mid 80 ramcharger 318 to 5.7 Hemi swap?

Looking at a buying a buddys Ramcharger. It currently has a factory 318 with a 4 speed manual 4x4. Who makes the best parts to swap in a current 5.7 Hemi? Mounts, headers, oil pan, harness ect? Also will I have an issue with keeping the manual 4 speed? Or do they make a bellhousing to use with a modern Hemi? Thanks

WHY???

Why not?


FI 5.7 over a carbed LA 318 sounds like fun to me.

Awful lot of work and money for not a lot better outcome.

Even though this is for a truck, I think you'll have better luck posing the question in the hemi section.

A later hemi isn't much better than an LA 318? Really?

He will lose everyhthing that made it a Ramcharger, 4wheel drive gone along with the cost of having to change everything over. Up to 2009 stock hemi was only 345hp.09 went up to 390. Wouldn't cost that much to build the 318 up to that and still keep Ramcharger intact.

Not arguing with you Stumpy, but I don't see where he's getting rid of the 4X4. The OP asks how to keep the trans the truck already has, which to me reads that he wants to keep everything BUT the engine.

I beg to differ.

Robert

Same here.

The hemi will bolt to the 318 bellhousing. Go to the ramcharger central board, and the jeep boards, tons of swaps done, plenty of info.

I purchased a set of seats for my 74 RC from a Military guy in San Antonio who had a Mid 70's RC that he did a full Late Model Hemi swap into his truck. It was awesome and he said it drove great too.

This was before there was any aftermarket support for late model hemi swaps and he had close to 10K into the late model swap. I think he used a late model transmission too. I'm not sure what transfer case he used, but his front differential was still on the passenger side.

Just looking thru my emails, I still have his email. But I bought those seats back in January 2010.


I know that Brutal Offroad in Bandera has done a lot of late model hemi swaps in our old tin grille's. They've got the recipe.

I found of picture of the late model hemi swapped into his RC. He's got an old thread on RCC forums.

Ditto.

Hemi all the way.

Its hard for me to believe that there wont be a performance improvement and drivability improvement, this effort is worth the drivability improvement all by it self.

the wiring and computer crap would keep me from doing this, Id rather build up the 318, possibly scout out a 360 (might use a Magnum motor to base it off of but Id stay carb'd) I'd look to the possibility of building a 390 or 408..... depending on what the OP has in mind for this truck.

If you use the hotwire auto harness, it only hits the factory harness in four places.

Robert

I agree, the Hot Wire engine harness solves a lot of issues, mainly because the harness is stand alone, plug and play. You don't have to sort through the factory harness and try to eliminate what you don't need.

But, it seems too many Mopar guys are afraid to come into the 21st century and want to keep the ancient stuff. Mopar was one of the first auto companies to come out with electronics and for the most part the highest majority of those electronics after the early few years of use have been very reliable.

It appears by reading Moparts the modern electronics are more reliable then the Mopar brake system or the carb/fuel or old time ignition related systems are.There certainly more posts asking questions regarding those items then there are covering modern electronics. Gene

Well with the electrical headaches of my 01 Durango even the lean burn on my 78 fury has proven m more dependable, as have been the 4 pin ECU and carb powered mopars I have owned
And don't even get me started on the 88-91 TBI nightmares. My in betweens (the mid 90s magnums) haven't been too bad.

Over double the power, better gas mileage, smooth running and lighter....
You really have to be told this?

And many times more expensive as it would be to build a strong small block. You can buy a lot of gas and have a lot of fun for the difference in cost.

The Gen3 hemi swap is certainly the most complicated and expensive but can also be the most rewarding.
I was at a cruise in awhile back and some guy had a flat head V8 in a Pinto wagon. There certainly is over a dozen other better and easier swaps. But it was his vision and I have to admit it was cool. You don't see that everyday.

A 318 built to achieve the same HP would have less torque and get horrible mileage.
I am rarely on the side of new tech but I am willing to consider it. The benefits must outweigh the expense. A 100,000 mile 5.7 can be bought for under $1000. Build a better 318 or 360 for that! Even with the stand alone controller, you are not breaking the bank. I have 338,000 on my 2007 truck so 100,000 miles is no problem.

uh huh ain't that the truth.

The first-generation 5.7 liter “new Hemi” produced up to 350 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 375 lb-ft of torque (4,400 rpm). It wouldn't take a lot of effort to get a 318 into that area and still get 12+ mpg.

Its kind of funny that back in the 80s, you couldn't give a 318 away. I remember a huge amount of threads right here on Moparts where the comments were "its a waste of money to build 318s" and nearly anything was better.

Now, all these years later, the same guys that were blasting the 318s back a few years ago are promoting building one up instead of stepping up to a much better motor with the 5.7. So did the 318s suddenly become so much better motors then they were when they were new?

You guys are sure good for a laugh. Gene

Plus it's easy and somewhat cheap to stroke one too these days.

I absolutely LOVE the Mopar small block 318, 340 and 360. I have sentimental reasons, and am generally old school. I always want at least one. But I realize that there's more to the HP and gas money tradeoff. There's driveability. The cold starts, the smooth idle, the ability run accessories and still have all that power. The '09 and up with eagle heads is a stock 370/395 and idles as smooth as silk with cold a/c and all the accessories. Easy cold and hot starts, and none of the carb issues, and still 18mpg.

I wish I had the balls to build up a nice truck/jeep with a Hemi, but I have too many projects now. Tim

So are you going for it or what? We are doing this to my sons starting this fall after football is over.