Automatic to manual conversion.

Here is my $0.02. Yes you can make a Dakota 5 speed work. And, yes, it may stand up to a mild 360 with easy driving, but it would definitely be the weak link. I would not think it would stand up to much abuse, and let's face it, you WILL dump the clutch and speed shift (it's in our DNA). If you want to convert to a manual, be ready to pony up at least $3,000. I got VERY lucky. When I converted my 69 340 Barracuda to a manual about 15 years ago, I found a rough 69 340 4 speed Barracuda on Ebay. I had a total of $3,200 in it including driving up to the Chicago area and dragging it home. I pulled all the 4 speed stuff and parted out the rest. It had a running 340 and an 8.75 with 3.55 Sure Grip. I made a ton of money parting out that car. In fact, the conversion actually put money in my pocket. You are in for a lot of work. Unless you are a decent shade tree mechanic, I would think twice. Brewer's Performance can help with a rebuilt pedal assembly. In fact, it won't be cheap, but if you get the entire setup from them, you will be 100% guaranteed to have all the right parts.