Curiosity on Mopar goodness

My daughter is out filming the action scenes in a new movie and while it's not a car flick it does have some cars.

She sent me a pic of a new Challenger done up in rattlecan, I suppose to make it look inner city ghetto?

Any how that got to me thinking and wondering. Does anyone know how the new small block hemi's compare in physical size to the old school 340/360 small blocks?

How do they compare in size & weight to the LS series?

I'm presuming they are bulkier and heavier since no one uses them for any transplants, but since they are a dime a dozen it seems there must be some reason you don't hear about them much.

You hear plenty about them in the Mopar community. For a while they were still to expensive used to make the swaps as popular as the LS. And being a Mopar vs. Chevy, aftermarket conversion parts cost a few bucks more. The GM computer is easier to configure for a retrofit than the Mopar stuff so that makes the GM swap more doable.

Now that the trucks and cars are getting old enough it's getting more cost effective to consider the swap.

Physically the new Hemi is closer to the small block dimensions than any of the other Mopar V8s.

The 5.7-6.4 Hemi has a similar bellhousing bolt pattern to the Moapr small block. The Hemi has one extra bolt hole that isn't used on the small block. The trans bolts right up.

They are iron block with aluminum heads.

They swap pretty well into the midsize and larger Mopars. In the "compact" A-body you need to use a manual steering box or convert over to R&P. The #1 exhaust port will point right into the power steering box on an A-body with no room for a pipe in there.

I've seen their weight claimed at 485 lbs - which isn't much heavier than a slant six. That's without alternator, PS pump, and other accessories. I'm not sure that is 100% accurate, but it was intended to be lighter than a traditional LA motor and a little smaller on the outside.

I remember reading that the biggest issue for Hemi swappers was that the factory ECU was locked out completely. You either had to swap in everything (gauges, other modules), go carburetored, or do something stand-alone like MS. Mopar just released swap ECU's for the Hemi last year I think, which is what the home enthusiast really needed. They are great engine, possibly even better than the LS, and the weight and packaging are good.

Javelin wrote: I remember reading that the biggest issue for Hemi swappers was that the factory ECU was locked out completely. You either had to swap in everything (gauges, other modules), go carburetored, or do something stand-alone like MS. Mopar just released swap ECU's for the Hemi last year I think, which is what the home enthusiast really needed. They are great engine, possibly even better than the LS, and the weight and packaging are good.

Don't buy anything from Mopar Performance. Those parts have at least 100% markup and the "dealer cost" on them is 10% less then listed retail. Plus the standalone option in the catalog is just a rebranded AEM box.

Actually, once someone cracked the rolling security code in the PCM, the whole box became programmable. Now, I see Diablosport can tune the newer 11-12 Challengers that are supposed to use a military grade 128 bit rolling security code to discourage this kind of shinanagians. Seems like someone inside Mopar changed something somewhere.

Those plug in PCM's are garbage IMO. Reason being they are an upgrade, but come locked for anything you want to do later on.

I still have my 5.7 sitting outside on a stand, but if it 485#, I'll just about eat my hat, it isn't light by any stretch. Compared to a LA/Magnum SB, the Hemi is wider without manifolds, but the ports open straight down to the ground instead of straight out to the side like the SB. So, it comes out nearly as a wash once you put on exhaust.

One of the reasons you don't see these things swapped into anything is loyality to every other engine in the Mopar family. Plus when was the last time you saw a car/truck and said, "Damn. I wonder how a Hemi would work in that?" Also, the JY price on them is stupid money compared to the trip over a LS on every street corner price.

I see so many of these engines in the junkyards and hardly any cars are sitting there minus an engine like I see all the time in the Cheby stuff so I just presumed nobody wanted them and they'd be cheap.

It would seem like the exhaust "ports opening straight out down to the ground instead of straight out to the side" would be a good thing and would help them fit in other bodies more easily.

Other than the Viper motor does Chrysler "do" alum blocks?

In reply to carguy123:

No to aluminum blocks unless it is in the performance catalog and you have $4500 burning a hole in yer pocket. Even the bare 6.1/6.4 iron block is $1500 IIRC.

Exhaust ports on the Hemi:

It is a 3.9 V6, but same design in my Dakota:

What I want done to mine, except moar powah! :

Go to the local book store and pick up a copy of Mopar Action. There is usually as least one new Hemi swapped car featured and plenty of advertisers for swap kits.

Ian F wrote: Go to the local book store and pick up a copy of Mopar Action. There is usually as least one new Hemi swapped car featured and plenty of advertisers for swap kits.

See! I just gotta get out more.

I think it comes down the electronics as the main hurdle.

A long time ago, when mopar FIRST released crate hemi's, Hot Rod bought one, put a cam and headers on it, and with a standalone EMS it made 480+ hp on an engine dyno. That's any old basic hemi with a cam and headers making almost 500hp. Sort of like an LS? The standalone was crucial though as it allowed the engine to rev higher.

I noticed edelbrock has a carb manifold for LS motors that comes with a coil driver module so that the ignition system is taken care of. If a similar thing were made for the hemi i think it might entice more people to give them a try.

Vigo wrote: I noticed edelbrock has a carb manifold for LS motors that comes with a coil driver module so that the ignition system is taken care of. If a similar thing were made for the hemi i think it might entice more people to give them a try.

They do. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/msd-6013

But when intakes are 600 bux....Plus the Mopar brigade's rather "unwillingness" to try things other then factory solutions....

There is no denying that when you finally stick cam in the tunnel that makes use of the 300cfm intake ports.... You will make some power.