So I was thinking about swapping out my 3.9 V6 for the smaller 5.2 V8 in my 97' Ram 1500. I'd do the 5.9 V8 but I'd like to keep my tranny which is the 5 speed manual, how labor intensive would that be? Would I have to swap the tranny as well?

You can use your 5 speed with the 5.2 or 5.9. The engine will bolt right up to your transmission, you'll have to add a couple of wires for the two extra injectors, have the computer reprogrammed, and a few other small things.

Yeah, and don't beat on it real hard. The NV3500 won't like that.