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Talking crate engines with Jeep Performance at SEMA

We talk to Jeep Performance Division at SEMA this year to get the inside scoop.


I recently attended SEMA 2017 on behalf of CarAdvice and StreetFX, to check out some of the aftermarket goodies on show.

In this video, we have a chat to Todd Beddick, product manager in the Jeep Performance Division, to discuss the range of Mopar crate engines you can buy off-the-shelf for your project car.

The program removes a lot of the guesswork usually involved in getting a project going, by taking car of complex elements like the ECU.

Anyone who has tried to swap an engine using traditional methods will be familiar with the mess of wiring, piggy-back controllers, and all manner of other black-boxes required to make an engine work in a foreign environment.

Mopar will now be selling a ‘plug-and-play’ engine swap kit for its 5.7-litre and 6.4-litre HEMI engines.

It’s no secret modifiers have been fitting these engines into all manner of classic Chryslers around the world – and Valiants in Australia. But owners have traditionally been forced to use aftermarket computers, wiring harnesses, fly by wire pedal modifications and control modules. Not anymore.

Kits are designed for vehicles from 1975 and earlier, and include the power distribution centre, powertrain control module, engine and chassis harness and accelerator pedal, so modifiers can plug-and-play.

The crate electrical install kits retail for US$1795 ($2357) – not including the engine, of course – illustrating how affordable modern engine swaps can be in the USA. There's no word as to whether we'll see the engines and kits available through Chrysler in Australia, but they do have a Mopar part number – so fingers crossed.

For a full kit including the 707hp "hell crate" engine, expect to fork out around US$20,000 ($26,260). That isn't too bad in the scheme of things, especially when you consider the fact you won't have the headache of paying for looms and debugging electrical systems, which can get very expensive.

The best about this whole thing? You retain your factory engine warranty if installed correctly.

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