sir-jeff-the-wise
Junior Member
My father passed away 6 months ago, and I inherited his 2008 ram 1500 4x4 sport with the 5.7 Hemi. It runs fine, but at 170,000 miles, and knowing my dad was bad about oil changes, I know this engine is not going to last as long as I wish to keep it, which is al lest another 30 years.
When I was a child, back in the 80's, he had a beast of a 57 Chevy hotrod with a Pontiac 400 and a six pack, four on the floor, Posi with 4.11 gearing, thing was a monster. my dad was a gasser back in the day. he built it in the early 70's. I want to honor his legacy with this truck. So, I would like to swap the engine for a Hellcat crate motor. I know, I am looking at over 20k for the engine, and my transmission wont work. I want to convert it to six speed manual, so that is like another 12k. I don't care. This will take time. But I can do it, it just may take 3 years.
I know the new engine and transmission are going to reconfigure my driveline. New driveshafts are not a big deal. And I weld well, so custom work is not that much of an issue.
But I find myself with questions I cant seem to find answers to. Will my driveline handle this? I don't even know what differentials I have or what my transfer case is. Online specs just tell me the gear ratios, not who made the parts. I want to keep it a 4x4. And I want everything to work right. Cruse and everything. I know I will need an aftermarket ECM, but I am a bit lost here.
I have done a number of engine swaps that were on the crazy end in the past, but never anything with fuel injection. this is way more complicated than just getting the wiring right. There is a lot of tech that I would like to preserve. Like the trip computer. Any advice or info would be appreciated. I know, I should just build up something else. Trust me, I wanted to sell it and the LS swap an 88 Fierro. But, this was my Dads truck. And I can not bring myself to part with it.
When I was a child, back in the 80's, he had a beast of a 57 Chevy hotrod with a Pontiac 400 and a six pack, four on the floor, Posi with 4.11 gearing, thing was a monster. my dad was a gasser back in the day. he built it in the early 70's. I want to honor his legacy with this truck. So, I would like to swap the engine for a Hellcat crate motor. I know, I am looking at over 20k for the engine, and my transmission wont work. I want to convert it to six speed manual, so that is like another 12k. I don't care. This will take time. But I can do it, it just may take 3 years.
I know the new engine and transmission are going to reconfigure my driveline. New driveshafts are not a big deal. And I weld well, so custom work is not that much of an issue.
But I find myself with questions I cant seem to find answers to. Will my driveline handle this? I don't even know what differentials I have or what my transfer case is. Online specs just tell me the gear ratios, not who made the parts. I want to keep it a 4x4. And I want everything to work right. Cruse and everything. I know I will need an aftermarket ECM, but I am a bit lost here.
I have done a number of engine swaps that were on the crazy end in the past, but never anything with fuel injection. this is way more complicated than just getting the wiring right. There is a lot of tech that I would like to preserve. Like the trip computer. Any advice or info would be appreciated. I know, I should just build up something else. Trust me, I wanted to sell it and the LS swap an 88 Fierro. But, this was my Dads truck. And I can not bring myself to part with it.