I'm a Ford guy on his first trip into the Dodge world.
Bought a 92 Dakota, 2.5L (k-engine), 5 spd. 215k on it.

Very fun truck. However, any time you buy a $700 truck you know its gonna have problems. Tranny is about to go and the motor is worn out but still going. The real problem in my mind is the trucks wiring harness had some redneck engineers tear it up.

Was considering having some fun with it and trying to swap in a 2.7L DOHC engine into it along with doing a full chassis wiring harness to accommodate the newer engine and components that go with it.

What vehicle should I look for in a junk yard that would have a rear wheel drive 2.7L in it? And will the 2.7 bolt up to stock tranny (AX15?)

I love junkyards! Just point me in the right direction!

Thanks!

 

i'd avoid the 2.7 because of the habbit ppl had of not changing the oil and how it coked em up and caused lube related failures. if you really wanted one though you would be looking for a 300 or charger even some challengers. the only problem is they are all auto's and the auto's need a controler. while you can use all of that you would need to avoid anything with skim keys or vtss. and no i don't belive it would bolt up. a 3.5 also wouldn't be a great option. a 3.7 however you could get from a later dakota or a 1500 with a stick or auto and have little extra to do to make it work. for fun you go for a 4.7 or 5.2/5.9 . any of the three would be alott of fun to drive.
for lots of fun stick a 5.7 or a 6.1 in there
you might even consider the fun of a 392 or a v10?
imagine the fun that would be if you could cram it in there.

a 3.9 would be a step up to but if you're after the technological advances of the newer engines i would go for a 3.7 or a 4.7.

 

Stay far FAR away from the 2.7's; 90% of the time, they have sludge as mentioned before. Your best and cheapest route is to get a 5.2 V8 or even a 5.9 V8 and get an NV3500 transmission with the computer and wiring you'll have a fast truck that can haul and tow.

 

for all the work it would be if you just have to have a v6 i'd go 3.9 or 3.7.
3.9 is iron block with a bullet proof bottom end.
the 3.7 is lighter and still performs reasonably well. the 3.7 will rev alott higher than the 3.9.

as said before though i'd just v8 it. an old iron block is a lot of fun and is a work horse. heck myne is a auto 4x4 club cab and i've have 5 thousand pounds behind it with no problems at all.
it really depends on what you want the truck to do when your done with. how hard are you willing to work to get it there.

 

This is going to be a daily driver on a 40 mile round trip to work so fuel economy is something I want to keep as a primary consideration. I don't need to pull anything (anytime soon anyway). Even with the worn out 4-banger its got right now its agile and fun to drive. I'm interested in the 3.7L you mentioned and just started reading on it. This truck is quick as is with a 2.5L K in it, for my needs/wants a V6 with above 150 hp/tq will be plenty! Their availability in a junk yard is also important and I'm sure I'll be able to find at least a few in the yards down here in Columbus, GA.

I cant image how much more fun this truck would be after changing out a TBI 2.5 thats probably not making more than 70 hp now to a SFI 3.7 that might still be making 175 hp! (bows head, yes, this Ford Guy is getting excited about his Dodge)

Which transmission was normally used behind a 3.7 in the Ram 1500's?
Do trucks that have the 3.7 normally have wheel speed sensors on the rear axle? (am I gonna need to change out my axle?)

I don't mind doing the work to strip a 1500 for the wiring harness, modify it, and stick it in with the motor and tranny out of a junk yard donor. I'm hoping the most difficult part will be playing with ABS plastic to fabricate a new dash for the interior components (gage cluster, air bag elements, climate controls, etc etc).

Unrelated Question:
4x4 is common to Dodge, but, does Dodge ever use a drive-shaft e-brake? Ford would occasionally use a DS E-brake in its heavier trucks (F350s and up)

 

you could use a nv3500 on it. looks like the same bolt pattern for the 3.7 4.7 and 5.7 for 04 up truck. nothing older than 04 would have it from what i recall. also the 45rfe and 545rfe autos will work with it. if you find a truck wether it's dakota 1500 even some jeeps (most jeeps will have other options that make the electronics hard to use like anti theft) the eng and trans woulb perfect. the engin mount points on your frame should be just fine. will need the mounts from a 3.7 dakota. of the 3.9 and 3.7 the 3.7 will get better mileage and should be plenty strong enough for moderate pulling. you probly already have the 3.92's in your rear end since you have a 4 banger so the 3.7 will be really happy with that setup. they love to rev and generally work very verll with those gears. the axle you have if it's in good shape may hold up well for a long time. then again if it's worn out it may not handle it well at all. you could swap in the 8.25 or 9.25. both of those were behind v8's and the 7.25 stood up well to the 3.9's so you should be ok.

 

Thanks for the info! I appreciate all the help!
More good news. I just finished my first tank of gas. 260 on 14 gallons (18.5mpg). Not bad considering the engine is worn out, the tranny is on its death bed, the alignment is bad (inner & outer tie-rod ends), the tires are nearly bald, and most of the electrical system only works sporadically. This truck can only go up from here!
And my F150 would only go 235 miles on 17 gallons (13.8mpg).

This is going to be fun!

Thanks again! Time to go find a donor truck!

 

as said before though i'd just v8 it.

 

Unfortunately I've struck out. None of the 3 junk yards here in Columbus have any trucks with the 3.7 in them. Found a bunch of 5.2 and 5.7s, but no V6s at all. I found one truck that has the 4.7 Powertech w/ auto trans in it. What kind of fuel economy are they known to get in a 2wd / manual trans setup?

 

This truck is a riot! The wiring harness on this truck is so bad the wipers came on while driving home this evening without me touching anything.