Originally Posted by DDIRI

I'm in the process of swapping a hemi into my 97. These guys who tell you that you are going to spend ten grand on it before its done are full of it, no offense to anyone but unless you have firsthand knowledge you should probably chime out, the way to do it is find a wrecked Gen3 that way you have everything I picked up my rolled 03 for a grand and after scraping the truck and selling some parts I'm about 480 into it and I still have my 360 trans and t case to unload along with some other miscellaneous parts. So the cost of a built 360 is bunk unless you consider a CAI and new plug wires built. Craigslist is the best place to find the truck you just have to be patient. There are several online with tranny and t case anywhere from 1300 to 2500. If you're going to do it do it don't let others stop you all you need to have fabricated is motor mounts PM if you have any questions I'm more than happy to help. Also the guys on the Dakota forums are a good source for hemi swaps.

Originally Posted by maddog 23

Think about this...I stroked my 360, performer rpm heads, shorty headers, kb pistons, hemifever tune, and a few other little tricks for about 7K (overestimate). I make about 400 horse, and 500lbs torque. That's still less than the cost to do a HEMI swap!