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03DakStampede

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Hi guys Im new to the forum. Ive loved vipers since I was in 6th grade lol granted I dont own one yet but hope to one day. Any ways Im here to learn what I can about the car as well as suspension and tire tips. My current toy is a 2003 Dakota Stampede which is a pretty rare option group granted its not an R/T which would make it a bit more rare. Anyways Im building the truck to be somthing that Chrysler never had the balls to build lol a SRT-8 Dakota. I currently have the truck lowered with a Hotchkis TVS kit with the bilstein shocks. For brakes Ive upgraded to Hawk HPS pads and EBC rotors. For wheels and tires Im running 2003 SRT-10 wheels with the factory Pilot Sport ZP tires which I absolutly hate! (Looking for a better tire to run) As for peformance it has the factory 4.7L with ** cams and a full SCT tune (soon to be replaced with a 6.1 Hemi) Trans is a 545RFE with a Sharadon valve body and a 3000 rpm edge converter followed up by a detroit tru-trak carrier and 4.56 gears.

Once finished I plan on doing alittle drag racing car shows and some road/auto-x racing with it. I know its not the most ideal vehicle for doing any of this but its different. As it sits right now its capable of pulling mid to low .90's in the skid pad which is outstanding for a truck and better then the factory challengers. Here is a pic.

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mad0953

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Like the look and the wheels a lot. Low is the way to go. Don't know how young you are but it took me 13 years of saving to get my car......it is was very worth it.
 

plumcrazy

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welcome to here and love the dak. I had an 02 durango RT 5.9 with some mods and loved it. one of my favorite vehicles.
 

JonB

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Even a DAKOTA GUY knows that RunCraps are, well........

Dak..... if U find out how to contact me in my profile, Ill send you a "VIPER SUPPORT VEHICLE" decal for your Dakota.

Good luck attaining your dream.....mine took 25 years: wanted a '66 Cobra.....the equivalent was my 1st Viper 25 yrs later.


[I also have a Solar Yellow Dakota RT.....the last 2006 built.]

JonB~~~~~:<~
 
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03DakStampede

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Thanks guys one day Ill have my dream car lol Im 26 now and if it takes 20 yrs it will be worth it lol. Yeah the run junks well you know.... I have no traction through first and the front doesnt hold well through corners. Im in the process of looking for a better setup on tires but dont want to change the rims. lol Do any of you guys know of a good tire shop in the Indianapolis area that can work with a viper wheel?
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Yep those are 345's on the rear
 

KNG SNKE

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I do like the look of your truck and a nice touch with the wheels, I run them on my Ram.

If I can give you any advice it would be to stop modifying your truck. You have already spent too much on it and your just going to throw more money away. Put that money in the bank and get your Viper sooner then later. I am speaking from experience on this because it took me modifying 3 cars, almost 20k put into each of the cars to figure out its not worth modifying an entry level vehicle. Save your money, buy your Viper, drive your dream. I was 27 when I bought my first Viper and after some number crunching I could have had the car when I was 22 fully paid but I dropped all that money into my toys.
 
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03DakStampede

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Thanks and Ill agree with you guys on saving for the car... This is just one of a few of my toys/hobbies as Im also trying to save for a nice project Stinson 108-2 or -3 aircraft. But for now the truck is finished as Ive just recently bought a house so any extra cash goes towards that. Once the toy fund has been re-established if the right deal is found a Viper will be purchased
 

TowDawg

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I do like the look of your truck and a nice touch with the wheels, I run them on my Ram.

If I can give you any advice it would be to stop modifying your truck. You have already spent too much on it and your just going to throw more money away. Put that money in the bank and get your Viper sooner then later. I am speaking from experience on this because it took me modifying 3 cars, almost 20k put into each of the cars to figure out its not worth modifying an entry level vehicle. Save your money, buy your Viper, drive your dream. I was 27 when I bought my first Viper and after some number crunching I could have had the car when I was 22 fully paid but I dropped all that money into my toys.

Just what I was going to say, but I didn't want to rain on his parade! lol

Seriously, the truck looks great and have fun with it, but KNG SNKE is right on the money. If I had the money back from what I spent on cars in my teens and early twenties, I would park another viper in the garage next to my current one! I know how you feel though, I did the same thing. Hell, I'm still doing it, it's just that the numbers get bigger as you do it to more expensive cars. :)

I've sunk a good bit into the Viper and plan to keep it forever, but I'm really thinking about leaving it pretty much alone now to get a Gen IV ACR sooner. Every little $2k here and $2k there adds up when you look back at it.
 

KNG SNKE

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As I said, this was the story of my life. 3, count them 3 vehicles I invested roughly 20k each. My final vehicle that I finally realized it was time to step up was a Scion tC. It was very clean, very powerful. It had the first known turbo kit on it in the US. It had a ton of work that I did to it nothing short of 20k. One day I decided it was stupid to have a 40k Scion tC (base price 20k plus mods of 20k). I started looking at BMW 335i. My boss was a bmw enthusiast and I spoke with him about it. He persuaded me to buy a used higher end bmw, a corvette and even mentioned a Viper. I have always loved the Viper even as a little kid so when he said that it peaked my interest to see what they were selling for. Since they were selling for the price of the 335 it peaked my interest even more. Insurance was low and it was a go. I don't regret what I did because I gained a lot of mechanical talent from it but financially it was idiotic. I am glad your truck is done, leave it that way. Try not to sink another dime into it.

And I am not raining on your parade, I promise. Your truck looks very sharp. I am a truck guy as well as a Viper guy (though I did not add the wheels to the Ram it was a selling point for me, they just look right)
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03DakStampede

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You guys are fine I dont take it as raining on my parade lol Im pretty layed back about things. Im looking forward to learning more about the Viper so I may not post much because of my lack of knowledge on the car but I will definately be trying to learn what I can.
 

KNG SNKE

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You guys are fine I dont take it as raining on my parade lol Im pretty layed back about things. Im looking forward to learning more about the Viper so I may not post much because of my lack of knowledge on the car but I will definately be trying to learn what I can.


You have come to the right place. There is a wealth of knowledge and resources here to find out more information then you ever needed to know about the Viper. Feel free to PM folks on here with questions as you get closer to buying one or just in general.
 

latamud

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As I said, this was the story of my life. 3, count them 3 vehicles I invested roughly 20k each. My final vehicle that I finally realized it was time to step up was a Scion tC. It was very clean, very powerful. It had the first known turbo kit on it in the US. It had a ton of work that I did to it nothing short of 20k. One day I decided it was stupid to have a 40k Scion tC (base price 20k plus mods of 20k). I started looking at BMW 335i. My boss was a bmw enthusiast and I spoke with him about it. He persuaded me to buy a used higher end bmw, a corvette and even mentioned a Viper. I have always loved the Viper even as a little kid so when he said that it peaked my interest to see what they were selling for. Since they were selling for the price of the 335 it peaked my interest even more. Insurance was low and it was a go. I don't regret what I did because I gained a lot of mechanical talent from it but financially it was idiotic. I am glad your truck is done, leave it that way. Try not to sink another dime into it.

And I am not raining on your parade, I promise. Your truck looks very sharp. I am a truck guy as well as a Viper guy (though I did not add the wheels to the Ram it was a selling point for me, they just look right)
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I did the same thing. I have project cars I've dumped my life into. Glad I had some sense this time around in getting the Viper.
 
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