Call me crazy: Diesel Dakota?

[Mark Nixon]

No noisier than a Ford van with a non-turboed 7.3.
Dyna-mat on the floors and doghouse would help a lot.

Problem is, the top of the valve covers just hit the cowl area under and in front of the dash, which means some re-structuring is required.
The same goes for the turbo, no room without re-structuring.
You'd actually stand a better chance of fitting one in an A-100/108.

A guy locally has put a 4BT in a Dakota, and from what I understand, it's not as straightforward a swap as it's purported to be.
There is limited front end and hood clearance, not to mention the front springs don't like it, either.

Mark.

[Boris T]

I would guess the 4bt would make a Dak quite nose heavy.  A 2.8 CRD from a Liberty would make a nice swap but it has its own challenges.