i ran a search, but didnt find anything, and if this is in the wrong place i apologize, i wasnt sure where to put this.

i want to swap for a 318, but i was told id have to "beef up" my suspension, not only that, but i was also told that i would have to change the tranny, even though ive read that it bolts straight up, same bore, same stroke, just two extra cylinders, my question is, is it true id have to do all that?
if not, what about the ratios?

 

I've been doing research on this too, everything that I have read never mentioned anything about the suspension. Like you said it is a identical motor with the exception of the two extra cylinders. As for the tranny it should bolt right up and be fine. As for me I just figure when the tranny goes which it currently has 199,256 miles on it then I will just build it beefier. But I'm sure some one will correct me if I am wrong, which is fine with me cause I love learning too.

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...ljbj3Q&cad=rja

Here is my swap. Kept tranny and kept suspension, it all worked 100% in the end.

 

thanks alot, thats what i needed to know.
but i have another question now that you guys have answered that.
is it a good idea or a bad idea?
i like the dakota, because she has a nice body, midsized and enjoyable, but what i dont like is the way the V6 accelerates, the 318 should fix that right, and if so, what would my milage look like v.s the V6 considering weight to power?

 

It being worth it is up to you. If you can turn some wrenches and have a respectable set of air tools it can be a DIY project. Heck I did mine in my drive way under my carport.

With your truck being a 99, I can guarantee you all you would need is a 5.2 motor and a PCM from a 1999 Dakota 5.2. You can use your v6 harness and splice in the injectors like I ended up doing, or get a harness from a 1999 Dakota 5.2. ( I can't stress the importance of making sure the donor PCM and harness are from the same year truck)

The power gain was considerably higher than the 3.9, and as for gas mileage I actually got about 1mpg better than my v6. I dont know if that is because I rebuilt the motor brand new, or if the v6 is just a dog.

 

hahaha, alright, thats exactly what i thought, thanks man, i think im going to go ahead and drop in a 5.2 when i get a chance..... and find one.
i take it that if you happen to snag a pcm from the wrong year, you will likely end up with the wrong codes, so i think ill probably do that, unfortunately i cant do the drop myself, i can do light engine work right now but im still learning, also a little hard for an overhaul at an apartment :P

thanks again for the help, much appreciated.

 

No problem, when you do the swap post on here and myself as well as others who know more than me will be glad to help. Welcome to the Forum BTW.

 

Some v6's were built with 44re or nv3500's both of those were behind the v8's or v6's but a ax-15 or a 42re were behind the v6's, they will work but dont expect it to last long with a lot of hard launches and hauling stuff.

 

you know how i could check which tranny ive got?
i know pretty much nothing about trans, thats like a new language to me.

also when i do the swap i will definitely post it up.

 

damn i just read over that whole thread and ive come to the conclusion a swap isnt for me. anyway that was a great deal on that ram, but now i see it says you have a 2001 dakota now? any backstory behind that? oh and sorry for changing up topic of thread