The Carnage

The poor Dakota.  It seems to be a smooth running machine.  So I am sure it was a bit shocked to be parked and then slowly dismantled.  The pictures tell the story.

Taking the dashboard apart in the Dakota was a pain in the rear!!  Then then heat/AC control plenum was probably worse.  I would have hated to have a leaking heater core in that truck.  I would almost rather buy a new truck than take that one out and fix it.

As you can see from the above ground shot I have an IHC waiting for its new home..  My biggest challenges are going to be radiator size issues, AC coil issues, and limited firewall space.  I was originally going to keep the Dakota firewall but I am going to do some more measuring before I commit to that line. 

Currenly I have most of the wiring harness disconnected and tagged.  It is amazing how many wires it takes on a modern rig compared to the 50 Dodge that I worked on.  I have removed door and tonight I cut out the windshield......it did not cooperate so I have a lot of glass flakes everywhere....time to use the shopvac.

I need to remove the radiator and front grill, remove the cab or cut it narrow so I can make a test fit of the front fender section of the IHC.  After measurements I think it will fit fairly well.