http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/1553358-worlds-easiest-5-3-swap-dodge-dakota.html
it's a little untidy, but workable:
http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/1553358-worlds-easiest-5-3-swap-dodge-dakota.html
it's a little untidy, but workable:
Makes me feel better about getting a Durango.
Muh ha ha... I like it...
/me waits for the "Mopar or no car" crowd to arrive and complain about the sacrilege of such a project....
So, you still selling your truck? 
Ranger50 wrote: /me waits for the "Mopar or no car" crowd to arrive and complain about the sacrilege of such a project....
Most of them believe real Mopars stopped being made at some point between 1974 and 1989.
.
MadScientistMatt wrote:Ranger50 wrote: /me waits for the "Mopar or no car" crowd to arrive and complain about the sacrilege of such a project....Most of them believe real Mopars stopped being made at some point between 1974 and 1989. .
But they still buy and drive them... Go figure. 
A Dakota worth putting an engine in?
clicks link
Wait it's a FIRST GEN Dakota? There are still those still on the roads? Holy crap! The last one I ever saw was a few years ago, and the guy (scrap hauler) U-bolted some old bedframe or something to the frame because the FRAME had rusted in half...
Hell, I did valve cover gaskets on an '02 and had to be careful because my knee broke the bumper from leaning on it too hard. Put two knee-sized holes in the thing. Dodge made Dakotas out of recycled Fiats, apparently.
In reply to Knurled:
Around here, there are 4 or 5 I can see just about every day. To top that off, 3 of them look EXACTLY like the one I drive, white Sports with the same wheels and graphics.
I would also call it a second gen. 1st gen stopped with the removal of the glass headlights and 5 lug wheels. Although it is easy to backdate if you want to....
I don't care what the naysayers spout...
I like this....
Ranger50 wrote: But they still buy and drive them... Go figure.
I've met a few that refuse to drive anything made after they believe they stopped making "real Mopars."
Imagine that says the owner of a souless V8 RX7
Knurled wrote: A Dakota worth putting an engine in? *clicks link* Wait it's a FIRST GEN Dakota? There are still those still on the roads? Holy crap! The last one I ever saw was a few years ago, and the guy (scrap hauler) U-bolted some old bedframe or something to the frame because the FRAME had rusted in half... Hell, I did valve cover gaskets on an '02 and had to be careful because my knee broke the bumper from leaning on it too hard. Put two knee-sized holes in the thing. Dodge made Dakotas out of recycled Fiats, apparently.
Mine is rust free! Of course it has lived in atlanta area all of its life, Ranger I was just daydreaming of this swap the other day!
As a mopar fanboy, I say...
Meh. It's a dakota, so it's not like he did it to anything special. If it was a shelby I might complain, or if it was a vert I might call him stupid, but a reglar old 1st gen dak? Who cares?
I will say I don't understand the LS swap for the sake of an LS swap mentality. Despite how easy he says it was, I'm pretty sure a built 360 is easier.
Grizz wrote: As a mopar fanboy, I say... Meh. It's a dakota, so it's not like he did it to anything special. If it was a shelby I might complain, or if it was a vert I might call him stupid, but a reglar old 1st gen dak? Who cares? I will say I don't understand the LS swap for the sake of an LS swap mentality. Despite how easy he says it was, I'm pretty sure a built 360 is easier.
Just a few points, some people call Lambos commuter cars and treat them as such, who cares. There are people who treat Camrys like Lambos, again, who cares. So, there are "fanatics" for EVERY vehicle out there, even Yugo's....
A built 360 "easier"? I find that hard to believe, as it "depends". When the RT guys go goo-goo-gaga over $2500+ ported Edelbrock STREET heads, please. Then you got Mopar, at least twice, offering up a better Magnum IRON block for $2500, when you can get aluminum blocks for $2800 in other varieties..... Now if you want to go stock for stock, it "depends". If you are starting with a 2.5, for the amount of wiring to get to a V8, might as well go LS. If you have a 3.9, it's three wires, ASD relay ground and the 2 additional injectors, a PCM, plus a new fan shroud, if you want to stay mechanical. Mind you, this is 1st and 2nd gen only.
And don't forget, with a 5.3, you are already 25hp ahead of the much bigger 5.9/360. Then a simple cam swap, $400-600, away for being at least 75 above that. If you want to do the 360, you have to spend at least double to triple to still be behind in HP.
I read the lInk, but didn't quite find what you did for wiring. Did you use a stock harness? What (besides the sensors) did you have to modify? I likey!
aussiesmg wrote: Imagine that says the owner of a souless V8 RX7
Man, if you think RX-7 weirdos are bad. Mopar guys are almost as bad as Porsche purists. Whole different level from the holy rotors.
If it was the Dakota Convertible it would be perfect!
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