Hey, guys, I'm about to buy a slant 6,a nd I found this on the web tonight, hope I can become a comtributing member, but I need your help first!

I'm about to buy a slant 6 225, 727 torqueflight, and driveshaft out of a running 1976 dodge dart. motor only needs a water pump, and mnor carb adjustment, but, other than that, runs fine. Trans seems to shift fine. I'm going to be putting these into my 1998 Dodge Dakota, to replace the worthless 2.5L 4 banger, and the 5 speed AX-15 they mated to it. All the slant 6 needs is a water pump. Now, I'm going to be getting all of this for $200, including the donor car that it's comming out of. I would take the rear also, but, the rear is going out anyways, it's whining quite good. I'll probably just keep the stocker in the dakota anyways.

So, i guess I'm just asking if you guys can give me ANY info possible, what to look for, wehats better/worse, what I could cheaply upgrade, etc. For right now, I'm away at college, so, the motor's probably not gonna actually go in for about another year, but, I'm gonna get the truck prepped here in a couple weeks when I go home for break for 2 weeks. Any info you guys can give would be awesome. Thanks.!!

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1998 Dodge Dakota owner, lookin to swap a slant 6 in place of the 25. - How much better can it get?

Did it come out of a taxi?

A lot of slant cars came with the A904 Torqueflite, which would need some beef up to make it sturdier, if you have an A-body slant 6 727 it must have come from a taxi or police car, or transplanted from another vehicle...if it's a long tailshaft then it might be from a truck...

I'd be measuring up the engine bay to make sure the slant will fit with enough room for the fan blade and radiator, you also might want to see what you're going to do about motor mounts.

not sure about any of the other hook ups, as mopar stopped using the speedo gears that your new tranny uses somewhere in the mid-90's...
Most rears for the Dakota and the 4 banger was the 7 1/4" that can be durable in most cases, but not hold up if it has been abused badly.

good luck on your swap, sounds like a lot of fun, welding, and custom fabrication,

-D.Idiot

This is an interesting swap.
Also check for oil pan clearance, that could be an issue but there are a few Slant pans with different sump locations to choose from.

Do you have any smog laws in your area? Out here in California you would not get pass a smog check with a SL6 in a newer vehicle.
DD

Well, I'm gonna go look at the car in a minute, and get some info off it, see fi I can figure out what trans it is. As far as fitting it in the truck, it already has an electric fan, so that wo't be a problem. It should fit, length wise anyways, I mean, they put 360's in those truck, with room to spare. Unfortunately, the truck is in NY right now, so I can't exactly measure it. And, no, I don't have emissions laws where I'm from. I never thought about oil pan clearence. One way or another, I'll make it work, whether I have to get a different pan or not.

As far as speedo gears, well, my truck has electronic speedo,w ith wheel sensors, so, I will not be able to use my existing gauges. I'm going to custom-build an instrument cluster, and use all aftermarket gauges. Basically, I'm so financially screwed into keeping this vehicle, I cannot afford to sell it, so, I might as well make it driveable.

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1998 Dodge Dakota owner, lookin to swap a slant 6 in place of the 25. - How much better can it get?

The 360 is a V8, therefore it's like sticking two 4 bangers side by side. The Slant's most likely longer, you need a V12 to makes something that's wider and longer than the slant. Guess a V10 would be kinda like sticking a Volvo 5 cylinder side by side. Hmmm.... could probably stick a V12 in the Dart if I could afford one... saw a show with a modern Crown Victoria that had a V12 boat motor that was detuned to a mere 700 horsepower. I have a feeling they didn't care too much about gas... but now I'm getting off subject

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My car may be slow to sixty, but at least it's been reliably slow to sixty for more than thirty years.

Hmm, with an electronic dash you may not be out of luck. Heavy trucks use a pulse generator with conventional speedo gear hookup and this pulse gennie is used to power an electric speedometer. Some, but not all. I am not sure whether this pulse gennie will interface with your digital dash but it's an interesting possibility. I just had one in my hands today at work.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

It's not a digital dash, it's an electronic dash, with your normal needles. It gets it's signal from the ABS module, which is fried (long story, all electronics are comming out of the truck).

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1998 Dodge Dakota owner, lookin to swap a slant 6 in place of the 25. - How much better can it get?

Good luck with the swap, it would be interesting for sure! Before you get too carried away, I would definitely measure the engine bay! The Slant is longer than the 360 by a bunch. I'm 90% positive it won't fit without modification to the firewall. But I would love to see someone pull it off!

Good luck, Brian

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Flyin' Brian

74 Duster, 225, rear-mounted blow through turbo at 12psi boost, street/strip car
"Sixy Beast"

I have read about your thoughts about putting the slant into a Dakota.
You must be out in the FAR Chicago suburbs if you dont have emissions testing. I know; I am around Chicago, too. As far as the speedometer
question that someone brought up. the speed sensor is held into your trans by 1, 5/16" (1/2" wrench head) and it will go right into that 904. What are your plans for the AX 15?? I have 2 Jeep Wranglers, and 1 has the same trans, the other has the weaker AX5. Just had the AX5 redone.
I am thinking that it wouldn't be much more than a mainshaft and tailshaft housing swap to be able to use it in a 4WD. I have a whole 4WD version AX5 in pieces left over (built 1 good one out of 2) that *may* be the same as the AX15 in that area. Being also in Chicagoland, I might be interested in that trans.
Also, which 2.5 do you have, and what is wrong with it?
Some had the same 2.5 that Chrysler stuck in millions of wrong wheel drive cars only sideways, I think that some Dakotas that have the same 2.5 as my 93 Wrangler. I have an extra Wrangler 2.5 here that runs but tiredly. Wouldnt sell it as anything but a core. Supposedly rebuilt not too long ago but smokes out the valve cover breather. I can see new gaskets at most seams but for what the guy I got it from paid for the job, Id bet that they just re ringed it without pulling it from the Jeep, and it should have been bored, OR they busted a ring on reassembly, something like that. But as a runner, it should be rebuildable (the right way). Might hang onto it and go thru it as the 93 has 127K on it. I would rather put a slant or a 318 in it but holding off right now because of $2 a gallon gas.

I don't mean to sound rude,but,I'm VERY skeptical. You might as well save a ton of dough and trouble by looking for a V six for that thing.I can't imagine U shoehorning a slant in a dakota..My ADVICE:Don't even put another thought into the idea........ 63 val 2 dr,later 225,pushbutton...77 volare t-tops,supersix

No, I'm in the suburbs for school. I live, and the truck is stored, in upstate NY, where I don't have emissions. The speedo sensor that is in my AX15 will fit into my trans from the dart? But, I migh tbe taking ou the computer, too. But, I'll try and see if it works, first. The motor won't be going in the truck right now, as I said, because, I'm only gonna be home for about 2 weeks, not long enough to get motor mounts, or even the money for motor mounts.

As far as the AX15, I will sell it. It has 51k miles on it, and the fluid was swapped out with Amsiol 75W-90, as per spec, at 43k miles. The 2.5 IS the jeep motor, and also has 51k on it. The motor is very sound, and had the bottom end rebuilt under warentee (I spun a bearing, I think the person who I bought it from didn't take too much care of it). No leaks, nothin. All my problems are electrical, the check engine light comes on out of nowhere, I think I have a burnt wire, or some sort of stupid that I have not had time to fix, and I fried to alt, abs module, and the computer, and replaced the alt and computer. Most of my problems went away, but, it's way too detailed to go into it here.

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1998 Dodge Dakota owner, lookin to swap a slant 6 in place of the 25. - How much better can it get?

Also, I haven't been able to measure teh engine bay, because, well, i dont' know anybody with a dakota, and mine is about 800 miles away from me. I do have to go measure the slant engine as soon as I get a chance, as I have not had time, with ASE testing this week.

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1998 Dodge Dakota owner, lookin to swap a slant 6 in place of the 25. - How much better can it get?

Hmm, so, nobody thinks a slant will fit ni my adkota?

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1998 Dodge Dakota owner, lookin to swap a slant 6 in place of the 25. - How much better can it get?

I think you might just be better off rolling that Dakota down the road. It's just not worth it man. No one will ever buy it off you with the ABS and ECM hacked up, an old slant engine in it, and your dash hacked (because the ECM controls your instruments too). You might sell it the way it is to someone with a parts truck lying around.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Liek I said, though, I can't afford to sell the truck, I owe moe on it than it's worth, and I cannot afford to pa the difference on teh loan if Idid. I owe about $5k on it, whereas I'd be lucky to get $3k. Besides the fact that I've already lost over $10k on the truck, I simply cannot sell the vehicle right now, so, waht am I supposed to do, just continue to let it sit for another 3 yars till it's payed off, adn I can afford to insure it again?

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1998 Dodge Dakota owner, lookin to swap a slant 6 in place of the 25. - How much better can it get?