My 96 has just under 300 000 and it still eats rubber in first second and third...trust me auto is SO boring...shifting is so much fun...if you want to make your truck a bit louder and a bit more impressive you can hold your shifts till a bit higher rpm...and like the video said..you can use your engine to break...by down shifting adding life to your brakes. I think stick has won the vote...lol

 

You answered your own question here lol. The synchros in my white Dak's AX-15 are going in first and second gear and I still prefer to drive it to my dad's S10 with a 4.3/auto combo or friends' slushbox Dakotas. That and an AX-15 or NV-3500 is probably cheaper to replace/rebuild than a Chrysler overdrive automatic, which with my somewhat-lead foot is inevitable.

 

I've been on the forums a while, it seems like most V8 auto guys report 11-17MPG and most V8 5 speed guys report numbers like mine (14-20). Your mileage doesn't surpise me at all considering the tire size and added weight/drag.
I don't put much stock into those numbers. Mine is rated for 11-16MPG. I've never managed below 14MPG and 18MPG highway is easy, and I've achieved 19-20MPG before a few times as well.

I have a friend with an identical truck as me, except a 97, his mileage is about the same too. I have another friend who had a 4.7 CC 4x4 auto and he averaged around 11-12.

 

Hey, hold on a minute boys - we're not talking gas mpg here - we're talking FUN to drive! I'll drive a manual in heavy traffic all day long (done it a lot!) and even make that fun! Just wish I could afford to have one put in my Dakota! I'd do it in a minute! Oh, and I'm a geezer, boys! Me hind leg is strong enough to handle ye olde clutch...

 

So now comes the fun part of finding out whats going to work and whats not, seems my only REAL options for parts are from gen2 daks. I can get Some linkage stuff from a a 95 and a 94, but everything else is 96' and 97' year. Also in 93" i know that stick was not an option for these, so where will I need to add wiring?
Also will my stock 60/40 bench interfere with the stick or do I have to switch to buckets up front?

 

Core shifters on ebay makes repo versions of the hurst..both a stock and a shortened shift version

 

ahh awesome they have a couple up there that are affordable. Thank you for the info.

 

The weakest part of an automatic is the wet clutches, the weakest part of a standard is the clutch plate, i'll take replacing the standard clutch plate over rebuilding my tranny any day.
My 89 Dakota sport had an auto and it was nothing but problems with slippage, major rebuild.
My 90 Jeep Comanchee 5 speed ran into slippage problems after 10 years, replaced the clutch and pressure plate and it was good as new.

 

Bump for my parts interchangability question

 

hi im diver dan and i just did a auto to a 5 spd nv 4500 swap out of a 1994 dodge 3/4 ton reg cab 4x4 gas . i put it in my 1996 318 club cab 4x4 1/2 ton .every thing works great .but only problem is when your going up hills you cant get your revs up . somthing to do whit the speed censor i was told,still tryng to figure it out .but it works great.5 years i was looking for a 5 spd hard to fine in my area .will never go back to and autom if some one nows something on the speed censor please drop me a line at diverdan007@hotmail.com whod app,it sorry on my spelling .also have a 1997 5spd whit a transfer case out of a 97 dakota for sale nv 3500 no use for it thanks dan