4cyl to 6 or 8cyl. swap PLS. HELP!!!

[1LoMoPo]

Hello all, I have a 1996 Dakota 2wd that was born with a 2.5 litre 4 popper,w/ a 5spd standard tranny. Well, a few days ago, the crank,a few rods, etc. decided to come out and see the daylight through a football sized hole in the side of the block. [sm=icon_rock.gif] The problem is, all of the local junk yards are telling me that the engine this truck needs is a "'96 only engine" and this is very hard to come by, and when found is very expensive. I need to know what some of my options are, I want to keep the 5spd. Can I either use an older 2.5, or will a 3.9, or a 318 bolt right up to the tranny? and what all parts would I need to complete this swap? also, are Jeep engines Compatable? Thanks! Norm

[injmopar]

If your 2.5 uses the NP-2500 trans ,you can swap the bellhousing.I used a bellhousing from a 3.9 to replace my 2.2 with a 5.2,in a 88. If you go with an 8 and OEM exhaust,get the 2wd Y pipe.On some years they only used the 4wd pipe for some reason,and it has a dent in it for clearence.

[injmopar]

I had a problem trying to reply to your email. I just took my 5sp out,so if you want to check that they are the same,I can send you a picture.I believe they were used 87-96. I think that only the shifter is different on th 96.
So all you need is a 87-96 bellhousing for the engine you want to use.You will also need a counter balanced flywheel for a 3.9 or neutral balanced for the 5.2