i have a 2002 club cab dodge dakota 4x4 lifted on 33's with a 6 inch body lift.
my question is: can i put a 351 big block into my truck and if not, what would be some of the best options on price vs performance?

 

possible but you will have to fab motor mounts trans mounts your electronics would have to be completely changed. what motor do you have you could put a 5.9 in it and you could easily swap electronics over or splice the harness people here have put 5.7 hemi's in or a cummins it can all be done but you will have a lot of time and money in it to do it right

 

well is there any good engine out there that is least amount to put in but gives at least better performance than the one i have now? and if there is such an engine, where can i get it?

all i know about my engine is this:

3,906 cc 3.9 liters 6 V front engine with 99.3 mm bore, 84.1 mm stroke, 9.1 compression ratio, overhead valve and two valves per cylinder

 

5.9 swap would be your best bet i'd say, there are lots of threads on this forum and others of people swapping them in for their 3.9's, there really isn't anyone on here that has done it recently but if you try searching around a little you'd be surprised at how much info you could find on it, i'm sure. one person that comes to mind his user name was varsis. he did a 3.9 to 5.9 swap and a sas swap and I think he had a total of 8 inches or so with 37's. I used to talk to him a lot but haven't recently. try to contact him on some good info or look up his threads. good luck.

 

i am new to all this stuff so im learning as i go but 1. in order to put in the 5.9 do i just simply unhook my 3.9 pull it out and rehook the 5.9 in its place?

2. what is a sas swap?

3. is there a site where i can buy this engine?

 

http://www.rebuiltautoengines.com/do..._1-engine.html


is this the engine you're talking about?

 

In order to do a 5.9 swap you need a 5.9 ecu or have yours reprogrammed and you will also need to wire in the extra injectors or get the 5.9 wiring harness.A sas swap is just swapping in a solid front axle.

 

that motor should do you will also need a trans to handle the extra torque from the motor

 

yeah it's possible, personally if i had the money i would drop a cummins in there but if not a 5.9 360 would be the best bet, they make some nice mods for them i.m.o.

 

It don't matter what V-8 you put in your truck, your going to have to get the ECM to power it, and relocate the motor mounts..If I'm not mistaking a 351 is a ford, and a big block 351 is a Cleveland , not windsor..I would not put a big block of any kind in that truck simply because of the horsepower to torque ratio compared to size and weight..
A small block would allow more performance at less cost and be lighter on the mid sized frame..
If I were doing a swap like you're looking at, I would do a 360 or 5.7 Hemi..Depending on the cost of the motor you find..I've seen 5.7 Hemi's with Transmission intact on ebay for less than $2,500.00..And there's an *** of info on that swap on these threads..If you go 360 That's a good choice too..They sell for even less and with the throttle body injection,,pulling horsepower from them is easier than the old carbarated models..They sell chips and tuners ,and all sorts of great stuff for that motor..
IF you want a Major HEADACHE Put a Ford Motor in it..
There's not enough room in a Dakota engine bay for a 351 Cleveland..
My 2001 Dakota Quad Cab has a 5.7 Hemi in it, and the Motor compartment is FULL...