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Upgrading Gen 1 4.7L - 2003 Durango

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DelilahDurango

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey folks,

I'm brand new to the forum and don't want to waste time or make anyone answer things already answered well in other threads so please redirect me if the answers are found on another thread. Thanks.

I have a 2003 Durango 4.7 and am planning & saving to upgrade it.

From reading threads, watching "Martinbuilt" on YouTube, and visiting airman.com I think I have a pretty good idea of what id possible and what I'd like to do. It'll be pricey but worth it in the end to breath new life into my Durango.

My question is what the best way nowadays is to get a hold of the 2008-2011 4.7 Intake manifold and camshafts. Looking online it looks like the manifold can be found for about $500 and the cams for about $350 each...pretty pricey and I will try to find a parts car to grab these or get them from a junkyard if I can.

Does anyone know if the 2008 Intake manifold from a Dodge Truck 1500 would work on the 1st gen 4.7L as an upgrade? I am not sure if the later manifold can come from any vehicle that had the 2nd gen 4.7 or if it will only work from certain vehicles.

Also - what are folks doing to upgrade the throttle body these days on these? It looks like Dan Arcand's Fastman Throttle Bodies are no longer available.

Has anyone done the SCAT Rods, ROSS pistons, and CNC ported heads available form airman.com as well?

Do the solid lash adjusters require adjusting on a regular basis?


While I am asking I wonder what the advice is on upgrading a Gen 1 4.7L like this VS swapping the whole motor to a 2008-2011 4.7L instead?


Thanks - I appreciate any help and advice.

Shane
 
#2 ·
Hi Shane:
Welcome to DDN. The 2003 D was the last year of the Gen 1 D's. The 4.7 engine from '00-'07 are alike, and the new version from '08 and newer share little if anything. Since the newer 4.7 was not a factory option in a Gen 1 Durango, making one work there would be quite the task. You could swap in a 5.9 which was offered, and that would be a much easier project. The older 230 hp 4.7 was pretty maxed out from the factory. FCA did offer a 260 hp version of it in the '02 Jeep Grand Cherokee (if memory serves), but the option was not popular and did not remain very long.

One good thing about the '03 Durango, was FCA adding rear disc brakes for that year. The 2nd Gen ('04-'09) had them as standard.

I had an '01 Durango 4.7L, and it was a great vehicle for my first SUV. The extra 100 hp that came along with my '04 Durango 5.7L was a fantastic upgrade, with little to no mpg penalty.

Don
 
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Discussion starter · #3 ·
Don - thank you for the info and thoughts!

I am leaning more towards the usual upgrades rather than a whole engine swap. Especially since I just discovered a junkyard that may have the '08 intake and possibly the '08 cams just 10 miles from my house!

I believe with these upgrades partnered with a good Tuner, rebuilt heads and a few smaller mods this gen 1 4.7 will make me totally happy and be a blast.

I will keep this thread updated as I get to these upgrades.

Shane
 
#4 ·
I could be mistaken but I believe the 1st gen 4.7L carries through to model year 2004. After that the heads are different and I assume the cams also. Not sure if you be able to swap the newer cams into the older motors.

I know when researching rebuilt heads for my 2nd gen 2004 SLT 4.7L, the heads were listed as being in the 2000-2004 years for fitment and compatibility. After 2004 they changed. Might want to research the fitment for years and compatibility.
 
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#5 ·
  • 2000–2003 — 4.7 L (287 cu in) PowerTech V8, 235 hp (175 kW) & 295 lb·ft (400 N·m) of torque
  • 2004–2007 - 4.7 L (287 cu in) Magnum V8, 235 hp (175 kW) at 4500 rpm and 300 lbâ‹…ft (407 Nâ‹…m) at 3600 rpm
  • 2008–2009 - 4.7 L (287 cu in) Corsair V8, 303 hp (226 kW) at 5,650 rpm and 330 lbâ‹…ft (447 Nâ‹…m) at 3,950 rpm
Looks like the Corsair 4.7L is dramatically different with the higher horsepower ratings which I'm sure have different heads/cams, etc.

Here's an Ebay listing when I was thinking of doing replacement rebuilt heads for my 2004 4.7L SLT. Note the model year range of 1999-2004. Must be some change after 2004 to the 4.7L for the heads on compatibility?

2 JEEP CHRYSLER DODGE 4.7 SOHC CYLINDER HEADS 99-04 GASKETS & BOLTS REBUILT | eBay
 
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#6 ·
The Corsair engine uses two plugs per cylinder. I don't think you will find many if any parts from the Corsair that will swap to the older 4.7.

From allpar.com.
"The 2008 Dodge Dakota and Ram pickup trucks, Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUV's, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Jeep Commander came with a Corsair version of the FFV 4.7 L engine, with dual spark plugs per cylinder, a new slant / squish combustion system design, and 9.8:1 compression, raising power to 290–310 hp (216–231 kW) and 320–334 lb⋅ft (434–453 N⋅m) of torque. The 2008 4.7 also features other upgrades including a more aggressive camshaft profile, a 74 mm (2.91 in) throttle body, and an improved intake manifold with shorter runners."


Don
 
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#7 ·
Please keep us updated on your mods and upgrades.

I understand the 2008 and later 4.7 camshaft will fit the earlier 4.7, as well as the 2008 and later intake manifold with a modification for the throttle body that Airman.com sells.

I found an 4.7 HO camshaft on Ebay for my 2000 Durango as I was nervous about whether the 2008 and later camshaft would work. I haven't installed it yet, as a few other repairs have had to come first (radiator and new rocker panels and other rust repair).

Another bolt-on option is the larger throttle body, offered by Airman.com and the fastman.com. That with the 2008 and later intake will be my next upgrades.

I also bought the Superchips programmer. Not sure if it has made a big difference in performance or fuel economy, but it provides good information like transmission temperature and I bought it for a good price.
 
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Discussion starter · #8 ·
Hello Captain Comando!

Yes it does seem the '08 Camshafts will work well, however it is suggested that you upgrade the valve springs and retainers to the HO ones if you upgrade the cams to either the HO or the '08 & later.

Check out this MartinBuilt video for more info:

I will be looking to upgrade the throttle body as well using the airram.com adapter plate.

Which Superchips programmer did you get? So far I have read that the tuners/programmers can make a big difference without even swapping any hardware...but that they are very helpful if you do swap hardware in getting the full potential of your upgrades.

Shane
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Don Fox said:
The Corsair engine uses two plugs per cylinder. I don't think you will find many if any parts from the Corsair that will swap to the older 4.7.

From allpar.com.
"The 2008 Dodge Dakota and Ram pickup trucks, Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUV's, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Jeep Commander came with a Corsair version of the FFV 4.7 L engine, with dual spark plugs per cylinder, a new slant / squish combustion system design, and 9.8:1 compression, raising power to 290–310 hp (216–231 kW) and 320–334 lb⋅ft (434–453 N⋅m) of torque. The 2008 4.7 also features other upgrades including a more aggressive camshaft profile, a 74 mm (2.91 in) throttle body, and an improved intake manifold with shorter runners."


Don
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Don. I see some folks have swapped some parts from later 4.7s to the earlier and some even swap the entire engine. Either way a good deal of mods need to be done. I don't want to swap the whole motor myself and would like to just upgrade my existing 4.7. It'll be a long tough road but I think it'll be great in the end.

Shane
 
#10 ·
As they say Shane, we learn something every day. It would be great if the newer 4.7 pieces will work on the older 4.7 block. When I toured the Delaware plant back in October of '07, I recall one of the Corsair engines there on display. They mentioned the dual plugs, and it sounded like a nice upgrade.
Do keep ups in the loop as to what you are able to accomplish.

Good luck!

Don
 
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Discussion starter · #11 ·
Today I was able to find and pickup a 2008 4.7L Intake Manifold that came off of a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Great find as well because the place that had it already pulled it off the vehicle and the price was less than 1/2 what I am seeing everywhere else to purchase this intake!

112431
 
#12 ·
This bolts up to any 4,7L from 2000 on up?

What about the throttle body? Is it different from earlier years?

Could be some good info for upgrades on earlier cars.
 
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Discussion starter · #13 ·
DuRonbo said:
This bolts up to any 4,7L from 2000 on up?

What about the throttle body? Is it different from earlier years?
Click to expand...
Yes it should bolt up to all 4.7s - I am going to do it on a 2003.

You will need to get an adapter place for the throttle body - I'd suggest the one from www.airram.com

I will also be finding an upgraded throttle body at the same time to take full advantage.
 
#14 ·
It would be great if you could get side by side pictures of your original intake manifold vs the 2008+ one.
 
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#15 ·
So you'll be using your original throttle body with an adapter plate?
 
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#18 ·
My 2004 has 230k miles on the clock and isn't worth upgrading! It's about due for the scrapyard at $300 take away!

I think this is great info for others that want to upgrade.

What do you think you would gain with the intake alone? More torque? Slightly better horsepower figures? I'm not being an ass..just trying to lay out what parts would net what performance gains.
 
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Discussion starter · #19 ·
DuRonbo said:
My 2004 has 230k miles on the clock and isn't worth upgrading! It's about due for the scrapyard at $300 take away!

I think this is great info for others that want to upgrade.

What do you think you would gain with the intake alone? More torque? Slightly better horsepower figures? I'm not being an ass..just trying to lay out what parts would net what performance gains.
Click to expand...
I am definitely not an expert on all of this yet but from what I have read and watched on Youtube from those who have done the upgrade is more HP and maybe a bit more torque. The best improvement comes with making the upgrade complete with multiple parts that work together though. Just the intake alone would provide a bit more power but to really make it worth while upgrade the intake, Camshafts, throttle body...and really the list could go on! Lots of great upgrades for the 4.7s out there - so it depends on how far you want to go. Don't forget the importance of a Tuner as well - especially if you perform the hardware upgrades - you want your computer tuned properly for the changes in the motor.
 
#20 ·
DelilahDurango said:
You may like this:
Click to expand...
Is that the same guy in those videos? Clean cut to hippy style...LOL!
Anyhow he is way over the top in details which is great...though I'd say his cam install I did with a lot less steps and no need for those special tools other than the chain wedge...unless you want to change out the springs in the head.
The cam has provisions for using an adjustable Crescent wench to hold the cam to remove and replace the cam bolt. I also never touched the roller rockers, just unbolt the cam and replace.
I replaced the stock cam in my '01 with the HO cam many years ago and just used the stock lifters. That cam provides a good increase in lower end TQ, but little overall HP gains. A nice cam for a daily driver and for towing.
Tuner is still the best mod IMO for the 4.7L.
If you can find the old Superchips 3715 tuner...buy it.
 
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DelilahDurango
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