Anybody done a V6 magnum swap to a V8 Magnum? I stumbled into a 93 SWB V6 stick truck with a overheated/toasted V6, truck is fairly clean and rust free but I’ve never messed with a truck that new anybody know what I might run into with a V8 swap? Thanks

i am getting ready to do one. mine is an 88 w/904 trans. it will get a 318, maybe a magnum. not sure yet. you need a donor unit or fsm and add the wiring you need for the extra injectors. you will need a v8 pcm obviously. not sure what else but probably minor stuff.

I did this to my 97 in 2016, my truck is a 5 speed, any questions let me know. Fairly straightforward I thought.

Off the top of my head I know I changed to a v8 flywheel because the crank position sensor counts the teeth right.

I was taking the v8 engine from another one of my trucks that had been wrecked so I took the injector plugs and wiring from its harness and wired them into the existing harness in my v6 truck. And then ran wiring in tandem to those injector plugs to the pcm for the injector pulse signal. The donor truck was automatic so I had to source a v8 manual pcm since the truck I was updating was manual. Not sure if this was really necessary as I’ve often thought about plugging in the old v6 pcm just to see if it would run the truck but I never did try it.

You’ll need a v8 shroud. The v6 one is too deep and will be too close to the belt path on your new v8.

Other menial things I remember that were dumb was the v8 truck starter wouldn’t connect to the wires in the v6 truck so I took the starter from the v6 and put it on the v8 just so that it would be the same. I actually had this starter go bad a few months ago and had it rebuilt, still gave trouble and when I went to order a replacement I had to order one for a v6. So I’ve found that even tho they look the same externally the starter for a v6 is different and since I’m still using the guts of the v6 harness in my running truck I’ll have to source v6 starters for it forever I guess, or change the wire ends which I didn’t feel like doing at the time. Still don’t.

V6 truck has no air conditioning but the v8 truck did so I got a pulley on a bracket to go in the place of the ac compressor.

All in all it worked out pretty good. I left the v6 badges on the doors for obvious reasons. People tell me it sounds pretty good for a v6 now haha. Has real dual exhaust, sounds awesome. .

This '88 I had was the V6 5 speed. I swapped the 318 auto from an '86. Unplugged the wiring at the firewall, and did the swap. The only thing I ran into was the driver's side motor mount did line up on the crossmember. Had to fab the mount. Was only off an inch or so. Other than that it was a direct swap.

Been looking to do this swap in my 05 Dak v6 to 5.7 but way to manny questions.

You could buy a factory optioned Durango with a 5.7 after 04. Should be able to source everything you would need, I would expect.

Wow, lol, this thread went silent back in March and then poof, it’s back. I ended up passing on the V6 truck because I just couldn’t find enough information on the mess I might be walking into. On the flip side…I ended up buying a 2001 Standard cab short bed Dakota…4cyl 5 speed, barely has enough power to merge into traffic but gets 20 something mpg, it’s rust free but high mileage, so…let’s now change the question a little bit , 5.2 magnum swap where a 4 cyl 5 speed was once sitting, what say yee

Buy a 5.2 Magnum Dakota parts truck with a rotted out frame & body, then you have whatever you need. Not much under the hood of that 4 cylinder Dakota is going to work with a 318.

having just bought this dakota with a v6 1st thought was a 5.9 swap

For whatever its worth, the later versions of the 5.9 compared to the later versions of a 5.2 doesn't impress me much. The Magnum was designed as a 5.2, but opened it up to a 5.9 to sound more impressive. The difference between those two does not compare like the difference between the LA 318 and the LA 360. The 360 LA motors had heads with bigger ports, larger valves, and a block with a longer stroke and a bigger cam then the 318 LA version. From what I've read, the Magnums have the same heads, same block, and nearly the same cam profile. The magnum 5.2 has nearly the same output as the 360 LA.

As far as the pictured Dakota, locate a V8 truck for parts, everything should bolt up, and you have the wire harness if you need it (throttle body = probably not, switching to port injection = probably yes). Differences being motor mounts (at least the part bolted to the frame), radiator, possible wiring, computer (V6 to V8), and odds & ends.

I agree.
I wish that Chrysler had just held off on introducing the Magnum 5.9 a few years,
and created it as an 8 cylinder version of the iron truck V10.

Cylinder head combustion chamber of the V10 is superior.
Dual resonant intake manifold of the V10 is superior.

For the 1993-1994 years Chrysler should have simply put a 4.00 inch crank and lower compression height piston in a 5.2 as a towing engine with more cubic inches upgrade.