6.1 with Procharger question

SFD213 · Oct 20, 2014

Hey yall. Ive been thinking about going with a procharged 6.1 hemi with a 6.4 crank, forged internals, and a mild cam. Guy says he can easily get 700hp out of it and i know hes not kidding. My only concern is how practical will this be as a daily driver? I know it depends on a lot of things but generally, how would this be on a day to day basis

xb1230 · Oct 20, 2014

I would say 3 words : Overkill Gas Hog!

That being said, depending on where you live, when using this kind of setup as a daily driver you need to make sure you get on the highway on a fairly regular basis, and that your commute is long enough that the engine gets at least to normal operating temperature before you arrive at your destination.

If not, the end result is usually an fouled engine with a lot of sludge... not something you want when you invest on 700HP.

ST-8 · Oct 20, 2014

If you have lots of money sure! But realistically I'd say no

charonblk07 · Oct 20, 2014

You'll get 700hp out of the engine, but you'll be hard pressed to get 700rwhp, so be aware of where he's claiming to be able to put the numbers. I'd like to know what your plans are. Using a 6.1L block or stroking the 5.7L block to a 370 (6.1L). I don't know if a 6.4 crank will be any benefit over a 6.1L crank since both are forged, it would depend on your rod/piston combo and stroke length between the two. What blower are you planning to run?

As an example: I'm a forged 349 with a 6.1L crank and 9.6CR pistons pushing 15psi with a D1SC with W/M and a touch of nitrous and I'm putting down ~650rwhp (est ~800chp). This truck is my DD and it's a blast to drive, but you do have to take fuel cost into account as well as the ability to repair the stuff that you WILL break. These power levels are hard on the trucks and making them reliable at this power level is difficult and costly.

SFD213 · Oct 21, 2014

I know how 700 at the crank and 700 at the wheels are completely different. Said i can expect 550 at the rear wheels which is still quite a bit.
Im sure well be going with a 6.1 block. Apparently he gets motors from a local dealer and itll be easier than having to stroke it out.
Havent had much thought on what kinda blower yet.
This is something that is quite a pretty penny to invest in and while i know ill love the power, im not sure ill completely agree with my decision in time. Deciding whether this is worth it over, say, a few engine components and some tuning on a 5.7 at half the cost. Im sure even that will be enough to kill me so its something ive really got to think about

usaf2006 · Oct 21, 2014

If you're doubting it at all I wouldn't do it. Like you said, you could pour on the bolt ons and tune it up and it would be sweet. Throw in 456 gears, maybe a turbo, New intake and exhaust headers back and the truck would be a blast to drive. At half the cost if not less.

dmacell1 · Oct 21, 2014

When i bought my truck over a year ago it was already supercharged and the original owner spent well over 6k building it up. I dont drive it very hard but its nice to have all that extra power when i want it. Just a blip of the throttle and it gets up to speed very quickly. I only commute to work about three miles a day with longer trips sprinkled in there. Again i dont beat on it so nothing is flying apart and it was garage kept with 30k miles now. I did put a rebuilt ls rear in it ($2k) for better traction and some new tires but just because i wanted to. It has been very reliable up to this point, but it needs 93 octane fuel and only averages 10.5 miles around town and 14 on the highway so its something to consider with driving costs. As fast as it is its certainly not anything like driving my charger ( f1 3 season tires). Its only straight line fast and gets a bit scary on rougher roads with twisties, but when the winter comes its my vehicle of choice!
If its something you can afford and you enjoy it i say go for it. Just keep in mind if you beat it up it will break things fast.

charonblk07 · Oct 21, 2014

SFD213 said:
I know how 700 at the crank and 700 at the wheels are completely different. Said i can expect 550 at the rear wheels which is still quite a bit.
Im sure well be going with a 6.1 block. Apparently he gets motors from a local dealer and itll be easier than having to stroke it out.
Havent had much thought on what kinda blower yet.
This is something that is quite a pretty penny to invest in and while i know ill love the power, im not sure ill completely agree with my decision in time. Deciding whether this is worth it over, say, a few engine components and some tuning on a 5.7 at half the cost. Im sure even that will be enough to kill me so its something ive really got to think about

Ah, there's what I wanted to know. If you use a 6.1L block, stick with the 6.1L crank since it's already forged, no sense swapping it out just make sure it has the proper reluctor wheel tooth count. You can also just drop in a set of pistons and you can easily handle the blower. You'd save yourself a good $2K just doing that instead of a stroker or forged rotating assembly.

At 550rwhp you're in a lot safer territory and a P1SC kit will be more than enough to keep you happy in that range. You can pulley down if you want more power in the future. You will want to look at a transmission in the near future though.

If you're not sure about it then I'd start with a bigger cam and Eagle heads on your current block to see if that'll be enough power to make you happy. I started there on my '07 and after a year I knew I wanted more. The 'new' truck got fully built and I love driving it, but hate fixing it, lol.

SFD213 · Oct 21, 2014

I agree that i could do a cam and heads to see if i like it but my engine has 130k on it. If i put anything in it then itll probably be a waste as itll need a rebuild anyway

TylerB · Oct 21, 2014

SFD213 said:
I agree that i could do a cam and heads to see if i like it but my engine has 130k on it. If i put anything in it then itll probably be a waste as itll need a rebuild anyway

You'd be surprised at the longevity of the Hemi with some basic maintenance. It's the transmission you have to worry about...

If I were you, I'd do the cam, springs, pushrods, and longtube headers to start. You could add a set of heads and torque converter depending on the cam.

SFD213 · Oct 21, 2014

TylerB said:
You'd be surprised at the longevity of the Hemi with some basic maintenance. It's the transmission you have to worry about...

If I were you, I'd do the cam, springs, pushrods, and longtube headers to start. You could add a set of heads and torque converter depending on the cam.

Im not concerned too much with the tranny. Just had a rebuild with upgrades and a better tc. 600hp at it might worry me a bit more but nothing to worry about now.

Unfortunately i cant do a set of LTs because none will fit a 2500 QCLB HD 4x4. Its about the only one nobody makes them for. Must be something to do with the combo of suspension and heavier chasis and front axle.

Ive seriously thought about the cam with better valves and springs and a PTB. Im sure everything else will go in at that point too.

As i sit here going over this i keep thinking that going to the 6.1 right away from a nearly stock set up will be a waste because i could probably get enough out of a 5.7 to satisfy myself as well as nearly kill me

Gecko · Oct 21, 2014

SFD213 said:
I agree that i could do a cam and heads to see if i like it but my engine has 130k on it. If i put anything in it then itll probably be a waste as itll need a rebuild anyway

I had about this much mileage last year when I put my cam in. I've had no problems with the truck since it was put in. I upgraded the pushrods and valve springs at the same time as well. I keep up with my maintenance and everything runs smoothly.

I'll be adding a SC in November and thats when I plan on being careful for a little while as I know my trans will go and I'll need a fully built one. I also plan on doing a piston upgrade as well in the future so that I can up the boost and get more out of my engine.

If you go the bolt on route with the cam and heads and whatnot I don't think you'll have too much of a problem with the engine lasting as long as you keep up on maintenance.

SFD213 · Oct 21, 2014

The thing is i dont want to make this truck last as long as the engine will, im building it to be here for quite a bit.
Maybe ill look into getting a built 6.1 without the SC and if i still feel i need more then throw it on

charonblk07 · Oct 21, 2014

I did my Eagle heads/cam swap at 80K in the '07, rotating assembly still looked brand new... well, except for the varnish build up. As for manifolds, you could always give the GCSRT8 manifolds a try if you do an Eagle head swap or go with the 6.1L. They're a better flowing manifold compared to stock and clears almost everything under the hood, even on the 2500s. Get a custom mid-pipe fabbed and you're golden.

ST-8 · Oct 22, 2014

LOL if you have a 545 YOU always have to worry

RonJon '06 · Oct 22, 2014

SFD213 said:
The thing is i dont want to make this truck last as long as the engine will, im building it to be here for quite a bit.
Maybe ill look into getting a built 6.1 without the SC and if i still feel i need more then throw it on

If you're planning on keeping it a while then building in it from the inside out might be the way to go.

hemidup · Oct 25, 2014

SFD213 said:
Hey yall. Ive been thinking about going with a procharged 6.1 hemi with a 6.4 crank, forged internals, and a mild cam. Guy says he can easily get 700hp out of it and i know hes not kidding. My only concern is how practical will this be as a daily driver? I know it depends on a lot of things but generally, how would this be on a day to day basis

I would build the platform off a 5.7 block. Cheaper and easier to find one vs a 6.1. 6.4 crank will give you 370 cubes then put the boost to it.

SFD213 · Oct 25, 2014

This guy is well connected. He builds high performance motors. Says hell just pick one up and build it over time.
Acquiring it wont be difficult and because hes a friend of mine he doesnt charge me out the ass...thankfully.
Im not saying money is no object or issue but i should be getting some nice hookups here

hemidup · Oct 25, 2014

SFD213 said:
This guy is well connected. He builds high performance motors. Says hell just pick one up and build it over time.
Acquiring it wont be difficult and because hes a friend of mine he doesnt charge me out the ass...thankfully.
Im not saying money is no object or issue but i should be getting some nice hookups here

Connected or not, since the 6.1 block has been discontinued guys have been charging through the *** for their old cores. Same with the 6.1 heads. Stock Eliminator and Super Stock guy's have to buy them at unreal prices since that's the only block and head combo they can use for their class. By the time you spend a couple grand on a used 6.1 then add to that the cost of machining you might look at purchasing a new aluminum block Hemi for around $4000. You can also buy a set of brand new Eagle or Apache heads cheaper than you can find most used 6.1 heads. Just something to think about.

charonblk07 · Oct 25, 2014

Do the Apache heads work with with the 5.7L block? I was told they wouldn't when I was asking the question on the LXF.

6.1 with Procharger question

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