6.1 Conversion 05' 4wd

SRT-OSO · Jan 2, 2017

Sorry if anyone is annoyed, but I searched, and I got nothing. Maybe my query was poorly formed.

Planning a 6.1 conversion if it is feasible. Want to use 6.1 manifold. Have seen here and there that relocate kits exist for a/c and alternator.

Please try to answer my questions if you can. I hope to avoid needless noise about 1000 hp builds.

This is the planned build:

Stock 6.1 bottom end
Ported heads
Torque biased cam
Ported 6.1 manifold
90mm throttle body
Dynacomp headers and Y-pipe/cats
Rebuilt and beefed up trans

I need to know what I have to do in terms of wiring changes so that I can run the coil pack on plug ignition, and I need to know what else has to be changed in order to make all of this work together. While I don't want to throw needless cash at this, the budget is there to do this right.

Thank you in advance

DesertWagon · Jan 2, 2017

I do t have any experience with this swap. But good luck. Keep us posted with pics. I would like to do a 7.1 in the future or a stroked 5.7.

charonblk07 · Jan 2, 2017

If you're going to run the truck's accessories then getting the spacer bracket for the alternator and A/C is a must. Apart from that the 6.1L drops perfectly into the engine bay with zero modifications. I recommend getting a LMI Hammer intake, it bolts to the throttle body and is light enough to just sit there on its own. I don't know those headers so I have no idea if they'll work in the truck but I used the '09+ ARH long tubes on mine to port match the exhaust ports and there was no interference in the '07.

To run the dual coils just pick up the wiring adapters from Modern Muscle, then it's direct plug and play with no fuss.

The other things you'll need is to split the wiring harness to move the MAP sensor to the rear for the 6.1L manifold, get a proper tune to run it and lastly a few lengths of various sized hose to hook up the vacuum booster and purge solenoid. Oh, and you'll need an e-fan and I'd recommend a harmonic balancer since you'll be in there anyways.

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charonblk07 · Jan 2, 2017

Here was my '07

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SRT-OSO · Jan 2, 2017

charonblk07 said:
If you're going to run the truck's accessories then getting the spacer bracket for the alternator and A/C is a must. Apart from that the 6.1L drops perfectly into the engine bay with zero modifications. I recommend getting a LMI Hammer intake, it bolts to the throttle body and is light enough to just sit there on its own. I don't know those headers so I have no idea if they'll work in the truck but I used the '09+ ARH long tubes on mine to port match the exhaust ports and there was no interference in the '07.

To run the dual coils just pick up the wiring adapters from Modern Muscle, then it's direct plug and play with no fuss.

The other things you'll need is to split the wiring harness to move the MAP sensor to the rear for the 6.1L manifold, get a proper tune to run it and lastly a few lengths of various sized hose to hook up the vacuum booster and purge solenoid. Oh, and you'll need an e-fan and I'd recommend a harmonic balancer since you'll be in there anyways.

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Thank you so much for your help. Can you please point me in the right direction for the alternator/a/c assembly spacer? I have LMI's intake on my Magnuson equipped 300 SRT8. I love it. I also have ARH headers on that 300 and my Jeep GC SRT8. Great stuff, will probably go that way. Thanks again.

charonblk07 · Jan 2, 2017

I believe you can still get them from 3rd Strike performance but Modern Muscle might be able to help as well. The brackets are only part of it, you also need to grind off a good chunk of metal off the top of the 5.7L timing cover since there's a peak there that interferes with the new TB placement.

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SRT-OSO · Jan 2, 2017

charonblk07 said:
I believe you can still get them from 3rd Strike performance but Modern Muscle might be able to help as well. The brackets are only part of it, you also need to grind off a good chunk of metal off the top of the 5.7L timing cover since there's a peak there that interferes with the new TB placement.

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So you have to use the 5.7 timing cover on the RAM? I have a complete 6.1 out of a wrecked SRT8 Charger.

usaf2006 · Jan 2, 2017

Sounds like you have quite the collection. Can't wait to see more! Hope the swap goes easy.

charonblk07 · Jan 2, 2017

SRT-OSO said:
So you have to use the 5.7 timing cover on the RAM? I have a complete 6.1 out of a wrecked SRT8 Charger.

If you use the LX front cover most people need to notch the passenger side frame to clear the alternator and make a new upper radiator hose. You absolutely have to use the truck's oil pan, windage tray, and pickup tube which does require you to move the long stud on the main bearing caps further back.

alpinewil81 · Jan 3, 2017

charonblk07 said:
If you use the LX front cover most people need to notch the passenger side frame to clear the alternator and make a new upper radiator hose. You absolutely have to use the truck's oil pan, windage tray, and pickup tube which does require you to move the long stud on the main bearing caps further back.

I like this thread. I converted my 06 RT AWD Magnum to a 6.1 with all sorts of goodies. I always told my wife if I blow the 5.7 up in this Ram I bought, the 6.1 is gonna find a new home in the truck and the car gets a 426 build instead.

In the meantime, I was planning on performing basic work to this 5.7 of mine. I.E. a valve job, 6.1 cam, and a 6.1 crank. These alone made the 5.7 perform significantly better in the cars. And in 06 the head casts were the same, so if I already have the parts, why not.

One question I do have, is there any bench test data for the flow rates of the Ram 5.7 intake manifold? Just curious if other things are worthwhile, like throttle body bore, etc.

This is my first Hemi Ram, so my experience comes from the LX platform. Please excuse any ignorance I may possess as I learn the ins and outs on the truck side of the lineup.

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charonblk07 · Jan 3, 2017

alpinewil81 said:
I like this thread. I converted my 06 RT AWD Magnum to a 6.1 with all sorts of goodies. I always told my wife if I blow the 5.7 up in this Ram I bought, the 6.1 is gonna find a new home in the truck and the car gets a 426 build instead.

In the meantime, I was planning on performing basic work to this 5.7 of mine. I.E. a valve job, 6.1 cam, and a 6.1 crank. These alone made the 5.7 perform significantly better in the cars. And in 06 the head casts were the same, so if I already have the parts, why not.

One question I do have, is there any bench test data for the flow rates of the Ram 5.7 intake manifold? Just curious if other things are worthwhile, like throttle body bore, etc.

This is my first Hemi Ram, so my experience comes from the LX platform. Please excuse any ignorance I may possess as I learn the ins and outs on the truck side of the lineup.

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I'd have to look hard to find the intake manifold comparison from back in like 2008 but the truth is the truck manifold had the better flow numbers between 2500-5200 where the 6.1L manifold broke even around 5000 and continued to climb with an average of 6-8hp over the 5.7L manifold in peak hp numbers but had less under the curve in the lower RPM. If you want to have a high revving engine then the 6.1L intake is great.

If you're planning to cam the truck then I'd look at anything else besides the 6.1L cam since you'd be doing a valve job why not take advantage of putting a decent torque cam in it. If you want to have some real fun then a set of ported Eagle heads will bump your compression up to 11:1 or 10.75:1 with a double thick Cometic gasket. Since you've got experience on the LX side the truck's 5.7L behaves the same way as the car's when it comes to mods but you really want to focus on torque since the trucks are 1000+lb more than the cars.

usaf2006 · Jan 3, 2017

I wish I had the money to do this, let alone have the time lol

HemiLonestar · Jan 3, 2017

alpinewil81 said:
I like this thread. I converted my 06 RT AWD Magnum to a 6.1 with all sorts of goodies. I always told my wife if I blow the 5.7 up in this Ram I bought, the 6.1 is gonna find a new home in the truck and the car gets a 426 build instead.

In the meantime, I was planning on performing basic work to this 5.7 of mine. I.E. a valve job, 6.1 cam, and a 6.1 crank. These alone made the 5.7 perform significantly better in the cars. And in 06 the head casts were the same, so if I already have the parts, why not.

One question I do have, is there any bench test data for the flow rates of the Ram 5.7 intake manifold? Just curious if other things are worthwhile, like throttle body bore, etc.

This is my first Hemi Ram, so my experience comes from the LX platform. Please excuse any ignorance I may possess as I learn the ins and outs on the truck side of the lineup.

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You need to keep us updated on how long the transfer case in your Magnum lasts with the power increase, especially if you go stroker lol.
As for the Ram, something I've got planned might be worthwhile. Since you're going with 6.1 and heads (I'll be using eagle heads), you can go with the car eagle intake or the newer truck manifold. It is very similar to the 392 intake and people who have swapped 392 intakes on to their eagle 5.7's have reported good improvements even without the SRV active. I'm going with eagle heads and the 09+ truck intake wired up with an rpm switch (doing the same thing to my 06 Charger, eagle heads and 392 intake manifold). Just a thought.

alpinewil81 · Jan 5, 2017

HemiLonestar said:
You need to keep us updated on how long the transfer case in your Magnum lasts with the power increase, especially if you go stroker lol.
As for the Ram, something I've got planned might be worthwhile. Since you're going with 6.1 and heads (I'll be using eagle heads), you can go with the car eagle intake or the newer truck manifold. It is very similar to the 392 intake and people who have swapped 392 intakes on to their eagle 5.7's have reported good improvements even without the SRV active. I'm going with eagle heads and the 09+ truck intake wired up with an rpm switch (doing the same thing to my 06 Charger, eagle heads and 392 intake manifold). Just a thought.

I've actually been running nitrous for a few track seasons now, transfer case has not been a huge issue with the bigger power. I had several catastrophic failures with the 5.7, but this build has been a gradual wear on the planetary. It is warn now and pretty sloppy. I do have the drivetrain from a totalled 09 AWD 300, I'm planning on installing it and running a switch to control the Borg Warner transfer case. It's a pulse width modulation, nothing a good switch builder can't handle.

I have a few things to clean up on the Ram. Today I had no 4wd because the front passenger cv slipped off the splines. They're new and I'm guessing the idiot who installed them failed to check the circlip condition or if it was even there...

Thanks for the other feedback. I got some work to do and parts to do it with.

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alpinewil81 · Jan 5, 2017

charonblk07 said:
I'd have to look hard to find the intake manifold comparison from back in like 2008 but the truth is the truck manifold had the better flow numbers between 2500-5200 where the 6.1L manifold broke even around 5000 and continued to climb with an average of 6-8hp over the 5.7L manifold in peak hp numbers but had less under the curve in the lower RPM. If you want to have a high revving engine then the 6.1L intake is great.

If you're planning to cam the truck then I'd look at anything else besides the 6.1L cam since you'd be doing a valve job why not take advantage of putting a decent torque cam in it. If you want to have some real fun then a set of ported Eagle heads will bump your compression up to 11:1 or 10.75:1 with a double thick Cometic gasket. Since you've got experience on the LX side the truck's 5.7L behaves the same way as the car's when it comes to mods but you really want to focus on torque since the trucks are 1000+lb more than the cars.

I tow a camper too, so torque is important, not the high rev under tow load. I'll look at some cam grinds and see what else there is. I was just going to use parts I already possess, but the wrong cam could also be counterproductive.

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charonblk07 · Jan 5, 2017

Off the shelf you can get a Comp 260 which are decent but I'd get in touch with Jay Greene, he's got some terrific grinds for the 3rd gens and they work in the 6.1l block just fine.

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Lethal Hemi · Jan 21, 2017

I have the brackets to relocated for 200 shipped

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HemiLonestar · Jan 23, 2017

Lethal Hemi said:
I have the brackets to relocated for 200 shipped

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6.1 Conversion 05' 4wd

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