My better idea was to shoehorn a V8 into the old girl, not an easy feat. Chrysler never put a V8 in the truck from the factory until 1991, when the longer nose front end was debuted to allow space for the radiator fan. Shelby made their Dakota with a 318, but in very limited numbers.

This motor started life in a 2000 Dodge Ram, and everything inside was kept stock. Rather that dal with the intricacies of the wiring for fuel injection, I purchased a high rise intake manifold, topped off with an Edelbrock 600 cfm Street Performer. The shorty headers are direct bolt-ons to a stock exhaust collectors, which was source from a '94 Dakota parts trauck, as was many other items, such as the automatic transmission with overdrive.

Changing over to this engine was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be, as the 5.9/360 Magnum engine block is almost identical to the 3.9 V6, aside from having two more cylinders. The engine mounts were sourced from the parts truck, and the transmission bolted right up to the old crossmember.

After about six months of work during the winter of 2015/2016, Dakota rose from the ashes again and took to the road in June of this year. It is an absolute blast to drive, and turns a lot of heads once again.

And she is fast. The throttle is touchy, and it will squeal the tires if you punch it even going 25 mph. I'll probably get myself in trouble, but isn't that part of the fun?