One of the more frustrating things to come across with nearly any build is installing a part and finding out that it doesn’t fit or work with other aftermarket components you chose for your build. It’s almost like buying the latest high performance carburetor, only to find out that your vintage intake manifold has a WCFB bolt pattern. Now you’re back at the store trying to find an adapter that will work with your manifold and your new carburetor.
Times were different back in the musclecar era, most of us grew accustomed to doing some of our own backyard fabrication to mate two parts and get them to work together. But as time went by, many companies saw the significance of designing its parts to work with other manufacturers who share the same customer. We saw it with our classic Mopars when certain manufacturers let us know what engine mounts, suspensions, and even steering boxes will work with the headers they manufacture. It’s a win~win for all of us.
We’ve worked with Dakota Digital for over 15 years, installing its products on many vehicles. We called on them for their new RTX Series instrumentation for our Project Camaro a couple of years ago. We installed one of Dakota Digital’s Bluetooth fan controllers, and loved it so much that we now sell the controller with our own relays to work with our SPAL cooling fans.
One call to our friends at Dakota Digital and we were putting together a kit to sell to our own customers. The fan controller is Bluetooth compatible and also feeds off of most Dakota Digital instrument clusters. While we make it no secret that it’s a Dakota Digital product – as well as the app – it bears our own logo and we package it with the relay kits we sell. We’ve been blessed to work with such a great company, and continue to do so.
Recently, we decided to make custom-designed gauges for our Project Windstorm – the 1965 Plymouth Belvedere going through some changes and getting a Dodge Hellcat Redeye transplant this fall. We found Dakota Digital was easy to work with, and what we ended up with was a top shelf product that we got to participate in its design and production.
The instrumentation turned out incredible, and once again Dakota Digital showed they are more than happy to work with fellow gearheads and customers to achieve our vision for our own build. With a little custom work, thanks to a laser engraver, we planned out the install and fabricated our own faceplate for the gauges to mount in our factory instrument trim panel.
From concept to finished product, we were able to work directly with Dakota Digital and put our design onto its product for our build.
When we got to the point of installing our Vintage Air Gen 5 Magnum system, we noticed that Dakota Digital sells a Climate Controller that works directly with Vintage Air. Having friends at both companies, as well as being Industry Partners with them, we get to see how well these two companies work together, and get to work directly with each of them on some of our builds.
We reached out to Justin Olsen, the Sales and Marketing Manager, to get a feel for how this has all come together. He told us they’ve been working with Vintage Air since about 2005 when the DCC-2200/2300 was released. As Vintage Air upgraded to more complex systems – all the way up to its current version: the Gen 5 Magnum Max – Dakota Digital has kept pace offering new Climate Control products that are compatible with several of the Vintage Air systems.
Justin told us, “When it comes to A/C for a hot rod, Vintage Air has been the go-to brand for decades. Partnering up and making our products compatible with them only made sense.” He continued, “Partnering with any trusted name in the industry is a win~win for everyone, the manufacturers as well as the end customers.” We couldn’t agree more, and having worked with many manufacturers over the years as an installer, it’s always great to be a part of the development process, as well.
Justin said, “We are all in the same industry and looking for the same end goal: the best product possible for the customers.” This is why he tells us that the relationships various companies have with one another greatly enhance product development. We also spoke with Rick Love, President of Vintage Air, about his relationship with Dakota Digital. He tells us the relationship goes back so many years it’s difficult to keep track of.
Rick tells us that working with Dakota Digital developed naturally from having known each other for many years. “They have always been a reputable company, so it made sense to work with them to make sure the product they developed worked well with our systems,” he told us. That friendship in the industry has continued, and if you speak with either of them about the other, it has always been nothing but praise.
Rick told us that moving into the newer Gen 5 electronics package, they shared information with Dakota Digital so that its controller would be fully compatible. “We are now working with them to share their RGB lighting technology so that the lighting on our controls can match the backlighting on their gauge packages,” he said. Seeing compatibility across brands like this reinforces the confidence customers have when purchasing products.
Working with both companies over the years has been a great experience, and we hope to develop more Industry Partners whom we can share products and communicate the needs of our customers, and provide them with the best overall experience when perfecting their builds. While both companies have always been willing to work with their respective customers, the fact that we have all shared the same passion and visions for our own builds has helped make the bond stronger.
We took the liberty to customize our DCC-4000 Climate Control to match our instrument cluster, and it was well received from both Dakota Digital and Vintage Air – both of whom were a huge support at all of our Car Shows that we promoted in years past. With big investment firms taking over the automotive world, having close personal relationships with each other helps all of us to achieve our goal: to build the car or truck we always dreamed of. For Champion Cooling, it’s always about the customer, and we’re glad to work with Industry Partners who share the same goal.
