Thanks man, I am aiming to have this whole thing done by August of 08, I am only 18 keep in mind so even though I have a steady job at a garage I need to save money while I spend lol.

 

i feel ya... im 18 too! lol i had a 96 and got this in July i saved and saved and saved than one day it was all gone and i had this no i spend all my money modding this thing!!!

 

Screw the Hemi idea, why don't you just stroke that 360 to a 408?
Tried and true technology, no guesswork and kits are readily available(or swap out your core for one that's already done).
I know KRC Performance does these all the time and sells some nice kits for not a lot of $, or at least not alot compared to buying a Hemi.
Marty at KRC has the 408 in his truck and last I heard he's making like 402 HP and 411 Torque, would that possibly do it for you?

 

yea... thats another good point you could always work the hell out of the motor you already got for the price it would cost you for a hemi swap and all that

 

for an 18 year old (not saying you're making a bad choice here) but working the motor over seems like the route to go, that way instead of a puzzled look when you tell people you have a Hemi, you can go on with i've done this and that, and now i'm makin xxxhp and xxx ft lbs trq. just sounds cooler and is probably the better financial route as well. just. .02

 

yeah dude, work over the 360....i'm rebuilding a 360 for my ramcharger simply because it's cheaper and easier to do and can't afford to have this truck down for very long....they swap into a 2nd gen wouldn't be very easy, and you'd more then likely be better off buying a crate 5.7 or 6.4L and putting that in there....yeah it'd be cool, but a 408 is still bigger then a 6.4L..which is 392

 

I've got to agree with the others, do the 360 up nice and save the time, headache, and pain of trying to swap in a Hemi. It sounds like you'd definately be in at least an infrequently ventured area, meaning "developmental" kits, custom fab, tons of downtime, and if it breaks your screwed...A worked over 360 is nothin' to sniff at (I love my Hemi but at heart I still dig the LA motors)...Everything from shiney valve covers to hardcore fully built motors are available from several reputable places. Another thing to consider is emissions and state requirements. I don't know about your neck of the woods, but in mine "the man" sticks it to ya and makes you get special licenses, etc.. if you make a radical change like that and intend to drive it on the street...I don't think they are expensive or hard to get, but one more pain in the butt to deal with....

...still..if you've somehow got the resources, probably another vehicle to drive as this one will be down for a long time, do it hardcore. Supercharge a 6.1L Hemi and throw it up in the air with big 'ol super swamper tires and a gigantic lift [sm=shades.gif]..(not really being serious here)..

 

Until you guys work with a 360 I don't think their is room to talk, there is barely any aftermarket support compaired to the hemi engine, the hemi makes more efficient power, and its plug and play as far as my research tells me.

 

Kevin and I were talking this out earlier today, and I thinkyou guys are being closed minded. Its not the simple factor of money for power. A 6.1 hemi produces 425hp for $6500, to get a 360 to do that, your about to spend the same ammount. At that point youve already done mods to the 360, whereas the 6.1 is still stock. The 6.1 still has more room to mod, not to mention the aftermarket on hemi motors is EXPLODING, just like modular motors, and LSx motors. Its the muscle car race all over again, and the ones that benifit are the owners of those cars. 360 motors were only put in dodge trucks, and look how many of us are hardcore racers. There will never be the aftermarket for the 360 that the versitile 6.1 has.

 

Something isamiss, the guru at KRC Performance was just telling me that he can take a stock 360 and make 402 RWHP for about $2500. So, if by your estimation, it costs $6500 to get to 425 HP then I could live with the twenty some less HP for $4000 less.