I have a 4 cylinder 5 speed manual 98 dodge dakota that needs an engine rebuild, and a 68 318 with a 727 sitting in the garage, I was wondering if any one knew how difficult it would be to put the 318 and 727 into the dakota and what I would need to be able to do it. From what I have researched so far it seems they are still calling the current 5.2 and 5.9 the L.A. engines so how much have the blocks changed do the motor mounts bolt right up? This is just something I am considering and would like some tips and feedback if any body has some, thanks

don't do it. the Magnum engine blocks ARE different than the LA engine blocks, even though they are the same size/displacement.

Magnum blocks have LA mount ears, so you can put a magnum engine into an old car.

LA blocks do not have the Magnum engine mount bosses, so you can NOT put an LA block into a vehicle designed for the Magnum.

if you want to do a V8 swap to your 98 Dakota, use all factory parts. get a 5.2l Magnum or 5.9l Magnum, the matching transmission, and a V8 engine computer and wire harness. total swap should take you about a day and a half if you have all the parts on hand.

And to clear up the nomenclature, no they are NOT calling 5.2 or 5.9 Magnum engines LA engines, unless "they" are ignorant. There are enough differences to make separate names a must to avoid confusion.
R.

Happy now?

well...

they don't exactly make it very easy now, do they?

Thanks for the info, I may still try to do the swap, its more an I have the truck and the engine already available thing then an I want to make it a v8, but its helpfull to know.

As long as you expect that nothing is going to work between the Magnum and the LA, you should be good. You might want to take a good look at a factory V8 Dakota before you jump in though, oil pan clearance and exhaust will probably be an issue, the Dakota places the motor in different locations that the LA motors were located, so LA parts that clear stuff might be a challenge.

If you're like me and you have a torch and a welder and know how to use both, your swap shouldn't be too hard. Gene

If this was my truck, here's what I would do...

Find a jukyard 5.2 or 5.9 Magnum motor. buy it complete with all accessories, exhaust, and motor mounts. bolt it up to your 727. then drop it into your truck using factory mounts, and factory accessories.

then gut all the wiring, computer, everything. buy a carb intake for the Magnum engine. toss on a cheap used eddy 650 CFM carb, and get some aftermarket "stand alone" gauges.

the expense of buying a complete magnum motor for a few hundred bucks will MORE than make up for the headaches you're going to have with fabricating your own engine mounts, fighting with old style engine accessories, etc.