Hemi 5.7 Upgrades

[GravyBuiscit]

Hey folks, I'm brand new to this forum so any help would be much appreciated.

I have a 5.7 that I'll be swapping into my 2014 1500 (it has a 5.7 but its on it's deathbed right now). It's bone stock and I was wondering what my options are as far as upgrades for it. I had Cams and headers in mind but I feel like I'm overlooking a few things. I have no preference over running a tune or not but I'm not trying to build a race truck, just something that sounds good, got a little giddy up and most importantly, is reliable and will last longer than the OE engine.

Anything helps, thank you.

 

[Wild one]

Hey folks, I'm brand new to this forum so any help would be much appreciated.

I have a 5.7 that I'll be swapping into my 2014 1500 (it has a 5.7 but its on it's deathbed right now). It's bone stock and I was wondering what my options are as far as upgrades for it. I had Cams and headers in mind but I feel like I'm overlooking a few things. I have no preference over running a tune or not but I'm not trying to build a race truck, just something that sounds good, got a little giddy up and most importantly, is reliable and will last longer than the OE engine.

Anything helps, thank you.

For cam selection,you're better off contacting a few of the outfits who specialize in cams for the trucks,like FRP / Moes / MMX etc. A 6.4 intake manifold is another option to consider along with cam / long tubes and tune,after that you could do a higher stall convertor.Depends on how much money you want to spend,as those mods will put a serious dent in your wallet,but if you have more to spend,then pistons/rods are something to consider.
Another option is to hunt up a 6.4 and drop it in.The car/SRT 6.4's are rated at 485 hp,and it takes a fair bit to get a 5.7 to their power level

 

[GravyBuiscit]

Thank you. That's very helpful insight. I'll look into it. I'm basically trying to build the ultimate work/yard truck that my family can use to haul things

 

[Brandon-w]

For cam selection,you're better off contacting a few of the outfits who specialize in cams for the trucks,like FRP / Moes / MMX etc. A 6.4 intake manifold is another option to consider along with cam / long tubes and tune,after that you could do a higher stall convertor.Depends on how much money you want to spend,as those mods will put a serious dent in your wallet,but if you have more to spend,then pistons/rods are something to consider.
Another option is to hunt up a 6.4 and drop it in.The car/SRT 6.4's are rated at 485 hp,and it takes a fair bit to get a 5.7 to their power level

As wild one said, the 6.4l I did the swap and Havnt looked back! I gained a ton more power, add the headers, cold air intake and tune and I'm getting up there in hp and it was simple and reliable. Most 5.7s now don't have a chance unless they're really modded, I can still tow and everything too but if you're gonna go that route definately need an oil thermostat and oil cooler.
Still considering an underdrive pulley and maybe a 100shot of nitrous

 

[Wild one]

As wild one said, the 6.4l I did the swap and Havnt looked back! I gained a ton more power, add the headers, cold air intake and tune and I'm getting up there in hp and it was simple and reliable. Most 5.7s now don't have a chance unless they're really modded, I can still tow and everything too but if you're gonna go that route definately need an oil thermostat and oil cooler.
Still considering an underdrive pulley and maybe a 100shot of nitrous

Stick with a 70 or 75 shot,and you'll never hurt it,plus a bottle lasts longer,lol.I'm not a fan of underdrive pulleys in Canada,as they slow both the alternator and water pump down,and the last thing you want is headlights and heater not working at full par after dark at -20+.You don't gain enough power to offset the downsides to an under drive pulley in northern Canada. Swapping to an aftermarket balancer/pulley is a good idea,but stick with the standard ratio,not the under drive ratio.
One thing you could do is upgrade the wiring,by adding bigger grounds and a bigger feed from the alternators hot side,otherwise known as the Big 3 stereo upgrade,but knowing you,you've probably already done that upgrade,lol

 

[GravyBuiscit]

Thank you for the advice. Wild One and your rec has got me more invested in 6.4 Hemi. My one question is how does the 8 speed get affect or is it a seamless swap?

 

[Wild one]

Thank you for the advice. Wild One and your rec has got me more invested in 6.4 Hemi. My one question is how does the 8 speed get affect or is it a seamless swap?

The engine is basically a bolt in,but wil need tuning.The 485 hp cars use the same 8HP70 as the trucks do.If you have a 14,don't waste money or time on a Diablo tuner,they don't really support the 13 and 14's 8 speed,you'll want to go right to HP tuning for tuning your 14's transmission.

 

[Brandon-w]

Stick with a 70 or 75 shot,and you'll never hurt it,plus a bottle lasts longer,lol.I'm not a fan of underdrive pulleys in Canada,as they slow both the alternator and water pump down,and the last thing you want is headlights and heater not working at full par after dark at -20+.You don't gain enough power to offset the downsides to an under drive pulley in northern Canada. Swapping to an aftermarket balancer/pulley is a good idea,but stick with the standard ratio,not the under drive ratio.
One thing you could do is upgrade the wiring,by adding bigger grounds and a bigger feed from the alternators hot side,otherwise known as the Big 3 stereo upgrade,but knowing you,you've probably already done that upgrade,lol

Yeah I've done that upgrade already. Have 3000w worth of aftermarket stereo so I had to do that. I'd actually like to run a second alternator for charging my other batteries. Less load that way. 75 shot and a seperate tank for av gas. Noted!

 

[Brandon-w]

Thank you for the advice. Wild One and your rec has got me more invested in 6.4 Hemi. My one question is how does the 8 speed get affect or is it a seamless swap?

Basically seamless swap. I swapped my oil Pickup tube, oil pan, if you got a manual transmission engine you'll need the a8 bushing for the crank where the torque converter slides in (Or reuse old one if u can) I swapped the front cam cover over so I could use the truck belts and pulleys and stuff. Trans and everything bolts right up. You'll have to use the truck crank pulley as well but yeah that's pretty much all I can think I did. I had the old engine out and the new one in and running in a weekend.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

For cams, I would talk to who ever will be tuning the truck. At the end of the day they need to make it run properly. I would go with what they recommend. Long tube headers are a great upgrade for these trucks. I recommend the Stainless Works long tube headers. If you would like a quote on them send me a message

 

[tstein88]

As wild one said, the 6.4l I did the swap and Havnt looked back! I gained a ton more power, add the headers, cold air intake and tune and I'm getting up there in hp and it was simple and reliable. Most 5.7s now don't have a chance unless they're really modded, I can still tow and everything too but if you're gonna go that route definately need an oil thermostat and oil cooler.
Still considering an underdrive pulley and maybe a 100shot of nitrous

Do you have a recomendation for an oil thermostat and cooler?

 

[Brandon-w]

I'm using an improved racing sandwich block. Just a generic ebay 12x12 cooler eiyu an fittings

 

[Ram Night]

I have sent the throttle bodies from the Ram and Challenger to Dan The Fastmen to modify them and they will give you a smoother throttle response and a little more power. The throttle plate is a Little larger, the mounting shaft is no longer in the path of the air flow, and the bore it opened and smoothed a lot.

 

[Wild one]

I have sent the throttle bodies from the Ram and Challenger to Dan The Fastmen to modify them and they will give you a smoother throttle response and a little more power. The throttle plate is a Little larger, the mounting shaft is no longer in the path of the air flow, and the bore it opened and smoothed a lot.

Dig out your dremel or drill with a 3" sanding disc and open up your intake mouth to match his 84mm bore,other wise you won't gain anything,as you'll have a reversion at the intake mouth.
The 5.7 / 6.4 trucks and 485 horse 6.4's use the identical throttle body,and even on the 485 horse 6.4's the throttle body is usually one of the last things you do ,after cam / ported heads / long tubes etc.
I swapped Dans throttle body back and forth at the track on both my truck and the wifes 1320 Challenger ,there was no differance in the times between it and a stock throttle body, the power you get from a ported throttle body isn't enough to show up on a timeslip ,even on Dodges drag oriented 1320's,which are their most radical naturally aspirated 6.4 ScatPacks