Well gents... Went to dealership to get price on parts..... their in person price was retail. It would have been cheaper to order through MOPAR for the same dealership. Turns out for all MOPAR parts ordering from RockAuto is cheaper (for latest generation of most parts, a couple of items were previous versions. E.g. waterpump). All base OEM parts with head job is about $4400. Roughly 5K or so to upgrade cam, delete MDS kit and basic tune.
Guys at parts department said since I wasn't a shop, "they" will not give you that discount. Guy did say that he could give me a new crate 5.7 motor with upgraded manifolds for $5800. It would come with a three year warranty. Not sure which option would be better. Any thoughts on new crate vs replacing almost everything?
I bought the truck from single owner, actually a retired general. Most of miles are highway. Travel from SATX to NY and back, chasing the seasons.
Turns out last night my (the) wife finished paying off the truck buy wiped out money that was going to pay for everything. At least the truck is paid for now.
I think in my current situation, I am going to clean everything up, put it back together and drive it while we reset the truck fund.
If something goes out or tears up.....I will know how to tear everything down in less time. Same amount of cussing though. Let's see if she will fire back up after cleaning up and resetting everything.
I appreciate all the knowledge and you guys taking the time to help me learn. I will be around reading all the threads and learning more about the Ram and the hemi. Let's see where this adventure goes next.