My dad has a 2006 dakota it has the 3.7L v6 in it... My husband is wanting to put a new header on it but he's afraid he will have to make them, we did see the jba part #1931s (I think was the number) I think these are for the 3.7l ram trucks ... My question is will these fit the dakota? They will be putting new exhaust all the way back so if the mounting part for the cats are different that's fine, he's good making things work if needed, he can make them from scratch if needed but time is an issue for us right now.

So 3.7 ram same engine as the 3.7 dakota?

 

As far as I'm aware there currently are no production headers for the 3.7 Dakota and the ram version won't fit due to clearance with the frame if I'm not mistaken

 

I talked with a guy at air ram and he said the 3.7 ram and the 3.7 jeep liberty were the same motor BUT as you stated it's the clearance issue with the ram, but the liberty is designed more for tight areas and he wasn't totally sure if it would fit but thinks it might... I didn't want to spend 450 on a maybe but I did find the same one on eBay for 200 so I have that coming, should be here today or tomorrow and we will see... We are changing everything all the way back to the fit to the cat I am not worried about but like you said the clearance around like the steering might be. If this works then it might be a good option for other dakota owners wanting something, my husband figures if it doesn't fit he can fab something to make it work.. Kinda will give him something to start with so he didn't have to start from scratch... I will let everyone know as soon as it gets here if they work or not and will post the exact modle number too... Keeping fingers crossed....

 

so, just searching the interwebs for 3.7L dakota ideas, and searches keep bringing to forums with ideas, that wind up ending in dead threads. People say they'll, "be back with updates on how everything worked out or not", etc. But then they never came back, and those updates never transpire.

sorry to beat a dead horse and resurrect an old (dead end) thread, but 6 years later in 2020, with a cheap daily driver/project truck I plan to hand over to my son one day, I am curious how it all worked out. Did anybody ever did find out definitively if the shorty headers for the jeep liberty or ram 3.7's did actually have any clearance issues on the 3.7 Dak's, or did they work? Or was anybody able to finagle them in with mods. Did anyone ever find of any v6 headers that did work? Or did everyone just suck it up and say screw it, sticking with the stock exhaust manifolds and broken bolts every so often? What was the final consensus and best option everybody decided on for the top of their 3.7 exhausts?

2005 3.7L Dakota quad cab 4x4, bought cheap, solid bones, nickle & diming it to top quality myself, since I can afford to, so that my son won't have to when he gets the keys in a few year down the road, and I'll know he has a solid quality reliable ride.

 

FWIW, after a bunch of Google-fu, I will try and help to close this thread in a full circle with some actual answers.

So JBA's - 1931S headers don't officially list the Dak as a truck they are fitted for, and most sites selling them don't list them as compatible either, however, they do list the Dodge Ram 1500 w/ the 3.7L, same model years, as a vehicle that they were actyally designed for.

Mopar p/n's 53032418ae and 53032613ad are listed as the exact same exhaust manifolds used in both the 3.7L Ram 1500's and Dakota's, so bolting up is not an issue

Summit Racing has the JBA 1931 listed for $316, and one of the (2) reviews on the headers is in fact a 3.7L Dakota install, with pics, claiming the only issue was that the passenger side came uncomfortably close to the brake line, which was an easy enough fix.

so hopefully that actually answers the question for the next guy Google searching headers for the Dak 3.7L. They do exist.

 

As promised, I finally got around to my exhaust project, and here are my findings.

the JBA headers made for the 3.7L RAM do NOT work on a 2005 Dakota... the driver's side bolts up fine, but the passenger side runs into a major clearance issue with the actual frame itself, so yeah, they do NOT work...

that being said for the 3rd gen, I wonder if the reviewer on Summit who said it did work on a Dak had a 2nd gen? But if you have an '05, save yourself the money and time... Unless somebody else is making them that I couldn't find, (and Lord knows I couldnt find anybody else making them, and I looked long and far!), it appears custom is the way to go here if you want 3rd gen headers...

anybody looking for 3.7L Ram headers? I got a deal for ya!

 

Did they bolt up to the old exaust on the drivers side?