Geezer's Garage

Just completed a 50 mile trip this morning. My "Torque" app, reading from the PCM, showed 29.3 mpg. I was excited until I remembered that the guy who created the app is British so those are Imperial gallons. Converted to US gallons it's about 24 mpg. This is going to be a fun little truck. Useful and fun. Ugly but fun.

Bilster

iTrader: (21)

That's really cool. If your swap is the "Worlds Easiest" the 1997-2003 F150 must be the second easiest. Going 4L60E would have been the easiest route. Would have only had to change the front yolk to GM but I wanted a T56. Also only a yolk change but I have to modify the shifter somehow because it comes up through the floor too far back. Amazingly enough, the existing F150 master cylinder and line plugged right into my F-car slave cylinder like it was made for it. I guess I shouldn't be so shocked. OE equipment is manufactured at some of the same plants regardless of make.

sciff5

iTrader: (1)

Been looking for a platform for a 4wd turbo 5.3

y2krtaf

Great thread!
This may be an option for my '96 Dak.
The lil 318 aint dying yet though at 207000 on the clock lol!

CrapTech

Now that I have read this thread, there is no reason to keep the 360 in my truck

jsmith564

this is great. i'm excited to find other dakota owners swapping in gm power. mopar can be made to put down some nice numbers but lets face it.. it takes $$$$$ for mopar and $$ GM to get the same results. But wait there's more!! lsx engines get better fuel economy.. that's just having your cake and eating it too.

i love the looks of a dakota, i love gm engines. you guys are on the right track. but i DO want to use stock gauges. i have a 1999 dakota scsb 4x4 auto i'm looking for information for the fallowing:

1997 and newer
speedo is ran off a sensor in the rear end correct?
tach how do you make the stock function with an ls engine?
oil seems to already be covered
coolent seems to be covered
fuel should not be affected right?
batt should not be affected?

more tech on dakota's would be awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Verz

iTrader: (21)

The question about fuel is answered above, def good info there and I suspect battery should be fine just. Not any help on the other unanswered questions though.

V6 ready to be pulled and the swap nears...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...625_174530.jpg

jsmith564

please take 1,000,000 pictures and tag me, pm me, email me, call me, write me, anything. i want to see a start to finish built. no ****... this is exactly what i plan on doing to my dakota sooner or later.

the dakota-durango forum guys will curse this.. they are all about "mopar or no car" BS

cant wait to see this..

jsmith564

this is the one i would like to convert! even have an engine.

91sonomast

I've got my 5.3, all I need is a tranny, PCM and harness. I would like to know the same questions jsmith asked on the 97+, will the coolant, tach, and OP be functional? Is there anyway to tell other than hook it up and test it, I too have the Torque app(used to do some mechanic work on the side) so I'll have gauges regardless for a temporary time. If the gauges at least power up, I can test the accuracy against what Torque says. This **** is happening as soon as I get home from my internship. Going to the junkyard and pulling a PCM and harness, finding a $500 beater to drive in the Dakota's downtime and tearing into this mother ******. I have the weirdest boner right now lmao.

jsmith564

lol...

give him credit for enthusiasm haha

91sonomast

Who? Me? lol

Sublime Dak

If the truck was a manual, the speedo is ran off the tone ring in the rear end. Automatics had it in the transmission. All the factory sending units (at least for the 3.9, 5.2 and 5.9) will work in the SBC or LTx. If it's a V8 truck, you might be able to make the tach work? Mine was a V6, so I just went Autometer. I just depinned sections of the harness I wasn't planning on using.

I've swapped a SBC (sorry no LS) into my 00' and it was pretty straight forward, though mine is motor plated as I sunk and moved back the engine from the stock position.



If you swap in a Gen 1 SBC, use the late model (around 98') 4wd truck headers. They clear the passengers side control arm. If you have a 3.9, 5.2 or 5.9 truck, you can even use the stock power steering pump as it is simply a Delco. Though, on a 4wd, you may run into clearance issues with the steering box.

Sublime Dak

Only the haters!

jsmith564

Correct sublime dak!

Sublime Dak

nice looking truck, looks familiar.



Though mines a 2wd.

Verz

iTrader: (21)

I remember doing research on this before the actual build threads on here popped up and those dodge boys were giving you hell...I couldnt help but laugh how pissed off they were about it.

Sublime Dak

Yeah, they either love it, or they are ready to throw down over it. I love pissing the purists off. It's not as if these trucks will ever be a collectors item, or a classic. I also remember them telling me I would never do it, or finish it.

Sublime Dak

Btw, I'm gathering some of the photos and info from this site, as well as others, and trying to put together a swap list for LS and SBC swaps. If anyone has anything to contribute, or wants to help, let me know.

http://brianesser.com/dodge-dakota-t...mopar-engines/

Vents

iTrader: (9)

What have you guys done if anything to retain the use of the CCD system that controls the airbag system?