Pros and cons of dropping a 99 V10 8.0 into a 76 Adventurer shortbox?
Donor motor runs well, good compression, but no ECM.
Is this even feasible?
Not sold, not unsold. Testing the water.

 

Pros, sounds pretty badA**. Cons, wasn't a factory option so most everything will be custom. Motor mounts, cooling stack, a/c if you want it, electrical, dash gauges. Depending on the trans option you use, speedometer could be interesting. If you're up for a mechanical adventure I say go for it.

Feasible, absolutely however affordable, probably not

I've been wanting to stuff a V10 in something myself. Right now probably my 98 regular cab short bed, but that'll be easy since it was a factory option that year. Just waiting for a 98 donor to surface.

 

Sounds fun!

If going auto, I would try keep with the '99 era ECM and trans. If going manual, then stick with the 47RH or manual trans ECM/harness.

www.car-part.com is a good search engine for used parts.

 

I would be more tempted to go with the 96-97 PCM, 98 and up want to drive the gauges, and a selection of other things as well....

 

I would have to ask why? Yeah it has torque, But all things considered i think a built 440 would be better. It seems that miles per gallon is not something you are concerned with.

 

I think it sounds cool .... my first question is how do you feel about fabrication and welding?
With a V10 I wonder how long the engine is and how far you can push the radiator forward for clearance ..... A 70's D100 had some room in them and you may be fine.
Same time it might be easier to cut open the firewall and transmission tunnel to fit the engine .... I dunno. First thing I would be checking.

Sounds like you already have the donor motor .... Sometimes free is not cheap .... you will need to do your research to find out exactly what you need, transmission, wiring harness, ECM ...
Fabrication.

I met a guy online that had a 1970 D100 and he wanted to give away the original 318/3spd transmission so I went and picked it up.
He was installing a modern Hemi engine/transmission .... first thing he did was cut off the subframe and graft a modern one on to it .... at least it is a V8 and has room for the engine .... the transmission tunnel still needs work .... actually I think the D100 has a flat floor and no tunnel, the newer larger transmission needed a tunnel.

How good are you with electrical? Your going to have some electrical issues to modify and make work.

The honest brutal answer is, if you have to ask you are probably not qualified to do the job.

That does not mean you cant learn to do the job. .... Will be a long term project.
I have a 1949 Dodge project truck since 2018 ..... I had zero experience welding .... I had to buy a welder and teach myself to weld .... I did as much work as I could on the truck with no welding ... on the side I taught myself to fabricate and weld .... there was a time where I would not weld on the truck ..... then there was a time I just felt confident in my skills and just jumped in and did it.

So that's my thoughts, you can do it, it may take a while to get it done .... there are probably easier engine transmission choices available .... just do what you want.

 

I'm not familiar enough with the V10 to know if there are generational changes that interfere with ECM choice.

As for engine length.... I figure the cummins rad support tricks could be employed.

 

I don't think the V-10 is as long as the cummins..... but, can't swear to that.

The only generational changes were to the electronics that ran the engine/trans. I don't think the engines themselves changed at all.

And yeah, a 440 would most certainly be easier.

 

I have a couple V-10s. Heavy, like 600lbs heavy. Everything about them is obsolete or difficult. Finding one with a good set of heads not easy/guaranteed. The transmission for simplicity's sake has to go with the engine, you'll need that, transmission mount, driveshaft, and a way to control it. Stock radiator is about a foot and a half wider than yours
Correct, '94-'95 PCMs pretty easy, but not programmable, '96-'97 better. You will be changing sensors or rewiring your engine connectors. After that the PCM/ECM setup will not work with analogue dash gauges or much of anything else. MegaSquirt has been used to run them. E4ODNut had/has one, lives up here in B.C.
V-10 is only one cylinder bank longer than the 318 you are likely tossing and the front is fairly compact, exhaust as well, heads and intake are taller, but it'll fit. Brake booster might interfere.
The old online stuff is starting to fade, but folks have swapped this engine into an old 'cuda, a Chrysler, and a Durango. The Durango guy was working on swapping on some aluminum Viper heads. The 47RH 4speed lockup auto has been made to run with fabricated control setup. Read back far enough, you'll see it's all been done.
Love my engine, love my truck, but this sounds like a project. Cool idea, good luck.

 

Your suspension is going to be fun on this one. The engine may fit but length will be problematic. The engine bay was designed to hold the big block engines. Those are four cylinders long and the V10 is 5 cylinders long.

One thing I've never been able to get the parts for is to build a car or truck with a big block with hydraulic lifters and the long ram set up with fuel injection. The original long rams had mechanical lifters and were a maintenance nightmare. Find an underhood picture of a late 50's/early 60's Mopar with the long ram and it's wall to wall engine.