[Admin]

Originally posted by MiKe:

I just spent the last few hours at my local DODGE dealship to discuss getting a HEMI put into my dakota. Turns out my old time friend is a mechanic there and he offered me his help and discount. I can get the HEMI engine stuffed into my dakota and get everything else such as new computer, trani, rearend, etc for est. 5,000. NOW...the question is..is it worth it?

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by SinCity R/T:

'

I just spent the last few hours at my local DODGE dealship to discuss getting a HEMI put into my dakota. Turns out my old time friend is a mechanic there and he offered me his help and discount. I can get the HEMI engine stuffed into my dakota and get everything else such as new computer, trani, rearend, etc for est. 5,000. NOW...the question is..is it worth it?

$5,000 total, or $5,000 labor plus parts?

Last I saw the crate Hemi was running around $6k by itself. A 46RE or 48RE transmission would cost about $1,500. Add custom fabrication (the Dakota engine bay is a smidgen too narrow as-is for a Hemi), labor, etc...

The head-turning aspect would make it a worthwhile project if you have the cash and hookups to make it happen, but it will cost quite a bit of money, almost as much if not more than it would cost to trade off your V6 to a SY R/T (swap your rims/hood/etc) and then add a supercharger or nitrous or ???

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by MiKe:

well the dealership told me they can give me the crated hemi for 3,600(rememebr the mechanic there is an old friend) The salesman told me they would do the engine, tranni and labor for $5,000

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by MiKe:

one other thing....how does the HEMI compare to the r/t in power/speed comparison?

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by SinCity R/T:

'

well the dealership told me they can give me the crated hemi for 3,600(rememebr the mechanic there is an old friend) The salesman told me they would do the engine, tranni and labor for $5,000

If they would be willing to put that quote in writing, stick to it, and you could afford it, I say go for it. You'll gain a lot more out of a Hemi swap than you ever could trying to add bolt-ons or a power adder to a V6, and the gawk value alone is worth twice what you'd pay.

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by SinCity R/T:

'

one other thing....how does the HEMI compare to the r/t in power/speed comparison?

The 5.9L engine rates at 250hp/345tq at the crank
The 5.7L Hemi rates at 345hp/375tq at the crank

Quite a bit of difference stock to stock... However, the Hemi engine has a drive-by-wire throttle body which makes some modifications nearly impossible vs. the more simplistic 5.9L engine. There are still a number of mods for the Hemi - air intake, supercharger, headers (probably would never fit in the Dakota), exhaust, etc. and I'm sure as the platform progresses you'll see more and more performance goodies.

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by MiKe:

'

The 5.9L engine rates at 250hp/345tq at the crank
The 5.7L Hemi rates at 345hp/375tq at the crank

I knew it would be quite a differance. They told me if I decided to do it, My truck would have a hard time sitting still. Meaning what Im not sure? But I know If i did it the 20's would go and I would go back to 16's or 17's. I dont think 20's would be a bright idea with that kind of power.

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by MiKe:

Another question of curiosity....What kind of 1/4mile time do you think a dakota running a HEMI would run under 12?

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by SinCity R/T:

'

The 5.9L engine rates at 250hp/345tq at the crank
The 5.7L Hemi rates at 345hp/375tq at the crank

I knew it would be quite a differance. They told me if I decided to do it, My truck would have a hard time sitting still. Meaning what Im not sure? But I know If i did it the 20's would go and I would go back to 16's or 17's. I dont think 20's would be a bright idea with that kind of power.

There's all sorts of people running 11's-13's with 20"s on their truck (they usually swap to slicks at the track though). Scott Q Dyno'd at over 600rwhp and he uses 20" Intro Vikings.

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by SinCity R/T:

Originally posted by MiKe Another question of curiosity....What kind of 1/4mile time do you think a dakota running a HEMI would run under 12?

Just because nobody\'s done it before I'd have to say you'd probably end up somewhere in the 13's... 345hp * 20% driveline loss = ~276rwhp... Lots of guys in that range with the 5.9L engine and some heavier bolt-ons.

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by MiKe:

what exactly do you mean 20% driveline loss?

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by SinCity R/T:

what exactly do you mean 20% driveline loss?

The horsepower that is quoted by manufacturers is at the crank, measured while the engine was probably sitting on a stand. When the engine is installed in the truck, there are items that siphon off some of that horsepower before it makes it to the rear wheels... Power steering pump, water pump, mechanical fan, A/C condenser, torque converter, transmission, gears, etc... All that resistance lowers the amount of power that makes it to the wheels, hence the rwhp (rear wheel horsepower) figure. On average, a vehicle with the full amount of accessories (P/S, A/C, etc) plus an automatic transmission loses about 18-20% of its power, manual transmissions 14-18% or so.

Only a dyno run will give an accurate representation of what you're actually putting down to the ground.

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by MiKe:

I think I want to go through with this. I will be going to the dealer again this wek and ask for that quote in writing. Hell, maybe it can one day be an article in Trucking Magazine. THat would be cool, but that isnt what Im in it for.

 

[Admin]

Originally posted by SinCity R/T:

The 20% loss happens to everybody, it's nothing new with your potential swap.

I think having a Hemi Gen III Dakota will be quite nice and will draw a helluvalot of attention.

 

[Evilsizer]

i know this thread is old but did it ever happen?

 

[crazydakota]

this would be great if it worked but i read somewhere ,maybe another post,that the hemi would not fit without serious mods to the upper control arms. I hope that i am wrong and good luck :biggthump

 

[JethroStyles]

I bet that Dang Ol hemi would fit nicely into my Old Ass Gen 2 Dakota without a question (It's bound to be narrower than a 440! which fits in just fine) But I am going to stroke my 318 and build the sh!t outa it long before I spend $6000 for a crate motor! The Local 4x4 shop is in the middle of a Hemi swap in a Wrangler... "Bolt in Kit" my ass! You should see all the things they have been making. Quite quite amazing! :biggthump

Wanna do somthing cool, get a Cumming in their! Banks did it, Y can't I? Easy, my hood isn't long enough! Damnit! It's still tempting... a 98.5+ 24 Valver with a 12 Valve Injection pump (It's so easy to tweak!) and dual 5" Stacks in the bed... Oh god yes! That's be badass! K back to reality... wned:

 

[xxforced4xx]

hemi dak

if your guy would do that for me too maybe we could get a better deal?

 

[dakota02rt]

hey you know that the Hemi has the same bolt configuer as the small block to the tranny

 

[Stampede4point7]

5,000$ for the hemi to be put in... WELL WORTH IT. :biggthump