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BluRT00
11-05-2015, 12:59 PM
Like the title states? This place is a ghost town with a few of us grouchy folks roaming around, with a sprinkle of new. Do we have a idea on how to target the facebook community? I've seen plenty of crappy tech handed to those new guys on facebook and it's a flash back to early days of these trucks. Yes I know we get tired of new people, but they are what will keep this club going. It's sad the only time we can get more traffic and activity is when a poo flinging fest starts. Do I need to insult peoples momma's to get some life pumping in this place?

WhiteRT
11-05-2015, 01:20 PM
The reality is people like using facebook now. And the club will have to decide in January if spending thousands on this forum is worth it for a few posts a day.

Adobedude
11-05-2015, 01:39 PM
Give away free stuff. :rockwoot:

KTK00R/T
11-05-2015, 02:22 PM
What todd says, I truly think its easier and faster to reply and update on FB. I've mentioned it in the past, and I think Sam and Pete have talked about relinquishing the FB page to the club... or we can just make our own.

BluRT00
11-05-2015, 02:40 PM
If we go strictly Facebook then you might as well forget the knowledge database we already have on here. Plus Facebook sucks on keeping stuff pinned and easy to find. That will kill whatever we have for information. How about the registration stuff gets streamlined and doesn't take days and weeks. Cause I remember seeing some facebook users saying that. Come on guys lets make a effort, not saying you aren't. Just feel like we all are sitting back hiding in our garages and not giving a crap about making this place big like it once was.

KTK00R/T
11-05-2015, 03:14 PM
If we go strictly Facebook then you might as well forget the knowledge database we already have on here. Plus Facebook sucks on keeping stuff pinned and easy to find. That will kill whatever we have for information. How about the registration stuff gets streamlined and doesn't take days and weeks. Cause I remember seeing some facebook users saying that. Come on guys lets make a effort, not saying you aren't. Just feel like we all are sitting back hiding in our garages and not giving a crap about making this place big like it once was.

I wouldn't say get rid of the site entirely, but it's obvious the majority of folks like the convenience. Try this. Time how long it takes to open your phone, open face book, navigate to the group, and ask a question - see how quick and how many responses you get. Now try and open your phone, navigate to DRTC.com, find a forum, post that same question and see what you get.

My point is, I don't think you are going to drive people here, without having a presence somewhere else, and pointing to a forum from facebook isn't really going to get it either.

That being said, an option would be instead of a group page, we could look at a formal page like a business. Then posts made by the "club" are on the front, IE your announcements, and posts made to the page are view able by members?

Throwing topics out there, but you gotta follow the people, not just hope they go to a forum and sign up.

Steve '02CC
11-05-2015, 04:21 PM
This site is a better format for handing the kind of content it handles. A Facebook page is highly disorganized in comparison because a thread asking for the best spark plug gets the same priority as everything else and then a day or two later it's gone. A Facebook page feels like McDonald's while a site like this feels like a sit down restaurant.

I think this club needs a presence on the trendy social media sites, but sometimes it seems like people think that the internet is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (and is ugly yellowed blurry square photos), and nothing more.

DreadPirateBanjo
11-05-2015, 05:08 PM
I don't and won't do facebook

Duner
11-05-2015, 05:27 PM
I don't do Facebook.

I will admit that my enthusiasm for this site got killed during the last regime.
i'll try to make more of an effort to visit and post.

blackknight
11-05-2015, 05:44 PM
No Facebook!

99dart
11-05-2015, 06:18 PM
I don't do Facebook.

I will admit that my enthusiasm for this site got killed during the last regime.
i'll try to make more of an effort to visit and post.

What you said... And, people are so critical of what is being posted anymore. It's hard to be enthusiastic when you know your post is going to get pissed on!

PeteRT
11-05-2015, 06:31 PM
Facebook and this forum are different animals. As a member here, I would rather that the riffraff noob questions get contained on Facebook and not dilute the integrity of the forum and the database we've already built. It works well for that purpose. People join the FB pages, either out of general interest, or because they're new to a truck and have a simple question they know they'll get a fast answer to. Facebook makes it easy to ignore that stuff if you don't want to see it. You simply just scroll past it, or setup no notifications from the page. You can be sure, one of the few thousand members will feel at liberty to answer whatever simple question was asked. There are enough OG regular contributors there that keep the misinformation to a minimum. If you're a true R/T enthusiast- you belong on this forum. As someone stated, this place is a sit-down restaurant and FB is a drive-thru. Each have their utility. We did offer full, no strings attached control, of both the Classifieds page and the Owners Group page to the DRTC but the topic was indefinitely tabled. I told my rep the offer was good until the end of October, and haven't heard back about it. So, Jason Weltch and I (sam quit) will just continue to do what we do: Approve members, delete spam, and try to keep the pages on topic. Many people join both pages simultaneously, but our visibility on Facebook is 2,359 for the Owners Group, and 2,208 are on Classifieds. If a goal of the DRTC is to increase membership, there is not a single better place to do it than Facebook, it's just that no one really does. I welcome any club member or exec to jump onto the page to promote the DRTC, its meets, or merchandise.

If you haven't stopped by, you are missing out on some awesome trucks you won't see on the forum. Every so often we do a photo contest, and some beautiful works of art come out of the woodwork.

This is the R/T Owners Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dakotart/
Here are the R/T Classifieds: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DakotaRTpartsPage/

OldKota
11-05-2015, 08:52 PM
No Facebook!

x2, I only go on there once a week to delete all the stupid notifications... I am a member of other FB Dakota pages but I also never go to them, except of course to delete the stupid notifcations I get... not even sure why I have facebook really

Mark
11-05-2015, 09:09 PM
No Face book here.

BluRT00
11-05-2015, 09:43 PM
Glad to see I'm not the only one that feels that way. I just see guys putting effort in clothing, calendars ect on the facebook pages. When we need new blood like that to be on this site and keep people coming back. Not causing a shit slinging battle, about the past group leaving a bitter taste in some of our mouths. We need to kick some of the OG guys in the ass and get them back on here. Both sides have seen each others points and are working to move along. Hell I GOT BANNED!, and am back and trying to get this sites interest like it used to be few years back. So Pat kick that fluffy guy with the huskies in the ass and get him back on here. Blaine I know you work a bunch, but it would be nice to see you back on here posting on what's happening with the black beast.

As for the facebook pages, what if we had the DRTC logo as the banner with the website address? The facebook crowd has a bad view of this club and site, and I've seen some really nice trucks on there that are not on here. So let's keep the idea's flowing.

PeteRT
11-05-2015, 10:12 PM
The ownership of these trucks has shifted from decently well-off people that bought new or slightly used years ago, to being picked up for a few grand by teenagers as their first car. The club needs to figure out how to appeal to and absorb 2nd, 3rd, 4th owners of these trucks.

BluRT00
11-05-2015, 10:17 PM
The ownership of these trucks has shifted from decently well-off people that bought new or slightly used years ago, to being picked up for a few grand by teenagers as their first car. The club needs to figure out how to appeal to and absorb 2nd, 3rd, 4th owners of these trucks.

Well looks like so far we need to figure out how to have a better post notification option that is easy to enable to the newer people on here. Also seen a thread on here where some of you guys are making a FAQ pinned type post for generic answers. If we got something that well organized, I bet we can get more people to come here to read up. I did like how you put this place is like a FSM. I did see some saying they think this place is strictly Dakota R/T's only allowed.

Osee
11-05-2015, 10:19 PM
The ownership of these trucks has shifted from decently well-off people that bought new or slightly used years ago, to being picked up for a few grand by teenagers as their first car. The club needs to figure out how to appeal to and absorb 2nd, 3rd, 4th owners of these trucks.

Budget go fast parts. With how far turbos have come, I really feel we're still over paying for boosted applications. I think we can come up with something better.

BluRT00
11-05-2015, 10:25 PM
Budget go fast parts. With how far turbos have come, I really feel we're still over paying for boosted applications. I think we can come up with something better.

It's called the Mopar tax mixed with the Dakota tax. It blows, and in time things will get cheaper for these trucks I'm sure. Hell FlyinRyan is trying to put a turbo kit together for our trucks.

Steve '02CC
11-05-2015, 10:27 PM
There is some redundancy between the two groups, and I think part of the reason some people are Facebook-only is that there's an urban legend going around that you have to pay to partake in this website. I even know someone who claims to have tried to sign up but was blocked by a step requiring he pay to join.

I know it sounds like imposing work onto someone else, but I think the DRTC needs to create a profile on all of these social media sites even if it doesn't use them heavily. We at least need to have control of the obvious names so that someone else can't grab it. You never know when someone might get disgruntled about this club and create a group under this name on one of those sites to cause trouble. Hell, maybe this could be a new board position "Social Media Director" or whatever and their job would be to update and manage the social media sites. For example, they could post club-oriented tweets on Twitter of things like upcoming events, votes, group buys, etc. Maybe vBulletin has a way to post recent activity on these sites on the homepage. The Dakota RT is so old it has reached the price point of young drivers, and youngsters today are all about that Facebook.

Members also need to ensure they reach out to others in their area that they spot by at least putting a "You've been spotted" card in their windshield.

I think this club is a long way away from the inactivity of sites like dakotausa.com had in the years preceding its deaths, but we should take advantage of the relative health of the club to get things going again before it cannot be reversed.

BluRT00
11-05-2015, 10:31 PM
There is some redundancy between the two groups, and I think part of the reason some people are Facebook-only is that there's an urban legend going around that you have to pay to partake in this website. I even know someone who claims to have tried to sign up but was blocked by a step requiring he pay to join.

I know it sounds like imposing work onto someone else, but I think the DRTC needs to create a profile on all of these social media sites even if it doesn't use them heavily. We at least need to have control of the obvious names so that someone else can't grab it. You never know when someone might get disgruntled about this club and create a group under this name on one of those sites to cause trouble. Hell, maybe this could be a new board position "Social Media Director" or whatever and their job would be to update and manage the social media sites. For example, they could post club-oriented tweets on Twitter of things like upcoming events, votes, group buys, etc. Maybe vBulletin has a way to post recent activity on these sites on the homepage. The Dakota RT is so old it has reached the price point of young drivers, and youngsters today are all about that Facebook.

Members also need to ensure they reach out to others in their area that they spot by at least putting a "You've been spotted" card in their windshield.

I think this club is a long way away from the inactivity of sites like dakotausa.com had in the years preceding its deaths, but we should take advantage of the relative health of the club to get things going again before it cannot be reversed.

I'd be down to help with the posting of the media stuff if no one else in a higher position doesn't want it. Though you are dead on with your thoughts Steve.

DreadPirateBanjo
11-05-2015, 10:45 PM
It also probably wouldn't hurt to try and make a group appearance at some local cruz-ins in your areas. I know when I go to any around here I'm the only Dakota there. Doesn't draw much attention. But if you had a small group together then It will be more noticed. It worked for a VW club I was a member of in the past. ('67 convertible, fully custom). We would meet at a given local then arrive all together. The crowds would instantly flock around and that gave the perfect opportunity to promote the club.

Steve '02CC
11-05-2015, 10:53 PM
The other day I saw a Chevy SSR got curious about their community. I did a little research and found a lot of similarities between it and the Dakota RT - it had a small production of only about 24,000 trucks, had a distinct look, was considered overweight for a race truck, released for only a few years, and has been discontinued for around a decade. Of course the SSR didn't have different variations that were produced in hundreds of thousands of units like ours or a popular SUV that stole its front end, but there are still a lot of similarities.

Their forum, http://www.ssrfanatic.com/forum, seems similar to ours but it seems to have a lot more activity and it also seems like the enthusiasts get together a lot more than here. It just makes me wonder what is going on over there that makes them more active than we are. I kinda want to talk to one and pick their brains and find out what seems to work for them.

Steve '02CC
11-05-2015, 10:58 PM
It also probably wouldn't hurt to try and make a group appearance at some local cruz-ins in your areas. I know when I go to any around here I'm the only Dakota there. Doesn't draw much attention. But if you had a small group together then It will be more noticed. It worked for a VW club I was a member of in the past. ('67 convertible, fully custom). We would meet at a given local then arrive all together. The crowds would instantly flock around and that gave the perfect opportunity to promote the club.

Kinda off topic, but about 5 years ago I knew someone who was a VW fan and told me about an upcoming meet in Daytona Beach, and I decided to go see it. It was really fun because there had to be between 100-200 Bugs and vans all around decked out in different ways. My favorite was a Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine van. It was a groovy event!

BluRT00
11-05-2015, 11:02 PM
A younger member pointed me in a direction of a car forum that is very active. Yes I know it's for a newer model car, but claims it has the tapatalk feature for the forum(Mobile friendly software). Also is linked to facebook ect... and has a bunch of active members. If any execs want to check it out, check out http://www.focusst.org/

BluRT00
11-05-2015, 11:03 PM
Kinda off topic, but about 5 years ago I knew someone who was a VW fan and told me about an upcoming meet in Daytona Beach, and I decided to go see it. It was really fun because there had to be between 100-200 Bugs and vans all around decked out in different ways. My favorite was a Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine van. It was a groovy event!

Hmmmm maybe we will have some Dakota owners roll up on our misfit selves this weekend in Ocala. :jester:

WhiteRT
11-05-2015, 11:05 PM
Steve look in their vehicles for sale section, the answer is obvious.....the first 6 threads have 3 ssr below 5k miles and asking 35 grand!!!!!!!!! There was an rt with 700 miles about 18 months ago the guy couldn't give away. Bottom line is those people give a shit about the condition of their ssr trucks, our trucks I bet 70% of them are hammered to the point an ssr guy would consider it an embarrassment to ride in let alone own. The bottom line is the actions of a few execs in years past seems to be the reiterated theme both here and fb for people not wanting to have a thing to do with the drtc. Not sure that's fixable since the majority have moved on and have no desire to come back :idunno:

BluRT00
11-05-2015, 11:11 PM
Steve look in their vehicles for sale section, the answer is obvious.....the first 6 threads have 3 ssr below 5k miles and asking 35 grand!!!!!!!!! There was an rt with 700 miles about 18 months ago the guy couldn't give away. Bottom line is those people give a shit about the condition of their ssr trucks, our trucks I bet 70% of them are hammered to the point an ssr guy would consider it an embarrassment to ride in let alone own. The bottom line is the actions of a few execs in years past seems to be the reiterated theme both here and fb for people not wanting to have a thing to do with the drtc. Not sure that's fixable since the majority have moved on and have no desire to come back :idunno:

Let's try and change it one last time? We learned from our mistakes, update the site some with the times.

Corey
11-05-2015, 11:12 PM
I purchased my R/T from a Member here, all I have learned about my R/T the information came from here, any part upgrades/recommendations came from here, all other R/T Members I have met from here, any meets I have been to (OK just one) I heard about it from here... Seeing a pattern? I see the FB Page, and have joined, but I see it as more like a chat room, for instant responses, because now-a-days more people check FB before they check their e-mail. I am on there, but have used it less and less over the years. I have seen how ugly my past girlfriends have aged, and have reconnected with a lot of older friends on FB, but sites like this should be here to stay.

Getting a few sarcastic replies from here are common, probably because it's all been done/asked before, and maybe a little due to the nature of the questions like "What oil do I use?". I agree, more should search before they ask, and you can tell them, but today everyone wants to know the answer. No one wants to buy a service manual, and read it. I have the whole set of them for my 2000, and refer to them a lot, but I am not everyone. I do see a lot of the same questions asked here, so I just pass onto. If there is anything I think that information useful to someone, I'll write about it. For instance, my smog issue was an sys opener, and so was replacing the rear calipers and rotors on my SSBS rear Disc Brake Kit.

I do like to see what others have done through pictures when they do repairs, or upgrades. That makes it interesting to read and see. The more miles I put on mine, I wonder what I will be doing next, before I have done everything. Aagin all of this is just me, but if I want a n answer to a technical question, I'll visit this place first, because chances are, it has been done before and posted here.

Nothing against the Facebook Page, and I know it is there, but it will be my third go-to place if needed, after the factory service manual, and after asling here.

Steve '02CC
11-06-2015, 12:02 AM
I hope it is fixable, but if it isn't it just shows how important it is to work to bring new owners into the club.

KTK00R/T
11-06-2015, 12:04 AM
I'd brand the Facebook page - or do we create a DRTC one specific, heck that might create a marketing tool instead of just changing the current one. People might be go hey... There IS a club.

At least link the current one.
Look into tapatalk. I think of myself as pretty technically advanced. Technology is in my title at work... But I can't say I've used tapatalk.

Steve '02CC
11-06-2015, 12:08 AM
I'd think it would be easier to repurpose an already established, and active, Dakota RT Facebook group than it would be to create a brand new one that would compete with an already established group.

Osee
11-06-2015, 12:12 AM
Steve look in their vehicles for sale section, the answer is obvious.....the first 6 threads have 3 ssr below 5k miles and asking 35 grand!!!!!!!!! There was an rt with 700 miles about 18 months ago the guy couldn't give away. Bottom line is those people give a shit about the condition of their ssr trucks, our trucks I bet 70% of them are hammered to the point an ssr guy would consider it an embarrassment to ride in let alone own. The bottom line is the actions of a few execs in years past seems to be the reiterated theme both here and fb for people not wanting to have a thing to do with the drtc. Not sure that's fixable since the majority have moved on and have no desire to come back :idunno:

I'd be embarrassed to drive an SSR with 1 mile on it

KTK00R/T
11-06-2015, 12:14 AM
I'd think it would be easier to repurpose an already established, and active, Dakota RT Facebook group than it would be to create a brand new one that would compete with an already established group.

It absolutely would. But a little weird. But very easy.

Osee
11-06-2015, 12:21 AM
It's called the Mopar tax mixed with the Dakota tax. It blows, and in time things will get cheaper for these trucks I'm sure. Hell FlyinRyan is trying to put a turbo kit together for our trucks.

I't only 10 times more expensive than a set of LS turbo headers, a set of forward facing cheapo's with a vband would be the way to go. :stirringthepot:

slammedR/T
11-06-2015, 12:29 AM
I'm a dick on FB pages because 95% of the people there are total dumb fucks!!! how they live and breath everyday is beyond me. Only a handful of people on there get my un-sarcastic attention when an actual legible and intelligently asked question comes along.

Also I'm Chad Spicer on there and your welcome

slammedR/T
11-06-2015, 12:30 AM
Make a new FB page and have it moderated according to brain level as the current pages are full of trolls and retards

KTK00R/T
11-06-2015, 12:33 AM
Make a new FB page and have it moderated according to brain level as the current pages are full of trolls and retards

I'm with that guy. It's kind of the "intelligent" page. But a bit more of the club atmosphere.

sean'03
11-06-2015, 01:25 AM
I check into the forum everyday an learn a lot of info off here... I also have no fb an it the forum goes that way I'll kno nothing obout the rt's

BluRT00
11-06-2015, 01:44 AM
Good suggestions guys.

Steve '02CC
11-06-2015, 05:18 AM
I'm a dick on FB pages because 95% of the people there are total dumb fucks!!! how they live and breath everyday is beyond me.

When I swap out my v6 and 42re with the v8 and 46re what modifications are needed so that my cup holder will still work? I heard that the little arms need stronger springs to handle the g-forces.

slammedR/T
11-06-2015, 06:14 AM
When I swap out my v6 and 42re with the v8 and 46re what modifications are needed so that my cup holder will still work? I heard that the little arms need stronger springs to handle the g-forces.

I suggest you find a bridge and jump off it, your welcome.

Steve '02CC
11-06-2015, 07:23 AM
i suggest you find a bridge and jump off it, your welcome.

lol

Kingst3r
11-06-2015, 12:29 PM
If people would start posting up stuff they are doing to their trucks (with pictures), it would give us something to read. I am guilty of it too though.

KTK00R/T
11-06-2015, 02:11 PM
If people would start posting up stuff they are doing to their trucks (with pictures), it would give us something to read. I am guilty of it too though.

I'll drink a little tonight and see what I can come up with..

1995dak
11-06-2015, 04:07 PM
I'll drink a little tonight and see what I can come up with..

Uh oh. No good can come of this. :jester:

BluRT00
11-06-2015, 04:27 PM
If people would start posting up stuff they are doing to their trucks (with pictures), it would give us something to read. I am guilty of it too though.

This weekend a bunch of us are getting together. So there will be plenty of pictures of some R/T's and Dakota's for you guys to look at. :rockwoot:

BluRT00
11-06-2015, 04:27 PM
Uh oh. No good can come of this. :jester:

Hopefully he isn't one of those guys that enjoy's taking selfies of his down low. No one want's to see that.

KTK00R/T
11-06-2015, 05:08 PM
Hopefully he isn't one of those guys that enjoy's taking selfies of his down low. No one want's to see that.

That's not what you said to me on FB

6speedrt
11-06-2015, 05:12 PM
Uh oh. No good can come of this. :jester:

What do you mean? This is when some of the most interesting engineering ideas are created.:roflmao:

Hugh Jassole
11-06-2015, 05:42 PM
I don't and won't do facebook


Agreed :biggthumpup:

Steve '02CC
11-06-2015, 07:36 PM
K
What do you mean? This is when some of the most interesting engineering ideas are created.:roflmao:

That angle is really the only way to take a good pic of someone with their head up their ass! :jester:

1995dak
11-06-2015, 07:48 PM
What do you mean? This is when some of the most interesting engineering ideas are created.:roflmao:

:jester: Very true. Kinda like "Hey, yall watch this"

usedandabused02
11-07-2015, 02:43 AM
When we think about how old these trucks are there is a lot of 3,4,5th owners and most people arent modding them so no need to post or join. They dont have the following mustang camaro has or even lightnings and lets face it not as easy to get power. Didnt say not possible just not as cheap. I have the 3rd r/t in my neighborhood alone but 1 is bone stock cc 1 is all stock motor cc with Hotchkis suspension and my light mod rc. My friends use theirs for towing their toys and daily life so they wont mod them. I think thats where most r/ts are in life now only a few of us never lost the spirit. Here in NC i have seen more r/ts than any other state (not a statistic) but like even most mustangs, they are mostly stock. I always thought to myself, if my r/t was on street outlaws everyone would want one. People dont want to be different anymore thats why they use facebook, see what someone else thinks :dumbass234:

KTK00R/T
11-07-2015, 01:34 PM
I'd say if you follow the posts on FB there is still a willingness to mod them to a significant degree. But there is minimal club presence.

Mark
11-07-2015, 03:01 PM
When we think about how old these trucks are there is a lot of 3,4,5th owners and most people arent modding them so no need to post or join. They dont have the following mustang camaro has or even lightnings and lets face it not as easy to get power. Didnt say not possible just not as cheap. I have the 3rd r/t in my neighborhood alone but 1 is bone stock cc 1 is all stock motor cc with Hotchkis suspension and my light mod rc. My friends use theirs for towing their toys and daily life so they wont mod them. I think thats where most r/ts are in life now only a few of us never lost the spirit. Here in NC i have seen more r/ts than any other state (not a statistic) but like even most mustangs, they are mostly stock. I always thought to myself, if my r/t was on street outlaws everyone would want one. People dont want to be different anymore thats why they use facebook, see what someone else thinks :dumbass234:
You can mod them and still use them everyday Mine is my daily in dry weather.

hskr
11-07-2015, 08:25 PM
If the drtc were to do Facebook, it needs to be a completely new group send up and moderated by 2-3 execs. Not the entire exec board. Maybe make that a position On the board as mentioned before. Also before I left the Dakota groups on Facebook, there was a lot of people who thought the R/T owners group WAS an official DRTC page. I left the Facebook group because one as just filled with highschool shit talking by a few trying to prove they were better than others, and the other(which became the classified group) was filled with people asking about light bulbs and which wheels looked best. And she. They made the decision to make one an R/T only group for talking and the other a classifieds only group it just made it even worse. Just got tired of the bs on both groups. Also if the drtc wants to put its best foot forward, execs need to be held to the same standards when posting to any Facebook group as they are here on the forum in regard to thier actions and how they treat others.

hskr
11-07-2015, 08:30 PM
But as tonhow to get activity up here, promote the forum more. Especially in the Facebook groups. Having a lot more stickys with technical I do to make it easy to find answers to common question, and instead of telling people to use the search, or belittlingnthem for asking easy question, you can direct them to the stickys if they apply, or so.old a seed the question. Some people spend more time bitching about the people asking the questions than it would take to just answer it with correct info.

Get rid of the mobile version of the forum and install Tapatalk add on. I know a few who don't use the forum because the mobile version sucks a d they only use their phones for internet. And not being familiar with forums they don't know how to change the it to the normal full webpage, which is what I use because the mobile version sucks so much for navigation and finding posts.

FlyinRyan
11-08-2015, 12:44 AM
I't only 10 times more expensive than a set of LS turbo headers, a set of forward facing cheapo's with a vband would be the way to go. :stirringthepot:

Funny, the KB racing manifolds cost as much as what we are projecting ours to be.
The "LS is so much cheaper" argument doesn't hold much water.

madboy
11-08-2015, 03:05 AM
The ownership of these trucks has shifted from decently well-off people that bought new or slightly used years ago, to being picked up for a few grand by teenagers as their first car. The club needs to figure out how to appeal to and absorb 2nd, 3rd, 4th owners of these trucks.

I'm not so sure the majority of the club really wants to do that... Maybe painful but likely true. Lots of OGs just do not like tolerating the "newbies".

Also I posted the link for the meet 3 or 4 times on the FB group but it was buried what felt like instantly.

Also, I'm not sure who dropped the ball on taking over the FB site but I for one never heard a line was drawn in the sand of "end of October". I think a constant link to this page would be helpful but anyone who thinks this page or the club will ever be what it once was is delusional. The club will stay small and likely maintain 100 to 150 members as it has for the last several years. A national meet at this point is becoming highly unlikely. Small local gatherings are about all that is realistic at this point IMO.

hskr
11-08-2015, 04:45 AM
Having more smaller regional meets will actually draw more attention and help with getting membership as opposed to one large national meet. But they need to be promoted regionally, and not just on the forum. Get flyers made up and hung up around the area of the meet. Find local car groups to post info on outside of the DRTC. Get more people involved. Maybe sponsor a local bracket race, set up car shows, get the clubs name out there again. Some people don't really know what they have when they buy a R/T. They just see it as a V8 Dakota.

Corey
11-08-2015, 02:54 PM
I don't know if this will help, but most companies have a "Live Chat" icon on their home page to let all know someone is there and logged in. This website place could have that to let members know when one of the Division Members, or Moderators are on here, so they can ask a question, and get an answer. If none of them are online here, then the icon would be off. No one has to be on it 24 hours a day, just when anyone in the selected group is here, they can choose to sign in to this Live Chat if they want. Having people sign up for this site will still filter out just anyone from asking. Something to think about?

If there is something like this already, then please disregard this suggestion. :dumbass234:

Osee
11-08-2015, 06:35 PM
Funny, the KB racing manifolds cost as much as what we are projecting ours to be.
The "LS is so much cheaper" argument doesn't hold much water.

No disrespect Ryan, I was just saying there still isn't an el-cheapo chines option for turbo headers yet, quite simply because of the lack of market.

PeteRT
11-08-2015, 07:57 PM
I'm not so sure the majority of the club really wants to do that... Maybe painful but likely true. Lots of OGs just do not like tolerating the "newbies".

Also I posted the link for the meet 3 or 4 times on the FB group but it was buried what felt like instantly.

Also, I'm not sure who dropped the ball on taking over the FB site but I for one never heard a line was drawn in the sand of "end of October". I think a constant link to this page would be helpful but anyone who thinks this page or the club will ever be what it once was is delusional. The club will stay small and likely maintain 100 to 150 members as it has for the last several years. A national meet at this point is becoming highly unlikely. Small local gatherings are about all that is realistic at this point IMO.

I don't understand how the DRTC doesn't want new membership. Some of you apparently just want to hang out here with each other, indefinitely. That's fine I guess, but I don't think you have the pulse of the majority you speak for. The club will certainly never resemble any feature of its former self with that attitude. Can the guys that don't like new people keep the lights on around here? Because…. If you don't get new membership, I hope you are retaining 100% of everyone else to pay the bills.

BluRT00
11-08-2015, 10:35 PM
I would like to add these trucks still have a following and even this weekend at a Mopar show we had a OG member flag us down. Guy's name was Harry, and he was in the 20's on his DRTC member number. He was at the meet in Topeka, and at the meet where you guys had it at the plant that made our trucks. He's from LA and might be signing back onto this site, with a new name( he forgot his password and email). He had a yellow 2000 RT, so there still is passion with these trucks. I really like the idea of regional meets stated, updating the site to be mobile friendly. The live chat is another cool idea, and a Facebook logo with more DRTC involvement is a must. We can get this club back to strong numbers, granted will never be like it was when these trucks were new.

Mark
11-08-2015, 11:47 PM
I'm newbie but I feel the need to chime in. I have always wanted an R/T since Duner and I raced in the final of the Mopar shoot out SW way back when. His little Dakota was not only running in the regular bracket but a special Dakota race at the same time. I watched him kick ass in both races and bolt his street tires on and drive back to Pheonix.
Needless to to say I needed an R/T . It took me several years and a lot of looking to find my truck.
So here I am in love with stupid little truck that puts asmile on my face when I get behind the wheel..I'm hooked.
The passion is still there.

Filthy Filbert
11-09-2015, 03:38 AM
If people would start posting up stuff they are doing to their trucks (with pictures), it would give us something to read. I am guilty of it too though.

My truck is 'done' for the most part. Not doing anything to it worth posting. I've shared everything I've done with mine. One of the real issues is that there just isn't a lot of money in the hobby. New guys WANT to mod these trucks, but can't afford more than a cold air intake. Or the knowledge base to understand that you can't just throw a big cam at a stock motor and expect it to make real power.
They want to make 400 hp but can't afford $700 headers, $700 heads, $500 intake, a $500 throttle body, $500 cam kit, and $500 tuning/data logging equipment.

clrwatrtomsrt
11-10-2015, 09:03 PM
When I swap out my v6 and 42re with the v8 and 46re what modifications are needed so that my cup holder will still work? I heard that the little arms need stronger springs to handle the g-forces.

Where is bic and my clorox.?
uncle tommy

clrwatrtomsrt
11-10-2015, 09:06 PM
lol

There they are! LOL!!!!!

clrwatrtomsrt
11-10-2015, 09:08 PM
Agreed :biggthumpup:

Ditto!

Lonesoldier79
11-10-2015, 11:47 PM
FB is convenient because you get an update when you subscribe to a page. Our site sends an email here and there when subscribed to a thread. My experience with FB is an abortion when it comes to good information. Its 10x's worse than here with needless bs comments and the same can be said for RM. There are a lot more guys on FB with RT's who conveniently participate with their meaningless banter. People who are serious about their build come here and to RM for the right info whether they join or not. I think it just goes to show who's doing what in the RT world. What we need is someway to say hey were here and we have what you're looking for. RM is a great place for anything magnum, but this is the Dakota RT place to go and now that we have die hard RM guys back into out fold, we just need to keep trucking and hold true to club. At the very least we collect enough dues to fund the site and as long as we have guys like Todd who can Webmaster there is hope. I'm a member of the FB group, but most of the posts as replies are duplicate posts from here and RM or aren't worth responding to. FB is good for many things, but this platform is the best out there for our hobby IMO.

KyleDedrick
11-11-2015, 01:23 PM
Appealing to 2nd/3rd/4th owners that are young. Facebook. Sorry but most teenagers now don't browse the internet haha it's Facebook.

Make a club specific fb page, and direct people to this forum for stickies and shit

jweltch
11-11-2015, 02:48 PM
The forums are a much easier place to find information as it's organized in a format that is much easier to browse and search through - as well as find old (but still relevant) information. With a little bit of patience, thick skin, and use of the search features there is A LOT of good information on RM, by the way. That being said the site is not dedicated to the Dakota R/T so the point is moot unless you're searching for something specific to the drivetrain or suspension.

The Facebook groups occasionally have a few good gems of information but usually get buried in a matter of minutes or hours. Pete and I have to stay on top of the two groups we admin just to try to keep it from being swamped with spammers, and people who don't know (or read) the rules. Typically this make us (mostly me) "the bad guys" for deleting off topic posts. I believe if the DRTC gets a Facebook group that it should primarily be used as a "front page" for announcements and pictures with multiple references to the forum.

Broo42
11-11-2015, 08:01 PM
I'm not a huge fan of the FB pages. I prefer the forum setup. It's much easier to find information. The FB groups tend to get derailed with the first reply. A lot of really silly questions get asked on those pages. And I've seen how those get answered here. It's even worse on the group pages. Some of the people on those pages(also members of the club) leave a bad impression on non members with negative responses to simple questions. Or snide remarks when they post a picture or video of their truck. FB just brings out the worst keyboard warrior in everyone.

Osee
11-12-2015, 01:21 AM
I'm not a huge fan of the FB pages. I prefer the forum setup. It's much easier to find information. The FB groups tend to get derailed with the first reply. A lot of really silly questions get asked on those pages. And I've seen how those get answered here. It's even worse on the group pages. Some of the people on those pages(also members of the club) leave a bad impression on non members with negative responses to simple questions. Or snide remarks when they post a picture or video of their truck. FB just brings out the worst keyboard warrior in everyone.

I agree. The website is much more professional, and well laid out. In my opinion a FaceBook page will never be able to do what a dedicated forum was built to do. I feel a way to integrate posts to facebook would help boost site traffic. But Facebook is starting to become something people of my generation are starting to shy away from because, "NO ONE WANT'S TO KNOW THAT YOUR DAUGHTER GOT HER FIRST PERIOD!!!"

I personally think the website is well laid out and functions beautifully. I especially like the "what's new" button :hail: we just need some better publicity.

I personally haven't used my facebook account in 7 years because I personally view Facebook as stupid, I use other social media platforms.

Steve '02CC
11-12-2015, 01:37 AM
I personally haven't used my facebook account in 7 years because I personally view Facebook as stupid, I use other social media platforms.


But if you want to post a blurry yellowed photo of the latte your Dakota drank for lunch then Facebook is the way to go.

slammedR/T
11-12-2015, 07:37 AM
Brian Cropp blocked me on facebook, so maybe facebook isn't such a bad idea after all.... :finger:

Hugh Jassole
11-12-2015, 12:14 PM
Brian Cropp blocked me on facebook, so maybe facebook isn't such a bad idea after all.... :finger:

And this is a bad thing, how ? :jester:

Adobedude
11-12-2015, 01:43 PM
Brian Cropp blocked me on facebook, so maybe facebook isn't such a bad idea after all.... :finger:

Quit bragging....

Occupy Democrats blocked me. :roflmao:

KTK00R/T
11-12-2015, 01:57 PM
Appealing to 2nd/3rd/4th owners that are young. Facebook. Sorry but most teenagers now don't browse the internet haha it's Facebook.

Make a club specific fb page, and direct people to this forum for stickies and shit

this.

Adobedude
11-12-2015, 01:59 PM
Like I said....

http://www.dakotart.com/forum/showthread.php?35615-What-can-we-do-to-get-this-site-kicking-again&p=487334&viewfull=1#post487334

WhiteRT
11-12-2015, 04:53 PM
:roflmao:

And this is a bad thing, how ? :jester:


Its been 10 hours since the original post was made and no reply from him yet? :idunno:

Motorhead
11-13-2015, 04:06 PM
It's no secret the FBI has been profiling people on Facebook, I really don't need my truck profiled too. :drums1:

Mark
11-13-2015, 07:52 PM
They have been profiling everyone everywhere, Hell my credit/debit cards have chips....even my dogs have chips........Big bro is watching! :secret squirrel:

Steve '02CC
11-13-2015, 08:33 PM
My Doritos have chips too. :dazed:

hskr
11-13-2015, 11:10 PM
Any my bologna has a first name.

Motorhead
11-29-2015, 05:06 PM
The reality is people like using facebook now. And the club will have to decide in January if spending thousands on this forum is worth it for a few posts a day.



It's more than just a few posts a day....
Let's not forget it's a library and a wealth of information for the Dakota R/T that needs to stored somewhere......and for who better than us???
There are a few deals that pop up in the for sale section so I go there when my pocket allows me...lol.
It's nice having parts sources and links here not to mention our site supporting parts/service vendors.

The glory days are gone for this truck and most all of us have gotten older and had kids.
Dodge no longer makes the Dakota not to mention R/T Dakota.

Giving away free stuff is basically bribing people to come hang out for the wrong reasons.
When the free stuff runs out then what??

Our numbers will continue to shrink unless another group with similar interests combines with us. This is where DakDur shines. I know most won't listen to what I'm saying but the truth hurts sometimes. DakDur is all inclusive of many models, years and of the suv Durango. We need to do something similar to build solid numbers. Granted we don't need some of the crap from the other sites, but this site should be trying to win over the legits.

Facebook might bring some traffic, but think about this.....
Someone only interested in FB is not gonna pony up and pay member dues much less contribute anything substantial to the club.
But, in keeping an open mind, I don't think there's anything wrong with linking an official FB page to this site. I would NOT hold my breath anticipating any real change in membership.

The way I see it, Facebook is for people who want and need attention. DakotaRtClub is for the attention of the our R/T trucks.


For solid numbers we need to be looking for other website club members to win over not FB groups to link here.

Todd, I'm using your quote as a spring board so please don't take this post personal. :)

hskr
11-29-2015, 10:27 PM
Problem with your dak-dur comparison is that even dak-dur forum is almost as dead as this one, so its not like we would get any significsnt increase in membership or activity by expanding or joining the two together.

Motorhead
11-29-2015, 10:57 PM
Problem with your dak-dur comparison is that even dak-dur forum is almost as dead as this one, so its not like we would get any significsnt increase in membership or activity by expanding or joining the two together.

It was just a comparison or an example. Could be anything Ram , van or 5.9

JrRed23
01-06-2016, 06:13 PM
I know I'm bringing back a thread that hasn't been active for a little bit but I'm up for helping out getting a FB page out there so that people can actually find a way to navigate here to Actual good information. People on here that don't have it or like going to FB don't have to but its a way to show people that were out here and its not all just Z coded trucks. This site im sure has drove people to want R/Ts, restore, build, and maybe swap to a better motor for there Dakota platform. If we don't keep this site alive we loose a lot of good archived information. :r/t smile:

GodspeedStudios
01-08-2016, 02:41 AM
the club needs a Youtube channel. members can post their videos to their own account and the club can linky. members can include forum links.
many of ya'll could produce how-to vids that would be a boon to gearhead education.

I plan on videoing a lot soon as I can start my build process.

99dart
02-06-2016, 02:07 PM
Just happened to take a look at how many were online, "12 members and 100 guests". Some how we need to convert these guests too members!

To me it seems like people here & Facebook get off on tearing another person down!! What's up with that! Why can't a person say "it's not to my liking, but I can respect what you have done". Short Rant over! proceed...

Duner
02-06-2016, 02:27 PM
Just happened to take a look at how many were online, "12 members and 100 guests". Some how we need to convert these guests too members!

I remove cookies every time I launch Safari.... so unless I specifically log in here to post something, just "viewing" or reading shows me as a "guest." I have no idea how many others do the same, but it could be quite a few.

BluRT00
02-06-2016, 03:05 PM
Ah sir you watch too much porn. LOL

BluRT00
02-06-2016, 03:06 PM
Just happened to take a look at how many were online, "12 members and 100 guests". Some how we need to convert these guests too members!

To me it seems like people here & Facebook get off on tearing another person down!! What's up with that! Why can't a person say "it's not to my liking, but I can respect what you have done". Short Rant over! proceed...

It's the way old Mopar owners act honestly. So that's where this group of rejects is going, too the bitchy grumpy side.

WhiteRT
02-06-2016, 03:34 PM
Those 100 guest could be old browser sessions that didn't break connection, bots and things like that as well. Doubt 100 are looking at this site maybe 1/10 of that as guest

ScojoDak
02-06-2016, 03:38 PM
Those 100 guest could be old browser sessions that didn't break connection, bots and things like that as well. Doubt 100 are looking at this site maybe 1/10 of that as guest

Could be newbs from the Facebook site. This board is often mentioned on FB.

tk9298
02-06-2016, 03:48 PM
maybe we could show boobies,not mine but.....just saying.:roflmao:

tk9298
02-06-2016, 03:56 PM
(.)(.)

Osee
02-06-2016, 04:25 PM
I remove cookies every time I launch Safari.... so unless I specifically log in here to post something, just "viewing" or reading shows me as a "guest." I have no idea how many others do the same, but it could be quite a few.

I'll pray for you boy :lecture:

Osee
02-06-2016, 04:26 PM
maybe we could show boobies,not mine but.....just saying.:roflmao:

For "science"?

tk9298
02-06-2016, 04:29 PM
For "science"?

of course

tk9298
02-06-2016, 04:37 PM
one of the "other"boards im a member of had a section accessible to members only that had pictures of a more mature nature(to keep the kiddies away)it was called the trash compactor i could see something like that here...maybe call it the glovebox or the center console, something like that....not for porn or crap like that but for rants or whatever thatyou didnt want "outsiders" to see...just an idea

tk9298
02-06-2016, 04:44 PM
maybe to take it a step further,members would have to request access from an administrator that way if you didnt want it you woudnt have access

casias
02-06-2016, 05:03 PM
Those 100 guest could be old browser sessions that didn't break connection, bots and things like that as well. Doubt 100 are looking at this site maybe 1/10 of that as guest

Want me to post some updates on my LS engine swap? I bet I could prove two things.

1) No one here is interested in a better engine for this outstanding platform
2) A lot of people are clicking through this site every day

Too bad the site is still a dog.

Osee
02-06-2016, 05:11 PM
Want me to post some updates on my LS engine swap? I bet I could prove two things.

1) No one here is interested in a better engine for this outstanding platform
2) A lot of people are clicking through this site every day

Too bad the site is still a dog.

Make an update, I'm still very interested.

WhiteRT
02-06-2016, 05:13 PM
Want me to post some updates on my LS engine swap? I bet I could prove two things.

1) No one here is interested in a better engine for this outstanding platform
2) A lot of people are clicking through this site every day

Too bad the site is still a dog.

If you want to post your swap info without coming off as a know it all assclown then yes go for it. I have personally come to the conclusion that I can't spend anymore big dollars on this truck no matter what the swap would be. So I am trying to find my way on a hellcat jeep waiting list somewhere.

But nevertheless post away, the people who don't like it will speak up I am sure, if you can handle some naysayers then let's see what you got.

ScojoDak
02-06-2016, 06:32 PM
Want me to post some updates on my LS engine swap?

Not especially!

Dark(a)RT
02-06-2016, 07:02 PM
For "science"?


of course

12987

Dark(a)RT
02-06-2016, 07:04 PM
one of the "other"boards im a member of had a section accessible to members only that had pictures of a more mature nature(to keep the kiddies away)it was called the trash compactor i could see something like that here...maybe call it the glovebox or the center console, something like that....not for porn or crap like that but for rants or whatever thatyou didnt want "outsiders" to see...just an idea

There are the NWS and Flame Wars sub-boards in Off Topic. They seldom get used though. More NWS activity would be nice. :grin:

casias
02-07-2016, 02:46 AM
If you want to post your swap info without coming off as a know it all assclown then yes go for it. I have personally come to the conclusion that I can't spend anymore big dollars on this truck no matter what the swap would be. So I am trying to find my way on a hellcat jeep waiting list somewhere.

But nevertheless post away, the people who don't like it will speak up I am sure, if you can handle some naysayers then let's see what you got.

Not a hellcat jeep, but I am building a ZL1 Durango right now. Because I love this platform, and I love the LS engine. Two great things go great together. To me, putting money into these is not a waste, in any sense of the word.


http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_0443_zpsm19lypbd.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_0443_zpsm19lypbd.jpg.html)

http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_0450_zpspulhndv8.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_0450_zpspulhndv8.jpg.html)



http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_0469_zpshom8e4f8.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_0469_zpshom8e4f8.jpg.html)


http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_1030_zpsn0hj6j2u.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_1030_zpsn0hj6j2u.jpg.html)

http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_1076_zpssuyvk0ky.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_1076_zpssuyvk0ky.jpg.html)

http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_0878_zpsxc51ssoi.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_0878_zpsxc51ssoi.jpg.html)

http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_0873_zpsx5gmsuze.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_0873_zpsx5gmsuze.jpg.html)

BluRT00
02-07-2016, 04:35 AM
Not a hellcat jeep, but I am building a ZL1 Durango right now. Because I love this platform, and I love the LS engine. Two great things go great together. To me, putting money into these is not a waste, in any sense of the word.


http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_0443_zpsm19lypbd.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_0443_zpsm19lypbd.jpg.html)

http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_0450_zpspulhndv8.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_0450_zpspulhndv8.jpg.html)



http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_0469_zpshom8e4f8.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_0469_zpshom8e4f8.jpg.html)


http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_1030_zpsn0hj6j2u.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_1030_zpsn0hj6j2u.jpg.html)

http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_1076_zpssuyvk0ky.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_1076_zpssuyvk0ky.jpg.html)

http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_0878_zpsxc51ssoi.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_0878_zpsxc51ssoi.jpg.html)

http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/casias2/IMG_0873_zpsx5gmsuze.jpg (http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/casias2/media/IMG_0873_zpsx5gmsuze.jpg.html)

Dude let me know when its done. i wanna ride in that.

casias
02-07-2016, 12:57 PM
Dude let me know when its done. i wanna ride in that.

No problem. I see you live in Florida. Should be done in a month or so, when wiring harness and driveshafts are done.

tk9298
02-07-2016, 02:25 PM
what is that around 400hp? thats a pretty impressive swap right there.nice job

casias
02-07-2016, 02:54 PM
what is that around 400hp? thats a pretty impressive swap right there.nice job

The ZL1 in the Durango? It is probably going to be about 600 flywheel horsepower.

BluRT00
02-07-2016, 07:07 PM
No problem. I see you live in Florida. Should be done in a month or so, when wiring harness and driveshafts are done.

I'm only 2 hours south of you. Few other R/T owners I know of live around you as well. Would be a hoot to take a look at it, I think it's a cool swap.

casias
02-08-2016, 11:37 AM
If you want to post your swap info without coming off as a know it all assclown then yes go for it. I have personally come to the conclusion that I can't spend anymore big dollars on this truck no matter what the swap would be. So I am trying to find my way on a hellcat jeep waiting list somewhere.

But nevertheless post away, the people who don't like it will speak up I am sure, if you can handle some naysayers then let's see what you got.

So, like I pointed out. The biggest problem with this site is the complete lack of anything new for the R/T in, forever. Since there is absolutely no fabrication going on, you guys are stuck with the same boring conversations over and over and over and over. And when someone new comes on to put up some new ideas, it is jumped immediately by the "experts"

Most of the "experts" discuss the M1 intake ad nauseum. 2 bbl, 4 bbl? Oh my!

Think of all of the bad-ass trucks that were posted on here. Most are dead and gone through lack of interest, or lack of ability to live up to the hype.

To name a few:

1) The "engineer" who was going to sell an intake for the Kenne Bell. I think his alpha platform made about 286 RWHP, and I can't recall ever seeing a picture of the finished product.

2) The guy with the 440 small block who has spent tons of money and ran like crap. Have him post some pictures of his engine bay. It ain't pretty.

3) The guy from Arizona who has the license plate "runs 10'S"..... should have a bumper sticker next to it that reads "sometimes".

4) And the guy doing all of the pretty work on the blue truck. Sick 660 r. I have a feeling when the truck is done, it will be pretty and underwhelming.

And you. Parting out your truck after all of your years of mouthing-off as the expert of all things Dakota. If your ideas worked, so would your truck.

And there's your problem. It is hard to keep this kind of garbage off of a forum, but letting newcomers get attacked just causes them not to come back. I imagine some of them have skills that would be refreshing. Hell, even pirate 4x4 has a newcomers "no flaming allowed" section.

Not sure what is going to save your site, but what is happening now isn't working.

WhiteRT
02-08-2016, 01:43 PM
I won't bother to retort the rest of your essay I will respond to your retort about me. I never claimed to know all things Dakotas. The fact is I have had more than one R/T and contrary to whatever you believe I have tried, used and been involved in making lots of parts. Can you say you have worked with spin tech and left your truck with them for a month and flew home to jig headers and exhaust, I can. Can you say you reinvented the vortech supercharger for guys who were dying for them, i can and sold over 4 dozen. Can you say you spent thousands of hours doing web work and trying to keep this place alive over the years, I can! So when you try to bag on me I can say my interest and what not in the truck has been killed by trying to make everyone else's experience better over the years. My truck runs just fine regardless of what you say or think. And it's my truck what do you care if I part it out or drive it??? I don't build motors or go to the track or brag on how much go or how fast of a truck I made, I can however tell you that quality and overall aesthetics of anything I have decided to do shit all over all anything you are capable of. With that said I wish you luck on your LS swaps, if that's what you like I personally wouldn't care what everyone thinks.

Dark(a)RT
02-08-2016, 05:43 PM
So when you try to bag on me I can say my interest and what not in the truck has been killed by trying to make everyone else's experience better over the years.

This is a real shame. Your efforts are appreciated, and it really sucks that they led to you getting burned out. This is why in another thread I suggested you mothball it, move on to other things, but keep it close. A break could be all ya need (maybe). But regardless, it really sucks that no good deed seems to go unpunished (selflessly helping a community only to get burned out, very unjust).

As for the site and it's activity, aftermarket is a chicken and egg scenario, but that's also sort of besides the point too. Doesn't matter so much if there's new stuff for the truck or not. What matters is the people and the interactions. That, honestly, is why I spend far (FAR) more time here than I do at LS1Tech. This place is fun and the people are cool. Tech is a great resource for answers, but, it just doesn't have the fun vibe this place does. Some of that I think is because of the size of the membership, but some of it is also the makeup of said membership as well.

I would say the best thing to do for this site, group, and community is to just focus on fun. A place to hang out, BS, swap stories, tell jokes, show off pics, whatever. The Dakota RT (or just Dakotas in general) brings us here, but the people keep us here.

:drtc_logo001:



My truck runs just fine regardless of what you say or think.

Behavior like that (his) doesn't leave a good taste in other's mouths regarding anything GM or LS, or it's adherents. Makes me ashamed, really.

Gotta wonder why someone who hates a forum would spend any time at all there, unless it's just to piss people off. Suspect that is a TOS violation, so...

tk9298
02-10-2016, 12:01 AM
the zl1 in the durango? It is probably going to be about 600 flywheel horsepower.

wow!

SB440R/T
02-10-2016, 12:35 AM
2) The guy with the 440 small block who has spent tons of money and ran like crap. Have him post some pictures of his engine bay. It ain't pretty.

You trying to bring that up really? It ran 11.25 on motor with 8.9:1 compression, what did you expect. I went with the wrong builder, what can I say. I learned and I am fixing it. And I would put this engine bay against your shit any day.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d197/Davidsalazar03/Truck/DSC_0856_zpsc4dab91f.jpg

casias
02-10-2016, 01:57 AM
You trying to bring that up really? It ran 11.25 on motor with 8.9:1 compression, what did you expect. I went with the wrong builder, what can I say. I learned and I am fixing it. And I would put this engine bay against your shit any day.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d197/Davidsalazar03/Truck/DSC_0856_zpsc4dab91f.jpg

With how much nitrous?

SB440R/T
02-10-2016, 02:03 AM
With how much nitrous?

That was on motor, like I said. On Nitrous it went 10.77, but I still don't think it was right on nitrous. It has pills in it for a 400 shot of nitrous. The adapters on the elbows knocked it down to like a 100 maybe, I don't really know.

CNTHOOK
02-10-2016, 03:29 AM
Want me to post some updates on my LS engine swap? I bet I could prove two things.

1) No one here is interested in a better engine for this outstanding platform
2) A lot of people are clicking through this site every day

Too bad the site is still a dog.

Are you the one with the ls1dak website?

slammedR/T
02-10-2016, 06:35 AM
So, like I pointed out. The biggest problem with this site is the complete lack of anything new for the R/T in, forever. Since there is absolutely no fabrication going on, you guys are stuck with the same boring conversations over and over and over and over. And when someone new comes on to put up some new ideas, it is jumped immediately by the "experts"

Most of the "experts" discuss the M1 intake ad nauseum. 2 bbl, 4 bbl? Oh my!

Think of all of the bad-ass trucks that were posted on here. Most are dead and gone through lack of interest, or lack of ability to live up to the hype.

To name a few:

1) The "engineer" who was going to sell an intake for the Kenne Bell. I think his alpha platform made about 286 RWHP, and I can't recall ever seeing a picture of the finished product.

2) The guy with the 440 small block who has spent tons of money and ran like crap. Have him post some pictures of his engine bay. It ain't pretty.

3) The guy from Arizona who has the license plate "runs 10'S"..... should have a bumper sticker next to it that reads "sometimes".

4) And the guy doing all of the pretty work on the blue truck. Sick 660 r. I have a feeling when the truck is done, it will be pretty and underwhelming.

And you. Parting out your truck after all of your years of mouthing-off as the expert of all things Dakota. If your ideas worked, so would your truck.

And there's your problem. It is hard to keep this kind of garbage off of a forum, but letting newcomers get attacked just causes them not to come back. I imagine some of them have skills that would be refreshing. Hell, even pirate 4x4 has a newcomers "no flaming allowed" section.

Not sure what is going to save your site, but what is happening now isn't working.

This right here is why people can't stand you on this site, you try to act all arrogant and better than people with you so called "new builds" when it is just the same old LS swap of the week.
Any other person would have posted up about swaping a ZL1 engine into a durango i would have been ready to subscribe and watch some pretty cool stuff. While not my cup of tea, it would still be interesting to watch and see the finished product. But since it is you that claims to be doing it, it will take too long and be "underwhelming" just like your dakota LS swap.......

slammedR/T
02-10-2016, 06:36 AM
Are you the one with the ls1dak website?

No that is Brian Esser, cool dude who i talk to all the time on facebook.

casias
02-10-2016, 11:17 AM
That was on motor, like I said. On Nitrous it went 10.77, but I still don't think it was right on nitrous. It has pills in it for a 400 shot of nitrous. The adapters on the elbows knocked it down to like a 100 maybe, I don't really know.

That's impressive.

casias
02-10-2016, 12:34 PM
No that is Brian Esser, cool dude who i talk to all the time on facebook.

Funny how time changes memories. Brain Esser claimed the moniker of LS Dakota, fought it on this site a few years ago, and got his ass handed to him. Never actually put an LS engine in a dakota, and now has some garage-sale small block chevy in it.....last time I saw pictures.



lol you'll spend a hell of a lot more to do it, and then some simple bolt-ons and you're back to chasing tail lights.



"Oh hey. look at me, I'm in the 12's and all I did was spend $600 on bolts ons"...

Seriously, just stop before you make yourself look even worse. We get it, you like the brick that is the 360. Enjoy blowing 50% more to go only slightly faster than a stock LS. Sure, you will get your clock cleaned, but, then you can brag you lost with all Magnum power....


http://www.dakotart.com/forum/showthread.php?21300-LSx-swap-super-easy-etc-etc/page2

slammedR/T
02-10-2016, 08:04 PM
Funny how time changes memories. Brain Esser claimed the moniker of LS Dakota, fought it on this site a few years ago, and got his ass handed to him. Never actually put an LS engine in a dakota, and now has some garage-sale small block chevy in it.....last time I saw pictures.





http://www.dakotart.com/forum/showthread.php?21300-LSx-swap-super-easy-etc-etc/page2

Funny how I'm not in that thread( was prolly banned) but his only supporters were racemagnum members.......

CNTHOOK
02-11-2016, 02:45 AM
No that is Brian Esser, cool dude who i talk to all the time on facebook.

Cool thanks. I just remembered a fuel system he build using the stock supply as a return I do believe.

arro222
10-16-2016, 11:19 PM
Well, I just saw this thread after almost 4 months scouring the site. I am a new member and new to Mopars. let me say I did not read this entire thread and my idea may have been voiced already. Also, I know nothing of the "Forum skirmish" from the past. I was treated very kindly when I asked the question of can a 12 second Dakota be made street able. From my perspective, most of the contributors have deep experience with the Dakota and it is far ranging and by that I mean from the 9 second trucks to the 15 second ones.
What was missing on this forum that would have helped me on what to include for a build, w(ith the exception of signature add -ons such as Lone Soldier has and a couple others) were the summary of pieces that went into achieving particular times. The heavy hitters actually contribute more than the middle of the road ones but I think that is where most of these R/T's reside.

One has to go pretty far ranging to begin to get a modicum of ideas from these middle of the road builds and by that I mean the 12,13 and14 second groups. I received a ton of info by pm'ing people who were gracious enough to respond to a newbie which leads me to another part of this discussion.

A lot of people on this forum have been here for a long time. These trucks ended in 2003. Interest has waxed and waned. What was new to most of the veterans years ago has become old hat for most now. Believe me, I know what it means to want to go faster and faster. There is an excitement in the "big builds" and not so much for the medium builds and yet, these very fast guys are the mainstay contributors. I give guys like Slammed, Adobe, krs1 R/T and of course our leader White R/T to name a few, having to answer questions that might roll their eyes, a lot of credit as they lived my point of R/T existence a long time ago. Where I am, there is only a smattering of contributors. Even as a "beginner" with Mopar, I'm very excited about my R/T (even as slow as it is now) and this forum can lend to that excitement. I once asked what 4.56's do through the traps rpm wise on these trucks with a bolt on build. Only 3 people responded but I know there are several "medium build" guys on this forum that have that gear set with just simple bolt ons. Of course bigger builds with higher rpm capabilities are going to go through with higher rpms but no one answered that has simple bolt ons.

New guys live at the beginning. If we took a consensus as to what type of owners we have, we may be able to target points of interest more accurately and thus lend to a larger audience.

Wiggsy72
10-17-2016, 06:20 AM
I just read the entire post. Lots of good chatter, some getting off topic. Facebook for me was short lived but possibly a good tool to send people here to the site.

Nobody mentioned Instagram. I am a bit of a photographer and I have been on there for just over four years. There are a lot of automotive enthusiasts on there posting awesome photos dedicated to vehicle specific models to everything Mopar. Use Instagram to catch the attention of other Dakota Durango owners. There are a shit ton of excellent photos on this site that could and should be put out there on Instagram. I can easily set one up and share the login details with the exec board here if they're interested.

Same with a YouTube channel. Gathering up and putting together a collection of new and classic videos on there and again directing people to the site.
Thanks

On Tapatalk, I have used it for other forums. When it works it's very handy but I have had more bug issues rendering it annoying so I avoid using it.

Then there is Twitter. It ranks up there with Facebook.

Stuff like an annual calendar photo contest. The TOTQ is great, I didn't know about it until I was nominated but I've only been back on here for a short time.

I'm back on here because I see the potential this truck has or could have in the future. I go to the local show 'n shine with the local hot rodders and I'm the young guy at 43 with a '99 Dakota slightly customized. I hover around and listen to people and they like and remember these trucks. I would like to see more Dakota's at car shows as I might be entering mine next season. I can guarantee my Dakota will be the on,y one there. It's kinda sad as I remember going to a Mopar show in Bellingham with seven other R/T's rolling down the highway together along with other vintage Mopar's. It was really something to be seen. I think we had close to 20 Dakota's at the show in every colour (color) and is something I will never forget. That was my first car show that I was entered into. I hope I can get some local guys here to join me or at least make it to some shows and as always my friends to the south are welcome to come on up for a visit.

Cheers:drtc_logo001:

Dark(a)RT
10-26-2016, 07:14 PM
Same with a YouTube channel. Gathering up and putting together a collection of new and classic videos on there and again directing people to the site.

This is a great idea. An official dakotart.com YouTube Channel that mirrors videos people put on their personal channels, as well as hosting videos for people who don't want to bother with personal YT channels. Link to the personal channels if desired (where appropriate), and to this site. Ideally in some catchy opening or ending sequences that create uniformity (like how Sargon ends all his videos with the same theme and closing thoughts and often opens them the same way too).



Then there is Twitter. It ranks up there with Facebook.

Yep! :threadshit: (#FreeMilo!)



Stuff like an annual calendar photo contest.

Another great idea.

Wiggsy72
11-03-2016, 03:04 AM
I've got the ball rolling on Instagram. It's doing well for being two weeks old. It's starting to catch attention, finding other R/T guys and custom Dakota's. I try to maintain a certain standard of quality so there won't be any in your face boobs and booty as there are other groups that cover that format.

If you don't have Instagram you can view it here through the web: http://www.pictaram.com/user/dakota_rt_club/4053195356

usedandabused02
11-16-2016, 11:26 PM
I always thought getting a nice dakota r/t on smoking tire for a cruise with matt giving his thoughts on the truck would be a good way to get some attention. Not sure how comfortable he would be in a reg cab but im sure he would like it in a well rounded truck. Not that it would bring a lot of people here but surprisingly not a lot of people know much of these trucks and we could see more people buying them if he approves lol

Dark(a)RT
11-17-2016, 01:23 AM
I always thought getting a nice dakota r/t on smoking tire for a cruise with matt giving his thoughts on the truck would be a good way to get some attention. Not sure how comfortable he would be in a reg cab but im sure he would like it in a well rounded truck. Not that it would bring a lot of people here but surprisingly not a lot of people know much of these trucks and we could see more people buying them if he approves lol

Big Muscle maybe, but to be totallt honest, Farrah is a toolbox that doesn't know good from shit (and doesn't ever fit in anything). Musto is a car guy's car guy, he'd do us justice. They've done some pretty disparate and cool things on Big Muscle. (including a pretty cool Chevy Apache street rod canyon carver, and he really liked the Lil' Red Express he showcased too)

RCR got his hands on one. I'm nervous about the result, but we're still waiting on that. He's got the POV video up, but then spent the entire time geeking out over marching band shit. :dumbass234: lol

slammedR/T
11-17-2016, 01:36 AM
I just read the entire post. Lots of good chatter, some getting off topic. Facebook for me was short lived but possibly a good tool to send people here to the site.

Nobody mentioned Instagram. I am a bit of a photographer and I have been on there for just over four years. There are a lot of automotive enthusiasts on there posting awesome photos dedicated to vehicle specific models to everything Mopar. Use Instagram to catch the attention of other Dakota Durango owners. There are a shit ton of excellent photos on this site that could and should be put out there on Instagram. I can easily set one up and share the login details with the exec board here if they're interested.

Same with a YouTube channel. Gathering up and putting together a collection of new and classic videos on there and again directing people to the site.
Thanks

On Tapatalk, I have used it for other forums. When it works it's very handy but I have had more bug issues rendering it annoying so I avoid using it.

Then there is Twitter. It ranks up there with Facebook.

Stuff like an annual calendar photo contest. The TOTQ is great, I didn't know about it until I was nominated but I've only been back on here for a short time.

I'm back on here because I see the potential this truck has or could have in the future. I go to the local show 'n shine with the local hot rodders and I'm the young guy at 43 with a '99 Dakota slightly customized. I hover around and listen to people and they like and remember these trucks. I would like to see more Dakota's at car shows as I might be entering mine next season. I can guarantee my Dakota will be the on,y one there. It's kinda sad as I remember going to a Mopar show in Bellingham with seven other R/T's rolling down the highway together along with other vintage Mopar's. It was really something to be seen. I think we had close to 20 Dakota's at the show in every colour (color) and is something I will never forget. That was my first car show that I was entered into. I hope I can get some local guys here to join me or at least make it to some shows and as always my friends to the south are welcome to come on up for a visit.

Cheers:drtc_logo001:

This was true for me Saturday, my truck got a lot of attention from the muscle car guys at the track. there was a guy there with an old coronet drag car and he kept looking and asking me about my truck. It was unexpected because I'm like you have a 1970 coronet drag car bud.....

usedandabused02
11-17-2016, 02:12 AM
True Matt doesnt do much wrenching himself lol just thinking of publicity more or less. I dont do much social media this is as far as ive been really and nothing special on my truck to do many youtube videos but i like to watch, professional spectator