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2004 Shorty 5.7 Swap

8K views 24 replies 6 participants last post by  04HemiTJ 
#1 ·
Well, First of all, great forum! I have got more out of these threads in the last half hour that all my crazy Google searches the past 6 months. Good info guys.:wink:

So I'm on my second Hemi swap, the last one was a first gen and turned out sweet, but after almost sliding her through a county fence, I decided to sell her while we were both still alive. So it's been almost ten years and I miss the little truck, sooo here we go again:stirthepo

Here's what I have so far:

'03 5.7 ram motor with a new bottom end and a valve job up top
'04 Shortbox with a 3.7 and a NV3500 (going manual this time)


So now here is the question of the day. I read on another thread an A/T NGC can be flashed to run the stick. I just wanted to verify this before I continue to scour the web for a R2500 M/T NGC. Does anyone out there have first hand experience with this and who flashed it?

Thanks again for the site!
 
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#2 ·
I have heard the Hemifever can flash the auto PCM to manual but you will have to have an SCT tuner in order for you to do that.
 
#4 ·
Before you go that route, I'm certain that HP tuners has the ability to flash the Auto PCMs. You need to grab an 05 Ram PCM, and it should work with all of the JTEC wiring. I'm in the process of gathering the remainder of my parts for my Hemi Swap into my 02 Quad Cab. I'm also going 5spd as well. Try researching modernmuscle.biz. Dave is the owner of the site and has performed many Gen III Hemi swaps into older muscle cars, and trucks as well. There are lots of good sites on the modern hemi, that should be able to help you out. Hit me up in a PM if you need more info. Also there are very knowledgeable members of this forum as well.
 
#5 ·
Whoo Hoo! I checked again and found dodge stuff. Last time I checked they just had Chev and Ford stuff. The only other grey spot in this thing is I want to put a R2500 clutch and flywheel in place of the 3.7/4.7 unit but info is sketchy there as well. Everyone runs the 545 with the swaps so the stick stuff is tough to find straight answers on. As far as the rest of the swap goes I have the kinks worked out. I kept good notes on all the mods I had to do to get the wiring and mounting done on the first swap I did. Thanks for the reply, I appreciate the help!
 
#8 ·
The only other grey spot in this thing is I want to put a R2500 clutch and flywheel in place of the 3.7/4.7 unit but info is sketchy there as well. Everyone runs the 545 with the swaps so the stick stuff is tough to find straight answers on.
Here's 2 threads that might help you out between the 2. They are not exactly what you are doing but still might give you what you are looking for:
http://www.dakota-durango.com/forum/showthread.php?t=153267

http://www.dakota-durango.com/forum/showthread.php?t=157355

Good luck with the build!!
I would be interested in what you come up with for exhaust from heads down.
 
#7 ·
Ya, it was a sweet little truck. The only downside was the flaky paint that plagued the 90's. I'll hunt up some pics. The motor went in pretty easy. I narrowed a 9.25" rear from an '03 Durango for it because I didn't trust the 8.25" with the extra 100+ hp I picked up. The best part about it was letting people drive it who had no clue what was in it:).

Anyone have any info on the NV4500 clutch and flywheel set up?
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the links, lots of good info. Your truck turned out nice! I'm guessing the hemi flywheel you used was from a car 5.7? I'd love a tremec, maybe after I fry the 3500 I'll go that route. I've read truck manifolds fit so I'll start with those then I've got a bender so I'll be runnin my own pipes with something Magnaflow out back. Haven't looked under there for clearance yet.

Here's some pics of the 93 I did.
 

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#11 ·
Thanks for the links, lots of good info. Your truck turned out nice! I'm guessing the hemi flywheel you used was from a car 5.7? I'd love a tremec, maybe after I fry the 3500 I'll go that route. I've read truck manifolds fit so I'll start with those then I've got a bender so I'll be runnin my own pipes with something Magnaflow out back. Haven't looked under there for clearance yet.
Here's some pics of the 93 I did.
I am not sure if there is a difference between car and truck 5.7 flywheels but pretty sure mine is for car version if they are different. Here is the info on the one I am running:
FWCH-10013, SCIENCE FRICTION Billet Steel Flywheel, SFI Quality,
130t/10.5" for 5.7/6.1 Hemi, 8-bolt (weighed 26lbs).
I got it from American Power Train. I had MAJOR problems with their (Science Friction) PP. Ended up going with Center Force Dual Friction clutch/PP. Have many runs at track with slicks and 4k+ dumps with 0 clutch/flywheel problems.
Thanks for the kind words about the truck. It is a blast to drive :)
Nice job on the hemi transplant. Looks like you did a really good job!!
Now...just get then new one done ;-)
Keep us posted.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the info. I was bummed when I saw Kiesler quit making the Dak kits, with your post a lot of the fuzzy parts of the swap disappeared so I'd be more willing to shell out the $ on a Trans to make it happen. It sounds like that was quite the fiasco with that PP, thanks for the heads up on that. This swap will take a little time to get done, but should be a lot more straight forward than the 93. Not to mention the bolt-in 9.25" rear end.
 
#13 ·
If you decide to go with trans let me know, could save you between $1-2k and a lot of headeaches. I would have bought the trans outright and then sourced the parts myself. Both the flywheel and bellhousing I used on mine was "for" a 5.7. If I remember correctly the bell for 5.7 had starter on passenger side. Since 4.7 starter is on Driver side and I didn't feel like swapping all of the wiring around I ordered the 5.7 bell with starter on Driver side.
Which ever way you go you will have a blast when done!
 
#14 ·
I imagine I'll end up there eventually. That little NV3500 is gonna have a run for it's money behind a Hemi. Thanks again for the info.
 
#15 ·
So, thanks for all the trans input guys. I got her up and running with an extra V6 harness and a 2005 ram NGC. All the gauges are up and running, but it will be interesting to see how accurate the speedo is while reading the reluctor on the 3500 instead of the Getrag. I do lack the lower radiator hose. Any suggestions on which one fits well? I looked through the hose rack at the local parts store and with what they had I was going to end up putting two hoses together to make all the bends. I'd much rather do it with one hose:smile:
 
#16 · (Edited)
Well, I've been LOVIN my little hemi truck. Sounds great, 27 mpg on the free way and awesome acceleration. I did discover one problem... in third gear under heavy throttle... the tires stop smoking and the clutch starts smoking. Maybe I need a stouter clutch ;)? I think this should solve the problem.
 

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#17 · (Edited)
I also thought I'd toss out some of the more useful things I found out with this swap. I got lots of unknowns answered in this forum, hopefully this info helps someone.

-The Hemi bolted right up to the 3.7L flywheel. Starter, clutch, NV3500 trans and all (Hence the smoky clutch). I'm sure the 4.7 bolts up the same.

-3.7 / 4.7L 02 sensors are different than the hemi sensors.

-The P/S pump from the Dak 3.7L isn't a bolt on but the R1500 3.7 P/S is if you swap the pulley to a 7 grove.

- 2.5" dual exhaust requires spare removal.

- If you are not careful, your dashmat will fall off in second gear.

I know the thread is old, but I wanted to post up some of this stuff to give back a bit. Challenger Tremec TR6060 swap in progress.
 
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#18 ·
Wow, it's been a while since I've checked this forum.... Thanks for posting up the results you were able to accomplish.... I've considered doing a 5.7 hemi swap into my 02 QC dak that I did a manual swap on.... I may venture down this road next year.... If you don't mind, pm me what all you went through for the wiring aspect of this build. By this I mean the engine wiring harness.... I've got a 05 Hemi PCM, and 04 4.7 engine wiring harness that I can use to make this swap happen. I've also got several 3.9 wiring harness as well. Decisions decisions.
 
#19 ·
Pm sent. The swap’s a lota work, but I have a huge smile on my face every morning when I show up to work because of it. It really makes these trucks fun to drive.
 
#20 ·
I figured as much..... I've been gathering parts, and resources for the last 2 years to complete this swap. So far I have an 05 Ram PCM, HPTuners & MS3 (Have to figure out which one to run), 2 01-03 3.9 engine harnesses, 1 04 4.7 engine harness, a 04 hemi out of a Durango, 6.1 crank, and cam, several sets of heads, intakes, and tb's. Also have factory manifolds for the hemi truck. My biggest concern for this is the down time it will take to get the wiring completed for this swap. The rest seems fairly straight forward.
 
#21 ·
Sounds like you are headed in the right direction. I used either Ram or Durango manifolds in my swap, I had both and can’t remember which one fit best. I had to slightly notch the frame to clear the oil filter and I notched a Ram oil pan to clear the cross member. I also had to grind a little off the passenger control arm to clear the exhaust manifold on that side. The only other clearance issue is the spark plugs under the booster are a tight squeeze, but I was able to grind down a cheap spark plug socket and it fits without removing the booster:). I hope this helps.
 
#22 ·
So I though I’d update the progress on the truck. I’m now running a TR6060 Tremec from a 2013 Challenger. I wanted to throw some info out there for anyone looking to do the same thing. The swap turned out sweet, I was even able to keep my shifter in the factory spot so install was very clean. The twin disc clutch and short throw shifter were also a big bonus:)
 

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#23 ·
Nice decision, where'd you get the adaptor piece for the end of the tranny housing? I've got a TR6060 in my 13 Challenger, and I used a DSS unit to make it handle the torque much better. The piece that you have shown in the picture looks really nice. Lastly, is the shift tower you're using after market? Having switched my shifter in my challenger, I don't recall it looking like that.
 
#24 ·
Ya the shifter’s aftermarket, I picked it up from Core Shifters. It was a bit of a job to adapt it over, I had to modify the shift rail with a camaro part to make it work, but it turned out nice. I was stoked not to have to cut another hole in my floor! The driveshaft adapter came from The Driveshaft Shop. It wasn’t cheap, but fit’s like a glove.
 
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