6.4 SRT cam into 5.7 eagle information

So I have changed plans several times on my truck motor and am currently building a new one for it just because I want some more power.

I am mentioning this here because there is a ton of bad and weird and just plain wrong info out there for this swap so figured I would clear the air on how it is going on mine.

For a little preface, I milled this block .020 to bump compression and quench, I figure it bumped compresion about 1/2 point.

Today I assembled the 5.7 short block with the 6.4 MDS cam and a dissasembled cam phaser and tested valve clearance both in full advance and full retard as well as 1/2 way between, on both intake and exhaust and found over .050 PTV clearance at all times, (I collapsed a lifter, shimmed the valves just barely closed then added .050 more shim and bolted the rocker shaft back down, rotated through many revolutions with no sighn of touching) may have been more but I stopped with that because that is all I care about, I am not spending $1000 on a cam and cam phaser limiter. So on a stock block there should be even more so I see no reason this could not be done in the truck, in a day and without removing the heads. The 5.7 spring might even work(I would at least buy new ones, they are under $60 from the dealer) or better yet just buy the 6.4 springs, they have a tiny bit higher spring pressure.

This might not be an awesome cam but I don't see how it can not be good especially when considering the cam cost me $68 and I needed a new cam anyhow. A lot of guys are saying you have to install the comp cams phazer limiter, that is grade A bologna.

Hopefully someday soon I will have an update how this thing runs. Probably gonna at least tough up the ports and VJ since I got the heads off anyhow. Hope this helps clear the air about this swap.

Cool.What year/model truck are you building this engine for Dave?

From what I've read on LXForums, you can run a stock tune with one, but to get the most out and make it really shine it needs a custom tune. I've read 50 hp once everything is dialed in. Are you going to run headers?

I had the 6.4 SRT(MDS) cam in my 2014's stock 5.7 , no issues, stock springs , no tune just plug and played. Ran about the same off idle to 3k, from about 3k on Pulled like a banshee till 6k , never did get it tuned....should of but didn't. If you plan on going past 6k I would opt for the 6.4 springs.
Just my $02 worth.

How did the MDS work?

Worked fine, only thing I didn't like was with the 3.55 gears it seamed to lose some stoplight bottom grunt, with 3.92s-4.56s it would been great.

Don't tell me that, I was hoping to have my cake and eat it too.

Like the 6.1 cam into a 5.7,probably needs to be installed a bit advanced.

Does anyone know if the later VVT blocks (6.1/6.2/6.4) can be machined to accept an '03-'08 cam without the cam phaser deal?

I'm initially going to build an early 5.7 w/carb (rules) for my dirt car but would like to see if there's a way I can finagle some extra cubes without going to a longer stroke than a 3.79... the hot set-up in these endurance deals seems to be a big bore/short stroke motor.

Sonic test your 5.7 block, there are a few of them out there(03-04) that can go as large as the 4.055 Bore of the 6.1 hemi.

Thought about it, but didn't know what kind of clearance I had , I've rear a few places where the MDS cam in the 5.7 can be a bit tight in the stock position.

2the cam is longer

I believe it can be done, just need some one to go 1st, I don't have a spare 09 up 5.7 block to sacrifice. or I would of milled it down to see.

MatW have you done anything with the LS ECU/PCM? Pm if you want.

One of the guys who works for me, he and I built a 446 in 392 for his old mans 2014 Challenger , we used the Hemitronix kit because the old man wanted to run a Hughs cam, I tried to talk him in to milling the SRT392 block but he didn't want to be my test subject.

I know you can get an adapter that fits on the front journal of a conventional 03-08 5.7/6.1 cam and then it can be put in a '09 and later block, actually wouldn't be hard to make if you were 1/2 decent with a mill and lathe.

If you are buying the kit to put an early cam in a vvt block your at the same price asa vvt cam anyway.
Easy to lock out the phaser and i have seen lots of good priced new and used vvt cams floating around. Hell last week I picked up a lightly used Comp 274 with limiter and non mds lifters for $400 and an inertia mororsports eagle cam and lifters for $300 so plenty of vvt parts seem to be floating around

Used VVT stuff is starting to get into the used market, but there's still way more non vvt stuff, + after market timing sets.

I'll have a chat with Mike Jones @ Jones Cams... not sure if he has done much with the Gen III stuff... I'll have to have a custom cam ground with specs that will favor my application...

The photos from MattW seem to show that it can be done. I do have a broken block to play with and a couple good machine shops within shouting distance.

So I just got the first cam swap done, experimented on a 09 3/4 ton 4x4 service truck I am selling that had a bad cam and it is running awesome, the roads are wet today and even from a 35 mph roll mashing it, it is spinning all 4 and getting sideways in a very heavy truck with 285-70-17 tires. The idle is barely noticable. Got to wonder why the factory didn't do it. I used a new set of 5.7 springs, the local machine shop tested a couple and said they were within a couple pounds of the 6.4 spring and they were way cheaper. Every single part is from a 5.7 except the actual cam it'self so that $68 cam should be all you need to buy besides gaskets, I would recomend new springs just to be safe.

Awesome update. I have a friend with a '10 Ram QCSB 4x4 that wants to do a cam and is leaning towards the SRT one. His truck is pretty fast as it is (LT headers/Y pipe, mbrp exhaust, Mopar Ram Air hood, tuner, 3.92 gears)) but it sounds like the SRT cam would be a nice addition.

Sure beats the $1000 plus you will spend on an aftermarket cam after you buy the incredibly over priced cam, the over priced phaser limiter, a tuner to keep the CEL off... With mods like he has the gains should be even more drastic. This truck barely seems noticably less TQ at low RPM power with a fat jump as the RPM goes up, no tuner or anything. It is still happy even loafing down the road @70mph under 2000rpm.

Total agreement,
My low end was noticeable when I had a load in the bed and I think that was because my truck has 3.55s in it. with the Higher ratio's I don't think it'll be as noticeable. and if you get a tune ....that will wake it up a LOT.
I loved the cam swap and if I ever put a 5.7 back in the truck it will have the SRT cam in it.

I tell any one who will listen if you have a VVT 5.7 put the 392 cam in it, you will not regret it.

Dave,Is this installed at factory specs using n OEM timing set? IE: no advancing of the cam timing for the smaller displacement engine?
RT

I pulled the cam and installed it exactly how the FSM would tell you to do it with all factory parts except with a different part number cam.

If your truck is fully functional you could pull the timing cover, valve covers and rockers, spin the cam to lift all the lifters out of the way and swap cams without even pulling heads (if you are swapping cams because of a flat cam you need to pull the heads to replace lifters). The only parts you would have to buy (on a properly running truck/car) would be a tube of rightstuff to reseal the timing cover and the cam. The valve cover gaskets are usually totally re-useable as is the timing cover gasket with some right stuff in the corners for safety. The water pump don't even need removed from the timing cover. If you pull the drain plugs on the side of the block and drain the radiator you would not even have to change the oil and you could re-use the antifreeze, if you don't pull the drain plugs you will get some water in the oil when you remove the timing cover.

I did cheat a little, I stuck the handle of a 3/8th crapsman ratchet under the crank gear before un bolting the cam phaser to hold the chain in the same place on the crank gear and I marked the cam phaser and chain with a scratch awl so I could be sure they were back in the same place when re-assembled.

I have a dissasembled cam phaser I checked piston to valve clearance with that cam on a motor on the stand I am building with no head gasket and lifters shimmed solid and with the cam advanced all the way nothing touched and with it retarded all the way nothing touched and for good measure I centered it and checked and no pistons feeling up valves there either.

I would recomend new springs as I do see them start breaking ocasionally after about 150,000 miles. I used new 5.7 springs just to see what would happen as they had plenty of spring pressure and clearance and were only like $50 for a set from the dealer.

When I did mine, I bought a new Phaser,chain lower sprocket, and tensioners, and gasket kit.......afterwards I found out I didn't need all those extras ..it is as simple as pull cam out replace cam, with the new chain I just lined up the marks, put it all back together , truck took 3 starts to idle, and honestly I was a sh!tIng bricks really thought I'd F'd up the whole thing, but on that 3rd start it idled , and WOOOOOOOOW WHOOOO the fun begain

Hi guys, this is my first post... I've been on ForABodiesOnly.com for years but just recently got a 2014 5.7 Hemi to swap into my '70 Duster at some point and I'm looking for all the info I can find. Lots to read through in these threads, I actually found this one earlier when I was looking at replacement cams. The engine I got had a cam lobe/lifter failure so it needs a new cam and lifters; initially I thought I'd have to pay out the @$$ for a Comp piece and the phaser-limiter but now I'm just gonna get a 6.4L SRT cam for a non-MDS car. New springs and pushrods too.

One question regarding tuning for the bigger cam, if I get the MP PCM and Harness kit with the unlocked PCM would I be able to tune it myself? Regardless I'm guessing having a custom tune from a modern Hemi specialist would get the best results?

push rods are the same, no sense in changing them, the 5.7 springs you have will work, the 6.4 springs may be better, they use the same IH seat diameters and retainers so they drop right in. I did my swap without any tuning or the expensive 6.4 springs and its fine, a definte improvement with no other changes so if you can not change your tune you should still be in good shape. I used a MDS cam because I had already bought it for my 1/2 ton and its great, I doubt youd see 5 hp difference as the changes for MDS are super tiny, I have run MDS on a non MDS cam and it is fine that way also.

Thanks Dave good to know... I'm leaning towards upgrading the springs because this engine will be hooked to a manual transmission and I want to be able to redline this baby and speed-shift without worrying about breaking a spring and dropping a valve. I also mentioned pushrods because the one that was on the failed lifter got bent, guess I can just replace that one and call it good, no use in replacing all of them as a "preventative" measure? This 5.7 has 135k miles on it btw...

Anyone happen to know why the non-MDS 6.4 cams are $212 or more as opposed to $68 for the MDS version?

Mopar Camshaft non-MDS 6.4L SRT

Thanks for posting this swap. I read about this before when I was doing research for my 5.7 swap I'm now doing into my Javelin. After seeing this again and doing some more looking, I bought the non MDS cam with PSI springs and Manley retainers for it. For a street car that gets driven a lot I figured this is the best bang for the buck over a custom cam.