I have a 94 dodge Dakota sport 3.9l v6 auto and im wanting to swap in a 318 v8 I know theres a million threads on this but I want real info from people who have done the swap. heres the information im interested in

- what tools are needed
- what am I going to need besides the complete motor and wiring harness
- will I need the pcm from the donor truck
- how long should it take with the right tools
- will my v6 trans hold up im pretty sure its a 46 re but if someone knows forsure please let me know I know its 4 speed with o/d

- what are my transmission build options, how hard would a 5 speed swap with the 318 be

 

you have the 42RH trans. RE trans didn't go in until 96' with OBDII. you will need pcm and either your trans rebuilt or a donor RH model. standard swap tools. wrenches sockets pliers cherry picker etc etc.
5 speed swap is easily possible with enough time and tools but you will want to get an NV3500 from a newer dakota. the older AX-15 will require some work to handle the torque.

 

i got a pcm for the 318 you can have

also hit up the pull apart yards for parts, call around because these dakotas are hard to find in salvage yeards these days, ive tried.