota ball joints and some misconceptions being run around the internet. There are a few generations of Dodge Dakotas now, I concentrate on the first two, being 87-90 and 91-96. Both are pretty much the same, the ball joints are exactly the same.

I have run across a few people trying to conflate the 97 up (3rd Gen) Dakota ball joint issues with the earlier First and Second generation trucks. In the 3rd Generation Dodge made quite a few changes to the Dakota’s front suspension. Almost a complete redesign. About the only thing similar is the lower control arm spacing and bushing size (yes, they will fit our kits) and the upper control  arm rear mounting bolt is in the same location. But that’s it. The rack mounting and angles are very different and the upper control arm became symmetrical for cost cutting reasons. The other major changes are in the spindle and ball joints. They bare no resemblance to the 1st and 2nd gen trucks. The ball joints became significantly smaller and the orientation of the lower ball joint changed from tension (pointing up) to compression (pointing down) making dropped spindles pretty much impossible.

 

Have a look at the line up of ball joints here. From Left to right, the 1997 and up Dakota/Durango ball joint, The K772 Ball joint used in most Mustang II type set ups, The K778 joint used in the 87-96 Dakotas (and many other full size cars and trucks) and then on the Right is the K7025 used on the Dakotas and several other full size cars and trucks. Visual confirmation would show you, this is robust stuff. History can confirm that these larger ball joints were not failure prone. Sure, everything wears out, this is why we recommend using premium quality repair parts when building your car or truck. Not only will you see a longer service life, you will get a better ride quality with parts like the MOOG joints and bushings we suggest.

I suppose shocks would be the next topic, stay tuned!