I have 1998 dakota with the 5.2 in it. It has a little pep to it right now but with 177,000 miles, im thinkin about buyin a used or remanufactured 5.9L for it. Is there any difference between the 5.9 for a dakota r/t or a 5.9 from a ram? It is obviously easier to find a 5.9 in a junkyard from a Ram over finding one from a junked R/T. Could somebody give me their advice or knowledge? And would anybody know the 1/4 mile times for a bone stock r/t? thanks for lookin.

 

i kno the exhausr maidolfs are different and i think the cylender heads may be slightly different, but i am not 100% on that. i do know the exhaust systems are different though. I'm also not sure if the transmission ios the same, but yo might want to upgrade that and I know that the rear end in the R/Ts is different and made to handle the extra power and torque better...not to mention they are geared different. if you want to do it right, its gonna cost u a lot and take a long time, so just be prepared for all that is involved. and if this in in a 4x4, i dont kno a 5.9 would fit with everything else, but it might.

 

5.9 fits fine, it's a factory option in later years. The rear end shouldn't be any different, it's just a chrysler 9 1/4 but it might have a different ratio. Tranny again is a standard 46re iirc, but you're probably right about the exhaust. The heads are standard magnum heads though. I know the crossover pipe on my 5.9 4x4 is tiny, and it's one of the things I'd really like to fix.

 

I have a 3.90 gearing in it. So what your saying is I should be able to bolt up any newer style 5.9 either from a R/T or a Ram to my 4x4 Dak with a couple of modifications to the exhaust? And if I were to find a 5.9 from a Ram, do i still need to swap the heads? Thanks for replying!

 

Heads are the same across the line. You may want to pull the heads and check for cracks, and if you're going to do that it might be worthwhile to just buy a set of R/T heads (which don't actually come on the R/T trucks from what I've seen). I've got the 3.92 gearing as well, 46re, np241 or whatever it is, 5.9 magnum in my 02.

The 5.9 is an externally balanced motor, you'll need the appropriate flywheel or torque converter, or a 0 balance item with the appropriate weight welded in the right spot. You may also need the ECU and wiring harness - that I don't know. Stock magnum exhaust manifolds are supposed to be decent in terms of flow, so if it was my truck I'd fab a manifold back exhaust out of 2.5 into a single 3" cat and high flow muffler and out the side (I do a bit of towing and would rather not blow exhaust directly on the trailer).

 

the exhaust crossover pipe on the dakota r/t is 2 1/4" and its 2 1/2" on the ram. im putting headers on m yR/T this spring and might get a new crossover made while im at it

 

the exhaust crossover on my dak is like 1.5", it's horrible. Someday I'll fix it, even if it means decreased ground clearance.