Well as a guy wanting to get his mostly stock 1954 331 Hemi in his Model A I'm not that thrilled that ill have only about 200 HP if that with a stock compression and cam engine that is going to be about 200 pounds more with a cast intake and stock water pump and maybe the exhaust manifolds than a SBC . The truck will feel like a turd compared to my other cars and stuff. The fact is a 175 HP SBC will beat it due to the weight savings and then I would have the better handling and braking and lighter steering and suspension to hold it up . So IF I had the parts and money to build a Hemi to say even 350 HP to match the performance of the much lighter SBC at say 300 HP that will spin about 3000 rpm higher Id love to do it . I know you said max power but if its NA then the cost to go up from say 350 or more is not that much . Custom pistons are the same price , cams about the same , your likely still running stock rods unless its a ll out race deal so the bottom end is about the same cost as high compression bigger cam version unless were getting into roller cams and stuff . Im doing it for looks and thats it. It will be cool to have and look at and see people go oh its got a hemi must be fast LOL Im not a hemi expert and I do not know were reliability goes out he window but I suspect a 450 Hp or more 392 would be pretty damn reliable unless you rev it past were you should . There were version that made nearly 400 HP stock with a streetable drive it on the highway cam. My plan is to get my truck running with the 331 and I am always looking for a 392 to actually build up to something respectable later . Im not going to be really happy just because it can move and its a hemi . With my luck the stock engine will **** out and ill have $2000 worth of trans adapters and stuff to have made it all work laying there and not a single spare Hemi part to my name and ill be sticking a SB or BB chevy in it anyway that said if I was a zillionaire id love a blown full race Hemi Altered and not care about the cost of the collectable parts . Id have 4 back up engines as well
Well I "think" I have a 1919 Paige cowl and rear half of a roadster and I know were there is a Studebaker straight 8 . Id likely be the only one and it might have more HP than my 331 hemi LOL
Stock 1954 331 Chrysler 2 bbl is 195 hp stock 1954 331 Chrysler 4 bbl is 235 hp Probably pick up a few hp and save a few pounds with exhaust manifolds. STAINLESS STEEL SHORTY HEADER FOR 51-58 CHRYSLER HEMI BLOCK V8 EXHAUST/MANIFOLD | eBay rebuilding the early hemi, MY FAVORITE ENGINE | Page 4 | Grumpys Performance Garage https://www.hotrod.com/how-to/0705sr-chrysler-331-hemi-motor This engine was produced to power a 4500# car and would hardly be a turd in a 2500# Model A. The 1954 Chrysler Hemi with a four-barrel carburetor produced approximately 330–340 lb-ft of torque in stock form. https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/horsepower-vs-torque/?msockid=329ef8eefd276cfd03c0eff5fc396dd9
You’ve been here for weeks defending the honor of early hemi’s day in and out. It’s starting to look like you’ll do anything for them but drive one- there’s no way you’d have time for that outside of this thread.
You guys are funny. I have an affliction for engines or so it seems according to my late Father. A cross I must bear. My avatar has a 392 with a t-10 four speed, 3:20 gears. Used to have 411s, that was silly. It has run to Bonneville several times at plus 80 speeds at over 14 mpg. Running on regular. Have another on the stand. Wonderful engines. Leave that SBC in your car ,keep driving ,build something else for your Swiss Watch. I'll change my vote again tomorrow. Really nice car BTW.
The Traditional Hot Rod forum is reserved for threads and posts pertaining to period correct hot rods only. Please use this forum for technical threads, build threads, historical threads, and feature threads only. Apparently, you have a problem with the above requirement of this forum. The Hemi dominated NASCAR in the 50's and was the first engine to produce 1 hp per cubic inch in 1954. All prior to 1965. Try comparing a 1965 and prior SBC than using an aftermarket crate engine. "It’s starting to look like you’ll do anything for them but drive one- there’s no way you’d have time for that outside of this thread." I don't understand your above statement except to believe it's some sort of derogatory statement to personally attack me for my beliefs. Good thing we don't post our height, weight, eye color, ***, nationality, or religion. More things to attack a person with a different point of view.
I'll defend him a bit. I qualify for your evaluation; moved to Texas in 2019, switched big valve. big port truck heads onto my '52 331 and built wheel-well dump headers with built-in mufflers when I got here. Haven't driven it in 5 years. don't know why other than turning 76 and past my prime I guess. However I want to argue with the contention that hemis break the bank to build. If not building blower motors with girdles, billed main caps, roller rockers, and such, a warm build only costs in the range of a mildly trick SBC. I just finished building a '54 331 for a older gentleman who wanted it in a .40 Plymouth, both handed down from father, grandfather. I used parts mostly from Hot Heads, had the engine bored, valve job, the usual cleanup machining. New stainless valves, the usual stock style bearings, warm cam grind, pistons, lifters, adjustable push rods, gaskets, etc., Chevy water pump conversion, aluminum 4bbl manifold, chrome Holley carb. I rewelded the front timing cover to clear the pump, built the brackets for AC, power steering, alternator, to save the high cost of aftermarket ones. Reworked store-bought shorty headers to fit Plymouth frame. Bought adaptor to attach a 200R4 ******. Don't recall the total cost but don't recall it giving me chills thinking about it.
Nice post and pics . Looks great My 54 331 has a cast iron timing cover so I'm ***uming the cover you cut to fit the chevy water pump is not off a 331? I ***ume you used a short snout cam then and a later cover you modified? I replaced my pump with a factory type off Amazon for like $150 so I could get it running on a stand. I do not think that intake is available anymore and if it was its going to be $800 or so even used . If or when i find a good aftermarket intake ill be more into my project . U I might try a u fab but made to use a 671 blower carb plate and sheet metal plenum under it . IF I were to start with no Hemi and had to have a rebuilt Hemi that had better compression power id pay the extra money to find and buy a 392 to start with for a short block at least . Correct me if I'm wrong but to bring the compression up with piston's on a 331 there are no lesser expensive cast option so your looing at custom forged stuff that in the $1300 a set range or more ( haven't looked recently ) and stock compression cast stuff that is going to be about 8-1 or less is about $725 with no rings . any new performance cam should have more compression than stock so your back to the $1300 pistons and then the cam will be a short snout so you will need to convert for that and more money and finding parts . regrinding my existng cam is a option but now your looking at adjustable push rods or $$ rocker arms I do not know what you had into the long block on the build you did or what you consider a mildly trick SBC but for the cost of the 331 pistons but i figure the 331 build with say 9.5-1 and new cam is going to be about triple the cost of a decent SBC in the 475 HP range or even better. There is just no cheap way when it comes to these other than hopefully running the stock never messed with one I have and hope its OK after over 80 years and then Ill have $1000 or more getting a trans on it and all that . Ill find out
4 barrel high rise, $650.00 Hot Heads Research & Racing Early Chrysler Hemi Engine Parts They make custom forged pistons but don't know the price. Quality Engineered Components – Parts and Technical ***istance for Chrysler – DeSoto – Dodge – Plymouth
In reference to 1948caddy's post #122. I have a '57 283 in my original '32 Roadster, '39 Ford trans and a Zephyr Columbia. I've had it together since 2006 and attend the LARS and the old Pasadena Roadster reliability runs. One day at the LARS, with my hood open, a very old guy was telling his grandson that Henry Ford knew that eventually people would install SBC engines in his early '30s cars. And to prove it he pointed out the forged flathead V8 motor mounts that position the Chevy engine like they were made to work. I had to turn away because I started to laugh and didn't want to ruin his story. I grew up building SBC engines and at my age that's what I'm comfortable with.
The Jalopy Journal
