ive got an 87 dakota with the 3.9L, 400 xxxK on it
and the engine is bound to screw up soon
so i was thinking about an engine conversion

how hard would it be to get a 5.2L into my dakota?
woild it simply be bolt on? or would i need different mounts and such?

 

A few people have done it. Try doing a search!

 

its not that hard, i'm doing it right now! haha same truck. But an 88 5.9l . it depends what year it is. all and all, you would need an electric fan to make it fit.

 

I did it to my 90 and very happy with it. I didn't use the electric fan, couldn't find one to fit and the cost. The mounts and all are the same but you will run into clearance problems with the radiator. I replaced the radiator support with a later model 1992, that came with the magnum 5.2. This means you will need the grill, head lamp bezels and lamps, bumper and hood. You will also need to cut holes further forward on the frame to mount the new radiator support.

If you go with the Magnum as I did, you will need to plan on provisions for the crank position sensor, as the throttle body system does not use one. Also the fuel delivery is different for port f.i. and the newer, higher pressure pump will not mountin your tank so plan on getting a tank, pump and fuel lines. The tank will bolt right in.

And then there is the electronics. I replaced the entire wire harness front to rear, inside and out.Along with the PCM. Surely you know that the program will be different going from a throttle body or carb to a port fuel injected. The easiest way is going to be to find a donor truck.

Lot of work but I'm not looking back. Going forward, I just ordered a set of rally wheels that I'm sending two off to Stockton Wheel to widen to 8" and enlarge to 17" so I can mount 275/60s on the rear. And have a 3.9 gear coming to keep me in the right power band.

I'm having fun!!! Good Luck.

 

okay, so the 5.2 sounds a bit complicated. would i be able to get a 318 into my dakota? i wouldnt have to mess with electroics because, well there isnt any, and as far as motor mounts and the rad position, how would that differ to the 3.9L that i have right now?

 

First of all, a 5.2L is a 318. If you don't want to go with all the work for the electronic equipment, just get an old 318LA from a power wagon or something with a carb and put it in. I am honestly not sure on how the V6 and V8 motor mounts differ on the LA motors. They are the same on the Magnum motors.

 

The motor mounts are the same on the 5.2 and the 318. The displacement is the same and a lot of folks say it's the same engin but the 5.2 is a magnum engin. Externally they are about the same except fuel pump mounting, crank sensor provision and other electronic stuff, the accessory drives are also different. You can swap heads and other parts but it can get complicated since the magnum has the roller cam with no provision for a manual fuel pump and the intake is set up for port fuel injection.

You can put the 318 in your 87 but you will still have to change the radiator support, hood and everything else I mentioned earlier.

 

One other thought. If you get a hair to go bigger with a 360 you need to know that they are externally balanced. You will have to change the flywheel, torque converter or what ever to avoid the shakes.

 

okay, so to freshen this up a bit
to put the 318 in my truck,

-the enginemounts will be the same
-need the hood and grill setup from the a dakota that had a 318 or 5.2
-need to drill a couple little holes for the rad supports

is there anything else i should be taking into consideration here?

 

The old 318 (LA) motor has front mounts only
The 5.2 (magnum) has mid and front mounts
The dakota only bolts up to the mid mounts
If you don't have airconditioning you don't need to change the frontend.
Remove the clutch fan and put an electric fan in front