Help me make my decision...Gen II or Gen III

[Simple]

I have a 70 Cuda. Currently has a 440 in it with 727 Tranny. I will be selling this motor. I can not decide if I want to put the Gen II Hemi or the Gen III Hemi (6.1 or 6.4) (probably 6.4). Leave a simple answer to which you think I should go with. I know going with the 6.4 I will have to change tranny as well.

[ToxicWolf]

I went with the gen II because i wanted to stick with the look of the original 426. 

[Katfish]

Depends on if you drive it, Gen 2 for low mileage, car show only car.
Gen 3 if you drive it at all, just too many advances to not take advantage of.........l

[Spartan040]

I'm going to join with the general consensus here, gen 3 for sure. Decent mileage especially for what it is, very light (470 pounds), advantages and advances of modern technology and it's already set up for EFI, and has more power to size ratio than a gen 1 or 2 hemi. Plus it has a ton of potential for the future, their performance can be put way beyond what it is stock from the factory.

[Simple]

How about their value? Which will hold best value?

[Spartan040]

How about their value? Which will hold best value?

Gen 2 will probably hold more value, but again it depends on what your goals are. Do you want a valuable show car, or something that you can have fun with and even drive everyday?

[Simple]

Probably both...drive and show

[Haddixj]

I think it depends on how much you plan on driving or if MPG is even a factor for you. For me everywhere is 60 miles round trip so a car that can only manage 8-9 MPG isnt going to work because I don't want to have to stop and fill up everytime I drive it.

[Chryco Psycho]

Cost should be cheaper with the Gen III although you need a lot of parts to make it work computer if you stay with EFI which I would for sure , mounts , 518 or RFE545 trans , tunnel mods mounts & headers at least . You could also install a carb & intake on it but why give up all the tech advantage ?
 Gen II is just the cost of the engine alone & then you need mounts headers etc & can use a 518 OD if you change the belhousing , easier bolt in & more correct look , more power & you can add  EFI .
 Both have been done numerous times so no real adavntage from the cool factor !

[HP2]

How much work are you doing yourself in this conversion and how are your fabricating and programming skills? What budget are you targeting for the conversion?

Gen 2 is a straight bolt in. You can add an auxiliary OD unit to make it long trip friendly and there are plenty of bolt in items to make it fit and function. Gen 3 will require mods to fit. Not all off the shelf parts fit correctly. If you stick with EFI, then you have sensor, wiring and programing to address as well.

Cost wise they may be a wash. Gen 2 are pretty expensive up front, but won't require an long list of custom stuff to fit and work like Gen 3 will. 5.7 Gen 3 can be picked up pretty reasonably since they can be scrounged out of late model cars and trucks. Not sure how pricing and availability is with any of the 6+ liter versions.

Value probably will favor the Gen 2 since it was an option in a 70.  However, to the right person, a Gen 3 conversion may carry value. If you ever need to unload it fast, the Gen 2 will sell quicker, IMO, than the Gen 3 for these reasons.

Both have been done. Browse the board and see some details.

[Simple]

My so. And I will be doing the project. Both of us are decent mechanics and are comfortable with doing fabrications as well. We have a body shop. Guess I would need to drive someone else's to see how they run. Driving a new 2015 6.1 or 6.4 doesn't give the true feel and sound.

[Oldschool]

I think the Gen II is the way to go in your car. Several factors figure in for me.  First, it was a factory option back in the day, so the transplant isn't all that difficult to do. Second, it has huge appeal when looking under the hood. And third, while the Gen III's can make pretty good HP, they can't come close to the stump pulling torque of the Gen II's. And while HP makes for a lot of fun while driving, it's torque that sits your butt back in the seat when you hit the loud pedal. The Gen II's have tons of torque to launch you from the stoplight and the unequaled head flow and HP to keep that car accelerating.