What all will fit?

Here's the sticker. She does have the 45RFE.

So, if we keep that trans, the 5.7 will work better with the controller that's in the truck now?

If we want to do a 5.9 swap, we need to find a trans that was behind a 5.9, and a wiring harness that was with a 5.9, correct?

Will a trans from a 5.9 powered 1500-3500 work, or do I really want to get the 5.9 stuff (trans, harness) from a Durango ( more common than a 5.9 Dakota)? What else do we want to get out of the 5.9 powered vehicle?

We'd like to get all of the pieces and parts to do the swap for under $2G's...that's not including rebuilding the trans or engine.

I've been thinking about a Gen III Dakota for better than 15 years. At the inaugural MoParty, Holley had 'seminars' about putting Gen III's in different vehicles. They did a '99, IIRC, Dakota R/T ClubCab for their Gen III swap. $26G's later-that did include the cost of the R/T, but not everything that they used had a cost...several were parts that they made to make the swap. And I thought that there were still some issues with their test mule.

I figured that the 5.9 would be down on power and fuel economy vs the hemi in stock form. And I figured that either engine/ trans would have to be rebuilt. The rest of the stuff, rear end, gears, tubs, wouldn't really be cheaper one setup vs the other. So, in my reckoning, it looks like the 5.9 setup would be less costly than the Gen III installed, with similar power outputs. But I'm an idiot, what do Y'all think?

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