a 96 Dakota is an odd duck but I think its ccd, not near my FSM's right now so I cant check. Not a 97 Dakota, its ccd and they didnt make the Durango until 98 which is ccd.
I would not shy away from a later set up, they will work just fine, they just work better with a flash which if you plan on adding performance upgrades, you will want to do anyway.