Hey guys.... Looking to dump a new engine into my 2001 Dodge Dakota Sport.... Was wondering if anyone had any suggestions onto what kind of engines are out there that these trucks can handle... Going to Road Race it so I don't want a ton of power but still want to have a good amount... And I also heard that these trucks the engine compartment is small so it can't carry a big motor... If anyone has any feedback I'd appreciate it..

 

Well it's not that small the compartment. You can squeeze a 5.7L hemi in there.

 

Try searching on the subject. Engine swaps of all kinds have been discussed in this section.

 

You can cram all sorts of stuff into a Dakota... I know a handful of people who have either used the 5.7L Hemi V8 or the old school Mopar 440 V8. A lot of the people doing engine swaps will stick to the traditional 5.2L/5.9L motor because you can still use an OEM PCM, or they'll take the 5.9L V8 and stroke it out to a 6.7L or 7.0L configuration.

IMHO there's one big question to ponder - how much money do you think you're going to have to spend for the swap? If you're a big do-it-yourselfer with the tools and the know-how to make the swap, then changing out a V6 for a basic V8 shouldn't be too terribly expensive. However, if you're a little on the novice side, is it really worth spending ~$5k to bump a V6 to a V8, when you could simply sell the truck and spend that $5k buying an R/T or something else closer to your final goal? When you spend that money on a different vehicle you may be inheriting more than just the engine (ie: R/T's suspension, color-matched bumpers, etc.).

 

I was thinking more of a smaller engine but that puts more power out... any feedback on that?

 

You could always do mods to the engine. But Best bet is buy a r/t or a 5.2L. Than put a turbo on a v8 isn't much more money.

 

why?!

 

Why? because in track racing you don't need a ton of Horsepower...

 

ah gotcha i pulled a dummy and read the last 2 posts didnt read the your original []

 

Just change the engine up for a 5.2L and put a turbo, with a different gear ratio. even a turbo on the v6 would kick *** but the difference of the engine is about 50 pounds