I have two Dakotas.
Truck #1 - 2002 2wd Sport standard cab with the 4.7 V8. Only options were cruise, AM/FM Cassette and A/C. 175K miles but all highway. Absolute creampuff.
Truck #2 - 1999 R/T Extended Cab. Power everything. 185K miles and beat to a pulp. Body is relatively clean but has had 13 owners (you read correct), been in 7 accidents, one of which totaled her so she has a wrecker title, Shakes at 70 mph, burns a quart of oil about every 4-6 tanks of gas but doesn't blow smoke and still runs pretty healthy. Doors don't close well, it's a Bondo bucket, terrible black metallic paint over the original solar yellow, rattle canned engine bay with no masking job... and worst of all, when it was totaled, the front lower control arm mount was ripped off the frame and another was welded very poorly in its place. To add insult to injury, the trans blew out last winter.
My first inclination was to sell this "Christine" of a truck and let it be someone else's problem. With a dead transmission and wrecker title, I doubt I will get the value of the parts for her (I only paid $1,800 for her two years ago), so I started considering refreshing the motor and doing a complete swap of the R/T's drivetrain and other options to Truck #1.
That said, here are some questions.
1. Will the engine harness and ECM from the '99 R/T swap into the 2002 Sport?
2. Using the R/T's engine mounts, will it bolt in?
3. Are the transmissions the same?
4. Is the torque converter the same?
5. Will the Sport's drive shaft fit the R/T's rearend?
6. If I can find electric door panels, will the electric locks and windows plug and play?
7. What modifications will I have to do to make the conversion happen?
8. Does the R/T engine have special components internally or externally from the standard 5.9?
Your thoughts are appreciated.