Sometimes things fail in really cool ways. Maybe I’m a bit of an engineering nerd, maybe I just like carnage, but broken parts always interest me.

I loved my last Dakota, but it wasn’t without it’s issues. As I pulled off my block for a Home Depot run, my rear tire hit a pothole and BOOM. It was obvious something spring based had snapped, I figured it was the shackle (I had replaced the left side, but hadn’t gotten to the right side). Sure enough, the leafspring itself had snapped where it hooks around the shackle bushing.

Here’s the crazy thing: Look at the broken spring below, judging by the rust and the 1/4″ or so of shiny metal…. this thing had been holding on with a tiny strip of metal, for a long time.

Lucky for me, there’s a salvage yard a mile or so away. They located and got me a new spring for under $100 that included both the front and rear shackles. An afternoon of sawzall and grinder fun and we were back in business.

 

Meanwhile, with the truck broken, I learned that sunroofs have uses well beyond what the owners manual suggests.