1954 Hemi 331 ?? ....

Just bought a 1954 Chrysler Industrial 331 HEMI, propane fueled, 24A/978/5428...C542-8-1001-1954. What can I do to make this streetable and what Trannie can i stick behind her. I'm installing her in my Grandfathers restored 1955 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer, which had a 270ci Super Ram Hemi, 4bbl. Will I have to make new Motor Mounts?I have the original Trannie that was behind the 270, but think it might be a little weak and bolt pattern does not match-up.

 

As far as tranny's (providing that you have a long bellhousing hemi) you'll need an adapter for a 727 auto, or a chevy or ford manual...there may be one for a mopar stick....but if the adapter isn't in stock....get ready for a loooong wait.

Motor mounts are different, 331 is physically bigger than the dodge.

Otherwise....if it was a regular bellhousing hemi, there are a lot of options for adapter kits.

 

Thanks for the reply...It has the short rear, and still has the Pump attachment. I got the info off the plate behind the left head.

 

The Dodge hemi is quite a bit smaller outside, than the Chrysler, so I doubt that the motor mounts will work
as-is. You can buy an adapter to put a later Mopar trans or GM trans behind it. P.A.W. has a hemi section, and you can find parts on e-bay.
Tom

 

Then you're golden! There are plenty of adapters for those....It still will be tuff to fit it in the dodge without some fabrication work.

 

Your Hemi is most likely to have around 7 :1 compression at best & the cam is not going to make you real happy on the street. They were designed to run forever at constant low RPMs.
If you change pistons & cam it will make a very nice engine out of it, one thing about Propane power, the engine will be clean as a pin inside.
Another thought , you could change the Camshaft & put a blower on it , 6 -8 lbs of boost with the stock pistons would be sweet.

 

Roger that info....I was told by a fellow trooper today that the cam must be changed out and will not work on the street like you said. Also I should go thru the motor regardless just to be sure everything is ok. The outside of the engine is super clean and quite impressive seeing it was used for Industrial purposes and not always covered while on skid. But for $300.00 dollars can't beat that with any kind of stick. Thinking about buying a 4bbl intake for her and what else to you all think I SHOULD GET OR HAVE TO GET TO MAKE HER STREET WORTH? THANKS FOR UR REPLY'S...I LOVE THIS SITE.

 

So I just saw this post. Do the industrials have a wet intake in '54? If they do, the intake you just bought from me won't just bolt up. You'll need to deal with your cooling system. The intake is off of a '55 331.

 

???WET,..What does this mean? IRAQI time sucks because everyone is asleep now there,...I have to wait sooooooo long for a reply. Man.......................................

 

a "wet" intake means that the coolant passage flows through the intake and uses that as it's crossover between the heads, with the thermostat in the front of the intake, a later model '55-'58 "dry" intake had a cast iron bolt-on crossover pipe on the front of the heads with the thermostat in the crossover pipe instead of in the intake manifold...the "dry" intake just covers over the earlier model "wet" coolant passages and it is possible to drill and tap the heads of earlier model heads to accept a homemade front water crossover...

 

Cool someone other than us here inIRAQ is awake...Thanks sir for the info...I guess I need to search for my pics of my HEMI and see what I have and need to do then. Thanks for the reply night owl.

 

not a problem man...check out the Hemi Tech articles here on the forums, there's a lot of good info in those if you're bored and sitting online...just do a search for Hemi Tech...keep up the good work, and hope to see some progress on the hemi when you get back home...

 

One thing I found on my IND's is they can be a mixture of parts...mostly passenger car stuff. I have an IND-56A with '55 heads...an IND-56A with '56 heads...an IND-56 with '55 heads...only one has adjustable rockers.

Your '54 IND could be any year and combo....best to look for part #'s to sort things out.

Thanks for your service...

 

You can drill & put fittings in the front of the heads, or the intake where the front water ports are under the intake, for remote thermostat, or buy a '54 4 bl intake. With the price of gas you might try running the propane!

 

Thanks for the info on my 331 Hemi,....Might just stay in the Army and keep driving the Hummers here, just tired of getting IED'd by the ass wipes for their Oil.

 

Take it easy over there. My buddy from Omaha got blown off the back of a Hummer early in the war by an IED. Screwed up his back, but he's playing in the Afghany sandbox now. We are sure to include "God bless our troops, and bring them home safely." at the end of the "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer every night when my four-year-old gets tucked in. Be safe, and thank you for your service.