The 3.8 had two basic faults. One was the way the rod bearing keeper was designed to prevent the bearing from spinning inside the rod end and the other was the very thin oil rings in the piston which caused excess oil consumption. Aftermarket rods and pistons (yeah go with forged) fix these two issues. Other than that the 3.8 was a very stout engine. Dodge made Can Am race cars that used the same earlier 3.3 liter design in those cars. That shows how they could stand up.