Dodge Dakota Diesel Dreams

Talking to a friend about vehicles in Trinidad and Tobago, and how insane it is for people to lower vehicles in this country... we started talking about dream vehicles for the country. My thought was based on my old 1995 Dodge Dakota. That vehicle did some rather amazing things for a 2 wheel drive (I took it offroad quite a bit) - but here in Trinidad, a diesel makes a lot more sense.

My father had experimented with a Mitsubishi L200 and used a mixture of 33% kerosine and 66% diesel, which kept the diesel running clean (and drove the by-the-book mechanics nuts every time the vehicle was serviced). They were convinced that it would affect the fuel pump adversely - but after 5 years, that pickup never had a fuel pump changes. My father and I spoke a lot about diesels - in retrospect not as much as I wanted - but the practicality of a diesel powered 4 wheel drive (instead of 'All Wheel Drive') vehicle in Trinidad gives the versatility necessary for the 'roads' while allowing better consumption of fuel in hills than a gasoline counterpart. The first L200 was a normally aspirated diesel; the second was a turbo (which I rolled after a tire blowout on the way from scattering my father's ashes).

I had also considered a classic slant 6, but... gas would probably end up being a problem. Diesels are better for these roads, I think.

So I'm thinking Diesel. And I'm thinking Dakota - the Dodge Ram is simply too wide for the roads here, and the Dakota footprint is small enough for easy negotiation of the roads. But there is no diesel option on the Dakota - only gasoline - but the Ram has a Cummins Turbo Diesel option. So I started thinking about shoving that block into a Dakota (we're on the beach), and I think... no way. There has to be a better engine for the job. So when I got home, I googled it and ended up... looking at the Project Sidewinder Dakota that not only blew away a Corvette, but is the world's fastest pickup truck at 222.139 miles per hour.

Wow. That is certainly fast - but impractical. I'd love those 720 horsepower available for 4 wheel drive off road stuff- not speed. There simply isn't a road in Trinidad which could accomodate the Sidewinder. By the time you got up to that speed, you'd be on the other side of the island (or somewhere in between after bouncing on the roads). Still, that Cummins inline 6 diesel does look nice... the variable geometry turbo is interesting, though I sort of prefer superchargers. From what was said about them, the turbo lag is gone with it, but... well, I like superchargers.

Oh no. I ain't a gearhead. Not at all. Don't get me started on Wankel engines... :-)

The old man would have loved to have seen that... too bad he's not around. Our last engine conversation involved trying to figure out how to take a CNG/gas powered 360 ci V8 and use a 1.3L Mazda wankel as the supercharger... I don't have anyone to talk to about that stuff anymore...