Griffin forgot to write a Shitbox Showdown post today, or I forgot to tell him, so it’s 12:36 AM and I’m doing it. I’m not mad, I’m just a little disappointed. But hey, Shitbox Showdowns are fun; I’m constantly staring at Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, anyway, so allow me to just tell you the current apples of my eye: They’re convertible pickup trucks.
First, let’s talk about Friday’s showdown pitting a Ford Bronco II up against a Suzuki Samurai. Unsurprisingly, the off-road billygoat Suzuki Samurai took home the crown with 58% of the votes, while the much-maligned Bronco II took the L.
I myself don’t mind Bronco IIs, but like Mustang IIs, it’s hard to win favor when you’re an underpowered, smaller sequel to a much cooler OG.
Today, though, I’m using Shitbox Showdown as a way to show you a car that I really badly want to purchase right now. It’s this Dodge Dakota Convertible:
1989 Dodge Dakota Convertible – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 3.9-liter V6, 5-speed AX-15 manual transmission, RWD
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Odometer reading: 140,000
Operational status: “It’s a good truck overall does need cosmetic things like the rag top and other things but mechanically good.”
Some of the most fascinating characters in automotive history are the people who threw caution to the wind to start something from scratch. People John DeLorean, Malcolm Bricklin, Jerry Wiegert, maybe Henrik Fisker, maybe Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Heinz Prechter come to mind. These entrepreneurs — many of them a little out there — just went for it, with varying degrees of success and with plenty of failures.
Someday I’ll tell the full story of Heinz Prechter, the West German who — at age 21 — flew to LA and started installing sunroofs into cars right here at Galpin Ford, before ultimately starting American Sunroof Company. This company became larger than life; it wasn’t just a small outfit hacking holes into roofs — no, ASC worked with lots of major automakers like Ford and Honda to offer manufacturer-backed sunroofs to customers.
ASC is the reason the Buick GNX exists, it’s the reason the Chevy SSR exists, it’s the reason you could get a convertible Porsche 944, it’s the reason you could get a fabric convertible roof on the Jeep Liberty KK, and it’s the reason one could purchase — for just a few years — a Dodge Dakota Convertible.
These are insanely rare, with under 4,000 made between 1989 and 1991. ASC lopped the top off of a standard Dakota, installed a roll bar, and outfitted a fabric roof to create a vehicle that can do it all: bask its driver in some rays, carry a load, and — when outfitted with 4wd — off-road.
This particular Dakota has the 3.9-liter V6 instead of the 5.2-liter Magnum V8, meaning it makes 125 horsepower instead of 175. Still, with the stout Aisin-built AX-15 five-speed manual, that should be plenty of power to scoot this rare machine down the road.
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The seller says the truck is decent overall but needs some cosmetic love, including a new top; the good news is that it appears the fabric can be purchased online. The interior also appears to need some love, and I’d be a little suspect of the electrical system as well. It looks like these photos were taken in the rain, so you can be the radio and dash and all that got soaked. Beyond that, the truck needs a new clutch.
It’s a tough sell, but with a bit of mechanical love, a new top, and some interior parts from a parts-Dakota, this thing could be legit. I myself would be tempted to convert it to 4×4, and build the ultimate little off-road convertible pickup. Dakotas of this era basically used the same drivetrain as an XJ, but with independent suspension up front instead of a solid axle; they’re tough ,and parts available ain’t bad, either.
1968 Kaiser M715 Army Truck — $7500
Engine/drivetrain: 230 “Tornado” OHC inline-six, four-speed T98 manual, 4×4
Location: Bristol, WI
Odometer reading: No Clue
Operational status: “Turns over, but won’t start. Ran when it was last parked.”
Ah, the Kaiser M715 army truck. What an amazing machine. It’s actually based on the “SJ” Jeep platform that underpins my 1985 Jeep J10 (along with the Cherokee, Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer, and more). Obviously, the M715 is beefed up quite a bit compared to my J10, and it has the killer feature that mine doesn’t: a convertible top.
The new Gladiator also has an open top, but for the most part, convertible pickup trucks just aren’t a thing for some reason, even though I love the concept. The M715 has always been my favorite because of its off-road capability, its simplicity, and its chiseled good looks.
This one looks to be in decent shape; the engine in the back has me wondering, and the fact that it’s in Wisconsin does concern me a bit, as these have lots of rustbucket potential. Still, from the photos, this looks decent, and if the body is in good shape and the motor can be tuned into submission, $7,500 doesn’t sound bad.
20 years ago I had an M-715 I got cheap, it had worked on a hillside avocado ranch and had been rolled at least once and still driven, it was too beat to save and I wound up cutting it up for parts and scrap. What was remarkable was that in spite of huge Dana 60 and 70 5.13 axles and GVW-appropriate springs it used the same basic frame rails as any half-ton pickup which in the case of the Jeep are not particularly stout, just with reinforcement stampings added which only ensured that instead of cracking where the brackets were, the frame cracked on either side of them. There were a number of such areas that had been welded over and over and I was a little disillusioned about the toughness thing. Add the possibly mis-named Hurricane six where civilian SJs were getting Buick V8s and you got a vehicle that was probably best for slow speeds on muddy trails such as I’d imagine Viet Nam service involved, any stock XJ would walk away from it elsewhere. With that, it would still make an awesome toy and collector’s item and I’ve seen a couple that were resto-modded up nicely. The grille and flat military dash from my truck live on in a Wagoneer I’ll probably never finish.
A friend of mine was just talking about those the other day, and how everything in them was rated for the stated capacity and not one ounce more. Throw an extra canteen of water on top of the load and you’ll spin a bearing, break an axle shaft and destroy the clutch all in one go.
I think the M780’s or whatever that predated the M715 were considered more stout. but in the end all of these things were never made to exceed 45 mph on fire roads at best. using them off road like we do with modern stuff often like the current nostalgia for Shovelhead Harley’s. it seems great until you actually aquire one and try to live with it.
I voted for what David should get, because I wouldn’t drive either.
My vote goes to the Dakota. It will be much more pleasant to drive. And you’ll actually be able to drive it compared to that non-running ex-military heap of shit that costs twice as much.
The only advantage that old Kaiser has is a higher novelty factor. But for $7500, it’s way too much for army cosplay that doesn’t run.
That mid-engine Jeep wins any day of the week!!! Go get it, DT! We want a full cactus style series on this one!
Army Truck?
It’s definitely been well maintained when it was in government service.
(But it doesn’t run)
Okay – but it’s well maintained!!
Funny how “army truck” is what Emily used to call Lorelai’s CJ.
A David Tracy shitbox showdown? Let’s goo!
Hm, this Dakota is from LA. Doesn’t appear to have any holes in it. Might even run. I think this column was written by pod Davi-
Wait.
Jeep shaped.
Doesn’t run.
Rusty motor of dubious provenance in the bed.
Nevermind, it’s definitely The Rust King himself.
“These are insanely rare, with under 4,000 made between 1989 and 1991.”
Only 4k? Dang. Used to see quite a few of those everywhere back in the day where I live, a modest-sized college town in East Tennessee, and I actually still see some (yes, plural) occasionally, some of which look to be garage-kept specimens and some of which look to be daily driver beaters. Guessing the latter has RockAuto to thank for keeping going.
As appealing as the Kaiser is, there’s just something about a convertible truck designed for civilians that military trucks don’t have, as people simply expect a vintage military truck to have a convertible top whereas a modern-ish pickup truck meant for the masses isn’t expected to have one so it’s always a sight to behold in the wild, not to mention actually driving one, especially with a stick. So the Dakota convertible gets my vote for David’s driveway (or, as the case may be nowadays, the Galpin staff parking lot.)
That old Five Quarter is a beast and the Jeep concept version from about six years ago with the “Hellcrate” mill was awesome. I can think of so many ways to go with an M715, but the way I went today is for the Dakota. The middling Dodge soft top fits my lifestyle better and I’ve always admired it. I’d probably want to convert it to 4wd/AWD and there are lots of candidate pieces for that from both the Jeep and Dodge houses. I’m pretty sure I can still get a genuine Haartz replacement top, too.
The Kaiser doesn’t run and costs more.
Are we here for sensible decisions? Absolutely not: Kaiser it is.
‘ love the Kaiser.
Worst case: sit behind the wheel and make Army noises.
now I really want to know what “Army noises” sound like
Just give me time.
I hafta work up a little courage to share this–even amongst friends.
Howitzers and M-16s. Without hearing protection, you most likely won’t hear it.
It depends if you want a daily driver or serious off-roader. for Commuting the Dakota would be the choice, but if you want to do some true off-roading you can’t beat that Jeep.
Actually EVERYTHING currently beats that Jeep because it doesn’t run. And if it doesn’t run, you have exactly zero off-roading capability.
I’m sure it’ll run downhill and off a cliff.
I’m sorry but I’m not sure that’s true. I need to see a video of that happening to believe it. And thus, now you need to buy that Kaiser and make a video of it going down the said hill and cliff!
/jk
Interesting choices. I took the running one.
Idea Have another week long show down, winner vs new contender. At the end of the week, buy the winner sight unseen and see much trouble it is. 🙂
The convertible Dakota does nothing for me, and never had even when they were new. They creak, they leak, and the parts for the top are unobtainable.
I do, however, like the M715. Still not a big fan of the convertible portion of it, but since I spend as much time in the mountains off-roading as my schedule permits, the sheer utility of the M715 makes it a 100% vote for me, even in the non-running state. I’ve seen these with V8 swaps, both LS motors and Gen III Hemis, and that’s definitely the direction I’d take if the I6 in this one is shot.
Look at the alignment of the passenger door and rear of the cab.
Looks really well aligned, not…
These were not a decent truck but a styling exercise.
And they sucked.
Yeah. I knew someone with one of these convertible Dakotas back in the mid-90s. It was one of those friend of a friend situations, and the reason I knew them was they needed help unflooding their Dakota after a heavy rain storm and I got roped in via our shared friend. I assumed he had left the top down, but no – the top just simply didn’t seal well. I wanted to like the truck for the novelty, but it simply wasn’t a good vehicle.
I would never buy a convertible, because some jerk with a knife will destroy the top. I’m not worried about a rollover accident. (Although I did see that a CRJ900 ended up upside down in Toronto today. Thankfully, everyone got out alive. And seriously, I can’t remember a commercial airliner plane ending up upside down. I’m going to be following that incident to see how that happened.)
OTH, after owning my ’71 Peugeot 504, which had a sunroof, I will never buy a car without a moon/sunroof. The rush of air, whether it’s late at night or during the day (when the part in my scalp got sunburned to the point of peeling) I can’t live without one. I get why Porsche never made a Cayman with one, but if they had, I’d probably own one. It’s seriously disqualifying.
Definitely a both day for me. For voting purposes, I went with the Dakota. Things I like:
Compact pickup trucks.
Convertibles.
Manual transmissions.
This may be the only vehicle that combines all of those things. The Dakota convertible is one of my holy grail vehicles. I would love to own one of these some day.
I came THIIIIIIIIS close to buying an M715 swapped onto a J20 frame with a 360 V8 topped with a Holley Sniper and the Quadratec AWD system for HALF the price of the truck shown here. Overheating problems changed my mind, but I REALLY liked it.
But I voted Dakota. It would fit in my garage better.
I have always wanted the Dakota Convertible. It might be holy grail for me if it was 318 and the manual, but the 3.9 was decently reliable in the day. I would have to go that route. the Kaiser is way more vehicle, but also appears to have so many headaches to work out still, The overhead-cam six-cylinder engines were not very reliable due to lack of knowledge on the overhead cam design and lack of maintenance.
I will say, it would be kind of interesting to swap out the 3.9 for a 4.0 Jeep motor if it fits. The Ax15 is jeep already. On the other hand, it would be mighty fun to see what a non MDS manual trans 5.7 out of a Challenger would do in that light little pickup. I but it would fit.
Hemi Dakota, now we’re talking!!
Holley already sells a Gen 3 Hemi swap kit for later Dakotas, and it looks like a kit for these earlier ones is due next month.
I count FOUR levers on the floor of the Kaiser. The Dakota has only one. So the Kaiser wins.
As I learned from solid axle swapping a Toyota 4×4 pickup, you’re actually better off starting with a 2wd truck. The frame for the 4×4 IFS hangs a lot lower and you end up with too much lift just to make room for the solid axle.
This reminds me of when one buddy with an Olds 98 told another buddy with a Z28 that his car was better because it was “70 more”.
He wasn’t wrong.
Makes sense, whenever I’m under my late model 4Runner I always marvel at just how far down all the IFS junk hangs.
Upon seeing DT as the author on today’s edition, I knew it would be less “Shitbox Showdown” and more “Things David Wants to Buy”.
To be fair, almost everything David has ever wanted to buy has been a shitbox.
Hard call. I thought it would be a landslide for the Jeep until I saw the Dodge was half the price and actually runs.
Jeep is cooler, no question. But twice as cool, even when broken? I’m not so sure…
Either of these would be fun in their own unique way, but the Kaiser wins for its folding top AND windshield.
TWO of my friends bought those Dakota convertibles new and they were pretty much Turdmobiles back then.I couldn’t imagine 35 years has made them any better,I’ll go with the Kaiser.
Did they flex and shake and squirm like wet noodles?
Dakotas WITH a roof are like that – you can bet that the convertible version is worse.
They were leaky,squeaky,rattle traps.It was hard to get parts for the Dakota convertible when they were new.Good luck trying to get parts now.
Oh! Just like shower spaghetti…
Shhh, ENHRN doesn’t know about that.
I figure they’re just buying spaghetti in bulk now since there’s 2 of them…maybe they added a garbage disposal in the drain too? (Like Kramer on Seinfeld!) Maybe they both wash car parts in the dishwasher?
Ha ha
A neighbour around the corner from me had one of those Dakotas when I was growing up. I thought it was cool then, and I still think it now. Stick shift no less? Dakota today!
I’m pretty sure that Kaiser is the same basic truck my father-in-law drove during his all expenses paid vacation in Vietnam. He said he liked them overall and they were sturdy, but they had terrible brakes. I guess that’s less of an issue when you are trying to make yourself a more difficult target than when you are stateside and having to avoid distracted drivers. So I’ll buy the Kaiser for him and we can get to work on a new braking system that won’t get both of us killed by a driver in a 6,000 pound SUV who is staring at their phone.
Drop in a Fuel-injected V8 and get some aftermarket Dana axels with giant disc brakes and it would be an absolute blast.
Do they go fast enough to need brakes? As the bumper sticker on my Disco I says “your car is my crumple zone”.
I will helm the Kaiser and make it a permanente fixture in my driveway.
They’re not easy to roll, either.
That’s weck!
Just keep it in the garage so it doesn’t go invading the rest of Europe just to impress its handsomer cousins.
Oh thank god I’m not the only one who made reference to KP (but you did it better ngl)
I have wanted a m715 for about 30 years and my smart wife keeps me sane and I do not have one.
Smart wives do come in handy.
There’s one available in this case, so let’s hope she’s able to help.