Engine Comparisons - Ford vs Dodge

[knightjp]

OK.. We all know that when it comes to engine transplants for your project or kit car, Chevy engines are the top choice. Simple, reliable, easy aftermarket, etc.. makes the small-block and LS engines the top choice...
But who would take second place??? Ford or Dodge....
Dodge makes the awesome sounding Hemi. Its a brilliant engine in both the old variants and the new ones. Early modern versions of the Hemi, from what I've gathered are pretty solid but not as powerful and don't pack the same punch as the legendary ones of old. But in the latest versions, Dodge seems to be correcting that error. That along with the electronically controlled cylinder management system for good fuel economy, Dodge clearly has a winner on their hands. Whether it proves to be reliable is too soon to tell I guess... If anyone has experience with the new Hemis, please do share...
Ford ofcourse has its modular engine to contend with it and the latest Boss 302 is an awesome testiment to Ford's engineering skills.
But also lets not forget the variants produced by Roush and Edelbrock and the awesome shotgun Boss 9 produced by John Kaase.

But lets forget variants and concentrate on Ford Racing and Dodge's Mopar.
Comparing the engines available right now with them, who has the better one in terms of reliability, troubleshooting, etc.. ???

[Tony Silva]

I would have to say the Dodge would be a better choice for a engine transplant project. Probably because you have a wider chioce of which level of performance you want. With Ford you either get the Hi Performance V8 engine or you get an average performance engine. And with Dodge you could chose anything from a supercharged 4 cylinder or a Hemi V8 or the Viper V10. I don't think ford has any supercharged 4 cylinder engines. Fords modular V8's are pretty potent. Fords V10 can't touch the Dodge SRT-10

As for the new Hemi's not making the same power as the legendary ones...yes Dodge is getting the power levels some-what-kinda close to the old days Now-a-days, Dodge is making power with better engine management, but back in the late 60's-early 70's Dodge was making rediculous power levels with higher compression.

[knightjp]

Originally Posted by Tony Silva

I would have to say the Dodge would be a better choice for a engine transplant project. Probably because you have a wider chioce of which level of performance you want. With Ford you either get the Hi Performance V8 engine or you get an average performance engine. And with Dodge you could chose anything from a supercharged 4 cylinder or a Hemi V8 or the Viper V10. I don't think ford has any supercharged 4 cylinder engines. Fords modular V8's are pretty potent. Fords V10 can't touch the Dodge SRT-10

As for the new Hemi's not making the same power as the legendary ones...yes Dodge is getting the power levels some-what-kinda close to the old days Now-a-days, Dodge is making power with better engine management, but back in the late 60's-early 70's Dodge was making rediculous power levels with higher compression.

I do agree with you that Dodge does offer more choice when it comes to engines. But the main focus here is which brand is chosen more for projects. If Ford... why? If Dodge... again Why???

I saw a guy put a Viper V10 into a Ford Maverick, simply because it wasn't done before....
Video Link

Fords modular engines are appreciated in the vehicles they come in, but you hardly hear of it being a choice for a project car... Most people looking towards Ford almost always go for a Cobra 427 stroker motor or one of the Roush / Edelbrock variants.

Dodge / Mopar fans prefer the 426 Elephants for their classic muscle cars. But what if you are working on something neutral and you had a choice for a powertrain. Which of the two would you choose and why???

Every so often when I think I've found a winner, I see a video that makes me think twice... The new ads / videos on the testing for the Ecoboost engines from Ford for instance. Rather promising results for an engine. Would consider scrapping a V8 for one of those if they are that good.
So far every engine built by Ford and Chrysler have been met with mixed results. Oh GM isn't out of this too... (For all you GM lovers)..
All 3 have built engines that have caused people to both smile and frown... I would have to say that every engine has a flaw in its design and its simple.. which ones can you live with and which ones you can't.


Getting back to Dodge, I can't help wonder. Did Dodge ever use their merger with Mercedes to gain a better engine design for the Hemi? After all, Mercedes does produce the most powerful N/A V8 in the world and it isn't a 426ci unit... its smaller.
I've noticed that the new AMG V8s sound amazing with a thunderous, yet tuned exhaust note. Certainly wasn't that prominent in the earlier V8s they produced. The Dodge Hemi is more louder, a bit cruder, but almost similar in sound.

[knightjp]

Quite a few views.. no votes and no replies...

However did my own research online and found out the engine with the most amount or respect is the HEMI. That name holds a lot of respect.
Probably more than the BOSS engines.

Any comments???