hey guys I own a 99 Dakota sport with a 3.9L V6 and was wanting to swap it out for the 5.9L V8 is this do able? what do I need to watch out for?

 

will I need to swap the wiring harness and is there anything else that will need to be changed?

 

wiring harness, pcm, possibly the the fuel pump. Be sure to get the flywheel/flexplate. Exhaust. Engine mounts. Be sure to get an engine from the same generation Dakota. A 95 won't do, as it's OBD1. I don't know about transmissions fitting up to the different engines. It would be rough if you had to change out trannies.



I want a 5.7 Hemi for my 96, but that's NEVER gonna happen!

 

I will move this to the 2nd generation Dakota sub-forum.

 

alrite awesome thanks for the heads up also I wanna lift my truck to get 35's under it do ya think that's too much rubber for my motor to turn as is?

 

It depends on what gears you have.

 

ok cool I have a 3:92 gear ratio does that tell me what I need to know? what should my ratio be to be able to turn 35's without doing any damage?

 

Doesn't putting huge tires on kinda defeat the purpose of changing to a larger motor. And affect driveability, fuel mileage, and cost a hell of a lot?

 

Well 35s aren't that huge. And by going to the higher gears, those bigger wheels are easier to turn and your gas mileage is less affected.

 

brian im not really goin for fuel millege my intent is to build a off road truck that is small in stature but can still keep up with the big boys on the trails and in the mud holes so im thinkin about goin to a 4:56 ratio guys gimme some input and let me know if that's a good choice. thanks guys