Hey guys,

I'm brand new here and looking at a 97 -02' 4 cyllinder Dakota but have my questions. I am a big TD fan (Turbo Dodge) and personally have been through my share of Dodges. But parts are becoming hard to find (despite the followers of TDs) and my car is a relatively new Turbo at 17 years old. Anyway, my car is falling apart and I want a newer one. But, I want to use my knowledge with Turbo Dodges which leads me to my question.

So, I've been doing my research on the 97-02' Dakotas and found that they had a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder. Yay!! A direct bolt on for my 2.5 Turbo 2 engine with 200 hp!! Well, that's when I found out that they had engines made by AMC, not Dodge. Blargh! So, I'm wondering what the possibilty is of using this body style with a 2.5 engine from the older (87-95) Dakotas. I have a lot of experience with these engines, but almost none with the AMC motor. How similar are they? Is it possible to bolt one on with slight modification? I did some research and couldn't find much. Thanks guys.

 

I can't give you any info on the 2.5's in the second gen trucks. However, I can tell you that I recall seeing a first gen Dakota around the web that had a turbo 2.5 (or maybe 2.2?) as a powerplant. You might want to look around the web for that one. I remember it was red, but I don't recall anything else about it.

 

I know that the first gen trucks use the same 2.5 liter as the turbo car (minus the turbo) and practically anything that used the 2.2/2.5 from 1981 til 1995. So, modifiying the first gen trucks is VERY VERY EASY and even easier than the orignal turbo dodges because the engine is position on a RWD drivetrain vs. front, so there is a buttload of room to work on it.

However, sorry to be superficial, but I like the look of the 2nd gen so much better than the first. I think it's an awesome looking truck, and that's why I want to drop a 2.5 Turbo in it, so I can still work on it like I do my Turbo Dodge car. I know nothing about the AMC motor, so tweaking it means that I have to learn a whole new ballgame, which I don't want to do. If anyone knows if you can just drop an engine in these trucks from the first gen, (must be 2.5), then let me know!!

Also, (this is something some more of you know about), but does the 2nd gen Dakota come in QC with the 4 cylinder? Or at least ext. cab? If not, is it possible to bolt a 4 cylinder to a QC or ext. cab? I know that the truck will be heavy, but my 4 banger puts out about 225 ft/lbs of torque and 200 hp on a virtually unmodified engine. With mods I can push 270 hp and 300 ft/lbs of torque, so the trucks weight wont be an issue.

 

It's not superficial to like one gen more than the other. I like the second gen more - partly because I own one.

There definitely was no 4 cylinder quad cabs. I don't *think* the 4 cylinder came with the club cab, but I'm not sure.

I apologize as I know I'm really of no help. My dealing with 4 cylinders is with Neons only!