The way I've always dreamed of doing it is to buy a complete wrecked vehicle from a local auction yard... If you think about it, theoretically, you will be purchasing almost everything you need to get the motor running.. all you have to buy is the adapting components (engine mounts, flex plate, oil pan, etc...). This is how I've always planned to do my hemi swap.
Let's say you find a wrecked '08 Ram at your local Copart auction. The truck has been nailed in the driver's side pretty hard, obviously totaled, but the mechanical components are for the most part fine. If you buy the truck even for a total of ~$1,500, you still have many of the components you need that would otherwise have to be purchased or fabricated. Obviously, you're gonna have to do some of that anyway, but my theory is that this method of doing it would save some money. So, what can you pull out of the truck?
Well, obviously you get a 5.7L Hemi engine (hopefully), and if you're lucky, you might be able to scrounge some exhaust components. Regardless, if you're going for cheap, there are some 5.7 factory manifolds from certain vehicles that will fit in an A-body. On top of the engine, you also get the complete wiring harness and ECU necessary to run the engine. You also get access to every computer and wiring harness on the truck (if you want to use the tranny as well). With a little patience and fabrication, you should be able to use either the truck's fuel pump or the entire fuel tank/pump assembly, depending on how far you want to go. No need to buy a new fuel tank or an EFI conversion kit. Now all you need to purchase for your fuel system is perhaps some EFI hose/line if you can't scrounge any from the truck already.
Depending on what you're comfortable with or what will fit, you might be able to use your existing radiator in your car, or you may have to buy a new one. Hell, the truck radiator might fit for all I know (but it probably won't). I certainly plan on trying to use the radiator already in my barracuda, it should be adequate for where I live (but I may have to cave in and buy a different one). If you really are going for budget, you can use the air filter assembly and piping from the truck as well.
I apologize for the wall of text that may or may not make sense, but I am essentially trying to say that in theory, according to my logic (which could be complete and total nonsense
), it would be cheaper to buy a complete vehicle with a Hemi rather than buying just the engine from a scrapyard and buying the rest of the parts. I say this because, again, if you have a complete (wrecked) vehicle sitting in front of you, you should be able to forage for all of the little bits and pieces (air filter, fuel system, misc. wiring, sensors, etc.) that would normally nickel and dime you to death. You are definitely going to have to buy certain things (engine mounts, oil pan, flex plate, oil filter relocation, etc.), but you *theoretically* should be able to save at least a little something. And after you're done and your swap is complete, you now have a half-complete parts car that you can either part out or send to the crusher/scrap yard and get a little bit of return on your investment.
Again, this is all just heresay and I have no experience in doing this (yet). But it makes sense to me that for your (or at least my) purposes of having a cool, fun, daily driver with a little bit of get-up on the cheap, sourcing most of your parts from a wrecked vehicle would make sense. Mostly everything in your swap will be OE and designed and proven to fit together, and once again, you don't have to buy as many of the little things that end up costing you big time. No standalone ECU, no carb swap, as much OE as possible.
As a final note of this overly-long essay (sorry!), I would also like to know if I am completely screwed in the head. Feel free to tell me if I'm a dumbass. Anyways, cheers! I wish you the best of luck in your Hemi swap adventure! Please keep all of us updated on your fortunes and misfortunes!
