thank you for this post...i have a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4x4 with unfortunately the very weak 4.7...i have been having quite a few problems with it...first my water pump shelled out, destroyed my serpentine belt...so once i got it towed to the house, i changed the water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt and all of the fluids...the truck ran good for about a month and a half and then it started to overheat...well needless to say, i blew a head gasket and warped my heads...so i took it somewhere to get it looked at and report it to my warranty company, that was a waste of time...so they were wanting to charge me $8800 for a reman'd 4.7...i told them to p1$$ off...so i got it towed back to my house again...took the heads in, and got them checked out, milled, and got a valve job done...bought all of the gaskets and everything i needed and took it to another shop but they wouldnt do the work...so i deployed for 2 months for the Air Force and when i got back i decided that i would try to do all the work myself...
got the heads on and torqued, put it all back together but it wouldnt start...timing got all out of wack...investigated and realized that the shop pulled the primary chain sprocket bolt...bought all new timing guides, chains and tensioners...put it all back together with the timing perfect...still wont start...it will turn over but wont start...im at my witts end...i absolutely love my truck...i dont want to get rid of it...id rather just swap the motor...with all of this info...i can make it happen...thank you...

 

My Idea when I first started doing this swap was to tie in the wires from the 04' ECM and PCU , and splice everything wire for wire according to the pinouts like I did with the Dakota.. Half way through the swap I found a 04' complete harness and started over.. It was a plug and play swap from there..
My advice to anyone starting this swap would be , Get as much as you can from the Hemi Donor truck..Evap-Purge , ECM , Wiring , Fuel line , APPS Box with throttle cable , Motor mounts , o2 sensors , Cat converters if you're going to use them ,and everything else you can..If you're swaping a Hemi-to a 03'-up Ram It gets easier because those trucks came with the Hemi option , and more things are the same..
I hope the swaps I've done on this sight influenced others to do it too..

 

I got a 2003 QC with a bad 4.7 in it. is it easier to install a hemi in a 2003 than a 2002?

 

Since you could get a hemi in a 2003, and not in 2002, I'd say the answer to your question would be yes

 

It's the same truck either way. Some body, same frame. Just a matter of swapping running gear and PCM/TCM over as well as engine mounts.

 

I just got back online. We just moved 3-1/2 hours North .. Anyone who has moved knows what a pain it is . It makes a Hemi swap look easy..
I couldn't have posted this thread without help.. Thanks to Rapid and others who were here through it and helped me post pics. and offered info..
" THANK YOU " , again ...
The Ram still runs great , I would recommend this swap to anyone who has a blown 4.7 ..They're still junk and not worth repairing once they overheat...

 

Hi my name is Houston i have a 2003 ram that had a 5. 7 in it i bought a 2003 Durango wit a 4.7 in it i have both vehicles.My problem is wiring.I know most people go the other way any advice will be helpful. Thanks