I am planning on doing this exact same swap when I get the 6.1L Hemi built that's in my shop on the engine stand...But it will be in a 2004 Dakota crew cab 4x4. I have done all kinds of research on this conversion. It is a whole lot simpler to do on the '05 and up Dakotas because they use the fly by wiring rather than a cable operated throttle body. As where the BBK cable operated 5.7L throttle body comes in handy for my conversion since it uses the same electrical parts on the throttle body as the 4.7 uses.... And the transmission/ transfer case is the same for the 3.7,4.7 and 5.7 all use the same bolt pattern.
The 3.7,4.7 and 5.7 all use the same cam & crank sensor but have different plug connectors. I know this is my 1st post but was looking through Google and came across this and had to give a hand at what I had researched about the hemi swap in a Dakota. If your Dakota was a 2wd they make a swap kit that comes with the motor mounts, oil pan and pick up tube. There has been a hole lot of these swaps done.
There are a few good write ups on the custom Dakota forums. The oil pan does have to be modified a little bit. And you need a set of 4.7 and 5.7 motor mounts to build a set to work in the Dakota or some flat steel a set of Dakota mounts like I plan on using. If you do some searches on line for this swap there is a lot of good info on it. Hope this helps you out a bit.
