Your right, I don't think its really worth rebuilding a V6 for power. I just happen to have a V6 that my uncle had freshened up a few years back, and just pulled out of his '89 Dakota to do a V8 swap.
If it's free, that changes a lot of the equation.
IIRC a factory 5 speed manual is now a decent option for the 3.9 as well.
My 5.9 CC Dakota will get 23 MPG at 50 MPH all day long
(even though I HATE the phrase "all day long", it really does apply here).
Problem is finding long stretches of road with a 45 MPH speed limit!
I've been driving my mom's truck today after replacing the water pump.
It actually does pretty good getting up to speed from a standing start.
The weak point is passing power at road speeds.
