Anybody, running early 51-53 331 Hemi Heads on a 354. I have read they have the smallest valves and I should stay away from them. Any help here from the Hemi Guy's? Any help would be appriciated.
If those are the only heads you have, then a motor running 331 heads is better than a motor waiting for 354 heads...you can always swap heads later when you find a pair you like...
I have a 54 331 bored to 354, due to a mechanical accident by a previous owner the heads were swapped to 53 heads. Runs fine, have consulted the experts and if you are not racing leave it alone. The pain is not worth the gain.
The most highly sought after factory Chrysler hemi head is the triple 5 - the 1955 331 castings, also mid '54 onwards 331's are good. Mike Mcleod used the triple 5 as the inspiration for the Hot Heads aluminum heads.
You will get better flow with the oval ex port heads ('54 4 bl, 55 & 56) than with the 51-3. The Hemis still tore up the world in 51-3 & should be OK on the street. The 51-3 heads tend to be cheap & plentyfull. You have to use short reach plugs with them. Also you'll need to get a '54 4 bl wet intake or drill your dry intake for a remote thermostat housing. There is an Edmunds 2X4 intake for the 51-3 heads on EBay.
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