So, wifey got a new Jeep Cherokee. Her old ride is an '06 Durango SLT with a tired 4.7 engine. I have a recently pulled 2011 5.7 & harness with all the boxes, etc. I know the 5.7 will physically fit but what do I need to look out for? I was thinking maybe I could use the 4.7 harness with the 5.7 but the 5.7 is a VVT engine & I'm not sure if they are compatible. I have a friend with an early non-VVT 5.7 long block which he will give me if I need it. I was thinking of robbing the Eagle heads off of the 2011 & putting them and any other parts onto the old 5.7. Any money needed would come out of my car fund so I want to do this as inexpensively as possible. Thoughts? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

The good news is the 5.7 was offered in an 06 Durango, so all the factory stuff is available.

The bad news is, after about 2004, the accessories from a 5.7 were pretty much year specific, and after 09 or so, many parts were tied to the vehicle serial number, so swapping any part the computer monitored required a trip to the dealer so the computer would talk to the other parts.

So, to put it into perspective, my son and I put an 04 Hemi Durango chassis under a 90 Ramcharger (what were we thinking?). We used the Durango chassis, floor pan, and the complete engine and body harness from a running and driving Durango. We cut down the Durango frame and floor pan and basically installed the Ramcharger shell over the top and welded it together. We had to use everything from the Durango (except the fuel tank), to get it to run.

To me, that means you need all the accessories from the 2011 5.7 to swap them into the 06 Durango. There are enough model years between the two years probably not much will match up as far as wiring connectors, sensors, and sensor locations and actual fit, are concerned. That list includes, the instrument cluster, the gas pedal, wiring (engine and body harnesses), computers, and a list of other parts. Then, don't miss a ground wire or nothing works correctly.

To make it the most smooth, one would find a Durango 5.7 and its motor harness and computer, then hopefully the body harness will match up ands then its just getting the correct motor mounting brackets.

You may do much better with this question in the modern hemi section here on Moparts, those guys live and breath these things.

Thanks poorboy. I think the wisest thing to do at this point is to sell the 5.7 engines & use that cash towards a reman 4.7. I've got too many other projects to start fighting engine swap demons in this Durango. I'm not against the modern stuff but life used to be so simple, drop in a 4-speed big block & go tear up the asphalt. I appreciate your counsel.

If you do go ahead and buy a reman 4.7, be sure to look at Powertrain Engines. I bought one from them for our 2004 Dakota in 2019 and it has been an excellent engine. They offer a killer warranty also. They will wave the core charge if you send the core back to them in a timely manner. I would not hesitate to buy from them again.