Hi all,
I know this is discussed multiple times per day in Hemi world, but almost everything I read is about either rebuilding the top end after failure or bad ticking starts, or for a high performance street truck.
My question is: does it make sense to replace cam, lifters, rockers, etc. on an otherwise fine 5.7 to avoid future problems? Would this be an effective strategy?
My situation:
- 2012 Sport 5.7 4x4 Crew
- approx 120k miles soon
- 3.92 rear end, 6spd auto, jba shorties, corsa exhaust, s&b intake, hemifever tune on diablosport trinity
- daily(ish) driver in heavy city traffic with expected mild occasional offroading for camping on fire roads, beach, etc.
My logic is that the truck is perfect for me except for two main gripes... the six speed sucks and I wish I had the 8 (can swap when it dies), and I worry the truck will leave me and my family stranded at some point when it eats a cam. I know it's not the majority of hemis that die catastrophically, but when they do, I'd hate for it to be far from home, offroad, or to grenade the rest of the engine with tiny metal shards of death. Putting in an upgraded cam and lifters and associated goodies, doing proper maintenance, maybe I could expect another 100k or so out of this engine and have peace of mind. There's a school of thought that you can just toss another engine in when it fails and that might be cost neutral, but then you don't know what you're getting unless you buy new, in which case it might have the same Achilles heel.
So, do people do this? If so, any recommendations on a trustworthy installer not too far from NoVA? I am probably capable of doing myself, but as the truck is mostly a daily and I'd probably not do as well on my first attempt as an experienced mechanic, I'd likely have someone do it for me. I know it would be expensive, but so is an engine replacement or buying a Tundra or something.
