Hemi grocery list

[74swangur]

I'm sure there a many folks out there that have successively made the swap over to a 5.7 or 6.1 in their A-body. Is there anyone of you special people that can provide a grocery list of items to make it happen in my A-body?
Surely there is someone humble and gracious enough to share their mistakes with the ones of us that want to put this late model beast in their A-body?

Thanks in advance.....we bow down to you! rayer:rayer:

 

[Hellcat Cuda]

74swangur,
There really is no recipe for parts until you make some decisions on your overall goal. I started the "process" of my conversion back in '04 and my intentions for the car, when completed, has not changed. However, my original goals and intentions of how I was going to carry out the conversion turned out to be a complete fantasy.

You are lucky to be starting this venture at this time, as there is a lot more choices for parts available to you now than in '04. There are also many more people who have been through this who have tried various parts ad combinations who can answer questions. If you look at my build thread labelled Cuda SRT8 392 Gen3 Hemi, you can get an idea of how my build evolved over all this time.

Before you create a grocery list, you need to answer some questions about your goal. Here's just a few:

Are you on a tight budget or are you willing to spend whatever it takes to accomplish your goal?
How do you want to use this car?
Do you want to start with new or used engine / stock or modified, stroked, etc.
What horsepower do you want to end up with?
Automatic transmission? With overdrive?
Manual transmission? Stock 4 speed? 5 speed? 6 speed?
Do you want AC?
Do you want power steering?
The truck, front timing cover places the accessories up on top, making for an easier install. Is this "look" OK?
The car, front timing cover places the accessories down low, creating a cleaner "look" but creating clearance and fit issues below. Is this OK?
Are you OK with cutting the car and modifying it or wanting to preserve all the stock sheet metal?
Do you want to use stock exhaust manifolds or tubular headers? Shorties or long tube?
Do you want to keep the EFI and electronic ign. that was designed into these engines or go with a carb and distributor?
Do you have a "doner" car for drivetrain/computer/wiring and plan to use as much of the parts as possible?

These are just a few of the questions you need to answer to be able to come up with a recipe. One last question that I would ask, do you wish to make a plan and stick with it, or are you willing to change courses as you discover various obstacles and costs that come up?

I was originally planning on putting a 440 six pack / 4 speed in my car when the new Hemis came out. I know I'm going to LOVE my car when it's done and it will be very gratifying for me, considering all the planning, engineering and modifying I've done to the car. However, if I had stuck with the traditional "big block A-body" conversion, I'd have a hell of a lot less money in my car and would have had many years of driving enjoyment already.

Also, I would caution you that there are a lot of people out there who will pass on information they've read or heard, that is not correct. Some of these people mean well by doing so and others are just trying to act knowledgable on the subject. Beware. Try to weed out and listen to those who KNOW what they're talking about from those who just THINK they know. It will save you some money.

So there's MY input on the subject. Decisions, decisions.

 

[Cevidicus]

Closest thing to a grocery list I've seen.

See post #27:
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=138344&page=2

 

[Rat Patrol]

See the entry for July 6 2012 here -

http://ratpatrol1.wordpress.com/

Also this blog may help -

http://moparskunkwerks.wordpress.com/

 

[johnparts]

74swangur,
There really is no recipe for parts until you make some decisions on your overall goal. I started the "process" of my conversion back in '04 and my intentions for the car, when completed, has not changed. However, my original goals and intentions of how I was going to carry out the conversion turned out to be a complete fantasy.

You are lucky to be starting this venture at this time, as there is a lot more choices for parts available to you now than in '04. There are also many more people who have been through this who have tried various parts ad combinations who can answer questions. If you look at my build thread labelled Cuda SRT8 392 Gen3 Hemi, you can get an idea of how my build evolved over all this time.

Before you create a grocery list, you need to answer some questions about your goal. Here's just a few:

Are you on a tight budget or are you willing to spend whatever it takes to accomplish your goal?
How do you want to use this car?
Do you want to start with new or used engine / stock or modified, stroked, etc.
What horsepower do you want to end up with?
Automatic transmission? With overdrive?
Manual transmission? Stock 4 speed? 5 speed? 6 speed?
Do you want AC?
Do you want power steering?
The truck, front timing cover places the accessories up on top, making for an easier install. Is this "look" OK?
The car, front timing cover places the accessories down low, creating a cleaner "look" but creating clearance and fit issues below. Is this OK?
Are you OK with cutting the car and modifying it or wanting to preserve all the stock sheet metal?
Do you want to use stock exhaust manifolds or tubular headers? Shorties or long tube?
Do you want to keep the EFI and electronic ign. that was designed into these engines or go with a carb and distributor?
Do you have a "doner" car for drivetrain/computer/wiring and plan to use as much of the parts as possible?

These are just a few of the questions you need to answer to be able to come up with a recipe. One last question that I would ask, do you wish to make a plan and stick with it, or are you willing to change courses as you discover various obstacles and costs that come up?

I was originally planning on putting a 440 six pack / 4 speed in my car when the new Hemis came out. I know I'm going to LOVE my car when it's done and it will be very gratifying for me, considering all the planning, engineering and modifying I've done to the car. However, if I had stuck with the traditional "big block A-body" conversion, I'd have a hell of a lot less money in my car and would have had many years of driving enjoyment already.

Also, I would caution you that there are a lot of people out there who will pass on information they've read or heard, that is not correct. Some of these people mean well by doing so and others are just trying to act knowledgable on the subject. Beware. Try to weed out and listen to those who KNOW what they're talking about from those who just THINK they know. It will save you some money.

So there's MY input on the subject. Decisions, decisions.

This is a very well thought out response, and he is correct with everything. There is no "all knowing all seeing list" on 3g Hemi conversions we are all still mostly researching and flying by the seat of our pants. There are companies out there that sell everything you need based on your level of commitment and budget. Efi is the big question and the deciding factor for most. I myself have been dealing with issues of wanting to run as close to a factory set-up as possible so I can begin with a stock fuel map because that will give me the best driveability before I tune for power and hopefully give me the ability to tune with an available aftermarket tuning device like a diablo.

You need to ask yourself what you want to do with the car FIRST then with the knowledge on this board of a few of us we can help advise you how to get there.

 

[Rat Patrol]

And to add to whats already been said.......whatever path you choose not only determines the most likely and most suitable parts, but the parts choice itself determines what work may be required to ensure their serviceable use.

For example - Street and Performance shorty headers bring very different installation issues to the TTI long tube headers..etc etc...