swap out 3.5L HO V6 with HEMI or just try to trade toward loaded R/T?
 

So my mag's been in the shop for a little over 6 months now, and i'm finally getting her back soon after long battles with insurance and parts dealers givin me bad parts... it prevented me (both timewise and financially) from building up my SXT to be more powerful and efficient than it was stock, but made me realize, i don't want the V6... it was never that powerful or efficient to begin with, and doing similar work to a HEMI would yield similar efficiency but obviously a lot more power...

The Question:

Do i just try to trade in towards a loaded R/T? or do I try to build my car from the engine back?

she's an 05, with only 38,000 miles, but I've had to replace 2 wheels, the battery, the fuel tank, a control arm, the front bumper and a fog light in the past year, so i've already unhapilly dropped plenty of money on her, and if it's cost effective, i'd like to put some dollars into making her what I want. I know I need the engine (5.7L HEMI, she's still gonna be my daily driver so no need for the 6.1), an engine-back exhaust system, upgraded brakes, upgraded air intake, but what else? also note, if i keep her, i'm gonna look for a heated leather driver's seat as well lol

Thanks for any advice in advance!

From my experience, it's always tough and expensive to go from a less powerful version of a car to more potent one, especially nowadays with all of the exclusive parts and computer tuning and whatnot necessary to run the newly built car. I had a buddy who bought a wrecked SRT Maggie and swapped the motor, computer, steering column, some suspension, instrument panel and a host of other things over a period of months and it still doesn't run all that great. Same thing with all of my friends who've done the late model V6 to V8 Mustang swaps.

IMHO, you're better off just selling yours and buying an R/T. No headaches, hassles and you'll be on the road a lot sooner enjoying your ride!

But I'm only one voice...in the end, the choice is yours:)

Sounds like you wrecked it.....Trade it ! Buy something with a Hemi.. You are talking a MAJOR change to the car. The All wheel drive is going to be a problem too .... Sort of like building a race car from scratch. Problems with computers, fitment

I agree, trade it for what you want. You will be happier in the long run.

While swapping in a 5.7L would be cool, it would be a huge waste of money without swapping in other items. I'm not sure what Chrysler used for a tranny behind the AWD V6 but I'm sure it won't hold up to a mild 5.7L.

I vote sell your car and buy what you want. It'll be cheaper and way easier in the long run.