Just bough a 5.9L Engine from a junkyard 200 miles away, gonna drive out and pick it up tomorrow. As Time goes by I'll update my progress here.
Info on my pre-swap Dak
3.9L Ext Cab. Stock except for plenum gasket fix.

Info on the 5.9
Came out of a 1999 Dodge Truck 2500 Series

Questions:
1. Should I Still look for a 93-95 flex plate, even though it's a 99 engine? If the engine comes with one, should I just get a 99 torque converter to match the 99 flex plate instead?
2. Is there a better write up for this? I've seen a few, but I just want to be sure I do this right.
3. I've seen a few options for a 5.9L specific transmission, is this a good option, or should it be avoided?
4. I don't do emissions, so an EGR delete would be a good idea? Is it as simple as plugging a hole and sealing some vacuum hoses?
5. This engine should be compatable right? I don't know of any reason why not, so I work with it.

 

Sounds like you intend to keep the fuel injection, so the flywheel you use must have the notches for the crankshaft sensor ('93 or later for a 5.9L). As for the '99 flex plate, it has the notches, but I don't know about the different bolt patterns required for post '95 automatics. I'd put faith in what Crazy says, but just switching to a later torque convertor may not work. It depends on the input shaft spline count on the transmissions involved. That information is available, I just don't know it off hand.

The additional two wires needed for the V8 injectors is about all the changes you need to make to the engine bay wire harness.

'93's used EGR, so If you use your '93 wire harness and a '93 to '95(?) 5.9L OBDI computer, its the default. I'm sure you can delete it for a '93, but as for the steps to do that, I'm not sure. I don't believe the '99 engine's manifolds have EGR ports, so you're already part way there.

The engine is definitely compatible. You'll just need to do a little homework finding the right tranny, computer, and injectors sized to work with the computer.

 

Got the engine on a stand.
Drove 200 miles to Peoria, IL to get it, on the last 5 miles I saw smoke coming from my transmission. I think I blew a seal,it leaks whenever it's in motion. I'm driving a PT Cruiser for now.





Before I got to it




Taking off everything I wont need.




Same as before

 

Hey, you're on your way!

Incidently, the power steering bracket on that engine may be wrong for your truck, if I'm seeing/remembering it correctly. I tried one like that and it hit the steering gear box because it sat too low. Of course my truck is 4WD, so a 2WD w/rack and pinion may be fine. At any rate, there are like 3 versions of the power steering brackets around. I ended up using one from another Dakota. I think the low one I tried was from a Ram.

 

Can I re-use the one on my current dak? That's what I'm planning on doing for most of the important parts.

One question for anyone willing to help.
Can I grab any pre-96 5.2 transmission? Or even a 5.9 transmission from a ram? Does it have to be from a Dakota because I'm having trouble finding one I wont have to rebuild.

 

I believe any automatics in that time frame will be OK, and not require anything special. If you're looking at manual trannys though, you'll want one from a Dakota, not a Ram. Reason is the Ram manual trans will put the shifter too far forward, under your dash. If I'm wrong about the automatics, hopefully someone will point out any pitfalls.

 

I was taking off the intake manifold, and a bolt took a bunch of oil with it, then the smell hit me. This thing was eating oil bad. I'm hoping the block isn't actually cracked.




The two front bolts lost their heads, so now I have to find a way to get them off.




Rockers look clean

 

The plenum gasket breaks down because of the dissimilar metal of the steel plenum and aluminum intake which allows oil into the intake where it burns and causes lots of trouble. That may be where the smell is coming from. There are after market plenum kits, if you get one make sure the one you get has an aluminum plenum that is at least 1/4" in thickness. I went with Hughes engines they give great phone support. I can't see where the bolts broke off.

 

My first thought too, the moment you mentioned the smell! A plenum kit will solve the problem.

 

I've done the plenum on my 3.9L, and this one is just as bad. The plenum is very shot on this engine ( can't even see the metal anymore ). When I was unscrewing the manifold, a screw came out caked in oil, and the smell came from the hole. The screw never went near the inside of the barrel intake, so I'm wondering how it got in there, probably a bad gasket. I plan on putting in the Edelbrock FI airgap kit.