5.7 Drop Into A 3.6 Info/help/advice

[GARRETTECH 5]

This forum seems to be the most knowledgeable of all that I have been on.....now that I have buttered your asses, I have a 3.6 2011 challenger with the ss package.....for you big motor fellas this means I have the r/t with track pack suspension, brakes, 215 rear etc....I have come across a good deal on a 5.7 so naturally my gears are turningh....what do you guys think of this swap......and lets eliminate all the 'just buy and r/t, just buy a srt, just get a str and supercharge and nitrous it....real practical thoughts....Im thinking I basically have an rt in everyway without the 5.7....do you think the tranny bolts up? mototr mounts in same location? would I have to swap PCM?

[sharkcohen 61]

real practical thoughts...

Dood, seriously, trade it in for an R/T or better.

[GARRETTECH 5]

hahaha i havent even watched the video yet but im laughing.....what ever happened to building your cars??? and i dont mean just bolting on a blower!!

[rtr0id 74]

send 1fst4dr a pm about doing this. scott and jon @amp have done a few swaps

[sharkcohen 61]

If you want to build that 3.6, get at it. If you want an R/T, trade up. You asked for practical thoughts. Do you realize how much more money you would spend swapping a 5.7 in and getting a PCM swap from Arrington, than just trading up to an R/T?

[GARRETTECH 5]

thanks rtr0id

and shark, the obvious elephant in the room is the lack of 2011-2012 tuning.....besides the hit I would take on a trade....my thoughts....as misguided as they may be.....if I bought this unused motor for 2500....and waited to put it in for tuning, maybe over next winter I would have myself a nice little project....without the insurance hit of an rt....if the motor bolted right to my trans and motor mounts, that may be not a bad way to go....also why not just get a stock PCM from a dealer maybe even a 2010 PCM so its tunable

[sharkcohen 61]

A pre 2011 PCM is not plug and play. It's a costly change.

[GARRETTECH 5]

ok, i dont know much about the PCM so I can completely believe its not plug and play but there is no way to get a 5.7 2011 PCM that would work?

I went to this forum as opposed to all the others that are more about changing shifteer handles and banning people because I see what you maniacs do putting on superchargers, nitrous, swapping in stroker motors....I dont get why this would be so over the top....i mean I basically have a rt that dodge put a 3.6 into....and to get my car in a 5.7 with everything I have would be at least 8 grand more....plus the hit on a trade

[Williams RT 71]

If I had to do it over again I would most likely buy a SE and do this, even though I hate automatics. However I would not waste my time buying a 2500.00 stock 5.7, it is the same work involved wether it is a 6.1 based blown stroked 392 or a stock 5.7. The work and cost involved to have stock RT performance is a waste. For the same money you can have RT performance or actually a little better with a turbo or supercharger on your car. There are a lot of questions on what else you need besides the motor?

1. exhaust.

2. is the curent fuel system good enough to support the change?

3. Will the trans and TQ convertor work.

4.PCM and wiring harness change.

5. Will your current AC bracket and all work?

6.Is the current radiator cooling system good enough?

7. you will need a K-member, speedlogix sells those 800.00.

These are just a few off the top of my head. I am all for the Hot Rod spirit of moding cars, but money wise I would turbo, supercharge the V6, or go big. Not mess with a stock 5.7. 2500.00 is not bargin, you will spend the 8 grand you are talking about on a trade doing this swap when it is said and done.

[GARRETTECH 5]

wow william....you WOULD get an SE and then do some sort of swap??? I had also been considering the supercharger route but who knows when tuning is available....so you dont think 2500 for an unused crate 5.7 is a decent deal?. And yes all the ancillary stuff you listed I would have to check out....I guess no one out there really knows if the 3.6 version NAG would bolt to a 5.7? And I would need a 'k' member??? haha I thought that went out with my 69 barracuda as far as that being different from engine to engine.....All stuff I didnt know which is why Im here. Exhaust I figured but it does have ex manifolds,,,,and fuel rails and intake

[Guest HemiRob]

I see $6000 for the engine and PCM swap without items listed below

exhaust system: JBA or SRT take offs shorty/clam shell headers, SRT mids if useing SRT shorties or R/T mids, take off cat back from R/T or SRT

Radiator change over, fuel pump, k member, trans should bolt up, tq converter may need to be changed over, cai or stock air intake box for a 5.7

Is the engine for a truck or car, if truck engine you will need a intake manifold, I recemend the 6.1 intake manifold

This is just on top of my head

[Mopar408 25]

^^^so figure about another 2000 on top of the 6000.......sounds like $8K. I think the OP said it would cost him about $8K to get into an R/T. Choice seems obvious cobbled together R/T or a facotry R/T with warranty support .....

[sharkcohen 61]

I imagine it will cost more than $8k for the swap. Just doesn't make sense.

[Guest HemiRob]

Looks more like $10k when done

[Williams RT 71]

wow william....you WOULD get an SE and then do some sort of swap??? I had also been considering the supercharger route but who knows when tuning is available....so you dont think 2500 for an unused crate 5.7 is a decent deal?. And yes all the ancillary stuff you listed I would have to check out....I guess no one out there really knows if the 3.6 version NAG would bolt to a 5.7? And I would need a 'k' member??? haha I thought that went out with my 69 barracuda as far as that being different from engine to engine.....All stuff I didnt know which is why Im here. Exhaust I figured but it does have ex manifolds,,,,and fuel rails and intake

I actually went to buy an SE when I was buying a challenger, I was going to install a 440 6 pack into one. I drove an RT and SRT while there and decided to mod a modern hemi instead, never messed with a modern car and decided to try. Yes if a person had a 5.7 car now and you needed a replacement engine 2500.00 would be great, but if you are looking to mod a car a stock 5.7 is a boat anchor. I was just saying it would be the same process and labor to put stock 5.7 in your car as a built 392, I would not go to all the trouble to put a stock engine in a car. Because that would not be the end of your mods, trust me every one keeps adding power mods. So why start out with something you will replace later? I would mod the V6 as soon as the tuning is available or if I went with a V8 change I would go big.

[BayouTiger 118]

I am with Phil, if i was going to build from the ground up it would be better to do a 6.1 without any VVT mess. Another possibility might be a crate motor and a FAST controller or the like, but a 2011-12 5.7 would be a crazy mess. At least that's what I would think.

I think the one that could really tell you would be Cam, as I am pretty sure the blue SEMA car started life as an 09 SE.

[Williams RT 71]

This is the only way you can buy a challenger, mod it and not piss some money away.

[deef1999 23]

Not to mention you're killing your resale value.

[70Barracuda 28]

wow william....you WOULD get an SE and then do some sort of swap??? I had also been considering the supercharger route but who knows when tuning is available....so you dont think 2500 for an unused crate 5.7 is a decent deal?. And yes all the ancillary stuff you listed I would have to check out....I guess no one out there really knows if the 3.6 version NAG would bolt to a 5.7? And I would need a 'k' member??? haha I thought that went out with my 69 barracuda as far as that being different from engine to engine.....All stuff I didnt know which is why Im here. Exhaust I figured but it does have ex manifolds,,,,and fuel rails and intake

I don't know the answers to all your questions, but I'm pretty sure you have the same auto transmission as the RT, so from that stand point you should be able to bolt it right up. This is the first I've heard there is a different K memeber, but that could be right as this isn't something I've looked into doing.

[Goehner 312]

Just do it, we love projects here. We can help along the way.

[BayouTiger 118]

Better yet, sell the SE outright and buy Tony's car! Would have a beast of a car and likely end up way less out of pocket than making the big swap.

[Goehner 312]

That is a great point Chuck, that is the best deal out there right now.

[GARRETTECH 5]

Somehow the fact Goehner is encouraging this is making me nervous

who is Tony

my thoughts about doing a 5.7 also had to do with the rest of the car. since the trans is the same 3.6 to 5.7....along with the rear, suspension, and brakes, I wouldnt have to change that stuff right away.....if I went to the 6.1 or 6.4 I see that those srt cars come with a bigger rear which I would assume means basically everything from the trans yoke back right to the wheels is different. Although I think the very first year srt challengers used the 215 rear

[Goehner 312]

Dont fucking do it. Sell it and buy this. http://modernmoparforum.com/index.php/topic/4072-2010-dodge-challenger-srt8-magna-charged-for-sale/

Unless of course you don't like orange, then do it.

Is it done yet?

[GARRETTECH 5]

actually.....yea, I cant do orange....actually I wouldnt want any color right now but the blackberry.....or some other midnight blue sort of color.....and did I mention at the start of this thread that I drive the car 100 miles round trip on my commute??? and also that I have put 22k miles on the car in exactly 9 months?? these factors led to the v6 purchase to begin with....then I figured supercharge it later and maybe not kill the MPG.....but then I thought 5.7