Might be going to pick up a 54' hemi, and was wondering what kind of power they can put out injected, blown, with carbs. I would like to make a VERY radical street engine. Any info will help, thanks
After you spend about $25K on the 331 it will make about as much power as a crate motor from GM, Ford or Rousch for less than half.
No power at all, drop it off at my house and I'll swap you a 283 with fuelie heads. I honestly don't see 400 as an issue.
1. If you spend $25k on a 331 and do it right, it will make more hp than any $12k crate. 2. It won't suck. You can get a naturally aspirated, carburated 331 to about 400 hp with 10:1 compression, a hot cam and bigger valves. You don't even need to go aluminum heads to do it. Injected and blown? All just about how much boost you're going to run and how much money you want to spend. How much HP do you want?
I knew hemis were expensive but 25 grand???whoa haha. I was hoping to get somewhere near 500. Naturally aspirated if that is possible. I'm in no Rush to put the motor in anything, I'll just be collecting parts, saving. Just want to keep it as inexpensive as possible ha
The '54 331 in my dirt car (my avatar) was completely redone about 15 years ago. It has an Engle roller cam, .060 over 12.5 to one JE pistons, two 2GC carbs (trying to retain that "vintage" look) and a Cirello "Frankenstein" magneto, along with ported heads. The guy that built it said it should make somewhere north of 400 HP. We didn't take the time to dyno it, but this guy has built a LOT of race motors. When it was first done, I had no problems keeping up with the 350 Chevrolets and 351 Fords. Lately though, since guys have started to use the engines from their old 400 sprints in 25 year old Modifieds, I'm coming in last a lot. Interestingly the biggest performance boost on this car came after it was all done and I replaced the dual-point that was in it with a magneto. Guess it takes a lot to fire through all that compression with race gas. BTW, it cost about $6500 to do it right back then.
A little history - Biggs Cunningham was making 400 Hp out of the 331 in the early 50's with the long bell. He ran in the Pan Americana Road Race in the 50's and did some serious racing back then and really made it for the Hemi. I had a prototype dual carb intake 1953 from Bonhalite look up Biggs Cunningham history kinda cool.
A 1954 331 Hemi had 195 hp in stock form with a 2 barrel carb or 235 hp if fitted with a 4 barrel (stock in Imperial)
First off, 'EarlyHemi' and 'inexpensive' are mutually exclusive terms. So, is it blown or not??? The last (streetable) blown 392 we built made right at 1000hp and cost right at $20k. The parts list for a 331 will not vary substantially, but the output will. A blown 331 should be capable of 600hp with 8lbs of boost. You can always 'tip the can' or raise the boost...or both... it all comes down to the dollars you have to spend. A hot 331 with a carb should make 450hp and will cost around $8-10K. You should review the Engine Master Challenge for an overview of the EarlyHemi used for the competition. If you really need 500hp then you will be money ahead if you bite the bullet and buy a 392 to start with. Yes, a 392 core can cost over $2500. .
Good answer from 73RR. My experience has been that it will cost about $20 per horsepower to do a Hemi. That's if you do it correctly.
Which do you want to do inject it or carburate it? I'm absolutely sure you can get 1200 or so HP out of it if you throw enough money at it.
Shit! That mean $40 for me since I just happen to have to do things twice whether I like it or not haha!!
IMHO it has NEVER seemed to matter how much horsepower was made if it's a street driver....just the look of the Hemi between the rails would be enough to discourage the guy next to you at the light... 'course I still live in the 50s By the way Tubman, I'm proud of you....running a Hemi in your dirt car...that's gotta be a rare and wonderful site!
OK which is it injected and blown with carburetors or naturaly aspirated. 500 HP from 331" is a stretch, with what I am seeing that you know by what you have posted you have a very large learning curve. I'm not saying this to be mean to you just honest. There is no such a thing as cheap HP and when you add baby hemi into the equation it becomes more pricey. The original hemis were good engines so don't take this the wrong way but they are extremely over rated in street trim. Yes one can be made to run there are several on here even a couple on this thread that have proven that but its not like assembleing a model car there is a lot of skill and knowledge involved in the making of a stout baby hemi. Going fast has never been cheap or easy. By all means get your hemi and build it, but don't expect it to be more than what it is. I hate to say it but i see this thread going the same way as the fella that was going to build the 400 HP 216" inline.
I spent 7000 on my 331 and it dynoed at 404 at 7000 rpms and in a deuce roadster with a 5 speed it gets 20 mpg.
hi... I am about to find out. just purchased a 1956 dodge 3.5 ton truck low miles 331 hemi old government truck purchaced 340 oil pump conversion kit with deep sump pickup tube oil galley plug and spin on oil filter conversion new rear main seal mopar small block electronic conversion kit. aluminum intake with 600cfm edelbrock carb front cover and pulley kit adapt to gm 700r4 trany.stock 200hp should bump up to about 240hp with 4bll carb from 2bll carb
I spent $5k on my 354, and my friend did the machine work( gave me about half off) with hot heads intake, front cover, Paw crossover & finned valley cover, alum BBC water pump, MSD ready to run dist, had to put some new valves lifters and Isky cam. The expensive part was at the time I spent $1200.00 on bearings, could not get Kings for some reason. I am going to hold onto theis motor unless I get a 392.
Go easy on yourself and buy a Hemi crate engine 426 - 425HP $14,500 http://www.bpeusa.com/P5249667AC.asp 528 - 610HP $18,100 http://www.bpeusa.com/P5007630AC.asp Many more to chose from. Those are 70s style Gen 2, if you want the latest Gen 3 they have them too. 426 585HP $15,196.72 http://www.bpeusa.com/BPE426ENGINE90.asp
Garlits should have put a crate engine in swamp rat. The orange paint, yellow wires and chrome timing cover would have easily doubled the power... Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
331 and 354 hemi low deck is 1/2 lower deck then a 392 is this what make differences in power out put in a natural aspirated motor? Or is it the parts availability and the type of machine work that can be done to the block (example .30 on the cylinder = more displacement) I was looking at the 354 hemi for a street motor I was hoping for 400 to 500hp natural aspirated fuel injected. My cousin is building a 58 Chrysler 392 fuel injected not blown and he will have just under 20k in the motor when finished.
OK, here goes.... gonna get trashed for this one I suppose. What's so cool about having a hemi? What I'm hearing is they are expensive, even more expensive to make power, and it seems that I could get the same HP out of a SBC for probably less than half the cost of a hemi. "But everyone has a sbc, and nobody has a hemi..." Ya, I can see why! lol... Is it just because it looks cool? (I admit, they do look cool). Seriously though, what's the attraction?
Port injection or TBI? The taller deck was a design decision to allow for the long rods in a 392. You can put a 392 crank in a 354 block, still get 392 cubes but with a much shorter con-rod. The rod-stroke ratio is still ok, not great, but ok. It still has the potential for 500hp in street trim with the proper pile-o-parts. No trash talk...if you think that for the same money and the same parts list you can equal the output of an EarlyHemi, inch for inch, go for it. . .
Okay, I just have to ask How much Hp did my fuel 392 make. I got this motor from my dads friend Kris Karamesines. I don't remember what he said, but I am thinking it was over 2000hp.
Hemi's cool factor has to do with the sound of them as well as the look. There's no other choice in a vintage Mopar streeter......overweight and oversexed.
Hemi's are just bad ass. Big, mean & loud as hell. Here's what a 1000 hp 392 looks like. Stupid money in this engine but it draws a crowd when people hear it through 3 1/2" exhaust.
I grew up reading my Dad's pre 1970 Hot Rod Magazines. Pretty well defined things for me. The HP king that all the big boys ran was a hemi... period. Building my Dragmaster I wanted that same feel. Same for my coupe before it. If you don't have the disease that's fine... more for the rest of us. ;-)
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