I am considering swapping the 3.9 for 318 in my 96 Dakota. Other than a corresponding computer and exhaust,what else will I need to change? I'm not sure on the tranny and I was thinking that the wiring harness might be the same.

the tranny should be fine in your swap..... but im not sure about your engine mounts? where are they located on the V8 that you are using? what year is the 318?some where about 1990/91 the engine block was changed? if the insulator bolts to the side of the block like a SB chevy i think you will be ok, but iff its like all the older V8 SB your may have to make the engine brackets aswell..

If you use a late model(magnum) block it should bolt in on the 3.9 brackets. Older blocks would cause more work or expense.3.9 tranny will bolt to the 318 and if both are nuetral balance you can use the same converter/flexplate.

The exhaust system will bolt up as long as you're using magnum style manifolds as well.

Thanks for the info guys. I dont have a new engine yet, but I figured it would be alot easier to find one in the 95-newer range. At the moment I'm still in the planning stages. Anyone use a 360 magnum in one of these swaps. BTW I didn't include this earlier but I want to just do a factory type swap no "hotrodding".

btt

I did a similar swap in my 93 Dakota 4x4. I put 360 mag in place of the factory 3.9. It was a very easy swap with only a few parts needed. The trans, motor mounts, all belt driven accessories, and exhaust bolts right up. I used a 95 360 engine, MP 93 Ram PCM, installed an oilpan/pickup tube from a 360 Durango/Dakota, and a Late style 360 flexplate with wieghts attached for proper engine balance. As for mods, I had to elongate 1 of the flexplate holes to match up with the A-500 torque converter, trim a couple of inches off of the fan shroud, and add 2 injector driver wires to computer wiring harness (pins 17 & 18 on the 60 pin connector to the computer) pin 17 is for cyl 7 & pin 18 is for cyl 8 and tied in the second wire of the injectors to the common feed for the other injectors. The rest of the wiring plugs right in. I also put a MP shift kit in the trans at the same time. I done this swap 2 years ago with 0 problems to date. The trans shifts nice and firm now and squals the tires when it hits 2nd gear at WOT and shows no signs of tearing up anytime soon. Hope this helps.

Jason

Thanks alot, that's what I was hoping to hear. It will be awhile before I do anything but I figured I'd ask now so I'll know what to expect.