whats your secret? my hemi 2500 was getting 11 mpg until i put a magnaflow muffler and volant intake on, now im doing something right if i get the high 12's mpg.
CMW Motorsports has been dyno testing these engines on the F.A.S.T. and AEM ignition modules and right out of the crate the 6.1 makes (the highest I've seen) 498 hp and 495 lb/ft of torque on 91 octane pump gas and an extremly safe state of tune, and this from a 370 c.i. engine. CMW is making a dual distributor drive for the new hemi's that are still in development and coming soon adjustable roller rocker arms. I have both early and second gen hemi's and this new one doesn't take a back seat to either.
I put the magnalow kit on it, K&N filter kit, Hypertech reprogrammer, and I use the cruise most of the time. By the way it is a 4X4, and I have got up to 19 MPG. I drive very conservativley most of the time.
5.7L / 6.1L HEMIs are cool ... but why are we discussing them on the HAMB? Most of the cars I've seen running one of the "newer" HEMIs are all pretty "Street Roddy" ... which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just not fodder for discussion on the HAMB ... here's a few examples culled from the Internet: Here's about the closest thing to a "Traditional-styled" Hot Rod running a 5.7L HEMI: HAMBr FrankenRodz's Deuce 3wd Coupe ... more pics of it HERE.
That and from Chrysler you can get a 5.7l new in the box complete with coil on plug assemblys, I think it was only short the intake manifold and exhaust manifolds and wiring. I installed one like this for a customer and I think it was only like 5 grand. The 6.1l factory does not have the plastic intake manifold, the block is painted orange and the srt.8's come with a nodular cast iron exhaust header. Sorry I'm a fan of the Hemi new or old. Worked with Chrysler for 1/4 of my life. Dig it.
Hey, come on over to NE, we'll let ya chain up to the back of our dodge, good ol' Cummins isn't as quick on the go peddle as that V10 but it'll drag a house off the foundation with torque.... And the neighbor thinks his high revin' duramax can out haul it.... Mopar trucks with Cummins power kick ass... I wouldn't mind havin' a V10 though, but not in a big truck, maybe like an SRT10, or try and stuff one in a Dakota... The megasquirt is pretty cool, my dad has a buddy who's puttin' a 5.4L out of a Navigator in a Model A coupe (it's pretty sweet) and I think he's usin' one...
Mines a half ton 4X4, on 20's, with 3.90 gears, and I religiously get 17 around town, and 19-20 on our trips up to the cabin. When we took it to Tennessee the day after I bought it, the average from Toledo to Knoxville was 23 MPG at 76 MPH! It does have the MDS, does your truck? I can't complain about the power OR the mileage. It hands down beats either of the two Chevy's I've had (93 or 2000). And I loved the 00. Does anyone have experience with converting them to distributor/carb? The parts seem readily available... Hmmm. JK
I have two cars with megasquirt now. There is a learning curve but if you build your own computer you are one step ahead of learning it.
Chrysler corp did put the 8.1 viper in a an Dakota in like 2001 - 2002 concept car that did not make it they called it the sidewinder, they also had the tomohawk motorcycle with the viper. The srt 10 that did come out in the ram was cool, the truck was not much of a truck but you could spin it side ways for a block or so.
i had though tof buying one of those srt10 trucks until i found they get 8-9 mpg around town. sp it isnt a good truck, it isnt really all that fast and its awful on gas. i scrapped that idea real quick. ok you hemi truck guys are you using the overhead console to figure your mileage? when i had the 03 slt with 4.7 i saw the high 20s on the console, in reality it never got anything close to that. i find it kind fo funny that every vehicle i ever owned always gets worse mpg than anyone else that has the same vehicle. i have a 2500, so it doesn thave the mds. they ddidnt offer it on the hd trucks. they are a much heavier truck so you cant really compare the mpg to a 1500. one tank i did manage to get close to 14 mpg making a lot of trips moving, had to keep the speed low so that helped. m truck really is stuck in the 12's though. the 4.10s dont help but it averages 11.9-12.8 every single tank. never fails. i dont have a lead foot either. i really find it hard to believe over 20 is possible, the cars only get what 24 mpg?
do you think back in the day hot rodder's gave a shit about traditional. they modified a car to go faster than they did from the factory. go for it.
Preach it HEMI29 !!! I like one of the first words that he used to describe the motor: CHEAP. That's what it's all about!!! Hell, I'd run a 426 HEMI in ALL of my cars, AND my daily drivers AND my riding mower if they didn't cost $15,000 or so EACH!!! Again: YOUR car and YOUR wallet. Don't let anyone else make you feel bad about it.
Okay then it's settled. My dilemma was because I am a die hard FORD man, and this is going into my 37 Ford. I am now eating my words and am excited about it. This project is coming together SOOOOOOOO cheap it's not even funny. Thanks Time Traveller for the pic. That was my biggest worry. I am pretty sure it will fit now. I'm now on the hunt for the 6 speed tranny.
The workmanship was awesome on this car saw it a few times up close too bad to many HAMBers slammed it on few posted and they got yanked
If it works for you then great, you will not regret the power you have. My daily is a 6.1 in a Magnum and my wife has a 5.7 in a Chrysler 300. Both engines are impressive and have been a blast to drive. What Im waiting for is the 6.4 that is coming out next year...but that discussion is for another message board.
I dont find parts expensive for the 5.7 . The 26er is a lot more expnsive. I have 2 5.7s I have bought for rewoking. So far not spent $500. Pistons (11 to 1s) cost in the $600s HD rods are currently available for $420. Cam is not cheap but not crazy either. Oversize valves seem reasonably priced. There is a wide chioce of manifold and induction available. It bolts up to a small block trans no problem. Why are we discussing them here? Nobody ever questions any chev discussion. Old car newer engine. works for me. Hotrodding I think they call it.
Love the one in my 06 ram. Balls to spare! I figure if I ever smash my ram, I'm buying back the engine for my chevy. The traditional arguement is B.S. traditional is to build what you can with what you can get. I didn't get much response on my T bird IRS, but what the hell, I got $100 in it. You can't tell me that the old hot rodders wouldn't have jumped on any of the new engines as soon as they found one in the junkyard. We've all heard the stories of the guys haunting the junkyard back in the day waiting for one of them new caddys with the 331, or the rocket engines in an olds, just to swap out that old flathead and be ahead of the game. Peroid correct is more along the lines of the HAMB. If that is your thing, have at it. I like the traditional looks, but I also like more modern drivetrains and conveniences. I like to drive the shit out of my truck and drive it fast......hence the RADIAL whitewalls and disc brakes, etc.
Very soon these motors will have a huge support network with all kinds of polished/cast parts available as they begin to appear in vast quantities, in wrecking yards..... It is a hemi, what else do you want? I believe the issue at hand is the new hemi being compared to the older hemi's and throwing the word traditional into the sentence..... Why can we buy a new SB assembled in Mexico, mount it between the frame rails and that motor is just fine? We now debate the new hemi and look at all the discussion. I like the new hemi , however; I will be estatic once we can throw away all the wires, electronics and the fuel injectors, it just clutters the motor.... The plastic hemi cover over the motor, in my opinion, certainly is not hot rod material, however; the plastic is street rod material... My next project, I would love one of these motors, blown, mechancial injection on alcohol. Ummmmm. Awsome motor....
I say go for it. I love traditional every which way, especially traditional THOUGHT, as in the I try to think the way guys back then tried to think. How many old magazine articles did you used to see about a 32 roadster in the fifties with a brand new-not even on the market yet engine between the rails? The fact of the matter is that modern engine technology is amazing, and the modern LS-series, Modular's and Hemis are outstanding engines. They look like shit (especially the ls's) but thats something that can be rememdied with creativity, which we all obviously posess in great amounts. The bottom ends of modern engines are spectacular, with more than just a 5x2 bolt main setup on virtually any engine, and I believe all of them have skirted blocks. Head flow is amazing. Like dolmetsch said, 350cfm!!!!- Holy shit batman thats nuts! And this is still with small port volumes, meaning high charge velocity, and that is what fills a cylinder-which is what makes real power. Low pumping losses are also a benefit of modern engines. The only thing holding you back would be appearance. Maybe find a pattern maker (or learn how to make them yourself, its not too terribly difficult) and design a tradtionally styled valve cover-take it to a jobber caster and have some cast aluminum valve covers. Hell, cast them yourself and sell them!? Hook up with a local high performance engine shop/tuner and design yourself a traditionally styled EFI manifold, us LS injectors (because they're tiny and more attractive than most) and build and EFI setup as if they had it availble in the 50s. If anything you'll have an attractive engine even if its not tradtional, but traditionally inspired is a good 2nd. And no one can argue with high power output combined with reliability, which is what that engine will definalty offer you. Just my .02, but I think its a good buy! Good Luck!
There was a guy at lead east that had one in a dart I believe had the coil packs hidden under manifold actually looked pretty good
I just read about the megasquirt comments, I too have heard great things about this, but haven't had the oppurtunity to install one on anything I've built so far, but I'm planning on putting one in my o/t mustang when I finish the turbo set up, I've talked to people that have them directly and heard great things. The only downfall I've heard about them is they are only fuel, don't have ignition control capabilites, but thats what a distributor is for, or a MSD Digital 7 can handle electronic iginition tuning. Either way TONS cheaper than DFI, or FAST.
My mileage is based of the odometer divided by gallons on a fillup. I always fill to the top of the filler neck to eliminate variables like temperature, etc. I laugh at my overhead console all the time. Once, on that same trip to Tennessee coming home, we put the truck in neutral and coasted down a mountain road, and hit 47 MPG! Too bad you couldn't get MDS on your truck. You'd be really glad if you could have. I just wish mine was flex fuel... when I worked at the Deere dealer all the Gators came in with E85 in the tank for a primer- that stuff smelled GREAT when it burned! LOL! JK
I called my buddy who owns a mopar dealership with his dad and told him I wanted one of these trucks, he ask why and then said," It's always nice to hear from you ,we enjoy your humorous stories" Seems this same drivetrain but a two wheel drive in something 1500 lbs lighter ( like a Dart or Duster), a little more aero dynamic should mpg at around 32 and run high 9's.I could park it beside my stock 327 motor that turns 7000 ALL DAY, or next to my wheelstanding street car.
The only time you get poor fuel mileage, is when you don't drive the car!!! You want to same your coins ride a bike! I love fuel!! The Theo has Spoken!
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