Hello, I am new to this forum. I am working on a 72 Cuda and want to know the best engine swap. This is my first restoration and my dad has been helping me out thus far, but we both haven't messed with the newer motors. The original plan was a '90s 360 swap but now i wondering if this is the best option. I know the 360 is the cheap side of things but i was wondering if it be worth it to shell out some extra money to put in a 5.7, 6.1, or 6.4 and which one is the best. I want to have something that would be decent daily as well as some drag racing here and there on the weekends. Any help and expertise is greatly appreciated as we try to get this Cuda on the road.

Thanks!!

The new gen hero is a great engine. That being said it's also a much more expensive swap than a 360. So unless you gotta have a hemi or your budget doesn't allow, stay 360. If you can afford it get the hemi

Spend the extra money now and do the gen 3 hemi swap. I never did a newer 318/360 swap, so no clue what that costs, but did multiple hemi swaps. The biggest expense other than the engine is the ecu/engine management. If you watch ebay and amazon, you can score great deals on swap parts. I paid like 120 shipped for a efi tank for my cuda. I have bought swap headers for a little over 200 on ebay.

A 5.7 hemi will certainly cost more but it will have at least 100 more HP if both are installed basically stock. To get the 360 to the same power level would require head porting/replacement, cam, intake... that will bring the price a lot closer together.

If you want to go farther in the future the hemi offers some really easy upgrades to get more power once installed, cam swaps wake em up a ton, BGE or apache heads are reasonable priced and offer insane amounts of flow.

A little more direction about where you want to end up would help.

Nroma227,

I did the 360 motor a while back, to get anything fast and in the 10's you are spending a bunch of money on heads, stroker kits, exhaust blah, blah, blah.

I have just recently sold off a portion of my 360 to fund a Gen 3 swap. the biggest money spent has been on MSD 6 hemi, and the headers, Intake. I already have the EFI system from my 360. Its should run in the low 11's high 10s when done, and that is relatively stock. I have purchased a set of Eagle heads and that will wake this motor up real good.

Spend the time and money now and have the ability to go to any dealer and get parts for your engine without spending tons of cash.

For me the swap, still ongoing, it is an escalating cost thing. I pulled a 318, 904 combo out. Wanted to keep EFI. Has a peg leg rear, wanted OD etc.

All this added up to quite a bill. It’s not just the engine, it’s everything else.

Oh, and AC etc........

It keeps going.

Good luck, lots of resources to help.

I had this debate 2 years ago. I opted for the 408 build. Basically I got a really good 91 octane, 520+ crank hp for the cost of swapping a junkyard 5.7L (at that time). While that sounds cool, my 408 is pretty much tapped out on power. There's not much room to squeeze anymore power without deviating from pump gas. Unfortunately, that engine still had a carburetor (switching to Holley Sniper soon). From what I know, you can get a Gen III hemi to that power fairly easily and you can take it even further with power adders. If I were to do it again, I would have probably waited a little longer, saved some more money, and gone with the Hemi back then.

I've never looked back from leaving the LA platform. It depends on what your end goal is for the car. My end goal didn't involve leaky valve covers, oil pan seals or fiddling with carburetors. I've been nothing but happy with my Hemi swap, I'll need some more power though. A whipple on a stockish 5.7L will easy net me 500+whp., my last road trip netted 20-21mpg on the highway with where I'm at now.

I would build a Gen 3 for it. How much do you want for your junk 360 parts. I know a guy.

Go Gen 3

My 720hp big block thru 3" exhaust and 3.55 gears ran 9.70

My much milder 426 g3 hemi thru 3" exhaust 3.73s and a low gear 904 runs 9.85 and it will probably go in the 70s now because there was an issue I discovered

Long run go G3 , if you have to have this running by March..go small block.

Is there any new hemi engine management system that does not cost $2500 to run these engines in an older vehicle?

Well if you go Carb you can use the HEMI-6 from MSD other than that there is MS3 https://www.diyautotune.com/support/tech/install/chrysler-dodge/megasquirt-your-hemi/
AEM Infinity Programmable ECUs (just released)
Plus a few other Hemi Tronix, Plus https://www.newhemiswap.com/

Understand in the long haul it would be nice to do a Gen 3 but just going thru the web site and prices WOW. This is a father/son project. For around $3500-4000 i could have a well built 340-360 . Were looking at that number in a GEN 3 for a kit and that doesnt include a motor. What are we looking at for price to find a used 6.1 or 6.4 Hemi ?? My son Started this question on this forum. Would really like a good break down on money between doing the drive train. Car is in the paint shop now and I'm seaming sealing the car. Didnt want to get to far ahead if we needed to make modification for a Gen 3 while on rotisserie. Discussion ? If someone has a spread sheet please email at par12730@sbcglobal.net Trying to educate ourselves on this deal . Thanks DAD. lol

I track prices on ebay off and on for 09 and up eagle headed 5.7's with and without the NAG1 trans, 6.1's, etc. If you find the right deal I think you can have a 09+ 5.7 and NAG1, with computers and wiring for $3-4k based on the asking prices on ebay. From there you have to do some cutting and then some work for wheel speed sensors with a tone ring on the back of the trans. 390hp/407tq and 5spd auto - it'll take a really healthy 360/727 to overcome that.
6.1/NAG1 with computers and wiring for $5k. I'm a little interested in the 6.1 because I want to turbo charge. If I wasn't I wouldn't look at the extra cost at all, just get an eagle 5.7

Watch the shipping charges and whether there are core charges, sellers are all over the place on those.

MS3 gold is 1295, fully tunable via laptop and comes with the engine wiring harness.

Source a pull out G3 from a low mile wreck is another option for cost control. The only real $ hit is the MS3 controller to keep the OE EFI. You won't even need headers as Jeep manifolds will work in the B/E body applications. Okay, you'll spend $260 on the conversion motor mounts.

There are great deals on 5.7 complete motors out there.

TTI-57MMBE swap mounts for b-e bodies are 145.00 from mancini.

You can get dougs coated headers on ebay for 425 shipped, well were 4 sets listed a few weeks back... plus with spending more vs manifolds is then the rest of the exhaust, you can use off the shelf exhaust header back kits.

I’m going to do a swap in my Dakota, does anyone make headers for the 5.7 that will fit the Dak?

Also, can you use the 06 without the plug wire runnning over the intake with an 05 computer?