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.
Who put a Citroen steering wheel in a Jeep? Showing the easy operation of the Dakota top was enough to sway me to the Dodge.
The t98 in the m715 should have a few relativity easy engine swaps. All gas i think. I guess you could always pull a little diesel out of a reefer unit and deal with the bell housing. Neat truck you don’t really see anymore. Could definitely be a little run around with decent powerplant.
While cool in many ways, mostly looks, a stock M715 is pretty terrible.
It has a terrible underpowered engine; those were ‘big power’ when they were introduced when the competition was the old flathead. They really were not great and suffered from cam issues due to doubling up rockers on single lobes and timing cover issues.
On top of that the axles are truly weird with a bolt pattern used by nothing making wheels impossible to find and the parts for the low spline count closed knuckle axle are impossible to find.
I’m not going to indulge David’s psychosis, so I’m not going to vote, but the Kaiser is the clear choice if you’re looking for something unique. The notion that 4000 convertible Dakotas is ” insanely rare” is absurd, and an indication that David’s already made up his mind.
You haven’t had the Hurricane OHC Six yet, David, plus you don’t need to smog this, plus I think all of us miss your adventures in Midwest jeep rust and the suffering and subsequent triumph / near-extinction that goes with it.
I think the first year of your marriage and your loyal readership deserve such searing highs and tetanus-threatening lows as the Kaiser.
And hell, if you don’t have time for Moab prep with this one you have PLENTY of time to get it ready for a roadtrip to the Bay and do something ridiculous in the parking lot of Oakland Kaiser Permanente or the Rosie the Riveter museum in Richmond for the 58th anniversary of Henry J.’s death on August 24.
Just saying.
I feel like this is less “Sophie’s Choice” and more the vibe between Jack and Tom in “A Few Good Men”
I’ll take the Kaiser- it’s so awesome!
Now that’s the real deal.
The Dakota’s aren’t that great reliability wise especially the early ones compared to other trucks. I’m sure there are some who have had good reliability w/ them after staying on top of stuff, and they are still cool trucks- plus Mopar! This one is a big no dice due to the terrible shape of the top + letting the interior get soaked= automatic ND
I’ve always liked those Dakotas. I’m not sure that’s the one I’d pick, but that’s the one you’ve let me chose from, so I did.
I really like and dislike both… I’m in CA so keeping the dakota smog’d sounds like a pita. Also, I’m in CA so importing a rustbelt truck sounds like an extraordinarily dumb idea. I guess the dodge?
The Kaiser, obviously.
I wouldn’t take one of those topless, floppy, ridiculous Dakotas for free. Maybe not even if you paid me.
I want something I can register, drive on a regular basis and be able to get parts from my local auto parts store. So Dakota it is.
Clutches are cheap, the top might not but it’ll clean up nicely.
All in it might still come cheaper than the non-running Kaiser
Sorry, dad.
Or are you really quoting Elise (not her real name, and she deserves to have it spelled out) when she saw you with these two on your computer screen?
Unlike you. I’m not half of a DINK couple who can buy them both, even in an imaginary situation. The Jeep’s much cooler –and that’s only augmented by being able to casually refer to it as “the Kaiser” – but I have to resign myself to the Dakota. I found them interesting when they came out but also read a test somewhere that mentioned the floppy structure and the leaking, only the latter of which is a real deterrent in my usually warmish but regularly soggy abode on the flat-as-a-pancake coastal plain. Maybe there’s a forum with some weatherproofing tips.
Can we go back to the Suzuki?
I’m in jail for talking about Corvette’s too much and the officer didn’t like that so he hit me with a stick. Thanks for grabbing this one in my absence, DT
I was honestly hoping Friday you’d throw caution to the wind and find the two worst Corvettes to pit against each other.
Corvette and ‘worst’ don’t belong in the same sentence so I’m confused what you even mean by this
Okay fair. I just meant the two most worn out/sketchiest Corvettes…
But then I saw today’s showdown and you madlad.
TBH I wish we could buy one of those new Korean M175s.
I like them both!
As much as I like the look of an M715 I don’t think I could live with one.
The Dakota is priced well and not too bad, but the Kaiser is unique. I had to vote for the army truck.
I thought the V8 Dakota was a great idea (V8 mid size truck) until I saw a new one buried to the axles on the Outer Banks of NC. Then I wasn’t impressed anymore, since that’s something I never managed to do even in my Isuzu P’up with far less HP.
They didn’t air down. I’ve pulled my share of capable giant pickups out with my Jeep. First question – did you air down? Inevitable answer – I have 4wd, do I need to?
Same here, but that Dakota had tiny tires as well. I’ve found my need to air down has greatly diminished over the years. The P’up on stock tires you had to air down to like 8 psi. I got some 31×10.50s for it and only had to go down to 15 or so for the same effect. Then I got a 78 F-150 on 33″ tires, had to drop to 20 psi. Then I got some 35s for it and if you dropped to 20 you could drive it in 2wd. Now I have a 76 CJ-7 on the same 35s and I don’t even have to slow down when turn off Hwy 11.
Even if it never runs again, the M715 will look so much better sitting in the yard.
I have a dream build for one of these that far exceeds my skills and budget.
I’m looking for a drivers side window for an 89 Dakota convertible. If this one were about $1,000 less, I’d buy it for parts.
I thought the windows were the same as a regular dakota.
I wish. The tops of the doors are different. I looked a this and they don’t interchange. Also, I believe the convertible windows have less curve.
Learn something new everyday, that sucks its bespoke glass, wonder if the part numbers can be found for someone to make them if spares cant be found.
Someone around me has a M725 (the ambulance version) with some sort of Diesel swap converted into an overlanding vehicle.
I don’t know what that has to do with this, other than to say that I’ve seen one of these Jeeps much more recently than I’ve seen a first-gen Dakota. For that alone I’ll take the Jeep.
No more projects David! Not until you get the ones you have done….or sold. Then….?…
Just knew there was gonna be a Jeep in there. Both a lot of money for non runners. IMHO
Is there really a question here? Buy the Kaiser and use it to run over the dodgy Dodge. I can’t imagine it would take more than 20 minutes to get it running if it turns over, they are as complicated as a hammer.
The Dakota runs and it is cheaper so I’m voting for it, but that Kaiser is undeniably cool.
You could also swap a Ford 4.9 straight-six into the Kaiser. It is faster than a non-running engine, nearly indestructible, and cheap to find.
The new ones use the Hyundai D4DA 4-cylinder diesel