Body swaps are getting more popular these days and we can’t feature every single one, but this particular Freaky Friday deserves attention. Rather than combining an old-school body and a super-modern electric drivetrain as was the case with our recently featured Volvo Amazon Tesla mashup, this is a classic Jeep J10 pickup truck atop a Dodge Dakota frame and drivetrain.
The owner actually built this entire rig in just four months total, doing a little bit of work every day. Now, it’s a running and driving example that actually serves as his daily driver. Think of it as the pseudo-missing link between the original Jeep Gladiator and the current one. It is, after all, a Dodge under the skin, and those brands fall under the same ownership.
The Autopian recently spoke with the creator, Rick Stewart to find out how this truck came to be, what his biggest challenges were, and what his future plans are. Stick around for that and a picture of Rick’s dog Benny, a Mexican rescue that enjoys the body-swapped Jeep too.
Rick picked the Jeep up last year from a field where it sat abandoned and with basically no hope of ever running again. He then found a 2006 Dodge Dakota R/T with a similar fate ahead. It “was from an insurance company and designated as a dismantle-only vehicle [so it] cannot go back on the road,” he said. Of course, by going with an R/T trim, Stewart ended up with a 5.7-liter 360 cubic inch V8 under the hood good for 260 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. That’s not too bad of a foundation to build on.
Of course, this sort of a build isn’t as simple as drilling out some welds, lifting one body off of the frame, and then lowering one back onto it. These trucks are separated by more than just a couple of decades. The engine bays and wheelbases don’t line up so Stewart had to make serious modifications to the Jeep body.
“I had to slide the engine and transmission plus the factory, Dakota firewall, and floor back 4 inches on the frame for the front wheels to line up in the centre of the wheel wells and have enough room for a radiator and AC condenser,” he says.
In addition, he cut about five inches out of the frame so that the Jeep’s body would fit appropriately. Then, the bed floor needed a five-inch lift to clear the Dakota drivetrain. Just imagine, the amount of work it took to make this truck look right is dramatically more than most people will do to simply keep a car alive.
After getting the truck running, he widened the wheels and wheel wells so that he could run larger tires. Now, it runs and drives like just about any other 2006 Dakota to the point that Stewart uses it daily. He doesn’t treat it like some fragile car either. He hauls stuff in the bed, uses it for work, and does so with the comforts of a modern truck (we’ll get to that momentarily) and the style of an old one.
Again, all of this went down over the course of about four months and the results are impressive. The exterior looks almost stock aside from ride height. Rick also added a classic Jeep Gladiator grille to really set this truck off. A Dodge RAM hood ornament is like the cherry on top of this body swap.
Keeping the Dakota firewall enabled Stewart to maintain more of the modern conveniences of the Dodge. While the dash is from the Jeep, the gauges are from the Dakota, and all still function normally. This truck also boasts a totally functional driver’s side airbag and factory cruise control. Don’t forget that it still has modern climate control too.
What’s left for this modernized pickup? As it sits, it leverages the original Dakota five-speed automatic gearbox. Stewart wants to swap that out for a six-speed manual. “I have all the parts to swap it to a manual, that’s happening this winter,” he tells The Autopian. We can’t wait to see it. That and some smoky donuts once it’s done. Oh, and finally, as promised, let’s take a look at Benny, Rick’s Mexican rescue pup who might enjoy the Jeep almost as much as Rick does.
Nice transformation. That is definitely not a third GEN Dakota those 6 bolt wheels are from a second GEN. And if it’s a 360 in.³ engine that is the 5.9. Interior is second generation Dakota as well.
Genius? There sure are a lot of geniuses out there
Doing the Lord’s work there.
What? Slamming classic 4x4s?
Technically if I remember right, the R/T was RWD and was already lowered from the factory. The Jeep could have also been just RWD.
I had a family friend who had a R/T back when they came out and he never could get more than 8mpg out of those things. Was a beast though, both on the street and at the pump
Nicely done, but sad what happen to the Jeep.
Was the J10 considered a full size truck in it’s day?
Because it’s interesting that he mated it to a modern midsize Dakota, and yet he still had to cut at least 5 inches out of the frame!
Yes, the J10 is a fullsize pickup. It was a totally normal size in 1963 when it came out, and it is the standard 80″ fender to fender, but my J10 is a little bit shorter than my 1995 F150, and the bed and cab interior dimensions are significantly narrower, like 6″. A J10 actually has a whole lot of parts in common with a CJ, that might be part of the reason why they’re kind of narrow. So I’d say it’s a slightly small fullsize.
Midsize or fullsize never meant anything regarding length, just width. It was probably an extended cab Dakota, and extended/crew cabs have always been longer than single cabs, regardless of width.
The drivetrain and chassis that came stock on that J10 is of infinitely higher quality than any Dodge Dakota, and I can almost guarantee that they still were even after sitting in the field. This is a downgrade in every way.
Hard pass.
The “genius” trope feels clickbaity, and other commenters are pointing out factual errors in the article. Some information feels lacking, for example I don’t even know what year the J10 is. Also, bodies are not welded onto frames.
I’ve always wanted to body swap an old pickup onto something more modern so I can daily drive it. Crown Vic F100 swaps are pretty common, but I just don’t have enough free time.
Little known fact: People used to daily drive classic pickups, and the pickup hasn’t changed at all! You can literally daily drive an old pickup, no chassis swap needed!
Oh I know, but I would just like a smoother ride, an airbag and some good heat and A/C. Having owned a 1956 Lincoln and a 69 Scout, I realize they are quite capable as-is.
Understandable(ish, anyways). Apart from the airbag, those can be retrofitted into a pickup considerably easier than a chassis swap. But I’d never consider putting a Crown Vic steering column and wheel into a classic pickup, I think that would look awful.
Not the genius thing again, please
Click bait! You need a better picture of the dog. I am a butt man but not dogbutt. Maybe dogbert?
All that Jeep needs is a proper paint job from Earl Scheib. The patina look equates to being too cheap and lazy to finish the work on a vehicle.
How many cars have you had painted?
It is a daily/work truck. The patina is fine.
I can’t express my hate enough for this “patina is just lazy and cheap” tripe.
I like the patina! It would also look good with a fresh coat but hey, it’s owner’s prerogative.
Ok, this is awesome, and I support it…..
HOWEVER….
The 2nd gen Dakota was a damn good looking truck, and one of the best selling mid size trucks ever. They absolutely ruined the design with the third gen, and sales TANKED.
I fully believe if they brought back a Dakota and styled it like a 2nd Gen RestoMod, it would sell like crazy.
I may be biased because it’s what I drive, but yeah, the 2nd gen looks great, especially with the color matched bumper like the R/T had. Meanwhile the 3rd gen was part of Dodge’s worst design language in the modern era imo. Somehow it’s just even worse on the Dakota than say the Caliber, or even the Nitro which somehow almost makes it work. Although I have to say, I love the Magnum but then again I love the Magnum even more with the updated Charger front clip so maybe that’s not super relevant. Sorry what were we talking about? Jeeps? Dogs? I like cars…
Sales TANKED with 3rd gen, the public isn’t stupid. The redesign killed the Dakota.
Agree! I had 3 of them over the years, and despite one being a lemon they all were great trucks to look at and drive. I also had a 3rd gen and it was worse in almost every way.
I have a 21 Colorado now, and frankly it is basically a modern take on the 2nd gen in feel and size.
There’s a bit wrong with the Dakota info up there… this is a 2nd gen Dakota interior, of which they only built until 2004. And the 360 is a 5.9 not a 5.7. Which means it’s probably on a 2003 or older Dakota base vehicle, not the 2006 stated in the article.
As far as I know and I could be wrong about part of this, the 2nd gen had the 5.9, 5.2, 4.7, and a something point something V6. Meanwhile the 3rd gen had a 4.7 and 3.7.
Pretty cool. I do have one comment though – I believe this truck has the high-output 4.7L V8, as the 5.9L V8 stopped being offered after 2003 (maybe 2004 – it was right before the end of the second generation). If memory serves, there were two versions of the 4.7L offered in the early third gens before they widdled it down to just a single version of the 4.7L for the last few years of the Dakota.
also, the 6-lug hubs were dropped at the 3rd gen, so this truck’s donor was definitely a 2nd gen
That is a sweet ride. I respect anyone who knows exactly what they want and the skill to do it. In only four months is pretty damned impressive, too
That is peachy.
Excellent build, well done sir!
Most frame swaps are hacked messes, it’s not easy to do. This truck looks to be better pretty well done. Just no to the Ram hood ornament, its a Kaiser even though it has a Dodge chassis.
If Detroit won’t build the truck you want, build one to suit you. Applaud this.
I very much want a two door, extended cab Gladiator with a longer, more useable bed than what they offer from the factory. A similarly shaped Lightning would be an option, too.
Alas, the rest of the world seems to want four doors and is satisfied with a ridiculously short, barely usable bed. Even the new Scout Terra will apparently only be available with the “pretend it’s a truck” form factor.
Some day, I’ll have to find a pair of wrecked vehicles and learn how to weld and do body work.
Rick, you’re an inspiration.
Agree. There are lots of two door options in other countries, but since the US is dominated by people who buy trucks to serve as the family car, our options have dwindled to the lowest level Tacoma, the Wrangler, and the Bronco. The latter two are not suitable for truck stuff. There are probably some big truck options with two doors, but I’ve only seen fleet versions and, in any case, they’re way too big for my needs. Hard to believe you used to be able to choose from many 2-door and extended cab small trucks with at least 6-8-foot beds and a manual trans. Like you, I’m going to have to learn some welding skills and build my own, I’m afraid.
Tacomas from the 80s and 90s are all over Southern California. When I first moved there from NY I was amazed to see all the old pickups. Some of them are dullies which shocked me.