engine swap

i have a 90 dodge dakota with a 2.5liter inline 4 in it. i am thinking about puttin a 3.9 v6 in it and was wondering what it would all take to do this. i know i will need the computer and harness. what else would need to be done or will it bolt right up? also how hard would this be on a scale from 1 to 10?

I don't think the swap would be worth the effort.
If you want a '90 Dak with a V6, you could probably find one for $1100-$1300 (KBB value). If you do the swap, you will need a donor truck anyway b/c you will need all of the parts off of it that are different between the I-4 and the V-6. Parts include Engine, Transmission, Computer, wiring, exhaust (different size and setup), driveline and a lot of small under hood parts such as air shroud, intake breather, etc..
Since the '90 V6 is only rated 125 feeble HP, I would suggest finding a newer DAK with a Magnum V6 buy it, sell the old one, call it good. I think they started with the Magnum V6 series in '92 and have 175HP.

I don't think it's worth it either.

aight

i got a 92, 2 seater, RWD, 6 foot bed, im not sure about the wheel base. it has the 3.9 liter V6 and i want to swap in the 5.9 liter V8. i have several questions. are the engine mounts all that different? is the 4-speed auto in my truck compatable with the V8? can i just simply pick up an engine in a junk yard or do i need a whole donor truck to make the swap work right?

Putting a 5.9 in a '92 would be a tough conversion. I assume that you would want to put a 5.9l magnum in it. Since you have a 175hp v6, I don't see why you would want to put in a 190hp non-magnum 5.9l. You will need a donor truck, trouble is, the 5.9l wasn't available in a Dak until about '98. Bringing '98 computer and other electronics to a '92 would be tough. The '95 and older computer setups are way different from the '96 and newer b/c of the ODB2 specs. It would be way easier to get a 5.2l Magnum engine from a '95 or older Dak. It still would not be an easy task and you would need a complete donor vehicle. I have heard of people swapping their 5.2l for a 5.9l and that turned out to be more work than they expected. They had to have their 5.2l computer re-flashed or they had to run a piggy-back controller to get it to do anything other than idle (rough at that too).

If it came down to it, I would just get an older carburated engine and put it in there, with electronic ignition. Rip all of the computer stuff out, and hook up aftermarket gauges if I had to. Then you'd have a new-looking Dakota with the old style motor and wiring scheme.

You'd avoid a lot of the computerized headache that way.

well then..what would you suggest? a crate motor, a motor from an older ram or a power ram?

I was not going in that direction b/c I do not encourage people to willingly break Federal and State emission laws. Yes, it would be easier, no it would not be legal. As long as your area doesn't do emission test or inspection, you would be OK, the resale value would be $0 I assume b/c if the new owner was required to certify, they would not be able to do so.

damn, haha, this is discouraging

i guess i'm only just going to work on the suspension so that it dosent float like a boat in turns.

thanks for all your advice though fellas