I know everyone is going to say theres already a million threads on this but i have not found all the info im looking for
I have a 440 with a 727 and am about to buy a 2wd 87 dakota for fairly cheap .
I would like to use the stock rear end till it blows up, do i have to get a custom drive shaft? Do i have to cut anything out? I can live with out power steering or breaks. I really just want something loud and stupid. Also what do i have to do to get the lights and gauges to work. Looking for guidance from someone who has done it before .
thanks in advance

 

Welcome to DF.

Getting the 440 and 727 to fit is going to be the fun part. Gonna have to remove a fair bit of metal for clearance.

 

I put a 360 magnum into my 90 and had to swap the front end with a 94 to fit. A 440 is half an inch longer....I had to lengthen my front end because of the LA style water pump with carb set up. Not too familiar with how long your 440 water snout is but that'd be a consideration. As for the transmission, the 87 came with either a 3 spd 904 or 4 spd A500. What does the 87 have? If it's a 4 speed with overdrive then your 727 will be shorter and may require cross member mods and a new drive shaft.

As for gauges that's pretty simple. The coolant sensor swaps over. The speedo is driven by cable from the trans. Oi psi you can swap over the sensor.

 

unless you have the rare short tail version (mostly used in motorhomes) 727, it should be very close in length to a 4 speed O/D trans. 87 would certainly be carbureted as original equip, and certainly had a 904 (might be a 998/999 but those are the exact same trans as a 904 just different 1st gear and different number of discs in the clutch packs) A500 didn't come out til some time in 1988. big block into Dakota has been done before. Among others I remember a guy that had a 383 in one.

 

Thanks for the info. Im feeling good about this! Im looking at kits they sell on engine-swap.com. seems pretty straightforward. Has anybody done business with them before?

 

Hmmm...I'm confused a bit. According to all the specs I can find the 87 did come with a 4 speed OD option which would be an A500. The three speed, also available was the 904. I don't think there was any other 4 speed that wasn't an A500, other than the A518 which didn't come in the 87s. But then the 727 history wiki concurs that the A500 came out in 89. So did the 87 really have a 4 speed option and if so, what model trans was it?

 

The wiki may be in error; the 4 speed OD was an option for the 1988 model year; according to my FSM, it occured in about 10% of all 1988 trucks.

RwP

 

I have the FSM for the 87 dakota. FWIW they only show 2 transmissions. 1. NP2500, which is a manual 5 speed. 2. A-998 Loadflite transmission. Says its a 3 speed with a lock up converter.
Hope this helps

 

Just a fyi, The 440 uses a 727B, The "B" is for big block motors! All of the transmissions you are talking about are for the small block. Different bell housings and will not fit a big block.

 

but if he has that 87 with a 904/998/999 trans the mount location on the trans is the same between a 727 and a 904.... will need a 6" shorter driveshaft to put a 727 where a 904 used to be.