I currently own a 1998 1500 V6, and it is a piece of crap, plus I have almost 200,000 miles on it, I really want to put a V8 in it but I cannot do it myself, and do not know where to get one, or even if its possible...any help?

 

You would also need to change the transmission (if its an auto) and the computer. Basically, you'd need an entire donor vehicle.

 

Is it possible? Yes.
Is it smart? probably not.

Like Jason Said, your gonna need a whole donor vehicle, ans honestly, in the time and money your going to spend doing this, you could upgrade to a v8 easily.

 

unless your truck is in mint shape, i dont think a swap would be the smartest move. you could most likely sell your truck and buy a V8 truck for less money and MUCH less headache. that being said, if you have some sentimental attatchment to the truck, then go for it.

 

My take is slightly different than those above. An engine swap can be awesome! It all depends on how deep you want to go. You easily find a donor vehicle in the junkyard of a major city. No problem. You have to understand though that pretty much everything under the hood has to be swapped out, not to mention the tranny. Front end support will probably need to get buffed up as well.

To do a project like this you are going to need a cherry picker, or an a-frame, a very good set of tools, lots of time, good local machine shop, and a boat-load of $$$. Just know what you are getting into here.

One of the most enjoyable projects I ever took on was to ****** an I6 out of an older F-150 and replace it with a rebuilt 302 and tranny I pulled out of a Lincoln Continental in a junkyard. Stabbing that tranny with your new power plant is pretty damn satisfying. Now getting to that point was a major pain in the ***, I'll admit. But my son and I did it over about a 3-month period, and it was an absolute blast.

 

Find a wrecked truck in the local Craigslist, Greensheets, etc. Make sure it runs and the mileage isn't ridiculous and swap over everything.

 

Yeah by the sound of things, it doesnt sound smart, i can do a tune-up and a few other things myself...but not this job. I would like to keep this truck, but it sounds like just selling it and buying a V8 would be best, but living up north(Canada) would most trucks of this caliber be pretty rusty?

 

i live in BC, i dont have any rust on my truck.