The "recall" didn't get all yaers of Dakota, and they just installed the same non-servicable balljoints that came from the factory. I've replaced plenty of "recall balljoints" over the years. Most failed at exactly the same mileage that the oe ones did.
I'm not saying the Dakota frame isn't a good solution, but I certainly would not trust the oe or recall balljoints. The brake issue really isnt that bad, along as you don't abuse them, and they're easily upgradable.
My biggest problem with the Dakota is the poor design of the upper control arm for alignment settings, which uses a slip shaft design rather than shims. If the bolts aren't torqued properly, they will come loose. They need to be at at least 100-150 ft/lbs to hold. Having a V engine, especially the V8, makes this extremely difficult on the right hand side due to the engine offset. This may be worse with a Chevy V8, as I beleive it is wider than the Chrysler V8. I do know a guy that was experimenting with using the '92-'04 Crown Victoria upper control arms on older MoPars. Never heard the final results, as he moved to Texas, but i recall that he said the cross shaft bolt spacing was the same, and that the balljoint stud was the main hangup. That may be something worth looking into if one was to use the Dakota chassis, as it would move the camber/caster adjustment to the balljoint, making it far easier to work with.
One more thing to bear in mind with the dakota, wheel availability is limited due to the odd bolt pattern. Later Dakotas use a small 6 lug, GM 6 lug wheels do not interchange. Early models use a 5 lug, with the common MoPar/Ford 5x4.5 bolt pattern.
