My 6.4 I built for my 3/4 ton can get close to that, a 5.7 in a much smaller vehicle should easily do that if done right. My old 2011 1500 with a 6.4 and MDS would hit 20 MPG after I put on a vararam.

A 46RE came from a hemi truck?

Shifting gears, literally. I found out none of the Crhysler RFE trans will mount/work with the built 5.2 Magnum I am planning for my 56 Dodge pickup build.

So, I'm going ZF on it. The ZF 8HP-70 8spd tranny can mount to the 5,2 with an adapter plate. And a controller is available to make it shift properly. So I can gain the fuel economy of an 8spd trans and get the reliability of the ZF trans. I'll spend a lot less on getting a built 5.2 Magnum into the 400hp/375 ft-lb torque range than to spend $4000 just to get the remanned 4.7HO long block, and still try to get a good intake/exhaust on it. For the less money I spend on the built 5.2 Magnum I can spend more bucks on getting a good used ZF trans.

Since I'm cutting up my 2001 Dak cab to retain the firewall and floor to go under my 56 Dodge pickup, I can modify the Dak floorpan to clear the ZF trans. Now, it would be kinda cool to rig up the old pushbutton trans control from the early 60s to operate the ZF trans, if possible.

The old push button shifter from the 50s & early 60s was only a 3 forward position shifter with a reverse and a neutral, didn't even have a park, the park was the E brake on the drum on the back of the trans. Hooking that dual cable shifter to the modern 8 speed trans could be a challenge in itself.

Might want to mount that modern dial shifter to the dash in place of the old pushbutton shifter.

On my 54, I had the radio, the head light switch, and a pair of cup holders built into the center glove compartment on a sliding platform. When the glove box was closed, everything was out of sight. When we drove around, it was open so we could use the cup holders built into the glove box door. Replacing the radio with the dial shifter could be fun. No one would know how to shift the truck unless you showed them, and everything inside that closed glove box door sure cleans up the dash. Unfortunately, I no longer have a picture of that glove box arrangement.

I knew I could get a response from you Gene. Yeah, the push button control was kind of wishful thinking. The dial shift control is a feature I am getting used to in my company car, its ok but I guess I'm old school and prefer a shift lever of some kind. Though not having a floor mounted shifter will keep the cab floor uncluttered. With the ZF 8spd automatic I'll have to get more used to a dial shift control. That means I have to plan the wiring from the dial control to the trans also, wherever I decide to locate the dial control. Locating the dial control like the old push button control was mounted would kind of make it a tribute to the old push button control. It would also keep the rest of the dash simple and clean.

My 56 has the center glove box door, and I have plans for that already. I measured the HVAC controls and factory stereo in my 2001 Dakota and they"ll both fit in the area behind the glove box door, with a bit of, er, adjusting and a custom inner panel (the stock center panel of my Dakota may fit with some changes). I do like the upright touch screen in the center of the dash in my 2021 company car, a Ford Escape. The touch screen, backup camera/screen is great, though it stands up so much it breaks up the flow lines of the dash.

So in my 56 I plan to flip the center door around so its hinged to the top, with a feature to keep the door flipped up when opened. When the door is flipped down and closed the dash will look clean and simple, just like a classic 56 Dodge, not showing the HVAC controls, stereo or GPS. When opened and flipped up, the Gamin GPS I mount to the inside of the door (upside down when the door is down) will be in a position similar to that in my 2021 Escape. Garmin also makes a back up camera license plate mount, that shows on the Garmin screen when the trans is in reverse. The back up camera is a great feature on new vehicles, and will help me line up to hooking up my trailer. Having a back up camera is a good feature for when my wife drives my 56 as she is used it in our other vehicle. I figure drink holders will be a feature of the center console with the seats I decide to use.

No reason why you could not modify the pushbutton controls from mechanical to electrical incorporating the dial shifter electrics.

Your post reminded my feeble old poor memory about using micro switches with the push button controller.
Thought it was a neat idea that I will never do, ... took some time but I found it.

Sorry I had a senior brain fart there. It’s a 545 RFE

Talked to Russel at Sound German Auto about the shifter control for a 8HP-70 tranmission. He said as long as the trans comes out of a Charger or Challenger (not a Ram) it can be controlled with a dial shifter or a floor shifter. The floor shifter allows for the manual shift option +D- , but the +D- control can also be done with many other types of switches.I asked about using steering wheel switches like those on the back side of a Jeep Liberty steering wheel. The operation would be similar to paddle shifters. So based on that logic the old dash mounted push button control could also work for the PRND trans functions.

I bet that would work to control the 8HP-70 trans, since it is essentially equal in function to the modern dial shift control. Cool.

if you go that route, please take pictures of what you do to the shifter.