Well i have finnaly got around to being able to write up the swap info so everyone will know! My truck is a 96 2wd that had a 3.9 and i just swapped in a 318.

1. How much does it cost?
It is really up to you and how much you want to put in it and what all you can get your hands on. my selections were very limited when i started my project. i found one dakota in all of the junkyards we have that had a 318, and alot of the stuff was already gone off of it. I got a long block 318 from a guy for $800 brand new that he was not using, so got kind of lucky, also came with a 360 out of a ram that had the intake, valve cover ecc ect... needless to say my build cost around 1800 dollars, but if you had a doner truck it would be much less.

2. What do you need.
For the swap you can use alot of your factory stuff believe it or not. you will need a new fuel rail, fuel injectors(make sure the plug is the same), throttle body, PCM(computer), throttle cable(no longer made by dodge! j-yard only) or modify the throttle body, wire the run for the new injectors, flexplate, plugwires, oil dipstick, heater and radiator hoses, and a fan shroud, or you can cut your old one. I am sure there are some things left out, so if i think of them i will update it.

3.the swap...
To do the swap you needto know what you are doing, but if you have done an engine swap before it is really not too bad, at least for a 2wd it is not. disconnect and mark all of your stuff, it helps to take pictures of where everything is so you will know for later when the new one it going in. a tip is to take you crank position sensor off before you pull the engine, i broke mine and they are like $60 for a new one. when you get the v6 out go ahead and swap all of your front accesorys, sensors(except cps), plugs, wires, maniflods, and engine mounts(same as the v6, but if you have never changed them get new ones! they are a pain to change out in the truck!!!). If you could not find a throllt cable from a v8 truck just do what i did and take the butterflys out of the v6 and pull the rod out of it and change it to the v8 throttle body, with a little modifying from the diegrinder it will slip out, and you will have to open the groove up on the outside of the rod so the 50mm butterflys will fit, then you can use all the stock linkages! and be sure you have the new flexplate on, not the v6 one, it wont run and you will have to pull it back out!!!!! slip the 318 in there and bolt everything up, really not any harder than the v6, just longer! now that the engine is in the fun part starts, it is really not too hard though. To wire up the two new fuel injectors i just ran some 16 gauge wire from the pins on the computer to the different color wires. for my 96, which is obd2 and not the same as anyother first gen dakotas...sorry guys, it was pin b2 for injector 7 and b13 for injector 8. the b connector on the 96's is the white middle plug, just pull the plug apart and pull the two little white pins out and push some stripped wire trough there and then put it back together. then connect the other end to not green and orange wire for each injector, for the green and orange wire just splice into the green and orange one beside it, they all connect together. all of the other plugs should connect. i had to strip the plastic sheilding and loom off of the front of the harness and just barely got it around the intake! but everything else is just like the dissasembly except the fan. i am switchig to an electric fan soon, but to keep the clutch fan one you will need to cut pretty much all of the part that sticks out as you can see in the picture. the exhaust manifolds will bolt up to the factory y pipefrom the v6. and before you start the engine, just set the distributor at tdc if you removed it, there is no timing adjustment, it will set itsself! so double check everything and start it up!!!

4. What to expect.
it will sound alot better and make you smile everytime you hit the gas and i blows the tires off!!! it is worth every bit of the install!!! but if you reuse the v6 tranny expect to get a rebuild or new one soon because it does not like the extra torque at all, mine dies in 4 days, but it also had 181,000 miles on it.

5. Pictures
i just up;oaded all of the pictures to photobucket, there are so many there anyone should be able to do it! If you need more just let me know.

http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/n...rcer12/Dakota/

any more questions on stuff just let me know. thanks for looking.

 

Good job I think this should be a sticky!

 

Do you have any pointers for pulling the engine (diffilcult to see or undo bolts, odd sized or shaped tools needed, easiest sequence for removal, where to attach hoist etc)

Any info greatly appreciated, nice little engine hoist by the way.

 

just a good set of wrenches and sockets it really all you will need. rachet wrenches are good to have, but everything is straight foreward really on the removal, i would reccomend unplugging everything and getting it out of the way then undo the mount bolts and transbolts. It is easiest to remove the radiatior and alternator, ac compressor, and powersteering pump. I just put two bolts in the heads at a diagonal one on the drivers side front and passenger side rear at pulled itout. worked pretty good!

 

Great thanks for the info

 

Glad you got it in and you're happy with it...Thanks for posting the status!

 

I am going to do a body off frame restoration complete with a 440/727 swap sometime in the distant future. as soon as i get a good job lined up im going to start buying parts. From what I can tell so far, Im going to have the frame completely sandblasted and powdercoated and strengthened. Then work out all the dents and rust in the body and repaint it possibly hemi orange, or black. I dont want to begin to think about the suspension because I know every part will need replaced.

I want to find a used 440 and completely rebuild it, also a used 727 and have a trans shop rebuild that. I would also need to find an 8.75 rear with sure grip of course and have that rebuilt. Overall I think it would be in the 11 second range when it's all done and tuned. I'm shooting for 5 years to get this project done, again very distant future. I think I can feel the trans going out in it right now, so once something major breaks im going to start tearing it apart. Overall, I think i can get it done for under 10 grand.

 

i have a 92 dakota 318 mag and i wanna put it into the 3.9l 4x4...
i have to whole complete trucks
so i should have everything i need yes ?
any info be appreciated ~!

 

yep you should have everything you need for a direct swap.

 

yea, it should be a direct swap! and wink, it is always better to have a budget for twice the amount you plan to spend, lol. at least it has always worked out like that for me!!!