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This Holley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota Is a Retro-Modern Sleeper Truck

Produced through the 2004 model year, the second-generation Dakota offered numerous engine options such as the 2.5-liter AMC four-pot and 2.5-liter VM Motori turbo diesel. The 5.9-liter Magnum V8 topped the lineup with 250 horsepower, but that kind of output isn’t good enough in this day and age in the mid-size pickup truck segment.
Holley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truck 19 photos
Photo: Holley Performance
Holley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truckHolley HEMI V8-Swapped 1999 Dodge Dakota sleeper truck
If you want to make your Dakota faster, Holley is much obliged to help you with that. The pickup truck before your eyes flaunts a 392 HEMI from a 2015 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack, a 6.4-liter V8 that belts out 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet (644 Nm) of torque in bone-stock flavor.

Holley offers a swap kit for any Gen III HEMI engine, making the swap that much easier for just under $400, including shipping. Every package includes mounting brackets for the V8, a transmission crossmember, and a transmission isolator. No fewer than five transmission adapter brackets are available to order, ranging from the A727 to the outgoing 8HP.

The demo rig built by Holley sends the suck-squeeze-bang-blow to the rear wheels with the help of a Hughes Performance-built Chrysler 46RE. Priced at $1,580.95, including shipping, the Holley Terminator X Max ECU governs the powerplant, variable valve timing, and four-speed automatic.

Hooker stainless-steel headers with a tri-Y layout add $734.95 to the tally, the alternator relocation kit costs $489.95 including the alternator, the flexplate is $91.75, the fuel pump will set you back $387.95, and the digital instrument cluster is currently listed at $1,853.95. Excluding the engine-transmission combo of your liking, these upgrades total approximately $5,450.

But the list of upgrades doesn’t end here. Customers with deeper pockets can spruce up the Dakota with a universal air intake and various Gen III HEMI components such as seals, valve covers, and an oil filter relocation kit.

On a related note, have you heard that Ram is developing a successor to the Dodge Dakota? Now expected as a 2023 model at the earliest, the all-new pickup is rumored to feature bits and bobs from the Jeep Gladiator.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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