96 dodge ram engine swap

If you are putting a completely stock 5.9 in place of your 5.2, you basically just need to swap on your original 5.2 intake and exhaust manifolds with all the related plumbing and install a correct engine control module for the year of your truck with a 5.9 engine. First thing though, 96 is the changeover year for OBD emissions standards, so check your truck to see how many connectors the ECM has. One large connector is the old OBD 1 system. Three smaller connectors in a row is OBD 2 system. If you have OBD 2, you can keep your old ECM and get an SCT tuner from one of the venders, and they will supply a tune that will feel better, in the seat of the pants, than a factory 5.9 ECM ever will. You cannot get a tuner for OBD 1 ECMs. Also, if you don't want an SCT turner and will just be swapping for fresher stock engine, you won't gain a bunch of noticeable power, unless the old engine is really tired.