A couple of questions; What was the displacement dimensions of a 301 Chrysler ? Not a 331. I recall a motor out of a 51' (maybe a 52') New Yorker (wasn't an Imperial), hemi heads, and bellhousing cast on the block much like an antique Ford. None of the parts were useable for a race motor and I always thought it was a 301. This was late 60's and my recollection may not be perfectly accurate. Second (and more on topic), what's the best trick for those tiny valves in a Red Ram hemi? I had one complete Dodge Super Red Ram and most everything except a block for another that sat around my shop for decades. In the early 90's, a collector saw it and I let him have it all for $100. If there were a way to use good heads or open the ports and use large valves with the stockers, I would have thought about making a tiny 280" or 290" fuel motor. Tom S. in Tn.
The 301 is a one-year-only deal, 1955 windsor. The EarlyHemi started life as a 331 in 1951. Variations followed. .
I am not going to say the valves in the Dodge hemis are large, but I will say that they may be more adequate than you perceive. Among the various reasons for adopting the hemi head design was improved breathing. Other designs often are required to use larger ports/valves to equal what the hemi design provides naturally. For street use, too large ports and valves can impede performance. I do realize you said a 'fuel' engine, and for that.....maybe they are too small..... Ray
#67; " I do realize you said a 'fuel' engine, and for that.....maybe they are too small..... " That was the draw back. The only purpose to use an early Chrysler was for fuel racing because they were the only mfg'r with a practical hemi head for their motors. M/T derivatives, Ford etc were not practical for average jr fuel racers. If those little Dodges had heads even equal to a Desoto they would have beat h-l out of the little Chev buzz bomb cars that weighed < 800lb with a driver. I always thought that 301 was a Hemi also, not a Windsor. If the rear of the block had a conventional bellhousing arrangement, it would have been considered. That's been a long time ago. Thanx; Tom S.
You're still a bit confused. If it had the long tail it was a 51-3 331 Hemi. The 301 Chr Poly was a short tail block.
The extended bell you're talking about would have made that engine a 331. Putting a 4 speed behind an extended bell now is pretty easy, since you can use a hydraulic throw out and get rid of the need for a clutch fork. With that gone, you can pretty much just use a flat plate and bolt a 4 speed right onto the end of the extended bell. Obviously the plate will have to be sized to get the input shaft length right. And adapters are out there now to bolt up just about any transmission you want to an extended bell, so those blocks are becoming a lot more popular. The 301 was a Poly, and had the normal block configuration of the later 331/354/392 engines. You can use Chrysler hemi heads on the 301's, they bolt up just fine. If you go with the later heads (bigger valves) you might have to clearance the tops of the bores, as the 3.625 bore is pretty small for the hemi heads. As far as the "baby" hemi's go, keep in mind also that the later 315/325 Dodge hemi heads will bolt right up to the earlier blocks. No spacers are needed, as unlike the 392's Dodge didn't add material into the heads to use the same intakes on the taller deck height engines. The later heads have bigger ports and valves. Probably overkill for a 241, but on a 270 they should work very well.
Friend of mine has a running 259 Dodge truck hemi. Came out of a Seattle Light utility truck. How can that be?
In truck applications there are documented cases of the the same ID code being used on two different engines: VT338 was used on both the 241 and the 260 (that's a 259 to George...), the 241 could be either Hemi or Poly. Could the 260 have been equipped with Hemi heads from the factory? Possibly, but no one has provided documentation AFAIK... .
I always thought that motor was a 301, but at any rate we were always looking for smaller displacement for the larger Chrysler and an alternative better than hard to find Desoto's. We concluded sleeving a 331 would have been best, but again, that was years ago. Wish I'd had this much info back then; Tom S. in Tn. addenum; I thought of this after I posted the above, but I have forever wondered how close bore centers of early small Dodge/Desoto hemis are to later mopar V-8's, or the possibility of using those heads on a later block.
Study this small pic from the Thunderbolt discussion thread. The Thompson heads on this FE were quite close to original Chrysler heads they were patterned after. With enough ingenuity, anything is possible; Tom S. in Tn.
kinda new just joined the h.a.m.b today. I got a 1953 241 hemi (going on a 29 A)was in a barn for like 30 yrs a block away from my home.Its geting rebuilt as we speak.It came with a factory 4bbl intake cast #1537723-1 date 5-15-55 i think its from a 270.It looks like it fits the 241?can anybody let me now if im rite and if it works with the 241? pleas im going crazy so i joined the h.a.m.b. thanx...... also do 270 valves work on the 241 thanx again....... kevo-
Yes, it will fit the 241. The later Dodge 315 and 325 blocks are "raised deck".....241, 259, 270 are all the same block deck height and manifolds interchange. It also matters not whether it is a hemi or poly, same manifold dimensions. Ray
Welcome aboard! Yes, you can use 270 valves. There are also some 'brand-x' valves that are a good interchange (and alot cheaper). Your machinist should be able to identify them by comparing sizes. No, you didn't hear it from me... .
Newbie here but not new to Mopars. Just picked up a 241 Red Ram for a friend to display in his man cave. It has chrome valve covers, oil cap, front pulley's, and oil filter housing. It has been through a few floods and is seized up. The owner just couldn't scrap it out.
This thing is advertised for sale locally. It has a '55 Desoto Hemi in an old WWII truck chassis and a buch of mismatched car sheetmetal thrown on it. I want it for the sheer fact that nobody else probably does.
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