Photo: Greg Snider
The second-generation Dodge Dakota was a perfectly fine medium-sized pickup truck. One that tried as hard as possible to appeal to people who longed for a smaller truck than the full-sized RAM while also not cannibalizing the RAM's market share.
Well, that was true at least when it was new. Nowadays, this Hellcat HEMI-swapped Dakota does drag pulls and not much else. A whole host of strange and interesting engines found their way under the hoods of second-gen Dakotas. Ranging from rare novelties like the 2.5-liter AMC straight-four and a gaggle of different Magnum V6s and V8s, ranging from 2.9 to 5.9 liters.
Though Magnum engines aren't impossible to get to make big power, they pale in comparison to the supercharged 6.2-liter, 707 horsepower worth of grace and majesty that is a modern Hellcat motor. Though the Hellcat engine seems more fit for a larger classic truck like the big brother RAM, it takes perfectly well to the smaller Dakota. It's a fact this truck's builder Greg Snider of Bowling Green, Kentucky, shows off with confidence.
Power is fed to a Stage-3 T56 six-speed manual transmission, which leads to an 8.8-inch rear end out of an old Ford Explorer. It just goes to show that even when a custom build is a Chrysler product, the Ford 8.8 is always the way to go. With a largely stock interior melding into a wicked-looking, freshly detailed black paint scheme, it's a small wonder how this truck doesn't have bits of tire rubber sticking to the undercarriage with how many drags pulls it's made.
The amazing thing about it is that Greg doesn't trailer his creation to the majority of drag meets he attends. He drives there himself in the truck as if to prove he can build racing trucks better than the next guy. That's a sentiment you won't hear us challenging in a million years. A thousand congratulations to Greg on such a fantastic custom build.
Though Magnum engines aren't impossible to get to make big power, they pale in comparison to the supercharged 6.2-liter, 707 horsepower worth of grace and majesty that is a modern Hellcat motor. Though the Hellcat engine seems more fit for a larger classic truck like the big brother RAM, it takes perfectly well to the smaller Dakota. It's a fact this truck's builder Greg Snider of Bowling Green, Kentucky, shows off with confidence.
Power is fed to a Stage-3 T56 six-speed manual transmission, which leads to an 8.8-inch rear end out of an old Ford Explorer. It just goes to show that even when a custom build is a Chrysler product, the Ford 8.8 is always the way to go. With a largely stock interior melding into a wicked-looking, freshly detailed black paint scheme, it's a small wonder how this truck doesn't have bits of tire rubber sticking to the undercarriage with how many drags pulls it's made.
The amazing thing about it is that Greg doesn't trailer his creation to the majority of drag meets he attends. He drives there himself in the truck as if to prove he can build racing trucks better than the next guy. That's a sentiment you won't hear us challenging in a million years. A thousand congratulations to Greg on such a fantastic custom build.
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