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2000 Durango 4wd LS swap

33425 Views 54 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  This name is al, 
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8
I have had many people ask me about putting an LS engine in a 4wd dakota or durango. So I finally mocked one up. So far, it is just for fitment, but the drivetrain will be on order soon. I don't see any barrier to using any combination of 4wd or awd LS drivetrains for this project. It's almost like this truck was made for an LS engine.

Here are some pictures.

Clean 2000 Durango










Engine out





Stock motor mounts on LS engine using adapter plates









Mock up motor in






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Dads last truck
This post is 10 months old I think since the last answer. I hope someone sees this and has an answer. I have a 2000 Dakota my dad left me when he died. It has the 4.7 in it and it is very tired. Its been overheated and I don't want the 4.7 anymore. I do have a complete Chevy 4.8 in the garage and this post has me thinking. Can I possibly use the transmission that is currently in it?
Can I wire the 4.8 to work with the Dakota's underhood wiring? I'm a bodyman, not a mechanic. Am I biting off more than I can chew? Thanks for responses. I don't want to buy a transmission and stuff. I would like to buy a transmission adapter plate and use what I already have,
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Dads last truck
ssandoval83 said:
Hey there,

Sorry for your loss.

Unfortunately the Dodge trans and wiring will not work with the 4.8

the trans can be adapted with enough time and money as you can get a adapter plate made, but it wont be cheap.

the wiring is a completely different story.
the 4.8 and the 4.7 wiring and crank/cam trigger signals are completely incompatible. Even if you do get everything wired up the dodge/mopar ECU wont know what to do as the trigger signals are completely different between the 2 engines.

the best bet if you want to use the 4.8 would be to get a stand alone ECU or a GM PCM that has been converted for use in standalone applications.

once you go standalone/GM PCM I would just use a GM trans.since its a better trans and the PCM has control over it.

In your situation i would just get a junkyard 4.7 or a rebuilt 4.7 as the 4.8 swap is definitely NOT easy, and a lot of custom parts have to be made to get everything to work together.
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Ok, I'll get a complete wrecked Tahoe or something else that works for the swap and go GM all the way. Thanks for your input.
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Dads last truck
radioactive said:
I don't think he even read your answer.
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I read it. I came up with just going all GM. Im not going to try to use the dodge transmission or anything now.
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Dads last truck
ssandoval83 said:
Hey there,

Sorry for your loss.

Unfortunately the Dodge trans and wiring will not work with the 4.8

the trans can be adapted with enough time and money as you can get a adapter plate made, but it wont be cheap.

the wiring is a completely different story.
the 4.8 and the 4.7 wiring and crank/cam trigger signals are completely incompatible. Even if you do get everything wired up the dodge/mopar ECU wont know what to do as the trigger signals are completely different between the 2 engines.

the best bet if you want to use the 4.8 would be to get a stand alone ECU or a GM PCM that has been converted for use in standalone applications.

once you go standalone/GM PCM I would just use a GM trans.since its a better trans and the PCM has control over it.

In your situation i would just get a junkyard 4.7 or a rebuilt 4.7 as the 4.8 swap is definitely NOT easy, and a lot of custom parts have to be made to get everything to work together.
Click to expand...
ssandoval83 said:
Hey there,

Sorry for your loss.

Unfortunately the Dodge trans and wiring will not work with the 4.8

the trans can be adapted with enough time and money as you can get a adapter plate made, but it wont be cheap.

the wiring is a completely different story.
the 4.8 and the 4.7 wiring and crank/cam trigger signals are completely incompatible. Even if you do get everything wired up the dodge/mopar ECU wont know what to do as the trigger signals are completely different between the 2 engines.

the best bet if you want to use the 4.8 would be to get a stand alone ECU or a GM PCM that has been converted for use in standalone applications.

once you go standalone/GM PCM I would just use a GM trans.since its a better trans and the PCM has control over it.

In your situation i would just get a junkyard 4.7 or a rebuilt 4.7 as the 4.8 swap is definitely NOT easy, and a lot of custom parts have to be made to get everything to work together.
Click to expand...

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Dads last truck
I have the engine in and mounted. The pan doesn’t clear the front differential tube. The bottom of the oil pan is 7 inches long. There had to be another oil pan that is 1.5-2 inches shorter in length.what oil pan are you guys using? This engine came out of a 2007 Chevy van.
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