I have an 02 Dakota 4wd auto 3.9, I really like the truck, but I haul a lot of dirt bikes and tools and my gas with the v6 is terrible. My buddies with v8s get way better mileage than me. There's 2-3 pick a part type yards within 30 min of me that have a ton of dakotas. I was wondering if I got a gen 2 v8 if I would just be able to drop it in with a new pcm and run it? I got a hell of a deal on this truck and I would rather put the motor in this than buy a whole different truck. I'm fairly skilled mechanically, my dad has a whole 3 bay shop with a lift, motor lift, air tools etc. just wondering what I would need and how easy it is if I got a solid v8. And would I want the 5.2 or the 4.7 v8?

 

5.2 or 5.9 would be an easier swap than the modular 4.7. There are plenty of existing threads on this swap. Use the search function to find out information.