Which 5.7 to buy?

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Glue Man

Glue Man

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Need some help here. I have been reading on hemi swaps for about a week and I cant seem to find the answer to one simple question- which year, car or truck, is the best 5.7 to get? Truck motors seem to be popular due to the accessories. I am also reading that the eagle motor is preferred but has the VVT.....

I just need someone to tell me what the best 5.7 would be to buy.

I am going to use an A833 for a trans, and for now will not be adding any power adders. I would like to eventually do a cam swap, and maybe some head work. Basically, I want to be able to tune in the future.

Thanks in advance everyone.
 
I think you're going to get mixed answers on this.

2009+ started the VVT and requires a cam phase lockout of some sort in order to do a cam swap, unless you want to keep the VVT and know someone that can tune it. Pretty sure there are some engine management setups that can tune it (maybe Holley? Not sure). 2009+ heads definitely outflow earlier heads and will respond better to a cam swap.

2003-2008 has the earlier heads, non-VVT, however some do have MDS. MDS can be easily deleted, and cam swaps are cheaper. All 2003-2005 Hemis use the coil packs that fire opposing cylinders at the same time while 2006+ coil packs fire the same cylinder and get rid of the rats nest of plug wires. No performance difference between the two from what I've seen, but just cosmetics.

As far as car or truck, yes the truck accessories are higher and tighter to the block so there are typically no clearance issues with the frame or anything and you can run A/C. I believe with the car engines you have to notch the frame rail to clear the alternator (or run a Jeep alternator or something), and I don't think you can run the A/C compressor in the factory location. Truck motors already have the main cap stud to support a mid-sump pickup, and some people are using the factory pan with aftermarket k-frames. A lot of people like the car intakes better for cosmetics.
 
Yeah, I'd say the least amount of hassle would be a pre-09 truck engine, though you can make about anything work. I started with a car engine because I got a deal on it and then swapped out the timing cover to the truck one and got a stud for the oil pump pickup. I wasn't necessarily going to use the factory intake anyway, so that didn't really factor into my decision.
 
moparmaniacduster said:
I think you're going to get mixed answers on this.

2009+ started the VVT and requires a cam phase lockout of some sort in order to do a cam swap, unless you want to keep the VVT and know someone that can tune it. Pretty sure there are some engine management setups that can tune it (maybe Holley? Not sure). 2009+ heads definitely outflow earlier heads and will respond better to a cam swap.

2003-2008 has the earlier heads, non-VVT, however some do have MDS. MDS can be easily deleted, and cam swaps are cheaper. All 2003-2005 Hemis use the coil packs that fire opposing cylinders at the same time while 2006+ coil packs fire the same cylinder and get rid of the rats nest of plug wires. No performance difference between the two from what I've seen, but just cosmetics.

As far as car or truck, yes the truck accessories are higher and tighter to the block so there are typically no clearance issues with the frame or anything and you can run A/C. I believe with the car engines you have to notch the frame rail to clear the alternator (or run a Jeep alternator or something), and I don't think you can run the A/C compressor in the factory location. Truck motors already have the main cap stud to support a mid-sump pickup, and some people are using the factory pan with aftermarket k-frames. A lot of people like the car intakes better for cosmetics.
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Thanks for the great info.

I do prefer the car intake visually. I would be willing to swap the timing cover like others have done, so the accessories fit. AC isn't something I need at this point. This is a cruiser, I want to feel the exhaust with the windows down.

If I'm reading this right, you're recommending an 06-08 motor. Do people swap the heads from the 09 and up motors to the pre 09 motors since the heads flow better? Is that even possible?
 
Glue Man said:
If I'm reading this right, you're recommending an 06-08 motor. Do people swap the heads from the 09 and up motors to the pre 09 motors since the heads flow better? Is that even possible?
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'06-08 car motor is probably the most cosmetically pleasing to most people (myself included). Simpler coil pack setup, and better looking car intake. Also does not require messing with anything VVT related. You will more than likely have to delete the MDS, which I believe is a lifter swap, not sure if you can use the factory MDS lifters. Others can chime in on that. If you have no interest in A/C, I would recommend the car motor.

I've heard you can swap the Eagle (09+) 5.7 heads on the earlier 5.7s with the right head gasket, but I have no experience. You can't just swap them on or apparently your compression goes through the roof. Like I said, I have 0 experience with this. Keep in mind, you would also need the 09+ intake and exhaust manifolds (different shaped ports).
 
moparmaniacduster said:
I've heard you can swap the Eagle (09+) 5.7 heads on the earlier 5.7s with the right head gasket, but I have no experience. You can't just swap them on or apparently your compression goes through the roof. Like I said, I have 0 experience with this. Keep in mind, you would also need the 09+ intake and exhaust manifolds (different shaped ports).
Click to expand...

You seem to be right on this. A headgasket is available that will bring compression down. Apparently it would be in the 12.5-1 range without it.
 
I couldn't make up my mind either. Check pricing on a cam swap between the two, that sealed the deal for me. I didn't want vvt and I'm boosting mine so the hp gain from one to the other want a huge deal to me. I did upgrade mine to the 06 and up coil packs and covers to get rid of the wiring mess though.
 
I have two 2012 5.7 engines i want to sell...both have low miles, under 20k miles
 
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