1999 Dodge Dakota R/T Keystone Shaker Hood Install
| Illustration by Jason Rushforth
In this issue, we're taking a look at the retro style that is making a comeback in the truck scene. There is just something about throwing some old-school flavor on new-school lines. One of the better trucks to apply this style is the Dodge Dakota --not only do these trucks have that musclecar look, but they also came with a musclecar motor. We happen to have a '99 R/T fitted with the 5.9L powerplant in our Sport Truck garage that is just dying to be retro-ized. Because the truck just sits around, it has been kind of a dumping ground for installs, with no real theme or direction.
That is all about to end starting with this shaker hood install. We had Jason Rushforth sketch us out a rendering to aid us on our journey to Retroville. The plan of attack is to install the Keystone shaker hood and then bolt on the Cuda exhaust package from MBRP and a set of steel wheels. Then we will turn our attention under the hood and see if some of the tricks of old will work with this computer-controlled powerplant. The Functional ram-air Shaker Scoop Good Hood from Keystone is constructed out of a fiberglass composite with a steel reinforcement for added durability. The underside panel of the hood is smooth for a complete, finished look with no raw edges or loose fiberglass "strings" to detract from appearance. The hood has a gel-coat finish for easy prep 'n' paint and mounts up to the factory hood hinges with no modifications required. The hood kit comes complete with the Shaker Scoop assembly and mounting brackets, chrome air cleaner, ram air box, instructions, and all the hardware.
We drove to Venable Kustoms in Huntington Beach, California, to have Marcel and Bret install our shaker. They will also be painting the truck as well as doing more installs, so don't be surprised if you see a lot more of them. Keep checking back because we plan on touching every part of this truck with some sort of classic musclecar element, including swapping out the cam and massaging the heads to parallel this truck with the heyday of lumpy cams and fat tires.
