4.7 V8 swap?

Anyone consider swapping a 4.7 V8 into an A-body? We owned a Jeep Grand Cherokee with this engine and it ran bitchen with a lot of power. I remember when a magazine ran a Dakota comparison 4.7 vs RT 360 and the 4.7 beat it everytime. Just a thought?

I've got a 4.7 in my Dakota. Plenty of power for a bitty little thing. Not sure how much aftermarket performance stuff is available though.

I told my bud less than an hour ago the 4.7 and auto overdrive would be cool in an old valiant.

I wouldn't waste my time. There is squat for aftermarket stuff and the little engine would only be a novelty at best. Besides most of the used engines are outrageuosly priced because people don't change oil in them often enough and the demand for good used engines is very high.

The 4.7 is an awesome little motor. I've got a pretty beefed up one in my Durango. Bad news is aftermarket is slim to none and pretty pricey. Check out airram.com. They are pretty much the only aftermarket out there right now.

My mom has a 02 jeep grand cherokee with a 4.7 and it hauls ass! I love driving that thing...Ive always wondered what that engine would do in a light a body...It is true the aftermarket for these engines are slim..I cant find good aftermarket parts for the jeep..

KRC performance Is the only place I know of that has supplies of 4.7L performance parts. http://www.krcperformance.com/ I have been told that the 4.7L uses the same bell housing bolt pattern, motor mounts and flex plate bolt pattern as a 5.7L hemi. I don't know if it's true or not. I had a crazy idea a few years back to install an aftermarket ford flathead distributor to the valve cover and drive it off of a camshaft. I would run a megasquirt ECM and it's running.

KRC performance Is the only place I know of that has supplies of 4.7L performance parts. http://www.krcperformance.com/ I have been told that the 4.7L uses the same bell housing bolt pattern, motor mounts and flex plate bolt pattern as a 5.7L hemi. I don't know if it's true or not. I had a crazy idea a few years back to install an aftermarket ford flathead distributor to the valve cover and drive it off of a camshaft. I would run a megasquirt ECM and it's running.

That is true, the 4.7 uses the 545rfe which is the same trans that is bolted to the 5.7. Not so sure about the motor mounts though.

The bell housing pattern is the same as any Mopar small block including the early 392 style hemi, A and LA as well as the new generation hemi.

It would be fun. Those things go like scat. They aren't much bigger than a 273 (.030 bigger bore and a little longer stroke) and perform about the same:
The 05's were rated at 235 hp. and 295 ft.lb. (HP273's were 235 hp and 280 ft/lb)
The 08's were rated at 290 hp. and 320 ft.lb. depending on model
A 08' Ram was rated @ 310 hp. and 329 ft.lb.

Build yourself a nice HP 273 with some lightly ported heads and get 300+
hp and torque. Here's some interesting reading:

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/47.html

The 05's were rated at 235 hp. and 295 ft.lb. (HP273's were 235 hp and 280 ft/lb)

Weren't the 273's rated gross hp and the 4.7's net hp?

Conceptually, I *LOVE* the 4.7L... lighter than any other Mopar V8, fully modern architecture, and heck, cammers are just plain cool. The sad fact is it's unloved in the aftermarket, which is directly related to it's second fiddle position on the power scale. Why waste time making parts for a 400hp 4.7L when you can make the same parts for a 500hp 5.7L? The logic is pretty clear, but that was one of the cool things about the old Mopar Performance / Direct Connection days - every engine got some sort of hot rod parts.

I think folks that are looking for a relatively healthy stock-type power plant would enjoy a 4.7L. In general, that includes me - the current version makes as much power as my "warm" 340, and would likely get nearly 2x the mileage if the EFI was tuned right. Then there are guys like Duner on Moparts who put a little turbo on the 4.7L and really make it scream.

The problem for me right now is that, looking at new engine prices, the 4.7L is at least as much money as a same-year Hemi. Sometimes $1000 more. That hurts, and would be really hard to justify spending that much more for less... Still, I'm fascinated with the things, and won't know if I'm going Hemi or Cammer until I have one in the garage...

Clair

Funny I bought a 2001 Grand Cherokee last week. I am currently doing the timing chain set in it. Got the whole jeep for 1k, and blue book is at 9k

I was thinking that it would be cool to transfer the whole drive train into the vailant. A four wheel drive vailant..... Could be cool.

I read that you can't bore these blocks out. And that you can only get the pistons and rods as an assembly from chrysler. I also read that they consider this a "hemi".

I also found crate 4.7's for $1900...

I had the 4.7 in my Dakota and it scooted pretty good for its weight. It also got over 20mpg on the highway. I think it would be a cool transplant if you can find a deal on one.

every time i have talked about a 4.7 to techs', all they say is that they are complete junk. and i would have to say the same. the reason that it is so exspensive to buy a used 4.7 is because all the ones that winde up in the junkyard are either got a rod knock, bad head gaskets, or completely locked up. so there are not alot of usable ones.

every time i have talked about a 4.7 to techs', all they say is that they are complete junk. and i would have to say the same. the reason that it is so exspensive to buy a used 4.7 is because all the ones that winde up in the junkyard are either got a rod knock, bad head gaskets, or completely locked up. so there are not alot of usable ones.

It is complete junk.
I call it the plastic gunker.

I don't agree that it's total junk but there are a couple reasons why it's gotten the reputation that it has.

First of all the factories are running the cylinder head temperature higher in order to meet emissions requirements to get at least a 10 year service life out of an engine so that they make their investment back. This requires that the oil change interval be strictly adhered to and high quality oil be used. Synthetic should be used in my opinion and changed at 3000 miles. This will keep the oil from sludging.

Second it's true they can't be bored, and the heads cannot be shaved. If you overheat one it's junk.

Combine these two factors with the fact that they are small, displacement wise, fairly wide for a small motor, and there is very little in the way of performance parts for it and you get an engine that really isn't a desirable swap candidate.

I for one am interested in the swap.I don,t need aftermarket performance. I want to install one in my little motor home.I love the 4,7 and I think it would be a great replacement for the 318 thats in it.I don,t like the 5.7s I am just not a hemi guy.The overdrive would be assume. Mark

and that is the song of the rodder...I'll do it my way!
a 4.7 in a lil T-bucket with a 5-speed would be cool

I really like the 4.7 in my 2000 Dakota sport. Not the greatest on mileage but plenty of power when you need it. Sounds good with the flowmaster on it too. I have had plenty of people ask me what it was because of how it sounds. 139000 miles and going strong.

I'm doing an engine in a 1500 with a 3.7 in it. Overheated, dropped a valve seat, it's only got 46,000 miles on it.

I've had 2 vehicles side by side, the Jeep with a 4.7 and an 80 Mercedes 4.5, I always wondered why the resemblance is so uncanny. 2 Cammers and practically the same clothing

My 02 quad cab has 147,000 and only thing replaced on the motor is the power steering pump. No knocks rattles or smoke and pretty smooth for a big truck

i really like the 4.7 in my 02 ram. its just a pretty light single cab short bed, but when i first got a 1/4 mile time on it ( just goofin around ) it ran a best of 16.8 with just under 80,000 on it . seems to do a pretty good job

The Grand cherokee I got ended up needing the engine rebuilt. It was easy to do but the cost of the parts sucked. It would have been cheaper to buy a crate motor.
The only thing I didnt like about the engine was the lack of cam bearings & #8 oil drain design (in the top of head). The oil accumilates at #8 and plugs the lifter and also #7 #8 connecting rod seem to starve for oil compared to the rest of the rods.

I found out they can't be bored out the hard way. Snapped a rod in an 01 grand cherokee with 150K off-roading. Had to replace the motor.

I used to be a Chrysler/Jeep light-line tech before I went back to school, we had a 4.7 grand cherokee that once or twice a year it would come in for loosing coolant without any signs (leaks or coolant in oil) come to find out 3 years old, the motor was so well machined that from the factory they forgot to install a right side head gasket and the motor had no compression loss or vacuum leaks. Only the coolant would eventually make it to the exhaust port and evaporate off. Pretty cool lil motor, i'd love to do one If I had one, who says you need aftermarket parts, cool 4 speed od trans v8 cruiser would be nice. Dependable and very drivable!

They are a great little motor. I had one in my 2002 Ram, and now one in my 2007 Dakota. The current one makes a little over 200RWHP on the dyno with a few bolt on mods (ported TB, true dual exhaust, CAI, Superchips) and gets 25mpg on road trips. Fylwheel HP should be about 260 (rated 220hp as a flex fuel motor).

While it is not a "powerful" motor, it would be interesting to put it in a small Dart 2 dr. with a nice 5 or 6 spd behind it....the 4.7 just loves to rev. The biggest issue I see is that the 4.7 is a tall motor being OHC. It might not fit under the hood of car.

Interesting note: Startech in Germany built a stroker version around 2000 to put in their Jeeps. It was a 5.5L that made 285hp and 358 ft/lbs of torque (back when the 4.7 was 220hp/290 ft/lbs in Europe).

Just imagine if you took the 08-up 4.7 and worked it in to a 5.5L?

i don't get it! i came here to read about "new hemi hemi swaps" instead we are having a "general discussion" about "smallblock tech"

Well, that WAS the title of the thread.

Really, I read about all the issues with putting a Gen III Hemi in an A-body and wonder why people do it....seems like a total PITA just to say "yeah, It's got a Hemi" ..........

Well, that WAS the title of the thread.

Really, I read about all the issues with putting a Gen III Hemi in an A-body and wonder why people do it....seems like a total PITA just to say "yeah, It's got a Hemi" ..........

Seems well worth the pain to be able to say "Yeah, it's got a Hemi"

Well, that WAS the title of the thread.

Really, I read about all the issues with putting a Gen III Hemi in an A-body and wonder why people do it....seems like a total PITA just to say "yeah, It's got a Hemi" ..........


To me, IMO, a 4.7 swap into anything vintage seems like more of a PITA than it could possibly be worth. They seem so limited and unsupported by the aftermarket. But, if that is what one has his heart set on, I say figure it out and do it. I enjoy seeing inovation and desire conquer naysayers.

The new hemi has vastly more performance potential than any 4.7. Yea it may cost more than a 360-408 build & swap. But there are a ton of those. Maybe a few hundred 3rd gen Hemi A-bodies. So the 5.7-6.1's get the nod for uniqueness and cool factor. To me at least.

8) When mine is done, I'll be proud to say, " Yea, it's got a Hemi in it."

I`ve got a 2000 Durango 4x4 with the 4.7L, ran it once at the 1/8 mile strip here it ran 10.7 spining the one 31" tire. My buddy with a monte carlo SS ran a 10.6.....he sold it not long after. Only problems have been the exhaust studs rotting off and I guess it sounds like it may need a timing set. 130000 miles.

@oneway71- Please let us/me know how you make out with the timing set.

Both the 4.7 and 5.7 are a pain to get in to an A-body, but as already noted the Hemi at least has some support out there in the aftermarket. Having watched my buddy go through a 5.7 EFI crate swap in his 67 Barracuda, I'm no more convinced of doing a 5.7 over a 4.7 at this point. I'd be interested to see how well a 4.7 would fit in an A-body. I think it would be OK, I can't imagine that even with the tall SOHC cam covers it would be as tall as a big block, and we all know those fit well enough. Again, partly due to aftermarket and factory parts/support.

Would love some day to get an +08 4.7L and a medium sized turbo under the hood of my Valiant. Light weight, good on gas without boost, and big block power with boost.

Clair

I'm not saying I would bother putting a 4.7L in an A-body...just saying it would be different, much the way a nice slant 6 gets attention.

I don't think it would even fit...there are deck height issues. 4.7L is a very tall engine.

I guess in my world power is power, and money is money. The A/Magnum engines make the power just fine and my money is not worth a catch phrase.

But that is just the world according to me.:cheers:

...my money is not worth a catch phrase.

Some call it a catch phrase, some call it one of the most well known and the most feared American street engine on this side of 1964.

I guess winning is nothing more than a marketing ploy.

Win on Sunday, sell on Monday - success is about as good a marketing ploy as it gets. :-D

Clair

I'm not saying I would bother putting a 4.7L in an A-body...just saying it would be different, much the way a nice slant 6 gets attention.

I don't think it would even fit...there are deck height issues. 4.7L is a very tall engine.

I guess in my world power is power, and money is money. The A/Magnum engines make the power just fine and my money is not worth a catch phrase.

But that is just the world according to me.:cheers:
well for me i had the motor and had a car without one. so naturally it would be cheaper to drop the hemi in the a body, than it would be to go and buy a complete turnkey anything else. so here i am and now i went nuts with it anddecided to add twin turbos,to the car as well. now to just get it up and running and life will be good. i have been messing with the hemi since they came out in 03. put my first cam in one in 05. and have not looked back. i dont see the name anymore. its just a motor to me. just like the ls motors. its a motor that makes good power that is all. the name HEMI should have stayed with the 2nd gen motors as the new noe is not really the same.

Some call it a catch phrase, some call it one of the most well known and the most feared American street engine on this side of 1964.

I guess winning is nothing more than a marketing ploy.

I don't equate the modern Gen III to the Classic Hemi of yesteryear that earned that reputation....unless someone wants to toss the new 426ci All-alluminum Gen III in their A-body..with 540hp.:-D Then you can sport a 426 badge on the side of the car.