Technical 354 Hemi Build Thread (Again)

Did they always send you 16 or did they send you more than you needed?


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From memory there was always an extra. Theyre a bugger to get out again. So make sure you're 100% on needing two before going ahead. As, as you mentioned i reckon you'll be in for hours of work to get them out again

 

My Ross pistons for my 409 take two per side.

 

That's not as long of a story as I imagined it could be.

 

I think once you get one lock ring in you will see it has room for the second one.

 

The whole ordeal took place from about late April to two days ago, but a vast majority of the story took place at the machine shop. I guess it just looked longer because I typed it out on my phone.


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So if it were a one-lock groove there would be no extra room? There is a good bit of space left over in the groove once the spirolock is compressed fully.


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That is correct.
The lock ring groove will be filled up with no gap.

 

Thanks for that clarification. I've never used spriolox before and my thumbnail is nearly worn to the quick, time for round two!


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Totally by accident.

 

Damn straight!

 

Alright I'm gonna need some details on that blown Hemi build [emoji48]


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I have mostly spending quality time with rifle brushes, making sure that the insides are surgically clean.

It will be a mild build, and by mild, I mean just about 500hp, no more. We could easily build more power, but that raises the price substantially, as well as it necessitates a much stronger version of everything aft of the engine. This is being built to drive, and it will be. I need it to behave, and not try to kill me, or my wife.

10/10 cut factory crank, factory rods, 0.030" over, 8.5:1 Ross pistons. I am planning of 7psi of boost. We will clean up the ports on the heads a little, and port match them to the manifold. ARP everything. Studs everywhere.

I haven't chosen a cam yet, or even a manufacturer. I am hoping to hear from AGO, as his runs really well, and has about 20K miles on it, with no real trouble. Looking for 114-115º LSA, so it can keep the boost where it belongs.

I got the idea for the boost referencing carburetor adapter for the Edelbrocks from him. I re-worked it a little, but it is basically the same deal. I kicked it out in the CNC mill at work, just one day before getting laid off.

I am trying to jam on it, and my Falcon, as much as possible, before I land my next contract gig. I get paid time off, but can rarely take much of it. So much of it banked, that when cashed out, it covered the entire outstanding loan on my wife's car!

 

Ah, the magic of forced induction... a mild blown build will still yield more power than a balls to the wall N/A effort. As for the cam I'd say Crane was good to work with, and their cams are billet instead of cast (if you're going the roller route) but I'm sure you can't really go wrong with anyone as long as you know what you want. It sounds like you've got the whole thing well figured and you're going to do it right. You should create a build thread before you start forgetting to take pictures!


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Cool thread... I am building a 331. And my 354 block was trash(marine block that rotted out). I hope to find a 354 block someday within my next budget. Trying to get a house in Kansas. Trying to leave California at some point.

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For what it's worth, my hands are never clean until I build an engine. Heck even my nails get clear at the ends! Lol

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Started putting the rods and pistons together today. We ran out of paint so we have to get some more tomorrow, and once we finish spraying the block we'll start knocking these slugs in.


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The layout of the Hemi engine responds quite well to boost.

Watch the recoat window times

 

I've been waiting a little longer than what the can says, just to be safe. Only had a half can to start with but we had some more mixed up on Friday and are going to pick it up on Monday.


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Flash time is one thing

Recoat window is a whole different ballgame.

 

Huh. I've never heard of that, but then again I am not really a painter. I'll talk to the guy at the paint store Monday and see what he thinks, since he knows what kind it is and he's the one who mixed it for us.


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Lookin' good! I feel your pain on the broken block stuff. That really blows. I went through that very problem with a 331 Truck block. Every cylinder turned out to be cracked. The PO (or someone) tried to jam oversized 392 pistons in mine. Bored it .225!! HAHAHA! Idiots.

Keep the updates coming!

 

Flash time is for "wet paint" and 5-15 mins or a relatively short time between layers to let the solvents evaporate off aka flash and prevent runs.

Recoat window is for going over "dry paint". Like the next day. Many paints will lift if recoated too soon and many require sanding before re coating. There's a window of time you must hit and after that window there's a block of time you have to wait out.

Either way it's going to be a bitch to sand a block and a pain if the paint lifts.

It's best to watch the tech sheet. Your supply house will have them.

If you know what you're spraying, post it up. Most tech sheets are available on line too.

 

I have never heard of coating the water jacket with a rubberized coating. Are water leaks common for hemis or any other engine for that matter? I am 68 and have built XX engines, including my 331 bored to 354 hemi, read XXXXXXXX rod articles and never heard of that problem. Coating the water passages will definitely reduce heat transfer significantly making the cooling war a bit tougher to fight I would think, although 99.9999% of cooling problems are due to inadequate air flow, not water side problems.

 

Talked to him this morning when I picked up the new paint. He just said to scuff it with a scuff pad and finish painting it. So I bought a pad from him and I'm trying my best to get in all the corners and edges before I paint it again. I'll post an update later on about how it works out.


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It's a pretty thin coating, I think it's main purpose is just to make sure there are no leaks within the cooling system, but I don't think Hemis are any more prone to leakage than any other vintage engine. I had never heard of it either, but it didn't seem like a bad thing to have done.


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Willys36 makes a valid point. I would have recommended not coating the inside for his reasoning but also more for worrying about the stuff coming loose and blocking coolant transfer holes in the block/heads. I have never seen a block with coolant passages so clean that I would feel safe.
As for dealing with a block that has leaks, either hairline cracks or porosity, there are plenty of 'stop-leak' products that work very well.

.

 

Okee dokee. Will be interesting to watch how it performs. Heat transfer is a very intriguing discipline; one thing you find out in studying it is that it doesn't take a very thick layer of low thermal conductivity material to hugely restrict heat flow. Witness all the 'wetting agents' that are on the market claiming to overcome insulating boundary layers. Again, most heating problems are air flow related so maybe the restriction from this coating will be inconsequential. Another thing to lose sleep over is how well does the coating adhere to the iron inside the passages. As you know, water jackets fill with all kinds of crud over the years and those would fight against good bonding. One could envision the coating letting loose and float around causing havoc in diverse places!!

 

Fingers crossed!


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I don't know what it is called, but Terry said that it was made to stick to any corrosion or rust that is present inside the coolant passages. I know some of you guys are concerned about it, which is great, but I also believe that he knows what he is doing and wouldn't have done it if he thought it would endanger the engine.