HEMI Tech- General parts and info resources

Your first entry Chris Nielson has p***ed away. Please update.

 

All,
Sorry this list hasn't been updated in so long. If there is anything else that needs to be added or removed, please PM me. It hadn't been updated since we moved to the new HAMB format. I took a few minutes and reformatted everything. Little easier to read now, I think.

Nick, I added you to the list. Thank you for your entry!

Thank you for the reminder. This list has gotten away from me. Mr. Nielson has been removed from the list, but certainly not forgotten.

 

Phil,
Please PM me the information on your rocker covers and your contact information and I'll add you here, if you like. Thanks!

 

I am overwhelmed with the vast amount of info and opinion on this/these early Hemi threads. I make the statement on this thread because it seems to have the most recent posting date.
I am beginning on my second Red Ram build and wish to share it with others, maybe get some input or atta boys,....and have a platform for questions I might have. I'm in SoCal.
My first build starting 'bout 2006 yielded a 325 Hemi from a 315 Poly. Got running finally in 2014 and has seen 35K miles. I am one proud papa!
Tryin to figger where to start the thread.

 

Well, to start off, tell us about those headers.....

 

I made those headers back 'bout 2015. I made a set back in '58 but they were so ugly I gave up. Figgered I could do better 'cause I'm all growed up and more patient now. Still more ambitious than my talent capabilities. I started this set trying to do 180 degree headers but soon ran outta room. So ended with what you see now. In the new build, I'm gonna try once again to do the 180s and have secured a rear sump oil pan. Also I'll use 1.50" primary tubes instead of 1.625".

 

NEAT!!
I made my own on 33 COOP, but outside the frame rails is easy by comparison:

 

Cool posters. I would love to have some like those in the shop.

.

 

Double magnetos on the industrial engine? I would love to have one of those setups!

Also, are those front-mounted distributors on the marine engines? Exotic stuff.

 

My understanding is the marine hemis are *** backwards, the ****** bolts up to the front of the engine. Makes the firing order look different too.

 

Of course you're right. I got kinda carried away with all of the exotic ignitions.

I would still like to have one of those double front-mounted mags though. Thinking about it, it would probably be very impractical and require a special front casting that weighs a "ton". I would imagine a complete industrial engine like that probably weighs around 1000 lbs.

 

Unfortnately, the first hemi I bought was a marine one. Drove to New Jersey with a utility trailer to bring it home to Kent Island. It was useless. The snout of the crank is machined differently, the camshaft was gear drive, and the intake was a double single barrel mount. Other than that it was perfect to unload on someone else (a couple of young guys from over on the other side of the Potomac) for almost the same as I had paid. I ***ume that they also found out how useless it was and sold it off to another unsuspecting heminovice along the chain of custody.

Then I met up with a guy named Johnny Keys who had purchased a big cabin cruiser up in New York. It had three Chrysler Marine Hemis and the previous owner had been murdered onboard. (Hot Rods and Hemis seem to get involved with organized crime from Thunder Road to La Familia). Unfortunately, Johnny let the old wooden cruiser rot in its slip and had pulled the engines/drives out and had them sitting on his front yard and rusting.

I did not buy any of them.

 

The head ***emblies, if not rusty, would be good. On another Forum a guy used adaptors to use two 2GC 2 bls on the truck 1X2.

 

Marine parts are always a **** shoot. I recently sold my last two 2x1 intake packages; One one really nice and the other was just rusty junk but the buyer wanted all of the bits and pieces still attached.
Fresh water or salt water.......sometimes ya just have to guess.

.

 

There was a 2X1 hemi manifold on the auction site a few years ago. I scaled up some pictures from the ad and tried to figure out if there was some way to use a couple of more common carbs (2G's again in my case) adapted to the manifold. I came to the conclusion that trying to adapt the carbs to the existing manifold could be done, but that the result would be less than satisfactory. I considered buying the manifold and doing some machining and brazing to make the 2G's fit, but alas, by that time, the bid on the manifold got beyond where I was comfortable with the project.

 

posted on FB by Kugel Komponents
OK all you Chrysler HEMI fans!!!
Pretty excited as I’ve been after this tooling for about a year, and now I got it and will be starting to cast them up soon!
They’re at my pattern makers shop getting our part number and “Made in USA” to be cast in them.
These are 1st gen Chrysler “4 bolt” cast iron manifolds. Came on trucks.
1951-55 331”
1956-57 354”
1957-58 392”
Do not have a cost nailed down just yet, but to be expected in the 700 ish range.
If interested in a set DM or email me joe@kugelkomponents.com to get on the “list” for a set.

 

Hello. I got a few questions on a 354 Marine Hemi I picked up recently. It is just the long block with the valve covers, belly pan and that weird cast iron oil pan. Soup to nuts, generally would one need to install in a car? This engine is very clean inside with no sludge or cylinder wall wear. The adjustable valve train is mint. I noticed the cam and crank snouts are different. I did not realize this did not have a timing chain originally. Is it possible to convert this over? Looks like a cam change and maybe the crank also would be needed. Anyone here have any experience in actually doing this to an engine like this? What I know is it's a Imperial V Special M-45S-3 Many thanks for your time here! Bob T

 

Marine crank doesn't have provision for a damper, (and/or timing chain), the propshaft does the job. The engine could be counter rotating. Hmmmm 2 gears the cam turns backwards, 3 turns normal way. A different crankshaft does solve the problem.

 

Hi George. More of an impulse buy. But its condition and the adjustable rockers with those Chrysler Marine valve covers sold me. I got to check its rotation. I did not come with the gearing to drive the cam. I read somewhere the timing covers for a regular block wont line up on a marine block also, not sure if this is true. I heard the sodium valve heads are not desirable for hp. I have a small collection of 331-354 heads to pick from. As far as cranks I have a couple but from a early extended bell motors. Might not fit as I believe they are a bit shorter. Not sure of my route yet with this. Just gathering my options. Thanks for replying. Bob T

 

The 51-4 car, truck, industrial are all supposed to be the same timing cover. The sodium filled valves & guides should be replaced. Scooter McRad, who set this tech index up, had a mismatch on his 331, forget the ***le but he has a build thread on the forum. Think he had a short bell crank in a long tail & explained how he got around the problem.

 

Not a parts supplier but a greatly overlooked performance option for the '51-'53 Chrysler hemis is 354 truck heads. They are a great option for the 331 since they don't have the hot water crossover ports like 354/392 heads. With a little modification they are high performance options for the small port, small valve factory heads. They have the biggest valves, large oval exhaust ports, hardened seats, etc. A great feature is they use hot water to heat the intake manifold so the two inside exhaust ports aren't Siamesed which kills the function of headers. Racers need to weld those crossovers shut on p***enger heads. Otherwise the bolt up to the 331.

Modification necessary to use them on the p***enger car engine include;
1) new valves and guides to eliminate the large stem sodium filled exhaust valves. Heads are old so this should be done anyway.
2) drill out the locating pin holes to fit the larger 331 pins.
3) weld up the top half of the too-tall heat crossover port so the intake manifold can cover it.
4) not necessary but looks better - cut off the ugly lugs on the corners of the heads.

Easy fixes and you end up with heads good as any 345/392 hottie. And not well known so truck heads are usually very cheap compared to the ***y p***enger car ones.