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Just bought a 71 Charger... going to a 5.7 I think

You got the same present I got for my birthday from myself too!
20200807_182419.jpg
 
Well after a lot of thought and research I think I have talked myself back into a 5.7. The 6.4 is just too expensive overall and when I began planning this car I started with the 5.7 because I am not after big HP.
 
Just my 2 cents!

I would have invested on a 6.4 before an Ram air setup ( Hood and system ). The Ram air system could be added later without affect the initial build. There you have/had the extra bucks for the engine
 
Hard decisions lol. I just bought a 2019 Ram with a 5.7, very impressed with how fast a big truck can be with one but 6.4 is even better.

I'm getting ready to start a 72 Satty for my daughter and had a buddy offer me a Dakota RT for $500, easy decision. Looks like she's getting a 5.9 and overdrive.
 
Nacho-RT74 said:
Just my 2 cents!

I would have invested on a 6.4 before an Ram air setup ( Hood and system ). The Ram air system could be added later without affect the initial build. There you have/had the extra bucks for the engine
Click to expand...

I only got the hood and a couple pieces of sheet metal but I get your meaning. I guess my problem is that I am having a hard time mentally justifying the price difference between the 2. I can get an entire crate 5.7 for $5700 but a 6.4 long block is $6K. Yes, I know there are take outs but I cannot get my head around spending over $6K to get a used engine when I could spend the same and get a brand new engine with a warranty.

Look I completely get the HP issue and that is what swayed me in the beginning, but reality can be a bitch and if I have to sacrifice a huge portion of my play money just to get the block, it is not making sense. The 5.7 comes out of the box at like 380 (advertised 383hp), swap in a Comp Cam (273H-13 @ $440) along with good exhaust and a tune and supposedly you are something 465hp. So for right at $6.1K I am at 460 ish HP whereas the 6.4 starts at 485, however the long block alone is going to run about $6255 and I still need to source all of the front end stuff, fly wheel, clutch, intake, WP, etc.

Yes, the 6.4 is definitely sexier but the view is not worth the drive in this case unless I could fall into a deal.
 
747mopar said:
Hard decisions lol. I just bought a 2019 Ram with a 5.7, very impressed with how fast a big truck can be with one but 6.4 is even better.

I'm getting ready to start a 72 Satty for my daughter and had a buddy offer me a Dakota RT for $500, easy decision. Looks like she's getting a 5.9 and overdrive.
Click to expand...

I have a 5.7 in my 2010 Challenger RT and my 14 Ram 2500 and I have always been impressed with the power level of both. I have run my Challenger at 125 mph across Montana and it was barely working. I've had that car up to 145 which it hits without effort. With the truck I pulled a 24' enclosed trailer to Vegas and back 2 years in a row hauling 10K lbs and while the gas mileage sucked, there was no lack of power. Yes, I think the 6.4 is better but is the cost difference worth the benefits; in the case I am not seeing it.

a 5.9 Magnum is a great engine, I have one in my 01 Ram which I bought in 2002. That truck has been awesome and the engine has been great.
 
Well I was able to get some epoxy onto the car, I had to take off the surface rust.

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IMG_2323 (1).JPG
 
Yes it is. Someone one had blasted the engine compartment but never sealed or coated it. I am going to have to put the car outside under a cover and I did not want to do that without coating the engine bay with something. Fortunately I had some epoxy primer left over from my Cuda.

I am working trying to get the 69 ply wagon put together, doing the wiring now. The owner bought a generic 21 circuit harness from eBay which isn't bad, but they did not supply a wiring diagram and there are a couple of things that I would like to know what they were thinking on it. I am wiring this harness to use the factory bulkhead fitting as well as the other removable sub harnesses such as front lighting, engine, rear lighting, etc. While I am not impressed with Mopar's electrical engineering overall, I do like the sub harnesses and the ability to work on one system at a time.

IMG_2310.JPG
 
Surf around for the 392 cam as a take out and you'll save $300 over that comp cam and still make great power.
 
I am relooking at all my options and it keeps coming back to JEGS. A brand new 5.7 would be $6210 delivered.
 
Hopefully I can get to this but have to do several other cars first; this wagon and then on to the Roadrunner and Satellite swap. My good buddy here (Crash520) and his good ideas... :lol:
 
Got it from JEGS, they were the cheapest I found. On that note, please do not send me other places that are cheaper... its just going to piss me off... LOL I looked and looked and compared what I found. I did find some wholesalers who had comparable or perhaps even slightly less prices, but I felt that JEGS was more focused on the hot rod community and would be slightly better if there was a problem to deal with.
 
70chall440 said:
Hopefully I can get to this but have to do several other cars first; this wagon and then on to the Roadrunner and Satellite swap. My good buddy here (Crash520) and his good ideas... :lol:
Click to expand...
Oh C’mon, you love my good ideas, especially yesterday’s shifter idea.
 
Some of your ideas, but not that one... a 70 RR should have a pistol grip, not a V gate.... might as well mold a big pro stock hood scoop onto it while you are at it... :rofl:

You know I am not a purist but when it comes to the shifter and the air grabber, I don't think they can be improved on...
 
70chall440 said:
Some of your ideas, but not that one... a 70 RR should have a pistol grip, not a V gate.... might as well mold a big pro stock hood scoop onto it while you are at it... :rofl:

You know I am not a purist but when it comes to the shifter and the air grabber, I don't think they can be improved on...
Click to expand...
Ok so let’s move the shifter back to behind the torsion bar crossmember like an W body and shorten the shift lever, I still think it’s doable and not have to cut that crossmember
 
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