WEDGE WORLD NEWS
From Hughes Engines
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And truth to wonderful
World of Mopar wedge engines
Issue #8 Magnum Engine Build-ups
Dodge Magnum Engine 1992 - 2003 are different from other Dodge Wedge Engine build-ups because of their Powertrain Control Module (P.C.M.). Go back and read Wedge World Tech #2.
Another item you must deal with is the actual compression ratio. It is “Factory advertised” at 9:1, yeah right! If you measure everything you will be faced with the reality that it is only 8:1 at best!
So what? So, this! You don’t have much pressure pushing the pistons down (Low compression pressure), so what? So, this, if you are reading this, you want more power than you hae with the stock engine. So, you have to push the pistons down harder. That means more compression and more air/fuel mixture to burn and expand. But wait: and we have not yet finished with the bad news! The camshaft is as low performance as the compression ratio! So where do you start? We have special cams and kits for both the stock 5.2 and 5.9 Engines. Drop-in cam kits. These cam kits are shown along with the proper valve springs, retainers, and pushrods you will need to make it work; plus, what power you can expect from them. The rockers are a 1.6:1 ratio which is a good start. These cams work without re-programing your P.C.M. along with these drop-in cam kits you can add on headers and our F I Airgap intake & throttle body without re-programing the P.C.M.
Any modifications you make other than these will affect the vacuum, and you know what they will do ‘cause you read wedge World Tech #4 Right?If you don’t, do it now before you read further and make an expensive mistake.
Now go further and you will have to get your P.C.M. re-programmed. If you are good with that and the cost, read on.
One of the first things you will want to do is raise the compression. Milling the factory heads to gain compression sounds good but the devil is in the details. To mill the heads enough to get the compression to what you need (9:1+), is going to require milling to the intake manifold or the intake side of the heads to allow the intake manifold to fit properly. This means that this type of work needs to go to a high-performance machine shop. If you can find one! Now with the heads on the block you may find that your pushrods are too long. (Does it ever end; this is the way to power) Or you could get new higher compression pistons - more details. You will need to completely disassemble the engine, press the old pistons off the rods and press the new ones on. Should you rebalance the engine? The new pistons probably don’t weigh what the originals did. How about the bearings, do you need new ones? Did you find the cylinder walls were worn enough to need boring and honing the walls? Now with the work you are looking at, you are only a crank and rods short of a stroker. How does a 426 (Hemi sized) magnum sound? Real good! Now you will require a re-tuned PCM. So, while you’re at it you might as well go for the cam & kit and aluminum heads, and you will need wider tires!
If you call us with your budget, we will help you get the most bang for your buck because we specialize in magnum engines!
