The History of the Chrysler Hemi Gen I

[@theyangview1898]

Dang! This documentary was soooo good I spent my breakfast time watching this and now it’s time for lunch!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@michaelbenardo5695]

I have a 54 New Yorker wagon with the 331 HEMI. Superb engine. One reason they were so expensive to build is that there were three different ones.

[@prunesquallor3444]

Thanks for the epic history on the various versions of Chrysler’s famous Hemi engine. I’ll never forget my first view of a 426 hemi in a brand new1970 Dodge Challenger. I couldn’t get over the size of the valve covers. They were immense and I’ve been hooked on the hemi ever since.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

That’s an awesome story! Thank you for watching!

[@kennethconnors5316]

One of the BEST video's on motors EVER "thanks , well done"

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much! I appreciate your comments!

[@billyjoejimbob56]

Excellent research, video production, and narration! I had a very clean survivor 1957 Imperial years ago. The engine was the single 4BBL 392 Hemi that had a 9.25:1 compression ratio that year, 325 SAE net HP, first year of the 3-speed pushbutton Torqueflite. It was quick for such a heavy car... about 10 seconds 0-60 on a stopwatch. Sure wish I had it back today!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@williamhogg7830]

And here I thought I knew all about the HEMI. DUMMY ME! Thank you so much for your efforts to teach me things I never knew. GOD BLESS YOU!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for watching my video! God's blessings on you as well!

[@dado380]

I’ll bet you didn’t know that first mass hemi was as always in car industry pionereed by Citroen,2cv had Hemi three years before Chrysler and Citroen engines were all Hemi!!

[@aussiebaz5363]

Brilliant, my old dad would have loved your film, in Australia in 1960, the Chrysler 313 Poly head was the fastest production car in the country, and he bought one. What a classic. Thank you for a well presented explanation of the Hemi.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@billjamison2877]

Growing up in the fifties and sixties, in 1956, my father bought a 1951 Chrysler Imperial 2 door Club Coupe in jet black paint, of course. That car had the 331 cu/in Hemi, automatic with Fluid-Torque drive (automatic with a clutch), power steering, power brakes, electric windows and a mohair interior. What a Beast! He had that car until 1975. We always had Chrysler products over the years and I now drive a '22 Rebel with, of course, a HEMI! MoPar or No car ! HEMI's Rule! HA!

[@Brian-dh9lp]

Buick GS Stage II

[@TheVenom8343]

Hey Bill, I've seen you over on Nick's Garage!! Cool seeing you here.

[@billjamison2877]

@@TheVenom8343 Where are you from Ole Dude? Gotta love those Hemispherical Combustion Chambers of all sizes!

[@gjslobe]

Nice job on this video. The 1970's were a great year for kids, and hotroding. Auto junk yards, in combination with hot rod parts stores, dealers allowed kids to build their dream cars. A friend of mine found a wrecked 69 Charger, and built a Daytona. Ordered the wing and nose cap from Chrysler, rebuilt the wrecked body, with parts from other Chargers, and he wanted a Hemi, so found a 354, rebuilt it, got additional parts from a local hotrod store. It turned out one of a kind. I was enthused by it, I bought a Cuda body, found a 392, and brought it to life. We had jobs, worked for our fun in hotroding, stayed out of trouble (except for tickets). Wish this was available for kids of today. That was a great way to spend Saturdays, roaming through junk yards, learning and seeing the history before it was gone. Great times. Found your channel, brings back great memories, saw many of these cars in junk yards, that is where out engines came from.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much for watching! I'm glad you found it! Working on more content!

[@stuckinmygarage6220]

Nicely done. Good all around 👍. Good voice, too. Thank you

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@georgeburns7251]

I was only going to listen for five minutes, but this was really good, and I stayed, and enjoyed the entire presentation. Thank you

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Awesome! Thank you for watching!

[@konacyclist]

I didn’t see anything on the cross ram manifolds on some Chrysler letter cars. There was a long ram version with two four barrel carbs. The carbs were positioned over the respective valve covers and fed the cylinders for the opposite cylinder bank. It was a pretty innovative setup. I saw a fleeting photo of one in your video but no mention of it. I saw one in the flesh at a Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge dealership that I used to hang out at as a teenager.

[@michaelmartinez1345]

@konacyclist, There were two versions of the cross-ram manifolds for the 'B' & 'RB' Chrysler wedge engines... The short cross rams were for mid range - top end on the 383 'B' engines... And the long cross-rams we're to be used for the 413 'RB' engines and they were for Low-end to mid-range power boost. I heard that both designs worked very well, and several of the current intake manifolds use this same technology...

[@deanvav7820]

This video has nothing to do with wedge 361383 413 400 426 or 440s , or small blocks, clearly says gen 1 hemi ...

[@rotax636nut5]

It always blows my mind to see the beauty and the innovation of cars from the 50's era, those cars are worth a fortune today even as rusty wrecks and the engines of course are legendary, the hemi design was a winner all the way and has won more races than you can shake a stick at, the genius of fantastic engines and fantastic cars, I love it!

[@lancelot1953]

Hi "Gearhead", my hat to you for enlightening the YT and Hot-Rod community with the history behind the design and production of the Chrysler Hemi engine. You are bringing back a lot of memories from my younger days in engineering (late 60's). Some of our teachers would entertain (or captivate) us with historical notes in our "engine" classes. It was such an "emotional" experience for us "kids" to hear from the actual guys who created the automotive marvels that made the racing headlines (NASCAR, SCCA, Trans-Am, GT-40s...). Thank you for bringing me back to a time of excitement, optimism, freedom... (before the war, that is). Ciao, L (Veteran, former FoMoCo engineer)

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@CAT-yk3tz]

Great video. Packed with all kinds of information, photos and nostalgia.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@jetsons101]

Great narration and loads of information. Enjoyable use of, the right amount, of humor. Thanks for your time and effort.....

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@jetsons101]

@@TheGearheadLounge Funny how everything is a HEMI now, even many lawnmowers...

[@charliechristie2949]

I can tell you hundreds of personal adventures I had racing NHRA in the late 60's early 70's. I worked on it,fought with it, modified it, and fell in love with it. The HEMI is in my thoughts to this day. I wish I still had that car and money has NOTHING to do with it.....I LOVE THE 426 HEMI. I sincerely hope you are going to cover MY HEMI soon !

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Working on the second gen video now!

[@morgansword]

Just finding this channel, this seventy three year old mechanic who wrenched on about anything that made smoke... I just had a time getting parts for the hemi's as they were just hung on to by the owners of them thinking "One day I will put it in something" or stinking thinking. I happen to know this cause I too did it. I doubt that you see my comment so just pray that you do so you might reply to some of my thoughts on Chrysler products. Their leaning tower of power is unmatched for longevity an some pathetic power unless modified. I did mount a three seventy one "Jimmy" blower on a slant six and it ran flawlessly. It ran so well that when it blew up, it destroyed the rig it was in an sent me to the hospital for metal removal myself. Being a loner all of my life to this day meant poor boy income an no way to keep going on this avenue. I got the 63 dodge polara with a 413 wedge head, it was a great little engine but no match for the ford I had which was the 427 dual fours fairlane in 63. I was doing this all from working a ten hour a day job for dad and a six or more hour a day for myself selling firewood an dirt. I got out and shoveled by hand to load anything I had to haul with and then deliver, and do the lawn and other garden work for people.... so when uncle sam decided to use me for a target in Nam, I came home kinda jadded on life. I wound up working on the islands in alaska southeast in mining and timber for mechanicing. Diesel became my race engines an known to jack a cummins or detroit to limits of .. A plan for failure. I developed a love for alcohol... became a full blown alcoholic for a good many years so if I worked, it was wide open an drinking became the same. Ok, the questions.. chrysler spent the million dollars on a engine so why didn't they develop a dependable transmission? Their torsion suspension was superb over most other suspensions... why wrap it in a tin car designed to rot away before the last payment? They kind of designed a decent fin on a car for dynamics instead of just style. Were they in a race for stupidity with cadillac's fugly front or rear designs... it had to be some lingering Studebaker "geens" that did it. I honestly think that all of the rigs of importance designed their best from fifty to sixty with some peak years of 56 an 57 being a best design years in flow and likeability. If only we could design glass like they did back then and then install it without breaking it. Our town I grew up in was very remote yet plenty of people were scattered about along with moonshine so car accidents or hunting accidents an then the logging was a killer as well. My dad was a slave driver, worked me as a rented mule, he owned logging equipment of all kinds and we had accidents that resulted in serious to death occasions. So we owned the wrecker service an also a few ambulances... mostly the Packards as they were deluxe machines. In those days men and women working in factories turned out interior work reviled by nobody today really. Well this comment is a book now instead of a easy read for you.. hope that it raised some ideas in you as well.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much for your story! As far as your question goes, yeah, why the manufacturers could never address all of the shortcomings is beyond me! Keep moving forwardand keep the faith!!

[@talldude5841]

My 2019 Dodge 1500 Ram has the 5.7 Hemi. I always wanted one and it hasn't left me down. I love it. Good video.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@shoominati23]

The Ardun kit wasnt actually developed for Hot Rodding, it was developed for truck drivers - because you had some pretty huge van bodies being put on the Model A truck platform - but there weren't any diesel engines like Cummins or Detroit available at the time.. And instead of taking some oof your load off to get over the rockies let's say, with one of these hemi conversions on the flathead you could make it on time and with a full load.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for the information!

[@peteh5636]

The Ardun head was “stillborn” because Ford brought out the enlarged 337cu/in flathead. The expense and precision machining of the Ardun was uncompetitive to buying a with almost 100 cubes of grunt. I believe that’s how they ended up in the hands of the hot rodders, they were unwanted for trucks but appreciated by rodders.

[@Mr39036ce]

and to add to it that was done mainly for garbage trucks! the flatheads were getting into trouble when loaded and had to navigate hills.

[@mikkomaijala366]

The main problem with the Ardun heads at truck use was "too much power". Flatheads with Ardun heads kept on producing more and more pover as the revs rose up. There was no "dead spot" at the top of the revrange, so the drivers ended up over reving their engines on various situationes, consequences being predictable. Resulting a reputation of unreliability. The hot rodders and race engine builders understood the engine behaviour better. Besides, the expected lifespan of a performance engine is much shorter than of one istalled at a heavy duty vehicle. Nowadays a wealthy person interested in good living and old fashined hot rods has the options of buyin a good sized mansion or a pair of vintage Ardun heads at a decent condition. The really rich can do both...

[@michaelmartinez1345]

@Chuck U Farley, the Arden heads were fantastically successful in many ways, but the bottom half of those engines could not handle the increased rpm's and increased downforce those pistons could produce with the new heads. The cranks of the flat head V-8's were supported with 3 bearings, as opposed to 5 on the later more powerful V-8's in later years. Also things like connecting rods, pistons, lubrication systems, transmissions, clutch's, driveshafts, differentials, drive axles , etc just could not handle the increased torque the Ardun heads brought out of the early American Ford V-8 engines. The entire vehicles would have to be re- designed to handle the extra power & torque... Not long after that dilemma, WW2 was in full - swing, and production was changed to building military equipment... But Perkins was manufacturing diesel engines by 1933... I'm thinking that the company Caterpillar, who were licensed to produce Perkins engines, could have made the engines & drive lines available for the trucking industries in the U.S. back then, but that was in the middle of the depression, and few people could afford such extravagant things at that time. So yes-, the Ardun heads for the flat-head Ford v-8's were probably a relatively affordable option for the people with trucking companies... They just had to learn, how to apply power smoothly, to make those engines and drive-lines last.... As time went on, the truck and heavy duty applications of engines & drive lines became very useful for several hot-rodders, as these stronger parts could handle more torque and punishment than the light duty passenger car applications...stock 4-bolt main caps for Chevy Small Block v-8's, Dana-60 differentials, 12-bolt & 14-bolt GM differentials, Ford 9" differentials, M-21 & M-22 Saginaw trans, A-833 Mopar trans, Chrysler 727 trans , GM T-400 trans , Ford C-6 trans, 11" and 12" Bendix drum brakes, Kelsey-Hays and Benbix disc brakes , Heavy duty Spicer drive axles, drive shafts and 'U' joints, all of these things were originally designed for trucks and other heavy duty applications... The drag-racung and stock-car racing people started using these components with great success at the tracks...

[@1957burb]

The entire video is accurate and places events in context very well. The only inaccuracy I found was at the end - and I share this because I thought you would appreciate the nuance, not as a criticism - where you mention some '59 Imperials were built with 392 Hemi engines. That's not quite the case. Chrysler built all the '59s with 413s. But the story is that in late 1957, a batch of 392-powered Imperial hardtop coupes were sent to Italy to be bodied as Crown Imperial limousines by Ghia. While there, the model year soon changed to 1958 so Ghia decided that they would finish them as '58s. But there were so many production delays that the last 7 of those 1957 chassis were bodied as '59s! They were assigned 1959 VINs, but there is evidence that they all started as '57s because the dashboards, trim tags, and engines are all '57 spec. So in that way, it is accurate to say that some '59 Ghia Crown Imperial limos had 392 Hemis from new, but Chrysler never built any '59 Imperials with Hemi engines. I am absolutely impressed that you got so many details right in your video and as you can see I'm a bit of a stickler. Great job! I instantly liked and subscribed.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Also, at 11:41 Hemis DON'T resist detonation well... compared to squish/quench chamber engines... and 7:1 hemis don't make more power than 10:1 quench engines...

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Yes, I appreciate this information! Thank you!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for that!

[@alexiegomez1691]

Beautiful story and so will put together. ❤

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@icewaterslim7260]

My dream of building a first generation 354 Hemi powered AA/FD with a partner after graduating from HS died the day in '66 when I read of Don Garlits 2nd generation 426 Hemi finally running about 15 mph faster and a third of a second quicker than anybody else at the time. I had been watching Don's 426 failing to break into 7 seconds or over 200 mph for about a year and hoping for more of the same. Don finally did it by advancing the timing way beyond what a first generation hemi would take for long. You needed to stick with 34 degrees with any 331, 354, 392 or Desoto running Nitro Methane (the mains too narrow in the little Dodge Red Ram for Nitro). Don was running 50 damned degrees and I could see the end of the reign of the First Generation and the independent Top Fuel teams coming. And it was getting crazy anyway with guys taking half the clutch springs out for slipping clutches to allow for a bite of the tires on the pavement. That was beginning of the end of the "Smoke Run Era" but more important to me it was killing drivers with blown clutches like they had never done in those numbers before. I wasn't going to drive but i didn't want my partner disemboweled by a clutch plate headed for the stratosphere either. This guy, Tom Jobe of the "Skinner, Jobe and Sorokin" - "Surfers" top fuel team of 1964-'66 can tell you some additional reasons, besides the breathing flow, why the Chrysler Hemi of the 1950s ruled the roost in AA/FD through 1966. If you didn't start with a Chrysler you changed to one if you wanted to compete . . . kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYvdhoB4dr16qbM

[@johnbehneman1546]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! TOTALLY AWSOME EDUCATION!!!! CHRYSLER WAS ALWAYS INNOVATING!!!! GREAT VIDEO AND EDUCATION. THANKS FOR SHARING. PLEASE CONTINUE TO SHARE YOUR TRUTH.

[@jeffreyfwagner]

Thanks for a really top quality video. I worked in engine development at Chrysler in the 1970's and never knew so many of the things in this video. Your research skills are impressive. Thank you for your video.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@russellloomis4376]

Back in the 80s, my grandma had a white four-door with a blue interior 440 Coronet. I would light up the tires on that beast making runs to the grocery store and other errands. My uncle sold it and bought her a Tempo in the 90s. Man, I wish I had known better and bought that car back then. 👍

[@larspederson1451]

Just ran across this video...great production and fascinating information. Gotta love a hemi !!!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@donswier]

Just stumbled upon your channel. So much detail and accompanying pics😊👍. You strike a great balance of technicality for viewers. Not bogged down with details, but just enough background to explain why Mopar adopted this. Me like👍

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@AS-zk6hz]

I would floor it and it would go from around 55 and put you at 85 hit it again and you would go 85 to 110. An extraordinary engine. Nobody could touch me it was that powerful Out of the showroom. Not souped up.

[@JV-DONJOSE]

In the late 80s I was an appliance delivery man in Long Beach CA. We delivered an appliance for an elderly lady. She tells me her husband was a ww2 navy veteran. She showed me his Navy metal and that they owned a new yorker, In the back garage. I asked if I could see it, she took me to the garage and showed me the car. Black in color she said it had a hemi..whats a hemi? She said it had an engine with the spark plug on the center of the engine head! And very powerful. She points to the transmisson selector push button selector on the dash..first I've ever seen..just push a button and the gear was selected..loved it hence why I remembered the story and later I joined the Usmc. Semper Fi

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Wow! Nice story! Thanks! And thank you for your service!

[@dewfall56]

Very nice and well thought out explanation. I enjoyed this video. Chrysler's trademark of "Hemi" was genius. The OEM has kept itself in an outstanding position among muscle cars ever since. And you a very correct about supercharging. There are three variations (exhaust driven turbocharger, chemical as in NO2, and the engine driven that's call supercharging), but all are considered forms of supercharging. LOL, lots of human and business relations accomplished at 13:17. Oh well, humans like to fight and assert dominance, it's what has driven us all to progress.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for taking the time to watch my video!

[@colinschmitz8297]

Excellent video, Sir. As others stated, this discussed information I had not heard before. I always thought it was one engine and not 3 all being produced at once. Keep up the good work!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much! I thought the same thing! I learned so much as I researched this topic!

[@v1-vr-rotatev2-vy_vx31]

Back in the late sixties knew somebody had a ski boat with this exact hemi engine in it, painted black with chrome all over it and formula 1 style cosworth Ford exhaust as seen on the Indy car also spaghetti around and two big long megaphones water injected on the boat totally cool, we had six water skiers pulling behind this boat all at once, it definitely had the power.

[@hughjass1044]

Wow! I consider myself a pretty knowledgeable car guy but there was tons in this video I never knew. Well done! I just love the automotive history series.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much! It was a ton of research, and I still missed some stuff! But I think it still came together nicely!

[@chrisnizer5702]

Another advantage of the Hemi engine are the straight intake and exhaust ports. No curves to interrupt the flow means the engine can still make power at RPM that others begin to lose efficiency. Not to mention that they just look so cool.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

They look extremely cool!

[@ronjenkins795]

Best engine ever made.I worked on many of them.

[@MrT01582]

🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 here loving a history lesson 🙏

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for watching!

[@warrenbrenner4972]

Excellent video on a subject I always wanted to know more about!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@JoeSolo814]

Very well put together video with factual historical accuracy. Nice Job!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@richardrawson]

Fantastic content! I keep trying to convince my dad to swap in a gen 1 Hemi into his 58 Belvedere. Definitely easier to find than a 350 Golden Commando!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thanks! Good luck on that swap! That would be a great setup!

[@floydblandston108]

Interestingly enough, the final nail in the 'hemi' coffin came from Yamaha with their radial 5-valve, true center plug, FZ750 four cylinder motorcycle engine in the mid-1980's. Pushing the design and its physics to the limit, their conclusion was that while total valve circumference was maximized, the benefit wasn't significantly beyond what was available from pentroof chambers, flame front travel and ignition were actually hindered at high rpm, and that the only performance benefit gained was in absolute torque, and a more broad curve of peak torque. In simpler terms, max 'VE' (volumetric efficiency) at mid-rpm levels, just as Pratt & Whitney had discovered with their radial engines!

[@tysongonsorowski8574]

I have a 55 300, it has original driveline, the engine has one of the earlier two barrel set up s for Chrysler,great video, I got that black one rite down to the hayse rims, also first production car to produce 300hp, hence reason for name

[@donreinke5863]

Three years later Ford Motor Company would produce the worlds first production car with 400 horsepower, the 1958 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser with a 430 ci MEL series engine that had 3x2v carburetion.

[@tysongonsorowski8574]

@@donreinke5863 I think there they're both good cars!

[@sgt.duke.mc_50]

In the early 60's a friend and I went in together and bought a '53 Dodge with the Fluid-Torque drive tranny, for I think about $15.00 (yes, fifteen, not a typo)' It was ugly as hell and not much for pickin' up the babes, but, what the hell, it got us around for picking up jobs thru the summer when we were able to buy a real "babe" machine, a 57 Ford Custom with inline 6, for about $75. 🤣🤣10th grade sucked--as I got older, I began to question my memory, did our 1st car really have a clutch/auto transmission. This video was a time trip--thanx so much.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!

[@trevorthefilthyrat3742]

This is some DANK AF content! Keep it up.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@michaelwisner4941]

One of the key advantages, was the hemi design allowed more room for bigger valves !!!!

[@briansd2772]

I don't know why but I've always thought these were cooler than the Gen 2s. Valve covers....rear mounted distributor with wires flowing back. Cleaner appearance. Maybe it's the impact/legacy of the 392s and the front-engined slingshots? Nothing looked more badass than vintage dragsters and the driving suits, gloves, and goggles worn back then.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Agreed!

[@JimLBon]

A great example of an aircraft piston engine that is 'Turbo-Supercharged" is the P47. The P&W wasp radial has a crank driven blower built into the engine case and a turbo charger was also ducted into the rear of the aircraft. I believe the blower on these was two-stage. The R-2800's I've seen the most were three stage blowers built into the case with no turbocharger, like the F6F and F4U.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@herbertdodge9242]

Excellent video presentation! I would like to add 1 piece of information. The 1st American made automobile to produce 1 horsepower per cubic inch displacement as "standard" equipment, not as an option, was the 1957 DeSoto Adventurer & you received a letter signed by the CEO of the Desoto division of Chrysler stating that fact. Engine stamping number: S26A, 345 CID, 345 HP affectionately nicknamed the "Orphanwhale".

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for that information!

[@dano4572]

GREAT TELLING OF A WONDERFUL STORY

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@kenik2023]

Fun Fact!!! When Mitsubishi built their version of the challenger it came with a 2.6 Hemi 4 banger😅🤣😂 It was the powerhouse for the later Starion/Conquest ....beautiful car...

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thanks!

[@DadsGarageDIY]

Great to see you back my friend. Can’t wait to watch this this afternoon when I get home.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thanks! I'm already working on part 2, so it won't be MONTHS between videos!

[@DadsGarageDIY]

@@TheGearheadLounge Awesome!

[@PellegrinoC]

The Gen 1 Hemi was also used in military applications. I have two that came from an APV. I have found very little documentation on them. Even the historical society tried but came up with nothing. I have pictures I can share if your interested. Really cool engineering made to run completely sealed with the transmission and under water.

[@morgansword]

This old man would enjoy some of that as I pulled wrenches for over fifty years of my seventy three here so far. I'm not a chrysler kind of guy but respect their technology they gave us... lots of stuff that should of made more ways of use. Like that continental six an the same only eight or the "straight eight" they were known for that ran tirelessly for years in some of the strangest applications.

[@PellegrinoC]

@@morgansword I have to figure out how to share them publicly. Will work on it.

[@PellegrinoC]

This is from 12 yrs ago. I have one of the blocks converted back to auto and in my 55 Chrysler Windsor. They were pretty beaten up. But these blocks are supposedly stronger and sought after by racers back in the day. They were cast at Trenton Engine at the end of the shift, when the nickel content in the vats were highest.

[@herbferguson]

The 331 in my pickup was out of an Air Force power unit. Had very low hours and sealed ignition all the way to the valve covers with an aluminum coil cover. I kept all that stuff but converted the Industrial Hemi to automotive use and has been in our pickup for 20 years.

[@SJR_Media_Group]

I loved the 426 Hemi from late 60's and early 70's. Factory 'stock' engines were anything but stock. Have heard people say it idled like a coffee can full of rocks. Big boy cam, big valves, headers, big Holly... it was wild for 'stock'. I have been a Chevy fan for life, but Mopar got a bunch of things right. 426, 383, and 340 all great engines. Even Ford had 429, 428, 427, 390, (460 later). I had SS 369 Yenko.

[@MrJosephfunk]

Most chevy guys have a soft spot for Mopar like they're a cousin.

[@noahdunaway]

The big block Chevy is king at the drag strip

[@brianadams429]

You for got the 351 cleveland

[@SJR_Media_Group]

@@brianadams429 Thanks.. I did miss 351 Cleveland and probably small blocks too. I had a friend whose family bought a red Mustang, first year it came out. 289 was displacement and competed with our Chev 283. Lots of automotive history.

[@MrJosephfunk]

@@brianadams429 always liked the 351 flavor over the 302 for the torque.

[@chrisjeffries2322]

Excellent presentation, thank you.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@johnpick8336]

Thank for breaking this information into 3 videos.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Yeah! Rhat video would have probably ended up being 2 hours long! That's way too much for most people!

[@alexkalish8288]

I am so impressed with your broad and detailed knowledge. Very clear explanations and I could find no fault with your historical research as well. Bravo - you have a new subscriber..

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@SuperMurrayb]

The Rolls Royce Merlin had a supercharger driven by the crankshaft. It was reliable but had to be designed into the engine. A exhaust driven turbo-supercharger could be added to a non-supercharged engine as was done with the P-38 Lightning. Both methods of supercharging were used during the war and both had advantages and disadvantages compared to the other. Today turbos allow companies to cheat on emissions since the engine has a low compression ratio and low NOx emissions when it is not boosting.

[@craigcontofalsky4387]

We had a 55 Desoto with the Fire Dome Hemi. I think it was 272 cubic inches? My Grandfather bought the car and he died a year later. My dad bought it from his mom and we bought it back home. I got to drive it once in 1965 when I was 15. My sister let me drive it about a mile on some side streets. It wasn't fast but it was cool and a 2dr coupe. My dad sold it before I got my license. 😢

[@kevinmcguire3715]

1951- and some 54 331 C.I. were cast with half the bell housing on the engine block making them a pain to hang other transmissions on them .In 54 1/2 they went to a normal bell housing as well as some bigger and D shaped exhaust ports. The bell housing is same bolt pattern as A and LA 273 318 340 360small blocks .I had a 1965 Miller flat bottom ski boat that a buddy owned that had a 60 over 1956 354 that was rusted out .I built a 55 331 and it was fun .I bought the wreckage from a trailer accident restored it and built a naturally aspirated with Crane Cam and 10 to 1 forgings 1957 392 ci from a 1957 New Yorker . I was a blast on the lake . I finally got scared of it and sold it.

[@StevePaxton-gv4tp]

My dad raced stock cars in the 1960s, using a 58 Desoto Firedome in Chrysler or Dodge cars in Iowa and Missouri. He won fairly often, except against one guy who raced a brand new Chevy car every year.

[@alfavulcan4518]

My first car at 16 in 1970 was a 2 door Chrysler New Yorker, a tank of a car. You could almost watch the fuel gauge move . It was fun for a teenager, push button trans and all, just glad gas was around 25-30 cents per gallon. Jesus that makes me sound old😬

[@TheGearheadLounge]

😄😄 It's okay! Getting old is a blessing!

[@kenik2023]

OG!!! 👍🏿

[@leotherocker94]

Another awesome video from this Channel! Greetings from Brazil!

[@konkon7767]

Very entertaining, and informative video. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and you have another Subscriber.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Awesome! Thank you so much!

[@reubenmosman9466]

So well researched, well done.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@AZ-JKUR-HR]

Great history and loved your narration. New subscriber here!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@chrisbrown3925]

I love your videos! I always learn something, never heard about the indy hemis!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much! Yeah, that was something I leaned myself while researching!

[@williams3631]

You really do have an advantage over other car enthusiasts on this platform, pal. I like your style and your intelligent research skills. I never knew about the origins of the Hemi before today. Again, great job!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you! I appreciate it!

[@Nostrildomus]

I was there . Ours was called a 'Royal' . Stood in the front seat as we dusted supercharged Fords of those days . It is a 'Royal' pain for any other make to this day . T/C/E

[@timmccreery6597]

Regarding the aero- application superchargers, Rolls Royce used a 2 stage supercharger that drove via a gearbox off the main crank. No belts used, so no belts to lose. This was all known technology in that day. Turbocharged versus gear driven supercharged was an engineering choice...

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for that information!

[@MrKswildman]

The supercharger that most hot rodders used came off of the 6-71 Detroit Diesel, all Detroit 2 stroke diesels use a supercharger, but some have a turbocharger on top of the supercharger. This was called twin charging.

[@cindys1819]

Problem with all UN Blowen HEMI'S is when you got the 64 up 426 Hemi's they were exec but a total STONES compared with what they could be made to be. The stock HEMI only produces any Real power OVER 3000 to 4000 RPM. So guys with GM Big Blocks would have an advantage as you came off the line unless your were turning 4000 plus or you were deep staging. Of course if you were putting enough boost into your engine that was another thing. You were a total bomb at any RPM THEN.....😊

[@roccofortura2468]

Great informative video, thank you.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@daftnord4957]

Well put together video and well spoken. Could be on the History Channel

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@hotrod7938]

I would love to see a video like this on Ford's answer to the 426 Hemi the 427 SOHC. That was pretty much banned from Nascar via adding weight to the point they were not allowed to run it. Lee Holman is still around to tell that story. Great job on the video very accurate. 🍻

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much! Yeah, a 427 SOHC video is definitely in the future!

[@ferrelx]

I would like to go on record that the 3rd gen Hemi is technically 4th gen..the 4.7 is a overhead cam Hemi with the spark plugs going through the top of the cylinder heads just like the Ford 427 "CAMMER" which was Ford's answer to the 426..

[@garyovermyer1050]

Great History! Awesome!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@jamessawyer4625]

really nice and well done.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@CJColvin]

Gotta love those early Hemi V8s.

[@1967davethewave]

Thanks for the great video. I own several 392 including an original C engine. I hope to put it in an old '33 Dodge 5 window I've been building for a couple of years. On the blowers used on WW2 Aircraft, they didn't throw blower belts as I think all of them were gear driven.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@recnepsgnitnarb6530]

Point of correction: "IV" doesn't stand for the Roman numeral 4. It stands for "Inverted, V engine" as in a V arrangement of the cylinders. Therefore the IV-2200 stands for "Inverted V-engine of 2,220 cubic inches." V is just as it sounds, i.e. the Allison V-1710, V engine of 1,710 cubic inches. "R" stands for "radial."

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@stevelacker358]

I came to see if anyone had made that comment! 'IV" does equal "inverted V" the X means "Experimental" and 2220 is the displacement in cubic inches. If it had gone into full production, the "X" would have been dropped and it would have just been the IV-2220. This was/is standard aviation engine nomenclature, at least for the US. For example, the Pratt&Whitney R2800 is a "Radial, 2800 cubic inches," and the Allison V-1710 is a "(non-inverted) V-type, 1710 cubic inches." The Packard-built, US version of the Merlin was called the "V-1650." After the military quit using piston engines, the civil aviation community kept using the basic terminology, with some modifications. A Lycoming 0-360 is an "opposed, 360 cubic inch" engine. The IO-360 is "injected, opposed..." and the TIO-360 is "Turbocharged, injected, opposed."

[@laurasnyder1250]

Thank you for discussing the A311 Indy project. Hard to imagine how INDYCAR would have differently evolved using stock block engines vs the Meyer Drake Offy…

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Most definitely! Thank you so much for watching!

[@mchristr]

It's always a good idea to locate the valves closer to their respective ports but it turns out that a half sphere isn't a very efficient combustion chamber shape. I have driven a street Hemi from the early 70's and it was a visceral experience.

[@mobygodfrey4936]

Not efficient? Why are all top fuel and funny car engines near exclusively hemi architecture domed pistons make up the extra space having intake and exhaust valves directly across from each other is very efficient and obviously effective I don't see many other production big block architecture making 11 to 15000 hp on nitro meth

[@1967davethewave]

@@mobygodfrey4936 The chamber design is great for moving a lot of air but it lacks good quench. There are trade offs on all designs. The Gen 1 and Gen 2 Hemis are my favorite engines but I understand their drawbacks. Sure, when making a sub 4 second pass while throwing tons of nitrous and boost through them they are second to none. But the reason why they were dropped at the end of the '71 model year is that airflow isn't all it takes to make an engine efficient. Today's "Heart Shaped Twisted Wedge" heads are about as good as any 2 valve engine can be for combustion efficiency. The Gen 3 Hemis use a modified Hemi design that adds quench areas while still having the excellent airflow of the traditional Hemis from earlier years. But they aren't quite as efficient as the modern wedge engines which is why they have 2 spark plugs per cylinder. The Hemi has it's place at the top of the heap for making horsepower for sure, but the statement that the chamber design isn't very efficient if you talking about combustion efficiency is also true.

[@andyharman3022]

XIV-2220: US Army Air Force code for eXperimental Inverted Vee-type engine, 2220 cubic inches. Imagine a major engine manufacturer taking one of their production engines to Indianapolis in the early 1950's, and qualifying on the pole with it. I don't have to imagine, it happened. Who was the manufacturer? Cummins Engine Company with a diesel engine in 1952. 28:39 Beautiful. I wouldn't mind owning one of those today. It still looks fresh. Chrysler was far ahead of other automakers in the engine game when they introduced the Hemi in 1951. Cadillac and Olds were the only ones even close with the high-compression wedge V8's they introduced in 1948.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

I always enjoy the stories! Thank you so much! Thank you for watching my video!

[@budpool4835]

My first car in 1966 was a 57 New Yorker with the 392. 16.29 best quarter mile. FF/A class

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Nice!

[@dougrobinson8602]

Actually nitrous oxide injection is not supercharging, as induction pressures remain sub-atmospheric. Nitrous was developed by Germany for their fighter planes to develop brief power increases for climb performance. Certain FW190 and Bf109 aircraft used the system. Great video, BTW.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@colinp2528]

I always get weak whenever I hear mention of the Ford 427 or the Chrysler Hemi. Both were the engines that fueled dreams. My dream cars are the 427 Mercury Comet Cyclone and the 426 Hemi Dart. Both legendary cars, sporting legendary engines.

[@donalddonofrio9315]

Outstanding job!! When is Part 2 coming out?

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much! I'm almost finished with the script. I've been delayed off and on my normal life stuff...but when I get to writing I discover so much info! 😄😄

[@johnmgriffin3060]

Great video! (Regarding your V16 hemi airplane engine section, please know that mechanically-driven superchargers were very common in WWll liquid-cooled fighters (eg, RR Merlin, found in Spitfires, Mustangs, etc). Typically, these were centrifugal (vs Rootes type), and progressed to being two speed (for low/high altitude) as development progressed. The GE turbo was typically used in aircooled US radials (eg, B29)

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much! I appreciate the info! I really tried to find out the truth, but was I couldn’t find anything that I considered conclusive. Admittedly, my knowledge was limited in that area.

[@pointingdog7235]

I believe that the F4U Corsair has a mechanically driven 2 speed Supercharger on a Radial Engine.

[@dr.hugog.hackenbush9443]

The Germans also used Nitrous Oxide in their fighter planes for a burst of speed in a dogfight.

[@grahamwhite2316]

@@pointingdog7235 It depends on which version of the F4U you're talking about. For instance the F4U-1 used a two-stage, two-speed supercharger. The F4U-4 used 3 supercharger impellers; two of the impellers, which made up the first stage, ran in parallel which in turn ran in series with the second stage impeller which ran at a fixed speed. The dual first stage impellers were variable speed. (Phew, and the foregoing is an over simplified description!)

[@Mike_Collins392]

Man , I really enjoyed this , thank you for putting it together . The Early FirePower is my favorite engine series. I often think about the way it was discontinued , the B engine had to be on the drawing board in 1956 ( as the 354 exceeds 1 hp per ci ). I'm also not sure about Zedars involvement , or was he " blind-sided by the change ? The availability of high quality gasoline by the late 1950's allowed the simpler designs to perform almost as well I guess ( in production autos ). The FirePower engines would dominate fuel drag racing throughout the 1960's . It would also come back to life in 1971 as the Donovan 417 , the first aftermarket aluminum block specifically for drag racing ( based on the 392 block ) .

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for this info! I'm currently writing the script for the 2nd gen and the fact that they based the Donovan block off the 1st gen is very useful!

[@Mike_Collins392]

@@TheGearheadLounge The HAMB message board has a thread titled " Drag Cars In Motion Picture Thread " that is like 2000 pages long . They also have a thread on the Donovan that has some neat old articles . Tons of Early hemi info throughout the site ( also 427sohc , and probably some 426 info ). Ed Donovan had some interesting opinions . Also check out the series on KZbin called " The Surfers " ( episode 29 is great ). They talk alot about Donovan in that series.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

@@Mike_Collins392 Thank you! I'll be sure to check it out!

[@timothykeith1367]

Chrysler should have only built the 331-354-392 hemis and used less costly OHV V8s for Dodge, DeSoto and Plymouth. Simple torque motor motors like the Buick nailhead did the task the buyers wanted.. The hemi performed very well for racing but simpler motors were ok for how the mass market used vehicles. Buick loaded up with chrome and nice interiors.

[@Mike_Collins392]

@@timothykeith1367 Yeah , something like that would have been reasonable. The new engine manufacturing plants ( B - RB ) couldn't even keep up , and why they ended up with making 383 tall deck engines for a year or 2 . And the " Max Wedge " program was one of desperation . Those engines never even came close to the 331 A-311 engine from the mid 1950's ( there is a comment from a Mopar factory racer of the day on Alllpar regarding this ). Imagine the manufacturing cost difference of a 413 or 426 with all of the long ram stuff compared to a 392 . The 426 Hemi solved all of this nonsense and was a slap in the face to the bean counters ( and scheisters ) who discontinued the old engine in the first place. From what I have read even the drawings for the early engines had been trashed by the mid 1960's . Donovan had to start from scratch taking measurements from existing blocks , and also why it took him until 1971 to get it out.

[@brandonzilka1274]

Thanks for the video! It is quite informative and very well done. I'm a new viewer to your channel and really love your work. All these cars and engines will end up in landfills or melted down to make skyscrapers and bridges in wealthy Asian and Middle Eastern countries if nobody here can recognize or appreciate their true value, rarity, and have the knowledge to save/rescue them. I love old cars in stock form, even if they aren't fast. It's a piece of history that needs to be shown and remembered or we will lose the knowledge forever. Many of the survivors are true works of art combined with a developmental history of automotive engineering. What's the quarter mile or 0-60 time of the Mona Lisa or Starry Night? Let's think about this in those terms and save some excellent surviving examples so automotive modernity and history alike can be properly appreciated for generations to come.

[@MP-pz9oe]

Outstanding documentary, I was in the understanding that the first Hemi was in the Sherman tank

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Quite possibly! Thanks for watching!

[@dougrobinson8602]

The Sherman used a Continental radial 975 engine. It's similar to the engine used on the Stearman biplane trainer. Every now and then, you will see a Stearman engine with a stud on one or more of the cylinders. It's often cut off. Those studs were for the cooling shrouds necessary for the air cooled engine to be used in the confines of a tank. Later Shermans used an odd Chrysler 30 cylinder engine, but they were flatheads.

[@ottomechb]

@@dougrobinson8602 That 30 cylinder tank engine is interesting also. 5 regular flat head sixes on a common crankcase. I first seen it at the Chrysler museum in Detroit. I think it would continue to run even when one engine was disabled.

[@alanquintus2069]

Entertaining and informative. Very nice video .

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@martentrudeau6948]

Great history, very interesting, a joy to watch.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@stevefranklin9920]

Great video! Thoroughly enjoyed it! Even though I am a GM man! Lol!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

😄😄 Awesome! Thanks for watching!

[@mattedwards4533]

I wasn't expecting much from this video. I have watched several videos on many subjects and most had an obvious bias. Your video was well done and I really appreciated watching it. You went into details that very few people are aware of. The aviation history of the Hemi was extremely interesting to me having worked in the aviation field. I have often wondered how a plane like the P 51 would have performed compared to the Packard Rolls Merlin engine?

[@BuzzLOLOL]

- Uh, the successful version of the P 51 got the Merlin engine...

[@mattedwards4533]

@@BuzzLOLOL My question was how would the Merlin compare to the Hemi. The Hemi was to late to be used in a P51 but I do believe it would lose in the speed catagory if it went up against the Hemi?

[@BuzzLOLOL]

@@mattedwards4533 - The hemi was too big, heavy, complicated, and expensive... still, the winner would prolly be the one with the most boost pressure... meth/h20 cooling... highest octane fuel... nitrous... etc...

[@mattedwards4533]

@@BuzzLOLOL With the aluminun alloys I think the weight would not be a problem as most of the big block engines from Ford and G.M are not much different in weight to start with?As the video showed a Hemi by its nature turns out slightly more horse power anyway. Not only did Indy ban the Hemi Nascar did as well and the engine met all the qualifications? It was just a more efficient engine.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much for watching! I'm glad you liked it!

[@totensiebush]

Crank driven centrifugal superchargers were incredibly common on WWII aircraft engine, although I believe they were typically gear driven rather than belt driven. Multi stage supercharging was common as well, some of which used both a turbo and a mechanically driven supercharger, others multiple superchargers, often with various different drive ratios that could be selected based on what altitude you were flying at. Turbos were bulky and required better materials, so in general they were developed later in the war. The biggest advantage that the P51 Mustang got when going from the C to D wasn't the engine itself, it was the induction: A-C had a single stage, single speed blower while the D received multiple stages allowing for much better high altitude performance. That's generally credited to the Merlin replacing the Allison, but it has far more to do with the blower setup than the engine itself. From looking around, I believe it had a single stage turbocharger, but at the time they were generally called turbo-superchargers.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@boldone3517]

Sir, this was an excellent video packed with a great deal of automotive and Chrysler knowledge. I grew up a GM person, growing up in Pontiac Mich But over the years have come to respect some parts of Chrysler Corp. Sadly quality control in not their specialty. I look forward to viewing other videos of yours. Much Success!!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@nomaticvanduraartz1720]

Great video!!! Look into the "Swanp Rat" Don Garlits. 392 Blown, Top Fuel, first 200 mph in the 1/4.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you! I will!

[@brianadams429]

@ john, Kenny Bernstien broke the 300 mph barrier, by then they were running Keith Black engines which were based off the 426. But if i remember up to one point the only part that would cross between chrysler hemi and Keith Black hemi was the cam bearings. At this point i don't know cam bearings would even be the same.

[@carlmalone4011]

Excellent video. Motor trend should hire you !

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you! I appreciate that!

[@danielmyre3778]

This is the best motor build for the race car. I had a 1963 ply .won s.s

[@jamessneed8789]

Another video well done 👏

[@TheGearheadLounge]

As always, I appreciate your support! Thank you so much!!

[@marklindsey2127]

Supercharging refers to raising intake pressure above atmospheric pressure. It can be done with a blower or exhaust driven turbocharger. Aircraft can be blown or turbocharged (at altitude) to normal sea level pressure with a blower or turbocharger without supercharging.