1955 331 hemi, Possible to punch to standard 354?

Just getting into the hemi stuff, got a decent complete 55 331, thats loose, was a 4bbl auto engine.

its loose now, but was stuck, but not hard stuck. got it rolling over now.

was thinking, that it might be possible to just make a 354 out of it.

can it be done?

 

Bore it out, my 54 331 was done that way

 

Sonic check wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

Can be done but not much metal left. Better in my opinion to stay with 331 if the machine work will allow. Then just add a set of high compression pistons and run!

 

i thought my block was going to take a lot to clean up but it only took .020 . the machine shop didn't think going to a 354 bore size was a very good idea being that the walls would be almost maxed out.

 

Buy some cheap digital calipers plus some telescopic gages and check the bores @ 5 er 6 different places on each bore.. Then determine how much stock needs to be bored out for a good cleanup and for the next size piston diameter... That's my .02 cents worth..

 

I bored mine .125 over and never looked back. Never had a cooling problem (never gets hot enough).
Jimmy White

 

125 wasn't uncommon but rusting water jackets. sonic test is a good bet. I had one bored 90 over and blew a cylinder wall out first time it fired it. sonic check and 3 sleeves it was good to go.

 

The extra cubes you gain from the big overbore is not always warranted. 331's can make good horsepower with attention to breathing, cam choice, engine build clearance and manifold choices 1st. The mystical extra horses from the big over bore are not as much as people think and you should look to the rest of the engine first before 'wasting" a block to such a big over bore - if it was rusty or already well and truly overbored then nothing lost and eveything to gasin however if it is a standard/.020 block only use enough of an over bore to get a true cylinder wall with good pistons.

enjoy the engine once you have a good combination of parts

 

I'm going to toss in 2¢ of my own to agree, especially with an engine as desirable and now uncommon as an early Hemi. If folks go around senselessly ruining blocks with unnecessary overbores they will hasten the arrival of the day when there won't be any good blocks left for building the darn things.

***uming the bores aren't too bad the sensible approach will probably take you to something like 335 or 336 cubic inches and that's a certainly a respectable displacement for a hot rod engine. Embrace it and be happy.

 

What, exactly, do you expect to get for the additional 23 inches???

Sure, it's been done before but just because someone else did it doesn't mean you can...these engine typically have alot of core shift.

Look, as soon as you start the boring bar you will be buying new pistons, so add a couple of bucks and buy 10:1 forgings. You'll never miss the inches.

.

 

Cheaper and easier to find Pistons, thats what you get..... Hence the question.

 

I did. And I Was happy with the results.