On Wed, 20 Dec 1995, Brian Cleary wrote:
> I have an 89 Dakota Sport4x4 and was wondering if the 318 will fit. I
> have the V6 and just put on BFG 32x11.5's and my slug has turned into
> a snail! Could spend gobs of money trying to breath some life into
> the V6with do-dads but a V8 swap sounds more practical. Anyone know if the V8
> will fit in the Pre 92 Dakota??
>
If you take some careful measurements from the motor mounts to the radiator
on your V6 this will be the basis of dertermining if a V8 swap will
work. I already know it will, although my swap was to take the 318 V8 out
of my '89 Shelby Dakota and replace it with a pre-magnum 360. If you
want to swap in a magnum 360 (which is what I would do if maintaining
some posture of being street legal is desirable), you will find that the old
318 front motor mounts "ears" are still cast into the magnum blocks,
unless this has changed recently. I would try to find a '92 5.2 or 5.9
magnum to work with. Measuring from the like motor mounts on the magnum,
you will find that it will clear the radiator, if you remove the fan.
This is how Shelby put the 318 into the Dakota in '89. There is no
difference under the hood between your '89 sport and my '89 Shelby
Dakota. Shelby solved the fan problem by mounting a pair of thermostat
controlled electric fans ahead of the radiator. While it sounds like a
shop vac on steroids, I never have had an overheating problem with the
Shelby even under extreme conditions of towing in the Rockies or drag racing.
When the Dakota was restyled for '91, one of the changes was to lengthen
the truck by moving the radiator core support forward relative to the
firewall, making room for the V8 and a traditional fan.
The easiest swap would be a 5.2 Magnum. Because none of the accessories
will change very much relative to the V6, transmission and driveline
upgrades should be a snap and everything, including electronics, should
just plug in. Complete, totaled V8 magnum Dakotas can be purchased at
auction around here (Portland, OR) for between $1,400 to $2,000 and quite
a few of the left over stuff can be parted out though the nickle adds to
offset even that. If you have some knowledgeable help, go for it.
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