Make a 5.9 magnum into a 'crate motor'?

What would it take to make a production 5.9 Magnum ('99 if it matters) into the equivalent of the 300 or 380hp crate motors?

My Durango will probably be retired next year, it's worth nothing on a trade - I would get more for it by selling the rebuilt 518 and the new tires on it than for the whole truck, basically giving me a stout, well maintained 5.9 for free.

Other than accessories, water pump etc., can I just change the intake and oil pan?

What else is different?

Thanks in advance

cam swap and a carb intakeis all I seen thats diff from stock

not sure on the piston though

I would just swap in the 380 hp roller cam myself and call it done,IMO



scratchin

both engines used the truck pistons.

other than an LA timing cover, the only differences between a truck and a crate are the .525" lift springs and corresponding retainers, cam (380 horse) and intake.


personally, I'd probably use a comp XR265HR, eddie air gap, and springs to match (GM3100's & retainers if you can get enough IH, or hughes 1110's, etc)...should make similar peak power to the 380 horse crate motor, but with better low speed drivability and torque.

What are the specs on the stock 5.9 truck cam ?

The stock 5.9 cam is bigger than the 300hp crate motor cam. I think the crate motor cam is just under .400 lift and the truck cam is just over .400. If you get a eddy air gap intake and TTI headers you should be close to 350 hp with out pulling the valve covers. If you want more the previously mentioned comp cam is a good one for a stock truck motor and combined with the air gap intake it should make the car more drivable than the 380 motor and faster. The M1 single plane was not a great intake for that 380 combo, it was a little much, and the M1 Dual plane was not quite enough for the 300 hp motor but those were the only "mopar" intakes they had to throw on there. The eddy intake is much better on both motors.

read this

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/engine/hrdp_0804_small_block_mopar_engine/index.html

Don't believe that.

99 5.9 factory camshaft

in 249 ex269
.410 .417
41 degrees overlap

99 318 factory cam shaft

in 250 ex264
.432 .432
31 degrees overlap

Mopar magazine did a ex test on the 300 hp crate motor and it made 300 hp with 318 ex manifolds and 325 or so with TTI headers, I would think a better cam and better intake could make 25 more hp

I wonder how accurate the published numbers are? I didn't know the 5.9 cam was ground on a 109lsa,the 5.2 with a 113lsa sounds right. I'm guessing it's like most MP cam specs,all over the place and rarley match any published info.LOL Yes the 5.9 stock with a rpm air gap or the knockoff and a set of headers should make the 300hp. Add a better cam and you can pick up plenty without giving up drivability. I helped a friend of mine with a cam swap and a set of R/T heads that I spent 1 hr with,makes 340hp at the tires and runs [Email]12.50@107mph[/Email] in a Dakota.In a 3100lb Abody with 4.10s it should find the 11's . No "quench" and runs fine on 87octane fuel.It's a 1996 engine I picked up out of a junkyard in 2001 that has never been touched.It will get a real set of headers and we'll ditch the single exhaust in the next phase.

I've only been in 1 380hp crate 360 but it had different pistons than a truck motor, it had flat tops similar to a KB107, every truck 5.9 I've had has dish pistons, my 5.2 mag had flat tops and would crank 10-15psi more than my 5.9's would.

Thats interesting,I assumed they used the normal 5.9 dished piston. What is the claimed comp difference between the 5.9 efi and 380hp crate engine?

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Thats interesting,I assumed they used the normal 5.9 dished piston. What is the claimed comp difference between the 5.9 efi and 380hp crate engine?

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both are claimed 9:1.

KB107's in a 360 with mag heads at 0 deck and .040 gaskets should be ~10.6:1