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2004 Shorty 5.7 Swap

7171 Views 24 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  04HemiTJ, 
Lil'Hemi
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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Lil'Hemi
I'll give them a call. Anyone else out there runnin a 5.7 M/T Dak? Thanks for the reply!
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Lil'Hemi
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!
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Lil'Hemi
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?
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Lil'Hemi
3
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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Lil'Hemi
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.
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Lil'Hemi
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.
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Lil'Hemi
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:
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Lil'Hemi
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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Lil'Hemi
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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Lil'Hemi
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.
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Lil'Hemi
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.
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Lil'Hemi
3
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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Lil'Hemi
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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