Hi y'all! It's been a long time since my last post but I've been busy. However, things are slowing down and I have a project idea bouncing around in my head.....

My daily driver is a 99 Ram with a 318 that has been moderately souped up costing a good chunk of money. This is mated to an NV4500 and an NP241 HD transfer case. The power train works brilliantly. However, the body is suffering. Hence my idea;

Buy a 3rd gen truck with a blown up drive train and weld engine and transmission mounts into it, and drop my power train into it. Then rewire the 3rd gen engine harness and PCM to run the 318. The reasons are as follows:

I would like to have the true four doors and the newer body style.
The crew that tuned the truck in said the 2nd gen PCMs are slow and difficult to program. (Dunno if that was an excuse tbh)
I have a large amount of money invested in the engine, transmission and transfer case. I would not get my investment back and I would be hard pressed to invest that money again into a 5.7.
I take pride in owning something I built, not bought.

In my head, this would work. The pitfalls would start with the engine and transmission mounts. However, I have a cutting torch and a welder. The second problem would be using the 3rd gen PCM to run it. The biggest difference I am aware of are the newer motors are distributor-less. I would need to convert my distributor to be merely a cam sensor and mount coil packs on the valve covers. The tune should be achievable because as long as you have correct injector timing and correct spark timing, the engine is happy and running ...... right?

I dunno, please go easy on me. Just a thought. Don't shoot me down too hard. Thanks for looking!

 

Some of the early third gens actually came with the magnum v-8's, and transmissions...... I think it was only for a year or two, but, find the right year truck, and what you want should be eminently doable.

 

Pretty sure the 5.7 replaced the 5.9 in 2003 - so thinking 2002 is the year you want to use for the parts that mater.

 

5.9/360 was available for 2002 and first half of 2003. Find you one of those and it'll be pretty much a drop in; mounts, trans and all, just requiring a custom tune to run. Define "souped up" though.....the 318 was always a terrible truck engine compared to the 360. 318 in any form is a small bore short stroke engine (the LA version being a baby bro to the mighty 340 with the same stroke but much larger bores). 318 was much better suited being built for lighter weight vehicles, had a modified 318 that screamed in a Duster. The larger bore and longer stroke of the 360 make it better for torque production. The 3rd gen Ram is heavier than it's predecessor (my 03 quad cab weighs 5300lbs) so you're gonna have some extra weight to move around. That's why 408 strokers are so popular in very early 3rd gens.

 

I have my 2002 5.9 for sale in the Seattle area, come and get it!

 

Thanks for the input! I'll try to answer a few questions.

I started out with having a 318. I rebuilt the bottom end with a .030" overbore and new bearings and rings; other than that it's stock. The top end is where I sank my money and I've been told that was my mistake. I have the Iron Ram heads with oversized exhaust valves, a hot street/strip cam, higher flow fuel injectors (26 lb/hr, I think?) and the Hughes Air Gap intake with the Big Gulp throttle body. Exhaust is a pair of shorty headers into the Y-pipe. I was told I left a lot of horsepower on the table because the bottom end can't keep up with the top. My plan is to buy a 360 block and a stroker kit and move all these parts over.

 

There ya go, although the heads you have might not keep up with a stroker.

 

Yep, cheaper than starting over!