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My brother in law has a 62 Valiant and we've been going back and forth on what powerplant to put in it. Just to put an LA318 requires ditching the heaterbox and other cutting. It finally came to me last night. A 3.9 V6 5spd from a Dakota. Most likely a magnum. What has to be taken from the doner vehicle and how hard would it be to wire it to the car if we can find a doner cheap enough. Thanks



Whats wrong with another slant 6? You can get some pretty good kick out of them with a little work, and even upgraded would likely be cheaper when your all done then a 3.9 swap will be.

To put a 3.9 in there, you will need at least, the motor, trans, wiring, computer, fuel tank (or at least the proper pressure pump), motor mounts, exhaust, and probably a rad.
Then, the exhaust manifolds might not fit in the car (they are rear dump), the steering column may not clear the motor, and you will likely have to modify the firewall and trans mount areas. I suspect the 5 speed shifter is going to be in the dash as well, they are built into the top of the trans (like a granny gear 4 speed). A 3.9 motor mounts are at the center of the block and the 225 are more towards the front, I have to wonder what your going to have to do with the K member. A 3.9 is as wide as a la 318, and only 4" shorter. Do some measuring. Gene