5.7 Hemi in an '86 Ramcharger

Discussion of the 5.7L-6.1L-6.4L HEMIs.

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binoc5150
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:07 pm

5.7 Hemi in an '86 Ramcharger

Post by binoc5150 »

Any ideas on how to put a 5.7 in a '86 Ramcharger? I am concerned with mounting to 727 transmission; the motor mounts, mounting of the power steering pump etc, to the motor.
392heminut
Posts: 488
Joined: Sat Nov 30, 2002 2:16 pm

Re: 5.7 Hemi in an '86 Ramcharger

Post by 392heminut »

I'm not sure what style of motor mounts the Ramcharger has, check with TTI and see if their adapter plates will work for your application.

As for the TF727, it will bolt right up to the 5.7 with no problems if it's a small block tranny. You will need to get a flexplate from Mopar Performance (the easiest solution) or a flexplate from a 5.7 pickup and have a machine shop cut the starter ring gear off of it. Also, if you use a pickup flexplate you will have to elongate one hole for the offset lug on the 727 torque converter (doesn't matter which one, the 5.7 uses a neutral balance). I also had to take just a little off the outside edge of each hole as it seams the the bolt circle on the flexplate was just a hair smaller than the bolt circle on my torque converter. It's not a problem as the torque converter centers on the crank hub, not on the bolt holes. It's my understanding that some of the car applications had a reducer ring pressed into the crank hub, and if your engine has one it will need to be pulled out or the torque converter won't seat in the back of the crank. Check all this stuff and make sure the torque converter bolts up okay before you put the engine in, it's much easier to deal with this stuff before the engine is in the vehicle. Also, if your torque converter has any balance weights on it you will need to remove them because, as I said earlier, the 5.7 is neutral balanced.

For power steering I used the pump that was on the 5.7. The original hoses were still on the pump and I just shortened the pressure hose and had a new fitting crimped on the end to fit my steering box. The return line on the hemi is 5/8" and the line on the steering box is 3/8". I got a 5/8" hose barb and a 3/8" hose barb and a coupler and made an adapter to hook the return line up. There's been some talk (mostly from Street & Performance in Mena, Arkansas) that the 5.7 steering pump puts out too much pressure for the older Mopar steering boxes, but I have not found this to be true. I've been running the stock 5.7 pump for almost a year with no problems whatsoever, and I've talked to a couple of other people who have used it with no problems.

If you're going to run the stock fuel injection you will need to put a high pressure fuel system in the vehicle, with a return line to the tank. You will also need a controller. The factory controller and wiring harness can be modified by Street & Performance to work in your application, but has very limited tuning capabilities. There are aftermarket controller setups that have more capabilities to deal with future engine upgrades (cams etc.) but they cost more. Your choice!
Owner of the Poor Man's Hemi Cuda
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