1988 Dodge Dakota Mopar Express

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Well I just caught some information on the Mopar Muscle Mag's forums, in another thread about this truck that the Mopar Express package was available through MPP. I requested to purchase the literature he had on the truck to see if this is true or not...
 
Good luck getting the info. Is an interesting package for sure
 
lol, got a wiring diagram for it Tuesday..... all i have to say is wow.... now i know how dislexics feel... cant read it to save my life. Finnally got the Jeep steering wheel and its on now... since im pretty much out of things that i can do on it by myself im going to work on the 67 GTX today because the faster that gets done, the faster my truck gets done.
 
lol, got a wiring diagram for it Tuesday..... all i have to say is wow.... now i know how dislexics feel... cant read it to save my life. Finnally got the Jeep steering wheel and its on now... since im pretty much out of things that i can do on it by myself im going to work on the 67 GTX today because the faster that gets done, the faster my truck gets done.


See if you can find a key online somewhere that will explain what all the symbols tell you in the diagram. That's a big start. Connections will be called out by a "C" followed by a number, splices, an "S" with a number. Ground will look like it has a little lined triangle. Of course, wires are called out by color, such as WH/BL. That's white, with a blue tracer (stripe).

Found one. Not everyone of them "reads" the same, but the symbols are pretty close from this one to others. Just drawn a little different.


BATTERY
Stores chemical energy and converts it into electrical energy. Provides DC current for the auto’s various electrical circuits. CAPACITOR (Condenser)
A small holding unit for temporary storage of electrical voltage. CIGARETTE LIGHTER
An electrical resistance heating element CIRCUIT BREAKER
Basically a reusable fuse, a circuit breaker will heat and open if too much current flows through it.
Some units automatically reset when cool, others must be manually reset. DIODE
A semiconductor which allows current flow in only one direction. DIODE, ZENER
A diode which allows current flow in one direction but blocks reverse flow only up to a specific voltage. Above that potential, it passes the excess voltage. This acts as a simple voltage regulator.
PHOTODIODE
The photodiode is a semiconductor which controls the current flow according to the amount of light. DISTRIBUTOR, IIA
Channels high–voltage current from
the ignition coil to the individual
spark plugs.
(for medium current fuse)

(for High Current Fuse or Fusible Link)
FUSE
A thin metal strip which burns through when too much current flows through it, thereby stopping current flow and protecting a circuit from damage. FUSIBLE LINK
A heavy–gauge wire placed in high amperage circuits which burns through on overloads, thereby protecting the circuit.
The numbers indicate the crosssection
surface area of the wires.
GROUND
The point at which wiring attaches to the Body, thereby providing a return path for an electrical circuit; without a ground, current cannot flow.
(single filament)
(double filament)​
HEADLIGHTS
Current flow causes a headlight filament to heat up and emit light. A headlight may have either a single filament or a double filament HORN
An electric device which sounds a loud audible signal. IGNITION COIL
Converts low–voltage DC current into high–voltage ignition current for firing the spark plugs. LIGHT
Current flow through a filament causes the filament to heat up and emit light. LED (LIGHT EMITTING DIODE)
Upon current flow, these diodes emit light without producing the heat of a comparable light. METER, ANALOG
Current flow activates a magnetic coil which causes a needle to move, thereby providing a relative display against a background calibration. METER, DIGITAL
Current flow activates one or many LED’s, LCD’s, or fluorescent displays, which provide a relative or digital display. MOTOR
A power unit which converts electrical energy into mechanical energy, especially rotary motion.

Normally Closed​
Normally Open​
RELAY
Basically, an electrically operated
switch which may be normally
closed (1) or open (2).
Current flow through a small coil
creates a magnetic field which either
opens or closes an attached switch. RELAY, DOUBLE THROW
A relay which passes current
through one set of contacts or the
other. RESISTOR
An electrical component with a fixed resistance, placed in a circuit to reduce voltage to a specific value. RESISTOR, TAPPED
A resistor which supplies two or more different non adjustable resistance values. RESISTOR, VARIABLE or RHEOSTAT
A controllable resistor with a variable
rate of resistance. Also called a potentiometer or rheostat. SENSOR (Thermistor)
A resistor which varies its resistance with temperature. SENSOR, SPEED
Uses magnetic impulses to open and close a switch to create a signal for activation of other components. SHORT PIN
Used to provide an unbroken connection within a junction block. SOLENOID
An electromagnetic coil which forms a magnetic field when current flows, to move a plunger, etc. SPEAKER
An electromechanical device which creates sound waves from current flow.
SWITCH, MANUAL
Open and close circuit, thereby stopping (close) or allowing (open) current flow SWITCH, DOUBLE THROW
A switch which continuously passes current through one set of contacts or the other. SWITCH, IGNITION
A key operated switch with several positions which allows various circuits, particularly the primary ignition circuit, to become operational. SWITCH, WIPER PARK
Automatically returns wipers to the stop position when the wiper switch is turned off. TRANSISTOR
A solidstate device typically used as an electronic relay; stops or passes current depending on the voltage applied at ”base”.
WIRES
Wires are always drawn as straight lines on wiring diagrams. Crossed wires without a black dot at the junction are not joined (not connected).
Crossed wires with a black dot or octagonal mark at the junction are spliced (joined) connections.
 
Thanks! That has a lot of useful information. I'm going to see what wires i can work with myself tomorrow, my dad has to do half or so of the wiring since that portion will be custom.

I'm headed off to the junkyard in the morning with another local Young Gun, Khole Berndt. He has a 1971 Adventurer 100 shortbed. His younger brother Kane is into A-bodies, he loves darts. Not sure if/when they'll join FABO
 
You're welcome. I must admit though I'm a little confused by the format. When I copied it, it was in a side by side block with the symbols on one side and the definitions on the other. It posted this way...

If either one of your friends join FABO then the more the merrier.
 
i think that dartman12 is the younger one, that is what his brother told me his screen name was

truck is still a little doubtful that the truck will make it to the nats, we're still working on the wiring and i got a pair of Edlebrock ti-tech headers today, putting them on tonight. Still needs wired, a choke cable, trans lines, maybe add our seperate trans cooler (factory runs through radiator), remaining exhaust work, insured, registered, and plated.
 
yea.... engine looks beast with the headers on it. Jeep steering wheel didnt work for me... sat too close to the column so i couldnt use the brights... so if anybody wants a black 1988 Jeep Cherokee steering wheel, i'll sell mine for cheap ($8 takes it). Im going to head out soon and see what i can do to it.
 
Great work sobie, keep at her. You are making amazing progress and you sound like you know more than I do and I'm more than twice your age!
 
thanks 4spd, still doubting it making the nats, seeing as we leave her thursday around noon and the truck still isnt running. sort of bums me out... maybe next year! lol
 
Truck deffinately isn't going to make it... haven't touched it the past few days, been trying to get our 67 GTX ready for the nats, it should be there next year though, might even be repainted by then lol
 
Truck deffinately isn't going to make it... haven't touched it the past few days, been trying to get our 67 GTX ready for the nats, it should be there next year though, might even be repainted by then lol


Well, then that gives you some time to sit back, relax, and plan for the big day. If you have bigger things you want to accomplish then you have the time.
 
well, its a week after the nats and the truck still hasn't been touched lol, i did pick up some literature at the mopar nats tho, a new owners manual and a 1988 sales brouchure... i have a new project that i'm going to save up for, a 1965 Dart Convertriple, so poor 'ol dak may not get a nice new paintjob.... well maybe, not sure at this point, but i'm going to go take a look at this dart this weekend, from what the owners told me its a slant 6 car that needs one floor pan and most of the body work is done
 
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gER-aQRO8zE"]YouTube - 1988 Dodge Dakota Mopar Express Truck, a little flexing[/ame]

ITS ALIVE!!! All it needs now is exhaust and the alternator wired, and of course some tuning and testing
 
well guys, sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but the Dak is getting some lovin' this weekend, gonna coax Dad to work on 'er some more now that he's done messing with our 96 Ram.... Hopefully we'll wrap up all the wiring and put some pretty conduit on it and I can start mocking up my 2.5" jegs universal hot rod exhaust system with flo-thru mufflers! lol, maybe Sunday I'll put up a vid of some tire fryin' action
 
going to pull this out of the grave again, the truck was all set and ready for the 2011 Nat's and the Thursday night the week before Nats week it ate a cam, which we swapped a new one in within a 36 hour window to get it running that Thursday morning, which it ate the new cam during break in (long story short, don't buy purple shafts), anyways after that nats I tore the engine down and inspected everything and installed a Comp with a 68 340 4spd grind cam and reassembled the engine and ran it on our test stand, which it ran beautifully and installed it.

I was finally able to drive it, my senior year of high school!All the kids thought it was badass, and it was. The fastest thing in the parking lot for sure. Anyways, a week or two of driving it and my carb took a dump (i think it shot out the bowl seals) and we swapped another one on, it didn't run too bad but not great as it was a hard starter. So I purchased a 650 double pumper off of a member here and added parts that were missing/broken off of other carbs to make it work and it ran fine but with some fuel leaks. I had my friend's dad rebuild the second carb (a 750 holley) and now it runs beautifully and will be at the Nats this year
 
well guys, the truck went to the Mopar Nats and got 2nd place in young guns modified!

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I have some stuff I'd still like to do to her:
Blue power bucket seats from a 80's LeBaron
Center console to match/fill space
8 3/4 Swap
A500 needs rebuilt after being hurt a little by too many neutral drops (bad carb that's now been replaced)
Slide-a-Links
Repaint
Trade out the steel hood for an AAR Fiberglass hood

in the meantime I picked up another Dakota, keep an eye out for it's thread
 
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