I knew a guy that converted his 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 from the stock 5.9, 46RE tranny, NP231 t-case, etc. and put a GM 350 carb, Turbo 350 trans and a Ford 9" front & rear. He spent over $10,000 in that truck trying to change stuff around; in the end it wasn't worth it since he tried to sell his truck for as much as he put into it.

 

i'd sell the 4.3 and get a 360 for it. trans rear end and engine with harnes and ecm. that'd be a simple easy swap. or if you just really want something different then you could always cram in a 2.4 out of a srt4 neon in the 2.2's place. theres a vid on youtube of a late 80 caravan that has had that done outrunning a vette at the strip

you could build the **** out of 3.9 5.2 5.9 for it. hemi it. strap a rocket to it. jet propullsion. oh wait you need realistic and drivable? big block!

 

Hate to say this here, BUT.....

The GM 5.3l and all its brothers are a superior design to the LA/Magnum series. Parts are cheap, aluminum block options, intakes swap (and are reversible), and have excellent head flow numbers. While the 4.3l is a torquey engine and cost effective, the V8 would have more ooo and ahhhh factor. I do not personally see the benefit of a 4.3l swap unless it is a dedicated 4x4 for offroad purposes. To add insult, a dakota is not the best offroad platform for the same money. If it were me and cost was an issue, I would sell the 4.3l for a 5.2l and go from there. Just because the 4.3l is sitting there would not be logical to use to occupy your creative thoughts. I agree that the 5.2l/5.9l is the better swap option, but would challenge you to consider a 5.3l/5.7l/6.0l swap. I would not consider a big block since weight and torque are engineering issues with the stock frame/suspension.

 

of course the disigns are better it's atleast 20 years updated tech. i said big block mostly messin around but obviusly hes considering the effort it would take since he's thinking of the 4.3. i'd keep it magnum v8 for simplicity. not to mention that it's pretty rare you see an old iron blo9ck blown up.
the aluminum in the vortec engines would be more succeptible to warping if overheated.
while the dakota may not be the best platform for offroading (mainly because of turning radius and length in my opinion) it is a great one compared to alott of others. i know first hand a ranger wouldn't do very well (myne didn't) and i don't know about a s-10. it's smaller and light weight but not as tough in my opinion either. personally if you wan't a truck you can offroad and drive everyday to work and the store then the dakota is a great platform. fairly tough capable and easy to mod with a factory v8 option so easy to be strong aswell and still be able to tow easily. alott of this depends on personall tastes. if you want a dedicated 4x4 then get a wrangler with a 4.0 in it jack it up add some lockers and have fun. perfect platform for that.

 

he has an 87 though so he has that smaller, shorter nose. it would be more logical for him with the 3.9 in that particular year with out getting a headache from clearence issues.... IMO... but i like the V8 idea.

 

Thats true haha. I think the biggest issue is just that none of us want to see a Dakota be tainted by a Chevy motor going in it lol. Not that theres anything wrong with a Chevy OR those Vortecs. I know theyre strong.

 

i agree, it saddens me to see people putting gm 350's into mustangs now...my friend just tried to talk me into putting a 350 in my truck but i told him no.

 

you can still run a V8 in 87-90 Dakotas, just use an electric cooling fan instead of the mechanical fan and you'll gain clearance to use a 318 or 360 easily.

 

i agree nothing wrong with those motors except that it's not mopar. it's like finding out your dads not your dad and your a bast*** baby. lost of ppl do it though and the results are usually worth it. and the 350 everyone likes because it's readilly available and still a good strong motor with lots of options that just bolt right on. it really boils down to taste. any of the mentioned engines are great and all be equally powerfull with a little work.

but still nothing sounds like a magnum

 

lmao true.