Jay has moved the Dakota R/T inside and begun making the basic tune-up repairs, which consisted of the usual: plugs, wires, water pump, thermostat, fan clutch, and fluid changes. One gremlin I began chasing shortly after getting the truck was an occasional misfire.
The first and most logical source of the problem was the crankshaft position sensor. This has been well documented across the Dakota R/T forums, and really any Dodge product with the 5.9L V8. Unfortunately, this fix didn't remedy the problem, but the original CPS was clearly tired - so not the biggest waste of money, but also not a solution.
In addition to reviving the junkyard-find Isuzu Trooper RS, Jay also happens to be a former Dodge technician. Needless to say, I count on him a lot these days, and his years of service at a local dealership proved helpful here: he remembered these trucks having issues with the intake manifold gasket failing and creating a vacuum leak that results in the lean condition leading to a misfire and stall. Jay has removed the intake manifold and is replacing the gasket which will hopefully yield a truck that runs as good as it sounds.
Next up is the Belltech suspension install, and freshening up the chassis wherever else makes sense while the Belltech components are being bolted on.