5.7 Hemi into an older Suburban?

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Hephalumph

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I am a passive Mopar fan - I prefer driving dodge, chrysler, and jeeps over most all other vehicles. I love watching the old mopar cars strut their stuff. But I am not a gearhead, or a hardcore/diehard fanatic.

I had an '05 Durango limited with a 5.7 Hemi, and the upgraded transmission with the towing package, etc. Very solid vehicle. Unfortunately, it was involved in two accidents 3 weeks apart; the first relatively minor body damage, the second pretty major frame damage. As far as I can tell, though, the engine is fine - aside from the radiator being bent out of shape, nothing else seemed to be impacted.

Thanks to an insurance screwup, I was left with no vehicle and no funds to take care of it. A family member sold me an old '93 Chevy Suburban, letting me make payments over time, etc. I knew it had minor transmission issues, but a few days after I got it, the minor issues became major. It also has several minor engine issues - mostly stuff I could fix myself with spare funds and time. But the transmission might be completely shot.

And so I had the bright idea - one vehicle has a solid body/chassis, but a not so great engine and tranny. The other is the opposite. So, why not swap the engine and tranny out?

From a little bit of googling, it seems this is actually probably not the brightest idea. But, I figured I should at least visit a few forums like this and propose the idea to those who know better than I do.

So, should I just abandon both vehicles and try to move forward however I can figure it out to do so? Or should I try to swap the engine/tranny from the dodge into the chevy? Why (or why not)?

Thanks!
 
One thing that stands out to me is this.
"But I am not a gearhead" and this "I was left with no vehicle and no funds to take care of it"

Sell the Hemi drivetrain.
Put a trans in the Suburban and get on with your life.
You'll come out of it with a running vehicle and some extra cash to boot.

JMO of course
 
That is probably a better idea. Which leads me to another question; where do I advertise to sell the drivetrain, and what is a reasonable price to ask for it?
(It had 200k miles, but was well maintained and was running strong with 0 problems).
 
That is probably a better idea. Which leads me to another question; where do I advertise to sell the drivetrain, and what is a reasonable price to ask for it?
(It had 200k miles, but was well maintained and was running strong with 0 problems).

I'd start with here and Craigslist, and not just your local CL either, as there are plenty of people that want Hemi's.
I can't help on worth, but I do know even a needs rebuilt running Hemi alone is worth a good chunk.
Then there's the "More money than sense" crowd as well. :D
 
Put it a Dodge Suburan. Chevy still pays Chrysler the rights to the name, so they aint nuthin but fakery.

SUBURAN.jpg
 
Do you have a link/supporting evidence? I would LOVEEEEE to be able to tease the GM guys over here about this :)

I don't. I have been told this by several friends who've worked in Chrysler dealerships and heard it myself when I worked for one. So I guess it's hearsay. I did some quick research and according to Wiki, GM was awarded full copyright to the name in 1988. So, I would assume that if they ever did pay royalties to Chrysler, they no longer had to as of 1988. I do know that Chrysler was first to use the name.
 
I don't. I have been told this by several friends who've worked in Chrysler dealerships and heard it myself when I worked for one. So I guess it's hearsay. I did some quick research and according to Wiki, GM was awarded full copyright to the name in 1988. So, I would assume that if they ever did pay royalties to Chrysler, they no longer had to as of 1988. I do know that Chrysler was first to use the name.
Thanks for looking :) I recall hearing it to, but I think it was from you in another post.lol I remember the suburban being used by chrysler also.
 
Where should I look/inquire to find fair pricing on it?

Also, if I do not sell locally, how would I ship it to someone - I have never done that before.

Thanks!
 
GM used the Suburban name long before Chrysler.

Several automotive companies in the United States used the "Suburban" designation to indicate a windowed, station wagon type body on a commercial frame including DeSoto, Dodge, Plymouth, Studebaker, Nash, Chevrolet, and GMC. The (Westchester) Suburban name was in fact a trademark of U.S. Body and Forging Co. of Tell City, Indiana, which built wooden station wagon bodies for all of these automobile and light truck chassis and more.

Chevrolet began production of its all-steel "carryall-suburban" in 1935. GMC brought out its version in 1937. These vehicles were also known as the "Suburban Carryall" until GM cut the name to simply "Suburban". GMC's equivalent to the Chevrolet model was originally named "Suburban" as well, until re-branding it to "Yukon XL" for the 2000 model year.

With the end of production of the Dodge Town Wagon in 1966 and the Plymouth Suburban station wagon in 1978, only General Motors continued to manufacture a vehicle branded as a "Suburban", and GM was awarded an exclusive trademark on the name in 1988. The Chevrolet Suburban is one of the largest SUVs on the market today. It has outlasted competitive vehicles such as the International Harvester Travelall, Jeep Wagoneer, and the Ford Excursion. The latest competitor is the extended Ford Expedition EL, which replaced the Excursion.
 
Though it would be just as "easy" to install the hemi in the suburban as it is to drop it into a A body I don't think this is the time for you to tackle this project

I would post the entire vehicle on CL and see what it fetches
 
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