When BangShifter Will Sanders sent us the link to this truck, he was all on board with the program aside from the hood. We’re kind of with him although in light of all the other coolness happening here we it wouldn’t stop us from buying it. This is a 1994 Dodge Dakota with a hemi in it. If the rig were that easy to describe it would still be cool but this one has an entirely different layer to it than you’d expect.
The truck does not have a late model hemi in it, it does not have a 426 hemi on it, it does not have a 392 or a 354 hemi in it. Instead this truck has a 341ci DeSoto hemi in it backed with a manual transmission and the engine fits in the bay like Dodge had intended to put it there in 1994. The single four barrel 341 made about 300hp from the factory. This one has been bored and equipped with a reground cam, home built headers, and dual exhaust. We bet it it making more than 300hp at the flywheel and that should be more than enough to make it a fun driver, especially with the addition of the manual transmission, Mustang wheels, and pistol grip shifter.
This is kind of like a “dare to be different” with a twist and obviously the builder uses his brains instead of throwing money at a project having gone with the Mustang wheels and this engine which he may have had laying around or got hold of for cheap. It certainly isn’t the mainstream of the hemi world and while it does not have the raw sex appeal of the 426 or 392, it sure looks great in the truck and has probably educated more people on the existence of the 341 DeSoto hemi than ever knew about it before at car shows.
The blessing and the curse with this ad? No drag strip time slips. We want to know how fast (or not) it is!
CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS INTERESTINGLY MODIFIED HEMI DAKOTA
Talk about a blast from the past!
It’s almost like putting a flathead in a 2015 Mustang!
I like the truck though – apart from that rancid hood scoop….
I see he likes those hoods since his Duster/Dart has one also! The engine compartment is nicely detailed with the old hemi.
Not only is it a very different swap, but it’s got a great sense of subtlety under the hood. No chrome, black valve covers, modern A/C compressor – it seriously looks like it rolled out of the factory with a DeSoto mill!
I have seven that truck at the local Roy Rodgers car shows in Front Royal. It was a cool shock to see the Hemi badge on the side, then look under the hood for a 426. Only to find that 341 on the air cleaner. Sad to see it for sale.
Why oh why are these deals always across the continent? Aarghh…………