i have a 87 5 speed 4wd dakota, are the transmission and transfer case strong enough for a v8 swap? ive read the automatics are not, but i didnt know about the manual. thanks in advance

 

itll hold up but only if you drive lightly. the transfer cases are the same for all 5.2/5.9/3.9.

its highly recommended to change to the nv3500

 

thank you

 

Yeah, in otherwords, No. Driving a pickup lightly is not realistic. If you ever haul anything home, get stuck in the snow or mud, or need to hurry to get on the freeway you risk blowing your transmission.

Will it even bolt up?

And if you get an NV3500, get the transfer case with it. And the drivelines. And the linkages. And the speedo drive, and the crossmember, mounts, blah, blah, blah. I would question whether your old V6 axles are up to a V8, too.

I know it seems like I discourage I-4 and V6 conversions to V8's. But for older Dakotas, it's not a simple as just bolting up the bigger motor, doing the wiring, and turning the key. It's gonna be complicated and expensive. Your engine compartment is too small. And for what it will cost, you might be better selling the old truck for whatever & buying one that more closely meets your needs.

 

the 4cyl trans wont bolt up but the v6 will. I put a nv3500 behind the v8 in my old 93 and that was originally behind a v6 in a ram. and I have a v8 trans behind my current v6 in my 91.