alright guys what would you guys recommend a 4.7 a 5.2 or the 5.9. which is better in the long run. and which one with some money poured into it (not a whole lot but decent) is going to be better performing and yet not making me pay for it in gas?

 

Unfortunatly you are talking about an american V8. Its lazy, notoriously inefficient, but it has more torque than a mad diesel. No matter what version you get it WILL get bad miliage compared to something like a Toyota, Honda or BMW. I know I own one of each.....But you will have more fun in a 5.9L than in anything else. Less computers, and nothing can beat the reliability of an old fashioned pushrod V8, unless of course you have a BMW Z-8 Alpina stashed away in your garage, but I wouldn't count on it.

The 5.9 doesn't have a lot of power stock compared to alot of other V8s. However you have a great platform to work on. You have almost 6 litres of displacement to work with and an engine that is time tested and tried true for over 40 years. I think the first 239, 318, 360 block appeared in the late 1950s and has not been modified from its original pattern since the late 70s. Other than the addition of fuel injection(both MPI and TBI) and the ECU the 360 block is unchanged. I really, REALLY like my R/T however if its a manual you are looking for you won't find it unless it is a bastard. Dodge recently stopped offering the 318/360s in their line of trucks due to a lack of fuel ineffcientcy however any smart buyer knows that by buying a V8 the are not going to get 1,000,000 MPG like a toyota. But I can guarentee that my R/T will blow the door off of any Japanese econobox anyday of the week.

There is a huge array of after market dealers and retailers that specialize in the 318/360 block Dodge P/Us. Most Mods will run you a couple of hundred of bucks and its easy to get carried away. I know I did and when I last tallied up my total cost of parts and crud for my R/T it was enough to choke a horse(close to 19k on a truck that I spent 17,900 on in the 1st place) but I don't regreta single dime nickle or penny of it. With everything I have done it stills gives my Jack Nicholson grinns every time the long pedel meets the floorboard. Just the basics will run you close to a couple of grand but the difference will be night and day. With just an intake, throttle body, and a decent exhaust you are looking at about 215hp and about 290 lb/ft at the wheels. Go a step farther and spring for the intake manifold, heads, exhaust manifolds, roller reockers, titanium pushrods, forged pistons and rods, and a mild cam and you are looking at almost a 200hp and almost 340 lb/tq increase and this is the 360 you parents/grandparent grew up with. Add a supercharger, or if you are a brasen little sadistic bastard, a twin turbo system and you are seeing blue and red lights before you know it.

Just remember that whatever you do to one side of the engine you MUST do to the other. I had a friend with a 318 Dak and he had all this air flowing into the block but the exhaust was still stock and ended up blowing the engine of his $20k daily driver.

 

My 99 grand cheroke w/quadradrive and the 4.7 got the same mileage as my friend's 4runner with the v6, so saying they're total gas hogs is not quite accurate. But the 5.9 quad cab is getting 12mpg average since I bought it, which is a bit horrid, but I'm ok with it.
Also the smallest of the LA v8's is a 273, the 239 iirc is a v6.
All I've done to mine is hack the muffler out and weld a new one in place and it's plenty quick for now, when the extended warranty runs out we'll talk about modding it.

If you want decent power and ok fuel economy, get the 4.7
If you want good power and don't care about fuel economy, get the 5.9

 

now for the other question. any recommendations on where to get a 5.9 for a good price?

 

2wd or 4wd? There have been maybe a dozen 5.9 quad cab 4x4's come through here for 18-22k recently. R/T's, couldn't tell you. They seem to be more rare.

 

eBay if you can trust people. The 5.9L in the Dak only came with the R/T trim level in a 2x4 or a 4x4 option. If not check out you local TruckTrader or their web site at www.autotrader.com. I found mine at a stealership an regreted it later when I found one almost identicle in trucktrader a month later. Also check out NADA for current fair market value and Kelly Blue Book for current market analysis. KBB will give you what the vehicle is worth NOW with factors considered like gas prices and demand for that type of vehicle. And NADA will give you what the maximum the stealership/priviat seller can charge without documentation of what has been done mod wise. Its really hard to find one stock if thats what you are looking for but it really is worth buying one that has already had a little work done on it. Because 9 times out of 10 they will already have the thing sorted out and ready for the track.

 

ive got the 4.7 in my 01 dakota and ive heard its a great engine and its pretty new and updated. its sounds amazing with cold air and exhaust and still gets roughly 16 or 17 mpg and thats mainly intown and a little highway. ive got a friend with a 00 durango with the 5.2 and he sees more like 13 or 14 mpg. so dont have any doubts on the 4.7 its just as good or better than the 5.2

 

More torque than a mad diesel? A sick diesel maybe...

 

I found a 2003 R/T with 42000 clicks on it on Autobytel.com and also shopped Autotrader.com. When I pulled the truck on autobytel, the price listed was their buying price and they sold it to me for that. As stated, the 360(5.9) has been around for a long time, as has the 318. I dropped a K&N filter in the stock air box for now and am getting 16.5 on the highway, which is what my 05 Durango HEMI is giving me. The R/T is a fun truck and has answered every call I've given it. Right now, I'm enjoying it more than the 04 Ram HEMI I had to trade. Also, as stated, you either get an older Dodge V8 for the power and drivability or go somewhere else if it's economy you want.