Viper engine swap

I was wondering if anyone knew if a Dodge Viper engine, transmition, and other needed engigne components were able to be put into a 1993 Dodge Dakota Extended cab.

it'll fit, it'll cost you $25000 though

why would it cost so much. And if you could leave a price list.

the engine and trans will cost about $15000 alone, and then you're in for a good bit of fabrication.

As far as fabrications what kind? body, frame, suspensions,?
I am planning on turning it into a street racer. also i was wondering if Dodge made and automatic tramsmissions? My grandfather hates to shift gears and we were looking at getting one for him. thanks

there was no auto trans made for the Viper engine. You would have to force the trans from a V10 Magnum Ram to fit and then have a custom ECU done to run the Auto trans with the Viper engine. You will need custom mounts for the engine and transmission, a custom axle, an upgraded rear end. Frankly you'd be better off just getting a Dakota 5.9 R/T and slap a supercharger on it. It would be just as fast as a viper-engined dakota and a hell of alot easier to do.

Agreed. The V10 in incredibly expensive to buy. You could work up a Hemi to the same power level for less than half the price... and that's saying something.

I won't stop you from getting the V10; its a killer engine, but given their so-so power numbers compared to what you could do economically with a V8, I don't think its worth it other than for shock value.

If you're truly going to race it, the V10 isn't a wise choice, but then again, neither is using a pickup :) If you just want shock value and chick magnet qualities, then the V10 will get you laid more than a Magnum or Hemi.

how much would all of that cost to do to a V8 and with the upgrades and where can i get them? and would i have to do all of the same to the truck, and is there an automatic transmition for it for my grandpa?
and if you are local would you be willing to help?

also what are the stats on a 360 as far as hp, torque, ect.

Dodge made several engines in similar families that they used in the Dakota. The small block Mopar engine (318, 340, 360) are still partly used in today's trucks. the 318 and 360 are now called the 5.2L and 5.8L Magnum engines which were available in your Dakota. They are based on the same basic block design that goes back as far as the mid 60's. Even if your truck currently has a V6, the V8 might be as simple as getting the right motor mounts, computer, and associated parts. I'm sure thousands of guys have done it, and I know for a fact that Hot Rod magazine put a 528 Crate Hemi in a Dakota.

Then you'll want an A518 transmission if you want OD. If you can live without OD and want a more reliable transmission, do a 727. The A518 is basically an old-school 727 with an OD, but they're not the wisest choice for big power.

Like I said, I'm NOT a mopar buff, so maybe over at the Dodge or the Truck forums here they can give you more specifics, but an engine swap is not something you can take lightly. Aside from swapping the engine, there are wiring nightmares, driveshaft modifications, suspension concerns, (your V6 truck springs were not designed to control the extra 300 lbs of engine) rear axle strength concerns, tire choices, radiator cooling capacity, smog legality if its done in your area, exhaust fabrication, transmission crossmember compatibility, custom plumbing, computer compatibility.... Just to make a small list. You'll encounter hundreds of little things that might have an easy solution and a thousand that might stump you for weeks.

You could (if you don't already have the V8) just hop up a V8 dakota. Find one with a 318 5.2L, swap out the heads for excellent aftermarket aluminum heads, run high compression, in the neighborhood of 10:1, a mild single plane intake, headers, and a cam in the 256 advertised duration range. Then you're looking at 400 hp. Or, starting with that same V8 Dakota, buy yourself a 360 (5.8L) and build it ready to go in. Then I'd say, single plane intake, same good aluminum heads, cam in the 277 duration range like CompCams XE274H, same headers, and still keep the compression in the 10-10.5 range and then you're looking at 480-500 hp easy.

Keep in mind, none of these are bolt-on mods. They will require careful matching of parts. If the stock pistons and heads create 8.5:1 compression, just bolting on aluminum heads will kill performance. You need to select pistons and chambers that work together. You might get lucky and find one that already exists as a bolt-on modification, but its not likely.

Making power with bolt-ons is not an easy thing, but if you're starting from scratch with an engine build, its pretty inexpensive to specify the parts you want if you plan properly. You might do well to give a junkyard 360 to a machinist and tell him/her that you want 500 hp. You'll get it back in three weeks and you can have someone put it in. My guess is under $5000 start to finish for the engine. And if you start with a V8 truck, you know you won't have to mess with motor mounts, electrical connections, springs, driveshaft shortening, etc. You will have to ditch the EFI and use a carb which will require wiring a switch on your dashboard if you want to keep the OD, but the computer can just disappear.

I know I've given you a ton of really vague answers, but the question is very broad. I think for your situation since you want to make Viper power, the best course of action is to do it right. Build (or have someone build) a 500 hp 360, have a V8 Dakota ready to use for a shell. Don't just start bolting parts onto an old used engine.

If you want to spend the money, go to the next level and start with a 426 Hemi. They're tough to find and expensive to buy, but they make power very easily. You'll be able to get the same hp with much less headache and more vacuum to run things like power brakes and climate control. You'll double the cost of the swap, but still its less then a Viper swap by more than half.

hey man i really appreciate all that you are doing. you've really helped me out alot. and once i get the money i'll do whatever it takes to do the 360. sorry about the vauge questions but i'm just a shoprat. if there is any more advice that you would like to give me then go right ahead by all means.

No problem, I really enjoy spitting out the information I've learned from others. It keeps it fresh. I just wish I knew more about Mopars for your sake.

There are a couple other options I thought of today. You could save up a ton of pennies and buy yourself a 528 Hemi crate engine. They are on serious backorder, like the last I heard it was something like 3 years to get one. You are then into big-block territory and I don't know if there are fitment issues, but other Dodge guys could help you there.

If you are going big-block and it looks feasible, another idea is to get a 400. They have a big bore and with an aftermarket crank and a little overbore its easy to make 500 cubes.

I only suggest those since its much easier to make big power with big displacement. With a 360 at that power level you might have to give up power brakes. The cam would be large enough so as to not provide much vacuum.

Another option. Replace a 318 with a 360 retaining the intake and EFI. Carefully selected factory heads and aftermarket cam should get you in the 360 hp range. Then you could use a centrifugal blower tuned for about 6 psi. That should get you 500 hp without too much trouble. If you did that route you could probably retain the stock EFI with higher flow injectors and computer reprogramming. I'm sure there are smog-legal Paxton or similar blower kits for 5.2L Dakotas. The beauty of that little trick is that since the 318 and 360 are externally identical, when ever smog regulations come to your area no one will know but you and your mechanic whats on the inside.

I wish you luck... sounds like a REALLY fun truck. I now have my first 400 hp vehicle in the stable and it is tough getting the grin off my face :)

Do you live in GA? If you don't mind my asking so i can thank you in person and show you what your advice has done.

Actually I live in California, but about once every couple of years I'm through parts of GA to see my brother in law in Alabama. I promise if I'm in your neck of the woods I'll PM you and see if we can't get together :)

Have fun with it :)

if i was to drop a .318 in my truck would i be able to use the current transmission in it? the one i have is the 3.9L v6 with od.

Don't know the answer to that, however sometimes it wouldn't be favorable even if it does fit. In know in GMs for instance, the 4L60E (or some other version of the same basic transmission) was used behind everything from a 4.3L 6-cylinder in an S10, all the way up to a 5.7L in a full size truck. They are physically interchangeable, but the way they are programmed (either electronically or calibrated hydraulically) was very different. Since they all had different power outputs, RPM ranges, and tow capacities, its not wise to put big power in that S10 without seriously beefing up the tranny or just switching it out for one with tougher guts. That's another fine point for the Dodge boys :)