So I recently just bought a 1998 Dodge Dakota 5.9L V8 2W Dand am looking to do a complete over haul on the performance side of it. Im looking for suggestions having just entered the truck world and not knowing many manufacturers that make high performance parts it would be much appreciated if someone could tell me where to start and perhaps a list of what is needed or a point in the right direction?

 

Well to start, tell us what you want to use the truck for! Also, what kind of budget do you have for the build?

You can do anything from simple intake/exhaust work all the way up a 408 stroker with a big cam, etc.

You can also do stuff like lock the rear axle for better traction, build the transmission with a shift kit and higher stall TC.

 

Drag... im looking for a quick straight line truck... that being said remain street legal and no engine swaps lol im 19 and making 48k a year so im not in to bad of shape to spend the money on the truck. So im looking for traction and balance of torque and hp...

 

supercharged 408 stroker

 

Lol, I wasn't implying an engine swap, I was implying you taking your 360 out and building a 408 :P

BTW, torque and horsepower are directly related by a simple math equation...

HP = torque * RPM/5252

So a balance of torque and hp is not exactly something to shoot for. If your engine makes torque and turns rpms, it will make hp.

But for drag racing, I'd defintely lock the rear axle!! Something like a powertrax noslip is simple to install, works well, and strong enough for most anything you'll need it for. I'd also get a higher stall torque converter and shift kit for your transmission. Probably wouldn't hurt to do a complete overhaul and put in performance clutch packs too!

As for the engine, if you really don't want to pull it out of the truck, you can keep it simple and put in a big cam, 1.7 roller rockers (Harland Sharp makes really good ones). You can do intake/TB work or buy a m1 intake or similar and bigger throttle body. You can get a tuner for the computer, which is actually necessary if you get a big cam. Then there are headers, high flow cats (or no cats if you don't have to go through emissions inspection), and lower restriction muffler.

There's a ton of stuff you can do! Especially with the 5.9L... there is a good sized aftermarket for that engine.

Start by checking out summitracing.com and hughesengines.com for parts.

 

Thank you very much for your help I shall look at both sites as for building it into a 408 stroker is there any guide on that anywhere or best left to a autoshop i dont mind removing the engine just need to wait for winter to end here in canada before i get that ambitious. In your opinion where would you start this build?

 

A 408 build is simple! Strip the engine down to a bare block, and get the block bored .030 and honed by a machine shop. Then, either buy a rotating kit or peice one together yourself. A rotating kit will come with the new crankshaft, rods, pistons, and sometimes bearings. Depending on how agressive of a build you are going for, you may not need the rods, since they are the same. You will need the 4" stroke crankshaft and stroker pistons though, along with new bearings. Once you get the rotating kit, have a machine shop balance it if it's not already balanced and you may have to get the cylinders notched to clear the longer stroke. Then you rebuild it. I'd suggest getting performance heads to bolt on and a bigger cam. No sense building a 408 with a factory 360 cam cause you can put a big cam in a 360 and get a lot more power than a 408 with a factory cam! With the cam, you'll need new valve springs. For a performance build, roller rockers are almost a must, but ratio is up to you. You can get away with a good mild 408 build for $2500-3000. But if you want to go more aggressive, you're looking more into the $3500-4000+ range.

Also, if you're going to build the engine, you will need to build your transmission as well. No sense spending all that money making power and not be willing to spend the money putting the power to the ground!

But as for where to start... if you can't pull the engine and transmission until later in the spring, your best bet is to buy good performance tires, maybe wheels too depending on what size you want to run. You should also go ahead and lock the rear. Maybe even think about changing the gears if you have 3.55s to 3.90s or 4.10s.

 

Theres a lot you can do. But if you're looking to drag with it. You will need to look into your suspension, just as much as your performance. 500hp does you no good on a stock suspension. If your axle isn't already LS, make it LS. Your tranny will never be able to handle anything more then basic mods. So if you plan on going all out built 360 or 408, you're looking at a tranny over haul.

Btw, is your truck a quad cab. Im assuming it is since its a 5.9. If thats the case. You will need to do A LOT of work in order to make it fast. A QC dakota is not meant to be used for drag racing. Its meant to take the family and the family boat to the lake on the weekend. You will have to look a lot into weight reduction. Removing spare tire, rear seats, jack, ect. ect.

As far as the motor goes you PLENTY of options for a 360. You could do built 360, mildy built 360 + s/c, built 408, built 408 s/c. Its all a matter of what you want and how much you're looking to spend. A 408 build is fairly simple with the 360. But then you need to invest in a tranny, or beefing up the 46re. Also need to do a lot with the suspension as I noted before.

And gears! Gears are a MUST if you plan on dragging with it. Go with at least 4:10s, probably 4:56s depending upon the type of build you do.

So you need to do us a favor and tell us more about what you are looking to do. As well as how savy you are with a wrench. All this stuff is worthless if you need a shop to do it. Obviously a shop would needed to bore the block for a 408, and to rebuild a tranny most likely, but the rest you need to be able to do to make it worth while.