1966 Chrysler Newport 4 Door 10,000 Miles on 2040-cars

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That thing got a Hemi? Mopar engine kits make it easier to say yes

Thanks to a new kit from Mopar, classic car owners will have an easier time dropping Hemis into their muscle cars. The kit works with Mopar's 345 and 392 Hemi engines (5.7 and 6.4 liters respectively) and with cars built before 1975. The kit will run $1,795 and has everything needed to get one of the above engines running. The parts include a power distribution system, engine computer, engine and chassis wiring harnesses, O2 and intake air temperature sensors, ground wiring and a gas pedal. The kit is also designed to work with a manual transmission, but Mopar says a transmission such as the Torqueflite 727 and 904 can be made to work with the system. As for examples of the kit in action, take a look at the Jeep CJ66 and Dodge Challenger Shakedown that Mopar revealed this week at the SEMA show. Mopar also offers a few other parts to help complete the project, including various oil pans to clear subframes, a set of headers, and accessory drives for power steering and air conditioning. All of these parts are extra cost though. You'll also need an engine, and the 345 starts at $6,070, and the 392 runs $9,335. However, if you happen to already have one from 2014 or newer, that will work, too. Muscle car fans are getting more choices for their engine conversions. Chevrolet Performance already sells crate engines with "Connect and Cruise" kits to get its engines working in classic cars. The General also offers it with more engines. However, for people who want to keep a Mopar engine in their classic Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, or Jeep, this is a cool new option. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mopar Hemi V8 Engine Swap Kit Image Credit: FCA Aftermarket SEMA Show Chrysler Dodge Performance Classics FCA engine swap SEMA 2016

Chrysler says its 8-speed transmissions will save 700 million gallons

Chrysler Group's TorqueFlite eight-speed transmission could be earning some serious green bragging rights if the company's projections are correct. The recently widely proliferated automatic gearbox, which is now in more than a million vehicles around the world, is poised to save drivers an estimated 700+ million gallons of fuel over the vehicles' lifetimes (an expected cost savings of $2.5 billion). In addition, Chrysler expects a reduction in CO2 emissions by more than six million metric tons. According to Chrysler, and depending on the vehicle, the TorqueFlite can improve fuel economy. The TorqueFlite autobox features particularly close ratios from fifth to eighth gear (see the press release below for the specific numbers), and uses low-viscosity fluid that doesn't need to be replaced. Transmission software adapts to the driving situation to optimize efficiency based on driver behavior, temperature, grade, stability control, and longitudinal and lateral acceleration. The TorqueFlite is capable of handling a variety of duties. As evidenced by the wide range of vehicles Chrysler Group has seen fit to equip with the eight-speed transmission, the TorqueFlite is capable of handling a variety of duties. Since its 2012 introduction, the TorqueFlite has gone from performing cog-swapping duties in Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 models equipped with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 to changing gears in vehicles such as the Pentastar- and Hemi-powered Dodge Durango, Jeep Grand Cherokee and even the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. For the 2015 model year, the eight-speed is finding its way into even more vehicles with the addition of a third version. In addition to the American-made TorqueFlite 845RE and 8HP70, the new 8HP90 will be manufactured in Saarbrucken, Germany. The 8HP90 is designed for higher torque loads, making it ideal for high-performance vehicles like the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. The already-in-use 8HP70 will expand its duties to be used in 2015 Hemi models such as the Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Challenger SRT8. You can see the list of those benchmarks in Chrysler's press release below.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid scored 84 MPGe in government testing

The 2017 Chrysler Pacific, in non-hybrid form, was already at the top of the minivan heap in terms of EPA-rated fuel economy. Now the government agency has released its official test numbers for the Pacifica Hybrid, and they're looking pretty good. The non-hybrid Pacifica achieved 28 highway, 18 city, and 22 combined miles per gallon, which compared favorably to the 2016 Honda Odyssey's 28/19/22 and Nissan Quest's 27/20/23 ratings. You can read more about the regular Pacifica's scores right here. But none of these vans compare to the Pacifica Hybrid, which is incidentally the only hybrid in the class. FCA claims that the EPA's numbers are even better than the anticipated 80 MPGe, although we can't speak to whether that's an honest admission or a too-convenient claim. But there's no denying that the official rating – 84 MPGe – is impressive. If you aren't familiar with the MPGe rating, no worries. It's not as straightforward as conventional EPA MPG ratings, but a layperson can understand how it works. MPGe stands for miles per gallon equivalent, and measures fuel economy based on the energy content of a gallon of petroleum-based gasoline. For those who like formulas, the Automotive X Prize once defined MPGe as (miles driven) / [(total energy of all fuels consumed)/(energy of one gallon of gasoline)]). As for a conventional rating, the EPA only provides a combined city/highway number on the Monroney sticker, and an FCA spokesperson told us that the rating for the Pacifica Hybrid will be 32 MPG. This represents the hybrid working as normal, not in EV-only mode. It's also an improvement of almost 10 MPG over the combined ratings of the top three conventional minivans in the segment, including the non-hybrid Pacifica. Range is also fantastic. The EPA rated the total EV-only range as 33 miles, and the overall combined range at a staggering 566 miles. And that's from a fuel tank that's just 17 gallons (compared to the 19-gallon tank in the conventional Pacifica, which nets it a 418-mile EPA-rated range). FCA is going to extraordinary lengths to credit its eFlite transmission-generator unit, which can supply electric power to the front wheels if necessary. It's a piece of equipment that represents a substantial engineering investment, and apparently that's all paid off. Chrysler tells us that the Pacifica Hybrid will go on sale next month, and that dealers will get more volume in Q1. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.