I just bought a 331 HEMI , I am told it is a 54 I have not look at the numbers yet it is still in the truck bed covered in snow. The day we pick it up it started to snow pretty heavy. Valve cover read Chrysler firepower and it standard block , it does not have the upper transmission bell housing casting. The motor looks like it has sat outside for years. This will be a total rebuild. What is the best way to start ? The dip stick is dry no oil or water. I figure put in the garage on a engine stand then start hosing it down with penetrating oil. Pull the valve covers and oil pan. Head bolt any tricks so not to break them off?
Looks like a short bell with a 4 BBL so the '54 is the oldest it can be. Run the numbers and see what it really is. What do you need to get it apart? Penetrants, heat, an impact is useful, and most of all patience. I have a '54 New Yorker in my dirt car (avatar) and have had a lot of success with it. Good luck in your endeavor. (If you're thinking about scrapping the carb, let me know first.)
The valve covers and head bolts shouldn't be a problem. When you have fun, is when you get to where you have to turn the crankshaft, and start removing pistons. I got hold of a Desoto hemi years ago, that looked pretty nice, but the crankcase was total rust. The pistons had swollen and ended up cracking all the bores removing them...so be careful. You'll get an idea of what the condition is after you pull the heads and oil pan off.
I think '54 still had the extended bell housing as part of the block. When I tore mine down, there was a protective coating of sludge on EVERYTHING. Made a mess, but disassembly was easy.
There was a discussion on here a while ago about this, and it seems there were some extended bells used in early '54. Most were short bell, however.
All OEM 4 bl engines are short tails, some long tail 2 bl engines were supposed to be used in ' 54 standard NYers. Hemi Tech Index Start reading. Wouldn't hurt to get Ron Ceridono's Tex Smith Hemi Book. Dissassembly is pretty much like any other engine. If converting to spin on oil filter remove the anti-drain back check ball & assembly under the main cap, & the oil galley plug behind the dizzy.
It looks complete, and the valve cover looks good! Hopefully you oil pan is OK. I haven't found re-pops for my '54 331 yet. Hard to find an original that isn't pin holed. Had to braze mine up pretty big, but it holds oil.
I have a 325 dodge hemi that was in a similar condition. I had little problem removing the heads, but the pistons were not going anywhere. Months of trans fluid, penetrating oil, diesel fuel, and vibration from an air chisel (blunt end) did nothing. I read somewhere to line the lifter valleys with aluminum foil, fill with charcoal briquettes and light it. Two heat cycles later, all eight were bumped out. The oil didn't penetrate in an 1/8 inch. Charcoal is cheap.
Yup, pretty cool item. As far as disassembly, I'd get it level and pour some Marvel Mystery oil in the cylinders and let it sit for awhile. The old parafin oil does a pretty good job at coating EVERYTHING, so even if there isn't oil in the pan it doesn't mean that all is lost. Heat is a good thing too when it comes time to disassemble it. I dunno about that charcoal trick, but some heat from a propane torch usually works pretty good. Aluminum, steel and cast iron all have different expansion rates, so heating up the pistons up with a torch will do a lot to free the rings from the cylinder walls.
Once the charcoal burned toward white, I laid a piece of tin over to drive the heat down. This was the smaller fire to get the last three loose.
Jimpopper, question for you..., has your Dodge been to the machine shop yet? Reassembled and running? Sort of like your hemi bbq idea, but would be concerned about damaging the block. A 325 hemi is sort of a rare piece and a rebuildable core can be expensive compared to other hemis. I've got a 312 Ford that's locked up solid. Maybe heat is the answer. Thanks. -Dave.
I haven't tried it, and easier in winter. but I've read someplace if the block is cold circulating hot water thru it helps free the pistons while they are ice cold
The hemi is still apart but cleaned up for hot tanking. Other projects are coming first. It never changed the color of the iron and although a lot of the remaining grease did run off some, it still had some grease left on some of the surfaces when I removed the foil. The foil was still intact but carboned from the smoke and heat. The tin I laid across did not totally cover the charcoal. I don't think it got much hotter than if it would have been able to run, but the heat cycling did the trick. I also didn't touch it till the following day when it was cool again. It would have been interesting to have used a heat gun on it. I guess you could google how hot charcoal burns (without forcing air across it like in a forge or smelter). Sledge hammering them out would have definitely harmed the block. Although I had to smack them pretty good because they were dry and corroded, I couldn't get them freed up otherwise. I did run a cylinder hone (Glaze Breaker) through them to see what I had and of course they need bored more from corrosion than wear. 63,000 miles - parked in 63 in the woods after a wreck.
Jimpopper, thank you for your response. You've given me something else to think about and possibly try. FWIW I have a 325 also. Luckily it still rotated when I took it apart. -Dave.
As you well know, when the parts buying for the rebuild of this starts, I could do three bellybutton small block chevys for less. I have a narrowed quick change, 700r4 and most of a rough 31 A pickup. I need to finish a wrangler and get the roadster in my avatar closer to done before the truck gets more attention. Most of my friends like my toys and I help them too.
Frozen pistons. Take a big steel rod and BFH, from the oil pan side. Bust the center out of the piston. Sometimes that takes the pressure off the walls.
I bought a long sitting 315 Power Giant hemi a few years ago. It had been sitting in a machine shed for many years by the time I found it. Looked pretty promising from the outside, but was the worst case of internal mess I ever dealt with. The oil pan had been sitting on the earth and the bottom rusted though long ago, relieving it of any oil. Completely rodent infested and, literally, full of grain husks and nesting materials. Ended up using a Sawzall to cut some rods in two, pounded all the piston to bits with iron rod and BFH. Many other frustrating moments, but the block, crank and heads were all salvageable. A lesser engine wouldn't have been worth the effort........but "It's A Hemi" Ray
There's more secret formulas for lubes to free up stuck pistons than lies about virginity, but, FWIW used engine oil out of a diesel engine is supposed to have some magic properties. I had a seized Honda 4 banger and saw someone doing an oil change on their Cummins so gave it a try. Filled up the holes [head still on] and waited a while. A week or so, I think. It worked.
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