I know-I know,not a Astro,but still.......

[GEJ]

Three thumbs up to Dodge and their development of the hemi as a factory hot rod.I can only imagine if the varying cam timing and active intake runners where available for SBC's.Yeah GM is eating it again.Gezzzz!!!!.

But none the less,here is the numbers for the Hemi:


http://www.allpar.com/mopar/new-mopar-hemi.html

Yepper-now that is a factory hot rod!!!.

[T.Low]

I was seriously thinking of putting one in my Dakota when I still had it. Just for the fun of it. Then swapping the extended cab for a crew cab, lengthen the frame and put the same 6'3" bed back on.

Then I realized that MOPAR is Mostly Old Parts And Rust. Just kidding. It would have been a good project and i think worth while.

[skippy]

I grew up around MOPAR , my father was a die hard Mopar fan . but i gravitated towards chevy cuz of the cheapness & availability of parts . I have had a few Mopar vehicles as i grew up though that I liked alot . I;ve had dodge vans & a 84 ramcharger that i loved & will probably own dodge again . If i ever find another Ram charger in good shape I'd buy that in a second , i miss mine .

[LiftedAWDAstro]

Hey GEJ, you know the new "Hemi" has been out since 2003 right? You just realizing this? I love the 5.7 hemi in my truck but typical to Dodge, the mileage sucks! GM has it right in that aspect...their engines seem to get better mileage although not a lot more.

[GEJ]

Gots to read the link Deano:

2009 Hemi: 390 hp / 407 lb-ft in the Ram

359-375 hp in cars (as per Car & Driver)

Variable cam timing was introduced for the 2009 model year, increasing efficiency. Other changes include a higher compression ratio; higher-flowing heads, intake, and exhaust; and an active intake manifold that switches from long runners to short runners, to optimize the engine for either better high-end horsepower or better low-end torque. Other upgrades are crankshaft structural upgrades, a dual-mass crankshaft damper, floating pin piston design, valve spring design, and oil pump capacity increase.

and still another part of it:

oh20 also predicted a 6.4 liter Hemi expected to get nearly 500 hp (we have heard a range from 450-480); and that the 6.1 Hemi might get MDS in 2009 or 2010. Larger engines may have been scrapped due to financial shortages and fuel costs.

Yepper-a factory hot rod for sure.

Oh yeah-I read I think in national dragster that big Daddy was coming out of retirement to race a limited edition dodge car.I didn't understand it until I ran across this link.

http://www.allpar.com/photos/dodge/chal ... t/SRT8.jpg

[crash]

best hemi vehicle out there, the cherokee srt-8

oh20 also predicted a 6.4 liter Hemi expected to get nearly 500 hp (we have heard a range from 450-480); and that the 6.1 Hemi might get MDS in 2009 or 2010. Larger engines may have been scrapped due to financial shortages and fuel costs.

doubt there will be any new developments ..chrysler is in horrible shape. december sales were down a 53%, worse than ford or gm. so bad last year that a single toyota model, the camry/solara midsize car, outsold the entire fleet of chrysler passenger cars

I was seriously thinking of putting one in my Dakota when I still had it. Just for the fun of it. Then swapping the extended cab for a crew cab, lengthen the frame and put the same 6'3" bed back on

is there a dakota owner out there that hasn't dreamt of that, hemi in a dakota, nice! why is it that we think about building something better out of what already exists and the automaker can't figure it out, they build what they think we want... ah well, they'll tell us what we want. reason for me not doing it (aside from money) ... the chrys/dodge pcm/tcm controls are a freakin nightmare. sadly enough, from what i've heard, it's cheaper and easier to drop an GM LT or LS motor in a dakota than any other dodge motor.. LOL ](*,)

sorry for my ramble

[GEJ]

Rob-the STR version thru 2008 is 425HP already.

[T.Low]

best hemi vehicle out there, the cherokee srt-8

oh20 also predicted a 6.4 liter Hemi expected to get nearly 500 hp (we have heard a range from 450-480); and that the 6.1 Hemi might get MDS in 2009 or 2010. Larger engines may have been scrapped due to financial shortages and fuel costs.

doubt there will be any new developments ..chrysler is in horrible shape. december sales were down a 53%, worse than ford or gm. so bad last year that a single toyota model, the camry/solara midsize car, outsold the entire fleet of chrysler passenger cars

I was seriously thinking of putting one in my Dakota when I still had it. Just for the fun of it. Then swapping the extended cab for a crew cab, lengthen the frame and put the same 6'3" bed back on

is there a dakota owner out there that hasn't dreamt of that, hemi in a dakota, nice! why is it that we think about building something better out of what already exists and the automaker can't figure it out, they build what they think we want... ah well, they'll tell us what we want. reason for me not doing it (aside from money) ... the chrys/dodge pcm/tcm controls are a freakin nightmare. sadly enough, from what i've heard, it's cheaper and easier to drop an GM LT or LS motor in a dakota than any other dodge motor.. LOL ](*,)

sorry for my ramble

Don't apologize, I hear ya, Brother! And thats why I have to build my own ZR2 Westy version of the Astro!

I've seen the scenario played out in my head more than a few times while ticking the freeway miles off on my way to an off road destination. The young enthusiastic GM intern comes in to the team meeting and awaits his turn eagerly. Finally he gets called upon to present his idea:

Take exisiting themes of Astro and S10 Blazer ZR2 and combine them, with an Eddie Bauer/Westy type camper option. He explains in Deming like fashion of how all the parts already exist, so chassis's design work will be easy, accounting will love the margins, and marketing will love what it does for Brand Enthusiasm, and GM won't loose customers to Volkswagon and will corner the market on the Muscle Mini Van for the active, performance oriented hockey/boy scout Dad, which is an emerging, demograhic. Why design an entirely new SUV that won't be as utilitarian as this new option of an exisiting model? This is the vehicle people want. One car that satisfies so many different needs."

The room goes silent. Stares go from the intern to the Team Leader as others don't dare have their own opinion yet, not on such a radical idea, no, they all wait to see what the safe, conservative, nearing retirement, Team Leader has to say. The Team Leader moves his eyes from the white board to the young man occupying the seat to the right of our hero, and says, "Next"



And as far as I'm concerned, the more rambles on a forum the better.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

Yeah I read the link Gary.

Oh and Dodge only bumped the power because Toyota came out with a more powerful and efficient 5.7 in late 2006. Their 5.7 put out 380 hp and 401 torque...seems Dodge had to up it a little. You know how it is, gotta be a little higher than the rest.

As for the 6.4 Hemi...read the ad..."The 6.4 liter version, at a historic 392 cubic inches, was due in 2010 (we’re not sure if that will still happen), does the SRT-8 one better, and we'd like to know how since the extra size isn't all that much. It generates a full 505 horsepower. Because it’s a crate engine for racing only, some sacrifices made for longevity, gas mileage, and emissions reduction in the SRT-8 version (6.1 liters, created in mid-2005, and not using multiple diplacement) have been removed. This is a race-only engine, and is not legal or practical for street use. The actual SRT-8 engine expected for 2009 models may hit the mid-400s in horsepower." - Seems it isn't even for street use.