Mopar Just Made It Much Easier To Drop A Crate Hemi In Your DIY Build

In the not-too-distant future, when many of us will be driving around in boring electric cars, we’ll look fondly back at Stellantis giving its legendary Hemi V8 a memorable last hurrah. After the Hemi was dropped from the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Charger, and Ram 1500, it seemed the entire Hemi bloodline could go extinct in short order. However, the company spectacularly reversed course last year, bringing it back for the Dodge Durango and Ram 1500. Now, Stellantis has released six new Hemi crate engines through the Direct Connection program to keep the legendary V8 alive.

The new engine packages were unveiled at SEMA and each comes with a matching controller kit, making engine swaps as easy as possible. Included in the lineup of new engines are a pair of monstrous supercharged 6.2-liter V8s that’ll make you forget about some of the brand’s recent missteps, most notably with the controversial, all-electric Dodge Charger Daytona.

Sitting atop the new family of crate engines is the Hellephant Super Stock engine package. The familiar Hemi 6.2-liter V8 has a 3.0-liter supercharger, a 3.02-inch pulley to increase boost, and a sizeable 105 mm throttle body to help it suck in air at an alarming rate. Compared to less engines, this one also has upgraded pistons, new injectors to support E85 fuel, forged steel connecting rods, and a forged steel crank. It delivers up to 1,025 horsepower and 945 pound-feet with E85. The crate engine package also includes all the engine wiring, O2 sensors, the powertrain control module, accelerator pedal, and for models using an automatic transmission, the shifter and brake press switch.

If this extreme engine sounds like a little too much for you, Direct Connection is also selling a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 rated at 885 hp and 787 lb-ft, known as the Hellcrate Redeye. This model uses a smaller 2.7-liter twin-screw supercharger, a cast iron block, and is sold with the same wiring and PCM setup as the Hellephant.

The line-up of crate engines also includes four naturally aspirated options. Sitting at the base of the range is a 5.7-liter V8 offered in Street Strip and Super Stock configurations. Both versions deliver the same 385 hp and 417 lb-ft. What differentiates them? Well, the Super Stock version has Redeye valve springs, an SRT Hellcat oil pump, a larger SRT oil filter, and an SRT oil cooler.

Completing the line-up are a pair of 6.4-liter Hemi V8s rated at 485 hp and 475 lb-ft. They too are sold in Street Strip and Super Stock forms, with the latter adding Redeye valve springs, an SRT Hellcat oil pump, and SRT oil cooler. Direct Connection is also selling crate packages for its TorqueFlite 8HP90 automatic transmission. Shoppers who would rather change their own gears can order a Tremec manual gearbox.

Stellantis has showcased its line of new crate engines with a modified 1967 Plymouth GTX, which we’ve seen in the past. At the 2024 SEMA Show, this classic Mopar was fitted with an EV drivetrain from the 2024 Charger Daytona, but for this year’s show, it returns to its roots with a potent Hellcrate Redeye engine package under the hood. Sales of Direct Connection’s new crate engine packages will begin in the first quarter of 2027.

Stellantis