I have a 04 ram with the 5.7 HEMI. Its getting higher miles and I dont see myself getting s new truck because I really enjoy my truck. What I have thought about is building a new motor on the side, something I could really play with. Are the blocks different between the 5.7 and the 6.1? I am planning a build for my truck, lift, wheels, custom paint etc. I want a stronger motor I can throw a kenne bell on or something. I know I could find a complete motor with harness and ecu used from a wrecked car or something, but figuring out options. Thanks

 

The 6.1 block is stronger than the 5.7, but was never designed for use in trucks. You would either have to adapt your intake to fit the 6.1 heads or use the 6.1 intake with an altered front cover and electric fan. You will have to either program or flash your PCM to take advantage of the engine, as you will not be able to use the pass. car PCM in a Ram (just for starters).

 

so, i would be better, if i did decide i had to have a 6.1, to just find a 6.1 and swap all the needed stuff into my truck?

how much can the 5.7 block handle?

 

Likely more than the 6.1 due to it's thicker walls. The 6.1 can handle over 1000hp before the block requires filling and to my knowledge nobody has tried taking a 5.7 based stroker that far. Also the 6.1 and 5.7 blocks are identical shape on the outside so you can simply re-use your 5.7 heads (might as well rebuilt and upgrade them while you're at it) and front cover/accessories and it's good to go.

 

Seems like most people who regularly go over 6-7psi end u blowing something, since this engine wasn't overbuilt for that.
I don't think I would use the 5.7 heads unless I was sticking with the stock intake. If I were going to go through the bother of swapping in a 6.1 or larger, I wouldn't want to hold it back with the stock heads.

 

You might wanna consider asking what the rest of the drivetrain can handle, and what that will cost before you get really serious about the horsepower. Horsepower is easy to make these days, getting it to the ground repeatedly (sp?) thats often more troublesome, especially if you're starting with a 1500 setup.

 

X2
A 9.25 is fairly strong, and swapping an even stronger SRT Dana 60 is fairly straightforward. Your weak link here is transmission and driveshaft. I can't figure out how the 2wd QC driveshaft holds together with stock power, much less enhanced. Somebody on here awhile back shredded theirs (there were pictures). It looked like aluminum thin as a coke can wrapped around cardboard.

 

If I were doing a 6.1 it would be a complete 6.1 with 6.1 heads, intake and everything else.

 

im not talking about more than 500-600 hp. i just want some more. i plan on lifting it and bigger wheels and tires. i run a small paint shop soo i am doing a lot of this stuff myself. mine is 4wd, not sure what trans, transfer case or rear i have. would the stock 5.7 block handle 500-600?

 

Yes and easily. The weakest components are the cast pistons and connecting rods and they can handle 500-550 hp. The 6.1 components are not any stronger than the 5.7 except for the forged crankshaft vs the 5.7 cast crankshaft. Regardless, I haven't heard of anyone breaking a 5.7 crankshaft.