After the engine and trans were in and while the front sheet metal was still off, I concentrated on the components that surround the engine, like the PS pump, starter, accessory bracket, etc. The engine didn’t come with any of these items, so I had to obtain them separately. The first PS pump and bracket I tried interfered with the steering gear until I realized there were at least three variations and the one I had was not the one I needed. I eventually found the correct pump/bracket assembly and an accessory bracket at the junk yard. Whenever I couldn’t find used components in good condition, I bought new, which happened quite often.



My engine wire harness was pulled from a ’94 Dak, but I also used wires from my original ’89 harness to add a few new runs to the harness as well. The Magnum engine bay harness is necessary because significant changes were made once Dodge switched from throttle body injection to multi-port injection.

Swapping a Magnum harness into an ’87 to ’91 Dak isn’t too hard, the bulkhead connector between the engine bay and passenger compartment is the same. You may have to add or delete a few circuits however. One major difference is that later Magnum Daks route some of the rear circuits, especially those for the fuel pump and fuel gauge, through the cab rather than going under the truck all the way.
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Speaking of the fuel pump, I also had to upgrade the ’89 pump to a newer model. Fuel pressure on the Magnums is higher than the throttle-body-injected Daks. I was going to purchase a ’92-’93 pump as I wanted to keep the return-style fuel system, but I also needed to find a later fuel tank since my ‘89 tank would not work with the later fuel module. After much searching I found a 22 gallon tank, with pump, from a ’94 Dak. The ’94 pump is a no-return type, but it wasn’t too difficult to modify the pump module for a return line. An important note here – all fuel hose used within the tank needs to be rated for submersion in gasoline. Hoses not rated for submersion will swell and disintegrate. The rating to look for is SAE 30R10, which can be submersed in gasoline and alcohol fuels. Also, if you need to install custom fittings to a fuel tank, as I did, be sure to use a good fuel-resistant sealant. I used Permatex Aviation Sealant.

My original metal fuel lines appeared to be in good shape so I didn’t swapped them out. The feed line is 5/16, which should be sufficient for my under 300 HP motor. Here’s some pictures of the modified ’94 fuel module and tank :
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Note the rubber strips on top of the fuel tank in the image below. The strips are 3/4 inch thick rubber and they allow the tank to sit a little lower giving the new fittings on the fuel module sufficient clearance. I had to use longer tank strap bolts to accommodate the slightly dropped tank, but that little extra space above the tank is just right for the fittings and it allows me to slip my hand in just enough that I can plug/unplug the fuel pump, or tighten the fuel line fittings. Whatever the material was that the factory used for cushioning the top of the tank it had deteriorated badly and allowed the cross-member in that area to rust. Hopefully this will be an improvement.
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I had 235/65 17 series tires on the truck, but they didn't seem meaty enough for a V8 so I've tried on a set of used 255/70 17’s. The 255’s suit the wheel wells better, while still keeping a mostly stock appearance. Oh, in case anyone is wondering, the wheels are from a Dodge Nitro.
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Another appearance related issue not yet resolved is the dark red bench seat. Re-upholstering isn’t in the budget right now so to hide the offensive bench from sight (at least for now) my resourceful wife found a couple of extra large black towels. So now I’ve got these nice black terry cloth seat covers, and I'm gonna keep em to use after the seats are re-upholstered too. They don't get too hot and they're easy to clean!:[img]

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So, it’s August 24, 2014 and I’ve finished wiring up the starter circuit to the PDS (power distribution) box. The accessories and serpentine belt are on, and the radiator is in. Fluids are fresh, engine has been rotated by hand (I did this occasionally to keep things moving freely), so I’m ready to start her up. Turned the key and the dash lights came on (good sign). Turned to start and she cranks, but very slowly, like a low battery. The battery isn’t low though, it’s fully charged. Some resistance testing with a meter led me to the problem; the paint on the starter was inhibiting ground. I had to scratch some paint off around the mounting bolts. I did the same in several other places where grounds attached, just to make sure everything was good. After that, it cranked over normally, so I let it spin a few times without plugs to get oil up into the head, then I put the plugs in and cranked again. Almost immediately, it fired up – but died after about 2 seconds. Later I traced that problem to the crankshaft position sensor. It was not the right one and it got shaved by the flywheel once the engine began to turn fast. I got a little frustrated with the replacement CPS I purchased because the connector was keyed differently, even though it was supposed to be for a ’94 harness. I thought about it a while and eventually realized that my ’94 harness had been attached to a Dakota with an automatic, so Dodge must have keyed them to make sure you don’t put in the wrong CPS. Well fine, except that I have a 5 speed, so even though my CPS plugged into the harness OK, it was about a 1/16th inch too long for the 5 speed’s flywheel. I modified the CPS connector (no more key), and used the correct CPS for the NV3500 - problem solved!

Before attempting to start again I temporarily attached a new 3 inch full flow cat to the end of the ’92 Y pipe to quiet things down a bit. With fingers crossed I rolled the Dak out onto the driveway and cranked her over. About 2 revolutions later she fired up and settled into a smooth idle! I let the engine idle a while, but not too long as I still have to put together the electric fan wiring for the Intrepid fans I have sitting in the garage. Sure was great to hear it finally run:[img]

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More to come...

 

That thing is freakin' sweet! I'm definitely jealous. Keep us posted.

 

Very nice build. Can you ballpark how much you've got into it?

 

Thanks chenzo, there’s more coming. Next up is the electric cooling fan installation - two Intrepid cooling fans will be used as pusher fans in front of the radiator. I’m wiring them to allow for thermostat control and a manual override switch that can throw them into hi speed.

DonInKansas, that’s a great question. I’ve been working on this project one small piece at a time, over a 10 year span, and there were some long periods where it went untouched. All that time allowed me to shop very carefully and look for bargains. I also swapped items or traded services with others on occasion. Unfortunately I’m bad about keeping receipts, but my best guess would be 10K in money spent thus far, certainly no more. If I included my time, the cost would be much, much higher. But that’s OK, it’s what I do to relax.

 

If anyone is interested in more details I'll be glad to explain any of what I've done further. There's a lot of work that went into this truck that I just didn't have time to put into this post. So, if you want specifics on the fuel system, harness mods, transmission fitment, or anything else, just ask.

I took away a lot of good info from this forum and I'd like to return the favor.

 

Man, have I enjoyed reading this post!! I have a bunch of questions, but will try and limit it to a few at a time!
1. If I understand you used the orig. transfer case. Is it the same as the one used in v8 Dakota's?
2. What did you have to use in addition to the transmission, ie shifter, and if so did it come out of the floor in the same place as the 2500?
3. Clutch hydraulics, what were you able to re-use there?
4. Did you have to change the driveshafts, ie, due to length?

FWIW I plan to swap mine, (87 4wd, 5sp, 3.9 motor) to a 5.2 motor. But mine is carbed already from the factory, so I plan to use a magnum 4bbl intake, 600 cfm carb, and a standard HEI dist.

Thanks again for the write up