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1989 Shelby Dakota facts...

bremereric

bremereric

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I went surfing today to find some facts on the 1500 Shelby Dakotas that were made in 1989...I will post some from several sites..this was from 440Magnum


89shelbydak1.jpg
1989 Shelby Dodge Dakota - Until 1989 the mid size Dodge Dakota Truck was powered only by 4 and 6 cylinder engines. Dodge changed that in "89" by adding the Dakota to the list of vehicles hopped-up by Carroll Shelby. Assembled at Shelby Industries in Whittier, CA. These trucks would be the first Dakota's to receive a V-8. They would also be the first V8 rear wheel drive vehicles built since the 1960's by Shelby.​
The Shelby Dakota started life as a standard 112-inch wheelbase Dodge Dakota Sport model. In place of the 3.9-liter V-6, Shelby added a 318 (5.2 liter) cubic inch V-8 with dual throttle body injection. The engine was rated at 175 hp at 4,000 rpm and 270 lbs.-ft. of torque at 2,000 rpm. To make the 318 fit in the Dakota, Shelby Industries had to modify the cooling system. The Dakota had no room for a standard engine driven fan. A electric fan was used to over come this.​
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The Shelby Dakota's engine also used a dual snorkel air cleaner that functioned just like older musclecars. Shelby then plumbed the primary snorkel to the grill for cooler air. A four-speed automatic linked to a 3.91-geared Sure-Grip differential rounded out the drivetrain. The heavy-duty suspension was carried over directly from the V6 Dakota Sport and featured Shelby five-spoke aluminum wheels with Goodyear Eagle GT+4s in 225/70HR-15.
On the outside, the Shelby Dakota was available in red or white. The package included a deep front air dam with integrated driving lights, Blacked out trim, Fiberglass light bar, Bold Shelby graphics down the sides including V8 graphics on each fender, Shelby Windsheild Logo and a chrome Shelby logo on the grill.
The interiors on the Shelby Dakota's were identical, the package included a leather wrapped steering wheel with Shelby logo. Shelby dash plaques, Shelby logo cloth inserts on the seats and door panels. Performance was reported at 0-60 in 8.7 seconds and the quarter mile in 16.5 seconds at 82mph. List price for the Dodge Dakota Shelby was $15,813 plus freight. The Shelby Dakota was only available for one year with production totals around 1,500. (1475 : 480 in white and 995 in red)
 
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Shelby Dakota From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chrysler Corporation
Shelby
1989
Mid-size pickup truck
2-door truck
FR layout
N-body
5.2 L LA V8
4-speed A500 automatic
Dodge Dakota


The Shelby Dakota was a limited-production performance version of the Dodge Dakota Sport pickup truck. Offered by Shelby for 1989 only, it was his first rear wheel drive vehicle in many years.
The Shelby Dakota started with a short-wheelbase, short-bed, standard-cab pickup. The 3.9 L V6 was removed in favor of the company's 5.2 L V8 with throttle-body injection. On paper, the swap looked simple since both engines were similar, but the tight space in the Dakota's engine compartment meant removing the engine-driven fan in front and using electric ones instead. Output was just Template:Convert 5000 up (to 175 hp) but torque was 270 ft·lbf (370 N·m).
Special wheels and trim proclaimed the car's heritage. At the time, it was the highest-performing pickup truck in existence, and would set the stage for later factory efforts like the GMC Syclone and Ford Lightning. Just 1,500 were built.
 
From Allpar...

Dodge Shelby Dakota pickup trucks BY JIM MAXWELL. Copyright © 1989 CSK Publications. Used by permission.

Following the formula that has become his trademark, Carroll Shelby started with a standard 112-inch wheelbase Dodge Dakota Sport model and transformed it into a true modern-day muscle truck. And he did it with V8 power. Yes, this Dakota is the first V8, rear-wheel-drive machine Shelby has built since the 1960s.
Shelby Automobiles in Whittier, California, bought vehicles from Dodge and turns them into high performance bargains that outperform vehicles costing thousands of dollars more - much the same way Shelby converted standard Mustangs during the muscle-car era. The latest vehicle to carry the Shelby marque, the 318 cubic inch (5.2 liter) fuel injected Shelby Dakota, boasts 175 hp and 270 pound-feet of torque and sells for under $16,000.
Slipping the V8 into an engine compartment that was originally designed for the 3.9 liter V6 was not as hard as it would seem, since the 3.9 liter was built on the Chrysler LA block (318/360 cubic inch) platform. Basically, the V6 is a 318-style engine less two cylinders. But the swap meant the Dakota's cooling system required a little work, as there was now no room for the standard engine-driven cooling fan between the block and the radiator. So Shelby Automobiles engineered a cooling system that operates with an electric fan mounted on the forward side of the radiator.


Other engineering breakthroughs on the Shelby Dakota include the use of an all-new V8-rated 4-speed automatic transmission. Featuring a high stall speed torque converter and rear-mounted New Process overdrive system, this transmission is one of the most complex ever produced by Chrysler. In order to provide the best possible performance, the 4-speed unit was fitted with an auxiliary transmission cooler. Power is put to the ground via a special limited-slip differential fitted with 3.90-to-1 gears. Another new feature on the Shelby truck is a unique rear-wheel anti-lock brake system that consists of a speed sensor, electronic control module and pressure-limiting valve.
To improve rebound and compression controls, nitrogen gas-charged shock absorbers were fitted to the truck, as were hollow-spoke-style 15x6-inch aluminum wheels, mounting P225/70R15 Goodyear Eagle GT+4 high performance radials.
The 3610-pound Sport Dakota was equipped with a number of other special Shelby pieces, including a three-spoke leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, "Shelby" charcoal cloth inserts in the seats and door panels and an AM/FM stereo/cassette deck with four speakers.
And a number of unique styling touches make the truck look as good as it runs. These include a light-bar extension behind the cab that's mounted to the bed of the truck, Bosch auxiliary-light-equipped front air dam, four non-color-keyed wheel lip extensions and special Shelby graphics on the hood and sides of the vehicle. The brawny V8 Dakota is available in white or red, accented with blackout front and rear bumpers, grille and trim. Small "V8" logos mounted on the front fenders and Shelby markings on the windshield and lower front grille complete the package.
With its quick off-the-line performance (0 to 60 in 8 seconds [editor's note: yes, the same as a 1995 Neon]), this truck can handle just about anything it comes up against on the road. The Goodyear GT+4 performance radials give plenty of road-gripping traction, and cornering capabilities are good thanks to the gas-charged shocks. The Shelby Dakota is a true muscle truck, which puts it in a class all by itself. And since Shelby only expects to build some 1500 units by August 1989, if you're interested, you'd better get your order in quick. [Webmaster note: this was written in Fall 1989]


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from demseybowling.com

1989 Shelby Dakota

The first of Carroll's 1989 projects raised an eyebrow, for this vehicle was obviously different from all other Dodge-based Shelbys: the Shelby Dakota marked Carroll's return to rear-wheel drive. It was based on the two-wheel drive shortbed Dakota Sport, but Shelby made some key changes.
The most talked-about change occured underhood. Out went the 125 hp 3.9 liter V6 (the top Dakota powerplant at the time) and in went the factory throttle-body injected 5.2 liter V8. Due to space limitations, there was no belt-driven engine fan; instead twin electric fans were mounted in front of the radiator. The engine otherwise is completely stock; that sole change added 5 extra horsepower and thus brought the total to 175 @ 4000 rpm; torque measured 270 lb-ft @ 2000. Redline was set at 4750 rpm. Carroll saw to it that a SHELBY V8 decal was affixed to the aircleaner housing, also.

The sole transmission backing this motor was a four speed automatic with locking torque converter. Final drive ratio was 3.91:1, and a SureGrip (limited slip diff) was installed. This hardware allowed for 0-60 runs in 8.7 seconds; the standing quarter mile was covered in 16.5 seconds at 82mph. Top speed was drag-limited to 113. These numbers may seem unimpressive compared to Shelby's turbocharged front-drivers but we must see them for what they are: we're talking about a truck here. At the time, no other pickup could match it.
Underneath, the heavy-duty suspension was carried over directly from the V6 Dakota Sport. Each wheelwell featured a Shelby five-spoke aluminum wheel wrapped in a Goodyear Eagle GT+4 size 225/70HR-15.

On the outside, only two colors were available: bright red or white. A deep airdam with integrated driving lights was installed; it, the bumper, and the grill were all painted black (as were the rear bumper and all trim pieces). A fiberglass light bar was placed behind the cab; it was painted to match the truck. There were decals along the sides which featured the Shelby name; a 'V8' decal appeared on each fender next to the turn signal, and a 'Shelby' decal was applied to the top of the windshield. The grill had a chrome SHELBY badge.

The interiors of all Shelby Dakotas - red or white - were identical. For starters, there was a Shelby leather-wrapped steering wheel. The dash was red and featured two Shelby plaques. The instrument cluster was full of guages and a four-speaker AM/FM cassette stereo was installed. A standard flat bench seat was used; it was red and had grey cloth insets with the name Shelby printed over and over. This cloth was also used in an insert in each door as well.
As with all the true Shelby vehicles, this was a one-year production. 1500 were built; the split was roughly 900-600 red-white. List price was $15,813 plus freight.
 
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