DSkippy

We've touched on it before in other threads, so if this is a bit of rehash; apologies.

We know the base Challenger will be in the "Very Low 20's". The full tilt boogie SRT all options will run (w/o dealer markup) what 42-45K? Keep in mind there is only a 15K warranty on this power train.

What if one were to buy a base for say 21 (that's very low 20's), buy a potent crate (6.1 Hemi for 9.5K), that leaves you w/ 10K to make it like you like it. Remember, you can probably ebay the motor for 3 or 4 K some make it 13-14K to tweak it to your heart's content.

Hmmm........ OR......have an SRT performer for an RT price.

Interesting proposition? OK throw 3-4K in labor to get it all so. Dargh...I've forgotten the tremec transmission 3K.... hmmmm

so 33K for an SRT performer....still interesting right?

Anyone want to flesh the recipe out more?

Paladin06

Yea but, NO WARRANTY and LOW RESALE..

DSkippy

Wow, I thought the engines would have some sort of warranty on them. Of course 15K miles will not last the first year, so that's kind of moot, right?

As far as the resale a base Challenger probably won't have much resale and being that these are most likely the last big 8's or 8's for that measure, not too sure many will be getting rid of them.

I was thinking of this as a Low Cost alternative to an SRT. But there's a point of the the other ancillary components included in the SRT (brakes, suspension, computer, etc).

I was going along the lines of a "eco" muscle car.

JJMPB

we are not exactly sure that the SE wil be low 20's

DSkippy

I guess what they say and what they do are two different things, but I think if they are sliding in sales, I think they would offer these as low as margin will permit to fill the revenue coffers up again. No?

JJMPB

maybe but i see mid 20's

DK challenger

At the lowest price i see it at 23k for the SE.

66Cuda

I think the base price may be 23k... but I would bet that the dealers are going to be marking up every Challenger model for the first few months.

MrKrisSullivan

Yeah I've been saying that the whole time brother!! glad to hear a like mind.
The Crate engines do have warranties so I don't know where you got that from unless your just pesemistic.
My Girls dad builds hot-rods, so I was considering doing this honestly. But I just took a job across town well almost out of town so I'd have to rent a car for a month(still possible) but Im leaning on a LS2 GTO I'll prolly just super-charge it down the road. The Challenger is becoming waaaayy too much of a burden trying to figure out how to actually make it fast. Just too heavy and the price really isn't right yet. I still love it for all it's glory but I guess it really isn't the car for me. It's really hard to say honestly I love my Hemi Ram but Im starting to want a new car down the road and the Challenger just doesn't make CENTS or SENSE for that matter. P.S. a fast car to me is under 5 sec 0-60 so when they figure that out I'll be right back on board. Numbers just don't lie and lets say the Challenger's are big i.e. WEIGHT, PRICE, AND 0-60.

1 Bad Mirada

there is much more to the SRT8 than just the engine...i can almost promise that the suspension in the V6 model will be very different from the 6.1, if not all of the V8 models. you would also have to rework the electronics to work with the V8 engine.

to change from a v6 car to a v8 car takes a great deal more than just putitng it in...so ill run down the things quickly, for those who havent put an engine in a car.

engine mounting:
the motor mounts are almost never the same. also, while the engine bay of the challenger will accept the V8, the items around the V6 are made to work with the V6, so you may find yourself relocating accessories. then, you have to get into the actual engine mounts...for a race car, you simply put in an engine plate, but that makes for a very rough ride, especially with a big idle...so you have to go through fabbing mounts, and possibly fabbing mount locations. next, one the engine is in, you have to rework the entire exhaust setup to work with the V8. then, once that is taken care of you have to get a transmission that will bolt up to the V8. the V6 trans might fit, but its not made to handle that huge power, and the same goes for the driveshaft and rear diff. things might "fit" but those components arent made to handle the power.

so, say that you also buy the 5.7 or 6.1 transmission, and then a driveshaft that will fit, into the stock rear from the V6. you now have to deal with the added weight of the V8, which will cause the car to ride and handle poorly, so you will have to upgrade and adjust the suspension to handle the added weight, and the added power.

so now the engine is in, bolted down, connected back to the wheels, and the suspension will keep the car going forward, now you have to make the engine fire. youd have to buy an entire wiring harness, and make sure that things like the fuel pump and lines are high enough flow to feed this new engine. youd also have to change the engine computer system and trans computer system...and an aftermarket setup is VERY expensive, so youre spending a bunch more money to wire the car to work with the engine and transmission.

then you have that stock V6 rear diff, with stock V6 axles...how long will those hold up to twice as much torque as planned?

Engine swaps to new cars are a bad idea unless you get a bunch of free parts....If you want a "cheap" toy made out of a new challenger, THE way to go is a carbed V8. it might not bolt directly in, but neither will the 6.1, and a truck 360 can be bought for a few hundred dollars...the same goes for a 727 or 904 transmission (which has OD). for less than a grand, you can have a mid 70s to late 80s carbed 360, and a transmission.

a trans shop will rebuild a unit with pretty good internal parts, including a torque convertor, for less than 2000...im sure that buying the stock trans from behind the 6.1 costs more than that in a crate...and a built 727 is about bulletproof.

next, call indy cylinder heads, and order a set of the small block street/race heads...a nice cam, and stock bottom end, with around 9 to 1 compression will make a ton of power...way more than a stock 6.1. putting the whole 360 together with that indy top end setup would cost in the area of 5000, and i think that would cover pretty much everything on the engine, including the carb.

so for less than the cost of that crate motor, you can have a MEAN street motor with none of the electronic nightmares, and it will truly have that V8 rumble..it will still break the rearend, however...and the suspension will need to be upgraded...which is why in the end, i wouldnt have started the project in the first place...it would have been cheaper to buy the srt8