Technical Early Dodge Truck Hemi Identification, and Good Buy?

Thinking about making an offer on this Hemi, and was hoping I could get some help identifying it before I do. From my research, because it has plain valve covers without anything stamped in them it's from a large Dodge truck? Possibly a 331 or 354? I also read that this is actually a Chrysler hemi, and is unrelated to the smaller Dodge hemi? Please confirm. It's Stamped VT350 and 843TV(?) or VT348(?). Seller hasn't pulled the valve covers yet to get other numbers. It does turn over, but looks like there's some rust on the valves. Are these buildable, or are parts unobtanium? Do parts interchange with the Chrysler hemi? Should I run away or buy it? He says he's open to offers, is $200 reasonable to pay for this? $500? $1000? I have no current plans for this engine, but a Hemi powered Model A would be cool to build someday.

 

I think that is an industrial Chrysler probably a 354based on the tall exhaust heat passage, pads cast on the ends of the heads and the water pump .
Exhaust heat passage

Pad on cylinder head

Different timing cover/water pump, it covers extra holes at bottom of block


There are probably more things, like I noticed a mount cast into the front cover, what appears to be a snout for a hand crank (?) on the crankshaft and you might try looking at the exhaust valve stems. Industrial Chryslers had sodium cooled exhausts with larger diameter stems.
I found this info in the Tex Smith/Ron Ceridano
book The Complete Chrysler Hemi.

 

Have the seller tell you a price
You can’t be buyer and seller.

 

$1,000 and under is a deal!

 

I wouldn't pay Scrap Price for it without doing a teardown and looking for Freeze brakes. That thing reeks of being exposed to outdoor weather as it sets. Water getting in is the Devil. If you end up with it be prepared to do an exterior detail and be just a display motor with little hopes of ever running again. I love Hemi's and have more than one at this time. I also have one currently at the machine shop making a Big Dent in my wallet. Once you start you can't stop. The bill yesterday is past 10K and we don't have valves yet. They are out of stock as were the bearings. Valves are a maybe at 4 months. We waited 6 weeks to get bearings. Hot Heads can supply some stuff that's fine some not so fine as I have learned. Proceed cautiously and be prepared to take out a Bank Loan to make Bail at the Machine Shop.

 

VT348 & VT350 is a 331.

 

^^^^^^^all of that!
Regardless of the reputation the hemi engine has as a high quality design I would approach the seller as if this had no more value than a common door stop, albeit a very heavy door stop as it could turn out to be just that.
As it sits, the reputation is all it has going for it, and besides, they're still not all that hard to find.

 

Sounds like I should be walking away unless I can get it for $100-$200. Thanks!

 

If he advertised it and someone didn't snap it up quickly..........or he's had lots of tire kickers but no one pony up some money, then I'd offer may $250 face to face. It he comes back really high......I'd make a final reasonably low offer and then leave him a contact number. Even though its a Hemi, its still unknown if its rebuildable. If it was a really desirable buy, I'd think the Hemi guys would have pounced already.

 

Doesn't @Kerry have an industrial hemi in his Pontiac coupe?
@chicken

 

I had a flathead given to me about 20 years ago that looked to be in the same shape this thing is. After tripping over it for a year or so, a guy offered me $50 for it, so down the road it went. I talked to him about a year later and asked what happened to that engine. He said that he had tried everything up to and including immersing it in diesel fuel in a heated 55 gallon drum. He said he finally got it apart with great difficulty, and there were virtually no salvagable parts. The block was badly cracked and the internal components seriously corroded.

You might get lucky, but don't count on it.

 

What this image shows me is a verry poor Core motor that someone that knew what it was, walked away from. That generally doesn't happen to Good motors. I'm 77 years young and in all my life there has never been a time Hemi's weren't desirable enough to take care of them. Good ones always sell easily. That tells me enough to approach it with suspicions of major damage. At the very least it's going to Damage your wallet pretty severally before you hear it run.

 

Depending on your Toy Box and space they look grate all detailed up sitting on a stand. What's that worth to ya?

 

Don't be too discouraged with the engine. I got a 58 Dodge truck engine from a 2 1/2 ton truck given to me. It came to me after sitting on a friend's patio on end and one head missing. I hauled it home, identified it, disassembled it and rebuilt it. I used 56 354 passenger car heads on it and a Hot Hemi heads manifold. Schneider ground me a cam and I had the rotating assembly balanced. It is in my avatar roadster since 2009 and has performed flawlessly. There are other minor things different from a passenger car, but easily overcome and well worth the effort. It was absolutely worth the effort once I realized that hemi parts are made from that rare alloy. Unobtanium! Ron Ceridono's book was quite helpful, but doesn't contain every bit of information. A few items from a 318-360 interchange and help keep the cost down a bit. I have run the crap out of it, all over the southwest without problem. It still runs at 180° with 70 lbs of oil pressure. I used a Hot Hemi heads adapter on it and coupled it to a 76 AMC Pacer overdrive trans. The trans is actually a Ford full syncro 3 speed with a Laycock overdrive attached, which was an option on 75-77 AMC Pacers, Gremlins, and Hornets. I put a Jeep top shifter on mine and it looks right at home in my roadster. The Ford full syncro 3 speed is a little brother of the venerable Ford 4 speed top loader and is just as tough. I put a lighted rocker switch on the edge of the dash to control the overdrive. The way it is set up, I have 6 speeds forward 1st, 1st over, 2nd, 2nd over, 3rd and 3rd over. Great fun to drive and as dependable as Lassie! Over 40k miles and not always treated nicely! I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

Glad you didn't say "it would look great on a stand in your Man Cave", not that you would!

 

Id be sure what size it is before buying it .
Id not give over $500 for it as it sits unless its got some desirable heads or something you know will off set the cost of it unless I could see the bores and the inside . It might already bored were it cant be rebored
Id want to see bores and the heads off especially if its a 331. Its a gamble other wise

I have a 1954 331 that's complete from fan to transmission output shaft with a 2bbl on it that im assured ran by a close friend . I gave $500 for it and I'm trying to get a run stand made to find out if its any good or not . If its not useable with out a full rebuild I may not keep it as I'm not going to spend $5000 or more to rebuild it and make maybe 300HP or so and ill need a expensive intake and every thing else to make it look cool.

That engine looks rough and looks like its had a lot of crap get in it so Id pull the heads before even thinking about trying to run it an look at what's on top of the pistons .
The more I look at these old low compression heavy ass Hemis that are not 392's and see how everything does not swap around and the cost of getting a transmission on them worth a crap the more I understand why the SBC was the go to for so many guys back then.

The only reason Im trying to run one ( 331 ) is because of the its cool factor and mystic and it looks cool but its a anchor vs a good 327 or 350 that cost me maybe $500 to go through if I have a good bore block and can make $500 HP these days with cheap head and less weight.
Im going to try and use mine but it seems like I'm going back wards unless I'm spending a lot of money and then id be better of finding a 392 as a base

 

I'm pretty much a Chevy guy, and like a kazillion other people, I think Chevys make an excellent engine for a hot rod.
With todays technology, a Chevy is pretty much gonna out run any Gen 1 Hemi unless its got a supercharger.

That being said I'll confess (IMHO).........I still think a Hemi is the best looking Hot Rod engine ever in the open engine compartment of an early Ford HotRod. Just can't deny them that.

 

I’d pay $200 all day any day for it

 

Yeap I want mine in a channeled 31 A PU with a 32 grill no fenders .
It needs multi carbs and or a blower and even if it only had 150 HP and runs good its purely a looks thing. Im passing over a 700HP BBC for the looks of a 200 HP Hemi LOL

Lets flip it around and say the SBC was only a 3 year run in certain models and were made in very limited quantities and hard to find today and the 331 was made in the millions for say 50 years and a dime a dozen and the 392 and blown drag cars never happend . Guys would be wetting them selves to get a cool looking light weight compact SBC that makes 400HP with a cam and porting in there cars .
A SBC is a good looking engine its clean and simple in design and uncluttered its just there is to many of them and not rare and exotic .

IF mine will run as is or can be made good with the bores as is ill make it work.
the fact is for the cost of a carbureted 331 Hemi rebuild I can build a new 671 blown forged piston aluminum head 383 SBC that makes 700HP and has a lot of eye candy bolted to it and its hard to say a blown SBC or BBC does not have a really good cool / look factor and you then get the HP also .

I STILL WANT A HEMI POWERED ROD

 

My neighbor had a 241 that powered a welder or large generator, I forget.
He was a hoarder though and didn’t want to sell me the engine.
I don’t even know if it ran or not.
I just wanted the “cool factor look” as well.

 

Yes, a 354 I believe.

 

It was given to me. I have around 4 grand in the rebuild doing as much myself as possible. It will probably be late summer until I hear it run. I wanted it in my model A pickup for the enjoyment of those who know.

 

The rebuild cost is the reason that I haven't done anything with the 330 Desoto hemi that I have had for over 30 years. The full rebuild kit on Ebay runs 1999.00 eBay item number:312280428616 Then you have the machine work.

 

I'm with Fargo. I'd start at $100 with the hope he'd counter $200. Heck, in a worst-case scenario, you could get a chunk of that back selling off the valve covers.

 

The cost to rebuild the rockers/rails is something you don’t have with your SBC. Then there’s the $330 main bearings to fit the 10 thou. Under reground crank which cost 318 bucks. Definitely not a budget build candidate.

 

Take a hard look at the sides of the block around the core plugs as this is where they will crack from freeze damage. Cracks do not mean the block is junk, it just means that you will get them welded. No big deal.
Now, if it happens that more than 2 or 3 cylinders have freeze damage then some additional consideration must be given to the price.
Parts are available. Yes, perhaps a bit more than a shiverlay, but not much different than a 50's Cad, Olds or Packard. So, just how badly do you want an EarlyHemi?
The heads are actually quite good; large ports that flow well in stock form. Stainless steel valves are available so that's not an issue and it looks like new guides will be part of the rebuild. The tall center port is NOT exhaust, it is water and easy enough to reshape to use with a 354-392 intake.
The cranks are nearly indestructible. Even if all else is junk the crank can fetch $400-500 if it hasn't been turned too many times. I wouldn't be surprised if it was std/std.
Forged pistons are available from dozens of vendors, about $800. New cam cores are sporadically available from the usual big-guys and then you can use the LA timing chain set. With a tall intermediate shaft you can also use the LA distributor. The front of the block has the same pattern as the 51-54 33 pass car so easy enough to get rid of the truck front cover. New water pumps are now available so that's done.

Yeah, it looks a bit rough but after a through cleanup it will be a different story. Call if you have questions.

 

I have actually repaired the freeze cracks your talking about without welding. A drill and 3/8" tap, lots of patience, some 3/8" bolts, lock tight and a grinder. If your good you can't tell once done and it's watertight.

 

could that motor have come from a boat?

 

The engine the OP posted I'd say no although some Chrysler industrial hemis were used for boat engines.

I couldn't find it in my photobucket pages but somewhere in my archives I have a photo I took of a Chrysler Hemi that was up on a wood stand with a 12 ft propeller attached to it as a 50's wind machine in an orchard and it even had a transmission on it. It sat in front of a wind machine manufacture about 18 miles from me for years but wasn't there the last time I passed the place.

 

Does he have the funky truck intake and carbs? Generator? Distributor?
Exhaust manifolds? The truck exhausts are better than the car units, as I recall.