Putting a 904 tranny in my Dakota

[cooldude]

Ive got a 96 Dakota, and Im on tranny number two or three, I lost count. These trannys have been not very good. All this computer stuff is really getting me down.

Nothing works these days, since they have computerized everything.

I remember the good old days, when the old 904 trannys worked and worked and worked. That was before they got computerized.

The tranny in my dak was based on a 904...so...I wonder just how hard it would be to improve my Dakota by going old school,and putting the 904 in there? Should be roughly the same size, right?

Im thinking old school 318, 904, carbeurator, no computer on anything, etc etc etc.

What do you think. Should work, right?

[alfaitalia]

....as long as you have no emissions testing in your state! If you have that old carb engine certainly wont pass any current standards.

[John_Kunkel]

Not as easy as it might seem. The 904 is much shorter than the OD trans and isn't set up to feed info to the electronics in the truck.

[Mike DC]

  
I'm surprised you are eating so many trannys.  I drove a '95 Dakota 318 automatic up around 200k miles and never replaced the original.  I junked the truck because it was generally worn out but the tranny never gave any trouble. 

[Ryan.C]

 
I'm surprised you are eating so many trannys.  I drove a '95 Dakota 318 automatic up around 200k miles and never replaced the original.  I junked the truck because it was generally worn out but the tranny never gave any trouble. 

I agree with mike. I have 220K on a 2002 Dakota 4.7L with an auto trans, no issues.