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2.5L->5.2L Swap 1990 Dakota

12K views 30 replies 7 participants last post by  andrewlyledugan 
#1 ·
So I bought this truck about a year and a half ago and after about 8 months the 4 banger blew a head gasket and instead of forking all my money into fixing something that is slower than hell i decided to upgrade. So i pulled a 5.2L from a Junkyard Durango and completely tore it apart and rebuilt it from the ground up. i then bought a transmission (AX15) and a bell housing and all necessary parts to mate them together and now im in the process of putting it all together. i have the Engine and tranny in the truck right now and now its just putting it all together.
 

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#2 ·
Images of the build
 

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#3 ·
More Of the Build (may be out of order but im sure you all can figure it out)
 

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#4 ·
Complications of the swap

Having the original engine being the 2.5 not a whole lot worked with the 5.2 like others can do with there 3.9 to 5.2 swaps. I had to Buy a different tranny, a different bellhousing, etc. luckily the driveshaft works fine. One of the hardest parts for me to get were the Frame mounts shown in one of the pictures. they are quite expensive and very hard to find i ended up finding them on a website for oem chrysler parts they were the last ones that they had and they had been discontinued. these parts are the major difference between the 2.5 and the 3.9 model other than that i found out that the frames are the exact same from 87-96 not even changing the transmission cross-member location.



These are some pics of the mounts and the engine in the truck ( its suspended in the air for a little bit untill i completely install the engine mounts, the one i ordered was incorrect so i had to order another)
 
#9 ·
How did I not see this thread? This build is AWESOME. I really like that you used a 5.2 and not a 5.9 like every one else.
I know what you mean about the 2.5 not interchanging at all. The 3.9 is a 5.2 with 2 cyls cut off so theres alot that interchanges. The 2.5 is a AMC motor if I'm not mistaken. I had a couple Jeep Wranglers with them backed up to 5 speed manuals and with 4.10 gears they had plenty of snort.
I liked the 2.5's but your going to love that built 5.2. How much power are you expecting? I'd like to meet up sometime and see it since I get down to the cities a few times in the summer months.
 
#10 ·
I'm hoping for a little more power than stock maybe 240-45HP and 305-310ftlbs not too much but plenty enough for me. I'd love to meet up with you, it be awesome to finally meet another Dakota fan like me, hopefully it'll be running by summer lol
 
#11 ·
So ive got almost everything bolted up now. Next I'm going to put the radiator and drive shaft in the truck and start figuring the wiring out (if anyone has any suggestions on what would make wiring a little easier please feel free to let me know?). Then it's onto the fuel system and again if anyone has any input I'd greatly appreciate it, since this is my first car, build, motor swap, ever.... I think I've done well so far off of the internet as my source of knowledge but wiring is one place that scares me
 
#17 ·
Update on the project:
The driveshaft is in and ready to go I'm now working on the wiring more and more each day trying to salvage as much as I can from the 2.5 harness and accessories. I'm probably make a bracket for the alternator cause I don't think that it will bolt on the new engine brackets but we'll have to see. Here are some pics of some of the work Engine Vehicle Car Auto part Automotive engine part
Engine Vehicle Auto part Car Scrap
Engine Vehicle Car Auto part Fuel line
Engine Auto part Vehicle Motor vehicle Car
 
#18 ·
So I have everything wired up ? lights, wipers, instrument panel, starter, everything is working (electrically of course). All I have left is getting a larger radiator, replacing the alternater (original was seized), and plumbing the fuel lines and get all the necessary an fittings for that. Once that's done it'll be running...hopefully ?. I know there probably isn't anyone really paying attention to this thread but I'm doing this for those who are going through the same difficulties as me. I'm no expert technician but I'm sure some of this can help some of y'all.
 
#20 ·
So i haven't checked in, in Quite some time so I thought i would tell everyone where im at now. So I've been driving it as a daily driver recently. i got some 2004 RX-8 Wheels for free from a buddy so i decided to figure out how to mount them on their so their looking pretty sweet. The only real problem I've run into in this truck is dialing the fuel pressure in. I know there are plenty of regulators and fuel pumps I could be running but I also don't have a whole lot of money so for now it will do fine. I don't know if there are any people still looking at this but for those who are, please comment I love interacting with the community!
 
#23 ·
OOPS I didnt upload the pics! Yea im having a little fun :) Hey Rahhstah what part of Northern Colorado are you from? I used to live in the Ft. Collins area and im coming out there in August to visit my brother. So it wont let me post anymore pics so here are some links to my pics http://s1227.photobucket.com/user/dugan1997/media/IMAG0263.jpg.html
http://s1227.photobucket.com/user/dugan1997/media/IMG_20150724_173914_01.jpeg.html
http://s1227.photobucket.com/user/dugan1997/media/IMG_20150706_210532.jpeg.html
 
#24 · (Edited)
Update

So I'm now at College so as of right now i don't have my truck but I thought id put an update. So I filled the rust hole and painted the other side of the truck, its soon going to be one solid color. I also got the roll pan to match the rest of the truck to make it look a little more complete. I know this isn't a very big update but its all I've got for now.

http://s1227.photobucket.com/user/dugan1997/media/IMAG0778.jpg.html?o=5
http://s1227.photobucket.com/user/dugan1997/media/IMAG0777.jpg.html?o=5
http://s1227.photobucket.com/user/dugan1997/media/IMAG0774.jpg.html?o=5
http://s1227.photobucket.com/user/dugan1997/media/IMAG0772.jpg.html?o=5
 
#26 ·
A little update

Its been a while since I've Posted anything, and that's mostly because I've been to busy with school and hadn't had time to either work on the truck or think about posting anything. About a month ago my distributor completely crapped on me with no warning, one day it worked great, the next it just completely stopped working in the middle of the road... I then upgraded to a Proform GM HEI style distributor that was a struggle getting installed in the truck being way too wide for it. shortly after I got it running again my Drivers side rear wheel fell off while driving at a very low speed thank god, but that persuaded me to find wheels and tires I didnt need a wheels spacer with, which brings me to some good part of the update, the new parts. I just recently replaced my old 18X8 RX8 Wheels to some 17x9 Vision Wheels 141 Legends 5 spoke with 5 inches of backspacing. Here are some links to the photos.
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee429/dugan1997/IMAG0916.jpg
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee429/dugan1997/IMAG0914.jpg
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee429/dugan1997/Attach55081_20160211_182451.jpg

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel as well https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrnRWOcXMN_HM1CUacQ3jnw
Thanks for looking at my thread.
 
#28 ·
Thanks!! I bought reman heads for about $300 a piece. I would have loved to have put EQ Heads on it but at the time I was a Junior in High school making very little money so i found the best alternative. They're doing just fine for me right now. Hopefully they wont crack as long as I keep it nice and cool :biggrin:
 
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