What is the future for Mopar V8s?

[skip0110]

Every American manufacturer used to have just a few basic engine designs that they reused with different tuning through differnt model lines. With automated design, I'm seeing a lot of new engine designs rather than just a few well-though out ones from the Mopar crew. Whats going on here?

Ford:
Has their modular OHC engine series. This is in 3.9 L, 4.6 L, (now) 5.0 L, or 5.4 L form, can be supercharged or not, and had 2, 3, and 4 valve head available. In other words, it can satisfy pretty much any non-commercial need from passenger cars to trucks, high revving or high torque. Well though out and dead reliable. Cheap parts, too.

Chevy:
Well, the words "venerable" and "small block" fit perfectly together. Do I need to go on? Silverado to Cadillac to Corvette, or LS1 to Vortech, or 350 to 305, it does everything. And fairly well, too.

Mopar:
Well, there is the 318/360 small block dating back to the sixties that is still used in Dakota trucks. Is this going to stay in production? There is also the 4.7 L SOHC V8 seen in the Jeep Grand Cherokee. I though a few years ago, before the new hemi rumors started circulating, that this engine would become the primary design seen in all Mopars. Is it not more suited to passenger cars (especially luxury ones) than a pushrod engine? What is going to happen to this (relatively unused) engine architecture? And now there is the Hemi, which I though would stay a truck engine. But it is in the 300C, where I think the 4.7 Jeep engine should be sitting. Does Mopar have a plan here, and I'm just not seeing it? Enlighten me.

 

[Firebird]

The LA-series engines (318/360/3.9L V6) have been dead for at least a year now. The Ram dropped these engines with the recent redesign, the Ram Van/Wagon was axed in favour of the Sprinter and the Dakota has moved on to the 3.7L V6 and 4.7L V8.

For now the 4.7L seems to be relegated to trucks and SUVs, but there are continuous rumours that it will appear in the 300 and Magnum as a stop-gap between the Hemi and 3.5L V6. The 3.5L-powered 300 for example takes about 9 seconds in 0-60mph sprints, which is a pretty large gap between the low 5's the 300C takes.

Nobody really knows if Chrysler has a plan for their V8's. GM and Ford info is relatively easy to come by (I mean, we knew for over a year before release that Ford was going to use a 3-valve head and GM's new LS2 would displace 6.0L and make about 400hp), but Chrysler insider info is very hard to obtain. There are persitent rumours of the 4.7L being used in the rear-drive cars, Hemi-head V6's, 6.1L Hemi V8's, Hemi-head Viper V10's and there's even a rumour of an all-aluminum Hemi-head version of the 17-year-old AMC 4.0L I6 making its appearance sometime in the next couple years.

 

[skip0110]

Thanks for the info. Apparently I missed that the small-black Mopars finally went out of production. RIP, I guess.

Originally posted by Firebird
For now the 4.7L seems to be relegated to trucks and SUVs, but there are continuous rumours that it will appear in the 300 and Magnum as a stop-gap between the Hemi and 3.5L V6. The 3.5L-powered 300 for example takes about 9 seconds in 0-60mph sprints, which is a pretty large gap between the low 5's the 300C takes.

Nobody really knows if Chrysler has a plan for their V8's. GM and Ford info is relatively easy to come by (I mean, we knew for over a year before release that Ford was going to use a 3-valve head and GM's new LS2 would displace 6.0L and make about 400hp), but Chrysler insider info is very hard to obtain. There are persitent rumours of the 4.7L being used in the rear-drive cars, Hemi-head V6's, 6.1L Hemi V8's, Hemi-head Viper V10's and there's even a rumour of an all-aluminum Hemi-head version of the 17-year-old AMC 4.0L I6 making its appearance sometime in the next couple years.

Putting the 4.7 in the Magnum/300 makes a lot of sense, and frankly I had expected to see higher-displacement versions of this engine, but with the Hemi I dont think thats gonna happen. To address the other rumors that you mentioned:

Hemi-head V6: yeah, seems likely, but migh ti dilute the "Hemi" aura by applying the label to a V6?

6.1L Hemi V8: Bound to happen sooner or later.

Hemi-head Viper V10: I dont see this happening. The Viper engine is special already, and make plenty power as it is. Also, I was under the impression that the "Hemi" nature of the new hemi is not as exaggerated as in the original, in fact, I though that the heads had the normal heart-shape (just like Vortech heads....) and Hemi was more of a marketing plan. So putting the heads on Viper would have little benefit.

AMC I6: Do you mean the slant 6? Its coming back, and in aluminum like it was originally meant to be? With hemi heads? Hmmm, Chrysler is really poised to make a comeback, then. That should make some serious power for its weight.

 

[Firebird]

Originally posted by skip0110
Hemi-head V6: yeah, seems likely, but migh ti dilute the "Hemi" aura by applying the label to a V6? (Chrysler more than likely would not put the 'HEMI' label on it, but it would have hemispherical combustion chambers.)

AMC I6: Do you mean the slant 6? Its coming back, and in aluminum like it was originally meant to be? With hemi heads? Hmmm, Chrysler is really poised to make a comeback, then. That should make some serious power for its weight. (No, I didn't mean The Slant Six. I mean American Motors Corporation 4.0L (242ci) OHV I6, as found in the WJ and TJ.)