y not build a 6.1 and stroke it to a 426 than...

 

As far as I know, tdmopar59, the 6.1 is an almuminum block and personaly(and this is just my personal preference) I don't like aluminum blocks. I'm and old school cast iron man, it takes the heat and pounding over a lifetime better than aluminum. I don't want to have to replace the block down the road in 5-7 years if I ran the hell of it(and I'm sure I will. Any young guy with a done up 426 who ISN'T racing it either on a track, or down a wide open highway with clear roads as far as he can see is just wasting money really.)
I could be wrong, perhaps it is a cast block, but then thats still a fairly big stroke/bore job. My 440's are 7.2 liters, so a 426 is what, 7.0, maybe a 7.1?(Sorry, I'm too lazy to do the math right now, I just woke up.) I'd have to gain .9 liters on a already fairly small block. Maybe it can be done, but it seems a bit risky.

 

check out krcperformance.com they have all kinds of kits

 

Thanks for the link td! Checking that site out right now. And while it seems like they can do a lot of work to make the new hemi's breath fire, I still have to say I'm dissapointed with the performance from the factory. Off the line, yes, it IS a fun truck to drive and it can spin the tires. I'll give it that. But after that, it seems to kinda slack off pretty quick.

 

so are you going to build an engine for your truck that may or maynot need to be rebuilt in 5-7 years or is this truck going to be gone in a year or two. again, what do you want? this gas truck, or the cummins? you obviously want power, but from what truck? decide what truck you want....a diesel (free fuel, right?), or a gasser that has another $10k in mods. if it's the diesel, save some money then buy it. if it's the gasser...go crazy, it's yours already. but again, if you don't want the gasser, and if it's going to be gone in a year or two, don't spend any money on it. you won't get it back on the resale, warranty will probably be voided, and by spending however much on mods...you'll spend just as much on repairs for every weak component.
it sounds like you already have enough garage projects to play with. if it were me, i'd leave this truck alone and save money for the down payment on a cummins whenever you can afford it. if you wanna go fast, get out the old dodge pick-up and flog the hell out of it.

 

You make some very good points sa1765. What I want is simple. For pure speed and fun, I HAVE the truck I'm building to stroke out a 440 to a 512 with a supercharger on it, so if my work truck isn't the fastest at the quarter mile, who cares. I want to get a NEW work truck in a year or 2 so I can get a diesel longbox like I want, not a hemi shortbox. BUT, for the time being, I'm still sitting with a half ton hemi that got smoked in top end and highway acceleration by a much bigger heavier ford 350 super duty diesel. When it comes to towing, a diesel should rule, when it comes to accelerating, a gas SHOULD be the victor. Such was not the case, and honestly, it annoys me.
The Hemi legacy is a well known legacy in the automotive world. The 426 hemi is a very well known motor, and theres tons of records that can be pulled up to show its wins, its faults, its pluses and etc so I wont do all that here. The 345 they pass as a hemi these days is what concerns me. I was HOPING a chip could maybe unlock some nerfing dodge put in at the factory for god knows what reason. Making sure the warrenty is doable, perhaps it was environmental issues, I don't know.
All I know, is my 6000 pound gas half ton hemi(stock) was outperformed by a stock 8000-9000 pound ford diesel. Yes, we didn't start off the line and HAD we of, perhaps I would have stomped him. Most likely, I would have. But, as of right now, I don't know. Highway performance I do know, and I got beat. I have 3.55 gearing in the rear end, and honestly I don't know what he has but probably something close to that effect. It seems quite curious to me that a lighter vehical with a high performance motor(after all, isn't that what the HEMI is all about?) can be outran by a heavier vehical with a motor more suited to towing.

 

The new Hemi makes about 1hp per cubic inch. That's pretty consistent with most V-8s these days. Looking at the displacement, I am having a hard time figuring out why you expected more.

And comparing modern engines, their requirements, and their technology, to older engines is apples and oranges. Waste of time, really.

After reading this, I am not sure what you really want. Best of luck finding it.

 

oh get real, guys who can afford it buy speed and power, theirs nothing wrong with the hemi, it has set the standard in gas powerd trucks, A f-16 hornant is going to blow my doors of, but I'm not out thier trying to race one, or complaining that my truck is slow.

Fords suck, I'm a ex ford owner new to dodge, but comparing gas to a diesel is apples to oranges, for the extra 7 grand for a power stroke or cumins it should out perform a gaser, thats why your paying the price.

My little hemi and 6sp runs dam well awsome against the diesel crowd, I'm not faster off the line, but the diesel guys, modded or not really push thier rigs harder than I push mine.

And a diesl truck torqued out with a lift kit, draq racer driver out on the streat is a nice looking tomb stone, add the oil patch, long hours and gravel roads and I;m more than happy with my Knock off hemi..

 

I don't understand all the talk about racing! We are talking about trucks. Right!! I love the hell out of mine, but I got it for the family to go in, or every now and then a run to Lowe's for something, I mean it's a truck it's not made to race. I have my 68 Mustang for that.

 

Get an Intake,full exhaust (headers back) and a superchips. Ive beat 2 diesels with that combo. One was a 07 Cummins with at least exhaust for mods maybe more and it hung with me for a second then I started pulling and by 115 I had 15 truck lengths on him. The other was a 6.0 superduty with a loud exhaust thats all I could tell for mods and he to stayed at my rear bumper for a couple of seconds then I started pullingand by 120 he was out of sight in my mirror then 5 min later after slowing way down i let him fly by me.