2003 Dodge Ram Hemi Engine Modification - 21st Century Hop-UP

Replacing the timing chain on a 5.7 Hemi requires lining up three separate locations. The lower gear has its crankshaft-keyed groove in the two o'clock position; the chain has two blue links that go in at the six o'clock position; the top gear has a small dot that aligns with another dot on the chain at the twelve o'clock position.

Since we were using a slightly larger than stock camshaft, we also changed out the stock springs on the Patriot heads. The O.E. springs on the heads may be fine for the small cam, but we wanted the added insurance of the aftermarket spring matched to the camshaft.

The Patriot heads began as a stock cylinder head, and then received a five-axis CNC porting. This definitely increases the efficiency of the head-and power.

If you want to reduce parasitic power loss, an underdrive pulley is the easiest way to do that. This ASP pulley is 20-percent smaller than the stock unit, and ASP tells us it's good for about a 12hp increase at the flywheel.

The engine definitely looked different thanks to a few cans of paint and some powdercoating on the oil pan and brackets. Then it was time to put it back in, but before we did, we decided to change the torque converter. The TCI converter has a slightly higher stall speed and is more efficient than the stock converter, so we couldn't help but install one. Remember to oil the converter's pump drive before installing it to avoid damaging the seal

It almost seems a shame to cover up the engine with all the accessories.

What good is a performance engine if it can't breathe properly? We contacted Afco products, the makers of Dynatech headers, and got their SuperMAXX Hemi truck headers. The system is made of stainless steel so it will not rust, has an extra thick .375-inch flange so it shouldn't leak, and is fully OBD-II compatible. NOTE: Check your local laws, because according to Dynatech, "These products are intended for racing and off-road applications. Not legal for sale or use in the state of California, nor in states which have adopted California emission standards."

The Dynatech headers come in a raw finish. We sent ours out for a ceramic coating to dress them up a little; ceramic coating actually helps performance.