Thoughts on a hellcat engine pullout for $5500

[TexasRoadRunner68]

It's almost at core price for the engine and sc. Oil cooler and ic cooler included?

That was sort of my thought. These are being discontinued as of December 2023 per stellantis. I imagine the price of a core will only go up. How much, I’m not sure. I could break it down and do the bearings, rings, have the crank polished and whatever else and put it back together…assuming there’s not something critically wrong.

I suppose I could check the oil and try to see if I can remove the pan before buying.

He might even take $5k…which I would imagine isn’t a bad deal for a core. I believe it comes with the coolers and he does have a wiring harness. It isn’t stolen like I’m sure plenty are. Sure, you can get a running one for $14k, but I feel like you could do a lot with that extra money if most the parts are decent.
But I may be wrong.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Best we print off some "Hurt feelings" reporting sheets.

Yeah, pretty sure we need some of those....

 

[Cojohnso1]

I would offer $4.5k. If engine has damage as expected. Or long in the tooth. You can recover much your cost piecing the engine out. Unless there is major damage. But pics suggest not. At least no hole in the block. Or a rod kicked out.

The worse the guy says is no?

 

[furious70]

That was sort of my thought. These are being discontinued as of December 2023 per stellantis. I imagine the price of a core will only go up. How much, I’m not sure. I could break it down and do the bearings, rings, have the crank polished and whatever else and put it back together…assuming there’s not something critically wrong.

I suppose I could check the oil and try to see if I can remove the pan before buying.

He might even take $5k…which I would imagine isn’t a bad deal for a core. I believe it comes with the coolers and he does have a wiring harness. It isn’t stolen like I’m sure plenty are. Sure, you can get a running one for $14k, but I feel like you could do a lot with that extra money if most the parts are decent.
But I may be wrong.

If it was local to me I'd probably already own it. If still hooked to the trans maybe you could hotwire for a compression test

 

[moparedtn]

The way the coils are all off the valve covers and the blower lid is loose tells me all I need to know....
There's bits and pieces taken loose off the thing that weren't necessary to extract it from the car.
Somebody has been "diagnosing".

 

[70 sublime]

If you have to sell some of your other toy parts just to get it for a maybe future project and all the extra questions that are coming up on this engine I think I would pass also on it
Too many chance not worth it if it can not be heard running

 

[TexasRoadRunner68]

I would offer $4.5k. If engine has damage as expected. Or long in the tooth. You can recover much your cost piecing the engine out. Unless there is major damage. But pics suggest not. At least no hole in the block. Or a rod kicked out.

The worse the guy says is no?

I hit him at $4750…he countered back at $5k. He says it turns over and isnt seized. He claims he pulled the trans as a backup or replacement for the one in his car that has issues with third gear.

I imagine that’s still not terrible even if it needs to be freshened up.

It’d be great to hear it run, but this is t priced like a running hellcat.

 

[Cojohnso1]

I hit him at $4750…he countered back at $5k. He says it turns over and isnt seized. He claims he pulled the trans as a backup or replacement for the one in his car that has issues with third gear.

I imagine that’s still not terrible even if it needs to be freshened up.

It’d be great to hear it run, but this is t priced like a running hellcat.

There is certainly some upside room here. Let us know if you pull the trigger. And of course what you find?

 

[TexasRoadRunner68]

Well, I do own it now. I would bet it’s a runner…I just need an oil cooler, intercooler, radiator, spark plugs and an ecu. Apparently the mopar stand-alone ecu is on backorder forever…but it won’t be a bad garage decoration until I can find one.

 

[Cojohnso1]

Congrats. And hopefully it powers a Mopar once again soon.

 

[TexasRoadRunner68]

Congrats. And hopefully it powers a Mopar once again soon.

I’d love to find another b body to put it in. Ideally a 68-70 roadrunner or a 69-70 coronet super bee. I doubt another charger is in the cards, unless my uncle wants to sell me his project 68.


I wouldn’t be opposed to throwing it in a 55 Chevy for the sake of blasphemy…

 

[kiwigtx]

I’d love to find another b body to put it in. Ideally a 68-70 roadrunner or a 69-70 coronet super bee. I doubt another charger is in the cards, unless my uncle wants to sell me his project 68.


I wouldn’t be opposed to throwing it in a 55 Chevy for the sake of blasphemy…

Return the favour for all those LS swapping guys.

 

[TexasRoadRunner68]

Return the favour for all those LS swapping guys.

I will say, LS swapping is cheaper and easier. I can see why people do it. How is it that the only real option for hellcat swaps is the standalone ECU from mopar that is backordered for MONTHS? You can send the factory LS ECU and harness to shops to have it cut down and programmed for your application.

 

[kiwigtx]

How is it that the only real option for hellcat swaps is the standalone ECU from mopar that is backordered for MONTHS?

The company is run from Italy....so I guess you need o factor in siesta's and slow working practices as well as the 'not interested' side.

I wish it was easier also....lots of guys here have struggled with transmission swaps over the years, and earlier HEMI swaps from Viper's and trucks.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

We have guy locally that reflashes LS & Coyote PCM's... But can't/doesn't do anything with Hellcat PCM's, Sez Mopar won't release the code... I've always liked my vintage Mopars but the modern company sucks...Mopar Performance parts are overpriced & under perform... The company doesn't support aftermarket performance parts...

 

[furious70]

Congrats! I've been looking for my 69 Coronet. I have a 21 charger wbhc and driving it is an eye opener to what these engines are.

 

[Cojohnso1]

I’d love to find another b body to put it in. Ideally a 68-70 roadrunner or a 69-70 coronet super bee. I doubt another charger is in the cards, unless my uncle wants to sell me his project 68.


I wouldn’t be opposed to throwing it in a 55 Chevy for the sake of blasphemy…

I have the car for something like that. A '69 GTX. Very good driver shape car that's not close to numbers matching. Bought car 5 years back because of that. And of course at a non matching price. The guy who did this car passed away now coming up to 20 years ago. So any trail is cold. In fact. Can't even confirm its a true GTX? Lol. But it has goodies. 18-spine A833. Now with new big Centerforce clutch. (Jury still out on my thoughts of the newer diaphragm design.) Dana rear. 3.54:1 gear set.

That Hellcat engine would be a fun upgrade. But the dilemma. How to talk myself into pulling a very decent running mild built 440? (About 400 HP)

I think I would have bought that engine just on the possibilities. Lol.

 

[TexasRoadRunner68]

We have guy locally that reflashes LS & Coyote PCM's... But can't/doesn't do anything with Hellcat PCM's, Sez Mopar won't release the code... I've always liked my vintage Mopars but the modern company sucks...Mopar Performance parts are overpriced & under perform... The company doesn't support aftermarket performance parts...

You can build a 600-700 hp eBay turbo 5.3 for dirt cheap. And they are durable. I love Mopar, but seeing my parents 6.0 ls go 425k on the stock bottom end has been nothing but impressive. Obviously I’ll spend the money to go mopar, but it sucks mopar is so much more difficult to get right.

 

[TexasRoadRunner68]

I have the car for something like that. A '69 GTX. Very good driver shape car that's not close to numbers matching. Bought car 5 years back because of that. And of course at a non matching price. The guy who did this car passed away now coming up to 20 years ago. So any trail is cold. In fact. Can't even confirm its a true GTX? Lol. But it has goodies. 18-spine A833. Now with new big Centerforce clutch. (Jury still out on my thoughts of the newer diaphragm design.) Dana rear. 3.54:1 gear set.

That Hellcat engine would be a fun upgrade. But the dilemma. How to talk myself into pulling a very decent running mild built 440? (About 400 HP)

I think I would have bought that engine just on the possibilities. Lol.

It’s a whole different world. 440s supposedly start coming apart at 600-650 crank hp. The hellcats block is supposedly good to 1500 crank and the cranks are supposedly unbroken. The rods are the weak link, but once you swap them out and add more boost or nitrous it’ll supposedly survive at 1200 rwhp or something like that.

Even a stock 707 crank hp is like a well built street big block, peak hp wise.

 

[coronet68mx]

Congratulations I think is a good engine but a long time proyect, hellcat engines are really sought after, check youtube videos for people who has rebuild this engines.