383 Hemi - The Best Engine Chrysler Never Built, And Here's An Example Of One

[@thethrottlecracker]

For those who haven't had a 383, its a true legend. 425 horsepower is a breeze, they fit in everything, and they are a joy to work on. Plus if you want, 450 inches and some stout numbers are possible for reasonable prices . 383s are responsible for much of the Mopar street cred of the day.

[@cuda426hemi]

383s got stomped by 340 6 barrel E Bodies back in the day. I know 'cos I done did it. Of course 440s ate them too, but they were so cheap and simple that they could pack 'em in the taxicab Belvedere with a lumpier cam and valves charge $2700 and go Beep Beep and bye bye to most GTOs and Chebbys. That standard RR spec HP 383 was what made it grunt. 👀

[@ssnerd583]

@@cuda426hemi ....i still want another GT Dart with a 340 - 4sp.....that car was such a blast to drive like a fool.....it became an extension of the driver in the way very few ever did back then

[@cuda426hemi]

@@ssnerd583 I had a '67 Dart GT coupe - so much fun but I didn't respect it as much as I do now, my'68 Coronet 500 and the 'Cuda got most of my silliness quotient. White with red interior? Yeah, I miss that Dart !!! 340 would be the perfect extra jimmies on that A body 🤡

[@ssnerd583]

@@cuda426hemi ...the one I had was dark green with a black interior. and it didnt take much to make it wail!!! lol

[@cuda426hemi]

@@ssnerd583 I was so cheap back then and the meats would get so worn you could see the air, so basically I was drifting before it was called drifting. Screeching tires people thought I had power - I'd say Nahhh, just no tread !!! Of course later with the 'Cuda that was different but at 7-10 MPG at least gas was only 35¢ .... got PISSED when it went to 45¢ almost overnight. lol 👀

[@gdog1342]

Uncle Tony. That is actually my dad and his best friend’s ad (Wade and Seth). We picked everything up a couple weeks ago from an older gentleman who had aspersions of building it and putting it in a street car. A 69 Barracuda that we also picked up off him (not in as good of shape as the motor). To our understanding he had all the fabrication work done by a fella in California, bought every part he needed to build the motor (besides valve spring), and had a 18 spline 4 speed ready. But just never finished the project and let it sit for nearly 40 years. There were receipts present in some of the boxes from the mid to late 80s. Very nice gentleman and sad he never got to finish it because he was very excited about the prospect of it going to someone to finish. He never said why he went through the trouble of building the 383 hemi but I could only imagine that he had rode in one, fell in love, and just had to have one.

[@randyrobey5643]

Awesome story. Those were the days.

[@richardprice5978]

my guess is/was a 70's/80's nasscar mod ( and or hotrod magazines featured as i remember one episode dated around 1995-2013 era as i was elementary to marriage/grad-day in the supermarket shelf didn't get it mixed-feeling's ) as after about 1970 year Richard petty/others had to lower the cube's under 400ci~ limit and one trick i remember was using the lower deck and also parts dry'd up between ~1977-2008~ like tony eluded to for me/my engine combo it's me being a cheap wad and or experimental adding 12in-deck 4.3X4.5in-stroked with lifter's/cam and VVL+VVT and VCR-rod's system's and buying+building a 5-12k block with a hole after failing sucks ect

[@graham2631]

When you do put it together, go show uncle so we can see it. Cool build.

[@ad41340]

I could listen to this for days

[@randyrobey5643]

Yes, indeed.

[@anthonytumbarello9940]

The late John Hagen built a couple of 383 Hemi engines off of the 383 wedge. Set the NHRA mph record before NHRA went to 500 inch rule.

[@kelvinrf]

When I was a kid I looked forward to my Grandfather reading me a bedside story. Now as an old fella I look forward to uncle Tony's bedside stories.

[@termonostruman]

NO MORE STORIES OF ROADRUNNERS THATS PAST

[@anthonysoulard9938]

i love those historical videos! in a huge mopar fan and everytime you think you know the story, there is more to learn! thank you uncle tony!😊

[@Red9GearHeads]

I’m not even a mopar guy but that’s some awesome info Tony.

[@95roadie]

Neither am I. Can’t really stand them, but these videos are phenomenal.

[@spektr540hemi]

I have a 383 with HEMI heads... Got the conversion heads in 1997. Edit = Heads are aluminum, after market, made for converting wedges to HEMIs.

[@rustychevy2087]

@@spektr540hemi how do you like it? What's your red line and what rpms does she wake up at?

[@chriscordray8572]

I saw a station wagon with a 383 hemi under the hood in Colorado back in the 70s.

[@joelalleman9591]

I have done as much research as I could and I can't find that these are still being produced . My co worker hung out with a guy who put a set on his 383 69 barracuda and it turned this thing into a real screamer at the track with very little effort , ran it about 6800rpm through the lights and made superior power to any other head produced at that time .

[@richardprice5978]

@@joelalleman9591 guy who put a set on his 383 69 made superior power to any other head produced at that time ." yeah that's why on my 1970~ charger im using iron heads D8's/street's( looking for rare alcoa casting's valve-covers with the bigger mag cut-out+spring-bump's so i can run Chevy's HEI sized-cap+rotor and or DI-fuel-pump/VVL+VVT ) ( and TR6060 platform mine's out of a C7 Z51/TR6070-unit ) as im not interested in ally's and less so mixing and still like my 12-deck 4.3X4.5in-stroked BBC-platform in my charger 2G fyi started out with 906's but my car got chopped/stolen ( covid era was auto/727 bb383 TT+EFI swaped for MPG reasons as it's technically my daily driver and or only car ) and got some things back, but places like hues/local-to-me suggesting that hemispheric because insurance is easier and or ROI and that wedge heads for tall/big block and or mopar isn't like looking for big block chevy-choice's and less so in steel/iron combos and doing work on 906's/other pre-1980's i was told vs D8's is almost a waste of money/time for a vin like mine that isn't numbered's anymore-ect

[@daddysbrokegarage]

I've seen prototype for small block mopars with hemi head conversions also. I seen them down a rabbit hole one day. Unsure where I seen them. Probably on FABO

[@jonmoore8995]

It makes a lot of sense, combining technical info with historical. Helps me understand big picture. Really appreciate this.

[@randyrobey5643]

I was not feeling well today, but I decided to look at KZbin for a while. I found U.T. and started listening to him hold court on these subjects that are so dear to us. My head hurt, so I put my head down while the video played. I entered a dreamy state while listening to U.T. saying things about 383 Hemi engines, 426 Hemi engines, 429 Fords etc. At the end of the video, I felt a little better.

[@enriquemendoza8650]

30. 45. 1hr. I'm still glued to this screen.

[@kyled2221]

As a career machinist and lifelong amateur fabricator, I can honestly say I loved this video I grew up in a MOPAR or no car house. Uncle Tony has been a huge influence on my latest Duster project Keep it up brother!! We love you!!!

[@JACB006]

Great video - You answered a lot of questions I have had for years. Let’s convince on of the Aluminium 400 B Block CNC block manufacturers to make a Gen 2 Hemi head version, for the street retro mod guys. Even with the elephant head the B block might fit where a 440 wedge used to reside within body work? Note added later: It seems that the B block Hemi is already available .. 426 Hemi Indy MAXX Aluminum Water X Block with 9.980 deck height, You would need to specify Wedge engine mounts.

[@chriscordray8572]

I saw a stationwagon with a 383 hemi. It was sick. Only one I've ever seen back in the 70s. You're correct about they were built for racing.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

What was wrong with it?

[@robertspence831]

@@jamesbosworth4191 It was green.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

@@robertspence831 Green is my favorite color.

[@jessicawells5145]

In 1988 I was 16 and a Hemi fanatic,I wrote a letter to Stage 5 an 2 weeks later I got a big envelope with a clear photo that someone took the time to take and develop,a full price guide an detailed instructions on how to install the on my none running 68 GTX.they sounded like a dedicated company.

[@BreckHedrick-h8f]

I found a pair menu year ago I couldn't afford them 1800$ lol now 10k

[@MoparBob]

I have been doing car shows in South Florida for 43 Years and i hear that line at almost every show. Funny, because I always have the same reaction that you showed at the beginning of the video.

[@roberthill2219]

Let me just say that Florida car shows attract the biggest pack of retarded old men the world has ever seen... They are a shit show of the highest order... Other than Garlits' yearly show, you can not pay me to go to one....

[@clembob8004]

That covered a lot of ground. A lot of stuff I didn't know about. interesting!

[@Tonyclifton-q4f]

Australia mid 1980s ,i bought a 1972 Valiant ute ,318 with a 727 4 barrell twin system extractors and a Iske cam ,Uncle Tony i drove that ol ute all over Australia as i worked outback and to drive 1500 Kilometres at a time to go from one job to another shearing sheep ,working cattle ,re fencing property ,i was a Jackaroo or general labourer ,long story short ,besides oil changes air/fuel filter and general maintenace that ol 318 never ever let me down ,in my opinion that V8 was the most reliable motor ever made

[@SchoolforHackers]

Absolutely agreed.

[@benjamintresham9649]

I worked for Baker Mitsubishi in Albury from 1994-2002 and I did some work on a rough looking but completely rust free VJ Ute with a 360 and 727 in it. He was a great mate of one of the mechanics that worked with me. He was a shearer too and travelled all over the country for work. The Ute came in to work one day with a rattle tiny sound and I put it up on the hoist and found that the torque converter drive plate was broken and cracked. When I looked at it closely the 727 was only held in with two of the very top bolts and you could see dark stains from the aluminium bell housing rubbing on the block. So I yanked the transmission and got him another plate and bolts and on his way. The transmission had been replaced by another work shop only a month before and due to the exhaust extractors the big outer two bolts they left out and that started the issue. The original colour of the Ute was a metallic green (olive) and he loved it and drove it like he stole it 👍🏻. How did your Ute hold up to the outback roads?

[@benjamintresham9649]

@@Tonyclifton-q4f How did the front end hold up on those outback roads mate?

[@barrycuda3769]

New Zealand, early eighties, I had a 1969 VF Valiant Regal 318 automatic , I really liked that car, plenty enough power. One undesirable thing about it ,was a tendency to all of a sudden, under acceleration swing completely around and face the opposite direction, worst when it was a wet road , but even when dry , and with reasonably gentle acceleration. I tended to run with a lightly filled fuel tank , which probably didn't help. I started to notice that it was puffing out an intermittent bit of smoke, and being young and inexperienced I panicked, thinking that it could only be very bad , and sold it cheap to a car yard . After that, a guy I worked with said , it was probably just a worn out valve guide seal , I wish he'd said that earlier. 😥

[@lawrenceteft7209]

I need a cigarette after this.

[@michaelatkins9780]

This episode works better than viagra for me, I'm just saying.

[@motometalmind]

I don’t know about you sir, but Uncle Tony needs one for sure. Just imagine that - 35 minutes UT goes without a cigarette! That is totally unwitnessed and unknown before.

[@ripplerbr]

The ancient Wizardry secrets are in full effect. Your knowledge is Gold. Thank you so much!

[@JorgeGuido-s8q]

I never get tired of your content saludos desde Redwood City ca

[@dogsense3773]

Car show in Golden gate park Oct 18 san Francisco up to 1 thousand cars

[@Bobschoppshop]

Awesome video Tony these hemi history videos are always the best learn something ever time 👌

[@BigBlock-wf3mh]

Thanks UT, cool history and info, see ya tomorrow. 😎

[@michaelmartinez1345]

Hello Tony!!! Great Show!!! I remember that issue of High Perf Cars magazine that had the article of how to build the "600 hp - Low Deck Hemi" ... They used a 383 for that article, but the 400 wiuld have worked too... The Article used the 'highly available' (at that time) 426 cast Iron Hemi heads & stock valve train... It was everything that You had in these photos on your show, and showed the changes/mods that had to be made including the external drain lines at the lower corners, the re-located boss's in the valley area, and the narrowed fwd & aft upper block deck coolant ports to accomadate the stock 426 Hemi Heads...And they did use a Tunnel ram intake manifold with narrowing done to accomadate the narrower valley area of the Low Deck engines... Basically a somewhat affordable Hemi!!! I heard that the scavenging might not have been as good because of the restrictred overlap path in the exhaust stroke because of the possibility of the partially obstructed path of the super high compression engines having those high domes, but if that became an issue, the high flow exhaust systems definitely alleviated it as they developed a negative pressure at those exhsust ports, and there was still a slightly positive pressure inside the combustion chamber... What I heard about overlap is the main reason for it is to help cool the exhaust valve & seat... I believe the reason the people at Peterson Publications and Mr. Wally Parks promoted the GM and Ford produsts by making the rules and parts more favorable , affordable & available to those vehicles, is because the majority of vehicles in the United States and other parts of the world, were made by Ford & GM.. Doing that meant that SEMA equipment would have a greater chance to survive into their futures... Nascar did many of the same things by giving the advantages to Ford & GM products by creating similar rulings... And that thing about the 3rd gen. 'Hemi' combustion chambers following the Shape of the GM cars... Sorry, I don't buy that...At the Time the 3rd gen 'Hemi' engines were re- intro'd to Chrysler , it was Owned by Mercedes Benz....And that combustion Chamber in the 3G 'Hemi' engines was REMARKABLY SIMILAR to the Combustion Chambers found in certain models of PORSCHE sports vehicles... Coincidence? I don't think so...Today is:10/07/24

[@JoshTolbertUrbana]

Man, I wish I'd kept that 400 and 440 crank...451 low-deck hemi would be stellar.

[@oldironguy]

Hell ya !!!

[@BenjaminC340]

UT, you gotta buy it and build it! That would be super interesting content.

[@rustychevy2087]

New engine for bottle rocket???? Might be cool

[@stevetaylor9265]

I remember when the stage 5 heads came out in the early 90s. I was driving a cherry 73 dart and had big dreams and small paychecks. I wanted a set bad, looking back i should have dug up a 340 and went with that.

[@BreckHedrick-h8f]

I bulid a 383 block 440 rods 1/2 inch x 8# weight reduced rpm crazy

[@bobagost3882]

Hello UT As a young chevy guy traveling around the world in the 1980s I bought a 76ish Australian built Chrysler It had a 265 Hemi straight 6 in it,the damn thing was amazing ran like a 300 horse sbc 327 Put 20.000 miles on it that summer in the hot Australian out back it was a limited production engine I'd enjoy you take on it PS it never let me down and never over heated Still a chevy guy But I still smile when I think of it Regards Uncle Bobby

[@vmaxmuscle5612]

So , are you buying it Tony ? Buy it and build it for us on your channel then give it away to me as a royalty for the idea lol . 😂

[@michaelsullivan2361]

Great video. I learned a lot that I suspected, but never had confirmation. Liked your comments on the Boss 429.

[@61rampy65]

The welding and machine work on that block and intake manifold look to be ultra-professional. I would almost think that $6500 would just barely buy the block and manifold alone. Great information, Tony!

[@guywerry6614]

Dude, you are a walking encyclopedia. As a trivia buff myself it's just fascinating, especially since the hemi 383 talk brings back echoes of your buddy Andy building that 351 Windsor with the Boss 429 heads. A truly amazing conglomeration. Being a Mopar fan, the thought of having a 383 Hemi like this seems like a really cool idea ... I don't have that kind of free money, mind you, so not going to happen, but a cool fantasy none the less.

[@darrenblaszka4438]

I have no idea about this topic but it is utterly fascinating.

[@Beanerds]

Thanks Uncle Tony , again your Knowledge is awesome . 30 minutes ? , hell Brother I could do 90 minutes of this with ease . I want that 383 !

[@randylear8264]

Give me an A Uncle Tony. I learned so much in this lesson. I always wondered about those things. And never read any of this in my Hot Rod magazines to have had the opportunity to learn. Thank you sir for this very interesting and informative lesson in the good old days of the Muscle car wars. I am looking forward to the next class. Thank you Uncle Tony and enjoy your week.

[@moparcasey3135]

You ever see the 4 valve conversion heads for the big block mopar? I seen them being sold at the mopar nationals in 1994… haven’t seen any since. Had some crazy looking rockers and little secondary push rods to make it all work. I was 13 and mind blown!

[@bourbonlover7158]

Interesting

[@UncleTonysGarage]

I did a video on that engine called the Doomsday Hemi. It was an engineering experiment that went nowhere

[@moparcasey3135]

@@UncleTonysGarage this was some aftermarket company I can’t remember the name of, they had a display with the heads on a stand so you could look them over, and a roadrunner with a set installed on it.

[@moparcasey3135]

@@UncleTonysGarage 4 valves per cylinder. Push rod Not over head cam, they must have been junk and died quickly, or I’m crazy and dreamed it🤔

[@stevenbean9706]

chapman engineering they were hired by mopar to make the stage 5-6 heads they did a hemi head for 440s . this 383 would have been simply unbeatable with lighter rotating assembly

[@pjheloguy]

Love the in depth videos, don’t feel pressured to make the videos shorter!

[@ivanchester1525]

My 383 Newport's heart throbs from this video! It's a stout factory engine and gets 15 mpg in a 4500 pound C body. I'm also happy it can make power if I choose to modify it.

[@LongIslandMopars]

That's better than the 12mpg I get in my 66 Coronet with a 273.

[@jeffreystroman2811]

Is that the one you got from me, in Pennsylvania? Charles?

[@GlennManchester]

I used to get 20 mpg highway from a 72 Newport w the 400 I didn't think I could get that good of milage especially the way I drove it but I checked it numerous times driving back and forth an hour ea way to boston for work and to my dismay the after several times checking like I said could not dispute the math in front of me on the calculator.. it kept coming out to exactly 20 .. big Holley two barrel carb and 400 motor idk how much it weighed 4500 anyway I'd think..

[@GlennManchester]

And it would move when I stood in it that speedo climbed faster than most people would think it would and if anyone's ever driven in the Boston area where it's move or get run over you have to stand on it and run 85 average speeds

[@Grandadsjunk]

That was very informative thanks big T

[@williamstel9330]

When I was at STAGE V ENG. We came out with 440/ 383 -400 hemi conversion heads we came out with them in about 1988. You had to narrow an intake manifold for them . I narrowed a Rat Roaster and a Hillborn injection back in that time. We had customers who ran them. We ran a 526 in a 68 GTX made by a 5/8 stroker top fuel crank in a 440 block with a dual 4 barrel manifold with Carter afb's with Smileys Custom Headers, and a mild roller cam. It made an easy 650 hp on the street. You can have a 440 crank ground down to fit a 383/400 and make a 450 cid using big block Chevy size rods.

[@grantlee2975]

Very interesting history Tony, I wish we had that variety of Mopar engines in Australia

[@gregk9651]

Hey Tony Got a visit from a mutual friend yesterday. Billy Belfatto up from Florida . Going to drive a friends car at a Mopar event at Lebanon valley this Sunday. 72 years young and still a string bean . We spent almost the whole day reminiscing.

[@bigstevesnostalgiadragraci4240]

John Hagen had one in an Arrow that flat flew. It held the NHRA record for a while.

[@tedesco455]

This is one of those videos where you rally shine. Not a lot of folks that have this knowledge end-to-end.

[@johnfitcheard7112]

I went to highschool with a kid that told me one of his relatives had a 68 Charger with a 440 hemi . I would debate with him nearly on a daily basis that it wasn't a such thing! I read later around 88 that there were conversion kits available in order to make it possible though

[@luketalkin5000]

Haha, got a 2bbl 383 from a 67 Fury. Owned it since 96 (yes, last century). Fresh rebuild. The last owner apparently proved the improvements of the rebuild, but demonstrated a lack of controlling those improvements and came to an abrupt stop against a power pole. 10-10-40. Runs like a charm.

[@mynameis9057]

Now that you mentioned it, I remember my buddie's uncle's sister's hamster had/have/has two off bored Hemis. One is a 400 c.i.d. Hemi and the other one is I think a 440 Hemi. I've seen and touched and drooled on these engines, so I know they exist, and to boot,my buddy bought them from none other than Dandy Dick Landy! My buddy is an engine guru,has been since the late 60's early 70's, and when he got a look under the valve cover and started digging into them he was blown away! Luckily since he bought them from the Man himself,he had his phone number and told him any questions about the engines, don't hesitate to call, and as complicated and different as he saw it was,he did! Mind you this is the middle 80's and unless you were in the know and on a serious race team,it was out there from what I was told. These were not cheap engines back then and ground like I've never seen before! The machining and tricks and such on these race blocks where quite the education to me as a young man learning the mechanical ropes, and talk about starting at the kollege level!💯😲👍 So yeah they exist, but who knows if the factory did it, but I know top race teams messed with them! Thanks again Unc.

[@alblake5994]

Thanks for all the information on the Chrysler engines . I was doing collision work in that era and never got into racing .

[@leonardhirtle3645]

Tony you are incredibly knowledgeable about Chrysler cars. I am truly impressed. Thank you.

[@marccres6619]

Could listen for days on all the knowledge ,experiences ,and memories you have.

[@dantupper1784]

Thanks-that was a LOT to cover!honestly- a book on the evolution of the Mopar Pro Stock thru the '70's and 80's- yes, some of us still read stuff!

[@pete540Z]

Damn, Tony. This was awesome! Don't apologize for the length. This was golden!

[@robertutes4850]

I remember Glidden running the Arrow, Bob told me he was pissed because NHRA kept sanctioning his small block Mopar so he went to the Ford. At the Speed Shop I worked at, we had a jig made up to do the Hemi/Wedge head swap, I think it was a collaboration between Wild Wilfred Boutilier and Mr Hughes, I never asked Wild about it cause he was always telling stories, and for me... that was too cool and i would get lost in that... I drove Wild and part of our team to the 50th US Nationals - Wild told stories the entire 11hrs, and after that loooong Nationals weekend, I drove us all back home and Wilford told stories to keep me awake all the way to his front door, Awesome!

[@raceduster3049]

Excellent video, I love BBM engines. The 383 low deck is a great motor, weight with aluminum parts, rivals, small blocks, and extremely durable. Have one in my bracket car,runs 11.50 at a 115 mph with just unported RPM heads. Can't imagine it with high flowing Hemi heads, RPMs through the roof.

[@XtheUnknown99]

Great job . Give us more.

[@1911MikeinOregon]

Very interesting video Tony. I had never heard of the 383 Hemi, but I'm not well versed in Mopars... With the cost of machining and the rarity of the parts, $6500 does seem cheap. The Pro Stock history was great. Door slammers have always been my favorite drag cars.

[@tomnekuda3818]

Great explanations and fantastic history, Professor Tony!!!

[@romulascott]

I love knowledge. I never new that Mopar guys did this. I only thought Ford guys did the Head swap on the Windsor block and Cleveland heads, which it became either a 302 Boss or if a guy did a 351W it was just a 351W with 351C heads because the Cleveland already had 4 barrel heads and was considered a boss.

[@jeremygagnon172]

I believe they nicknamed it the "Cleveor"(Cleveland/Windsor)

[@kennethcohagen3539]

Thanks Tony! The details of this were great! I’ve been a fan of the 383 for a long time. Basically it’s a big small block. And if you use Hemi length rods in it you’re near what SmokeyUnich said was the ideal Rod length to,stroke ratio of 2.2-1. Keep in mind that he was running and was building endurance engines. There is a Benefit to a high Rod ratio, but its effect isn’t as great would good flowing heads as it is with poor flowing heads. I wish I still had the article where I learned about this, but the author took a small block Chevy, I think it was a 327, and built two versions. One with a 5.5” long Rod and one with a 6.5” long Rod. He went to great pains to make both versions as equal as possible, keeping the rotating masses weight the same for both engines. He used two sets of heads on each, a pair of 1.94” and 1.5” valves unported and a set of ported heads with 2.02” and 1.6” valves. Both engines made more horsepower and torque with the long rods. But the engines gains were higher with the restrictive heads than the ported heads even though the good heads made more power overall. Keeping this in mind, what you said about the short deck with shorter shows the trade off we make. A company called Stage V made a Hemi kit that allowed Hemi heads to fit any B or RB Mopar. They had special rocker arms that made it able to use pushrods that didn’t need to have the block grooved for them to fit. So, you could build a 383 Hemi using this kit. Another possibility that never came to be would be a Ball Stud Hemi kit for the 383. But Mopar never released the Ball Stud design. A third possibility would be to,say the hell with it and run Max Wedge heads on a 383. It would rev to the moon and back, but would make power at high RPM.

[@jefffixesit60]

Well done, Tony!

[@pierredentremont2999]

Don't stop! This history lesson is great!

[@oldironguy]

Great video Uncle Tony, awesome content!

[@BrianBrissett]

Didn't direct connection make a set of stage v heads that where bolt on to the low deck engine. I'm pretty sure I have a catalog showing them

[@billhendon1017]

I love it man !! I could listen to this for hours!! Thanks Mr Tony!!

[@joelalleman9591]

A really great video Tony, that 383 block sure looks like one of John Hagen's masterpieces he built to run at the lower weight in prostock in the 70's. John was killed in a testing accident at the track and it seemed like , at the time all his hard efforts and work was gone forever. I had the magazine article featuring how he modified the block , welding in the bosses across the top of the block to accept the top row of studs , etc . John's death was a great blow , not just to his family ,but; to the faithful Mopar fans who really saw the potential in what he was trying to do with this combination. I think as I recall part of his inspiration for wanting this short stroke and high rpm potential originated in the early gen 1 hemi 331 cubic inch motors as opposed to the early 392 motors . It was pointed out by several engine builders early on that these 331 motors would really scream at high rpm as opposed to the 392 ,but; you had a cylinder head that would flow as much air as you wanted at the higher level. I don't know of anyone who was modifying these blocks like John , and , at the time of his death no information was ever out there as to how much inventory he had in spare blocks. my father and I followed Pro stock very closely since it started in 1970 . Prior to 1970 there was a super stock class designated XSS , and mainly consisted of your top high horsepower competitors in super stock ,but; was run without a handicap start system, it was all heads up. The no handicap starts were a real crowd pleaser and fans everywhere loved it . The 3 nationally know cars at that time were Bill Jenkins in his 69 big block camaro, Ronnie Sox in his 68 hemi barracuda , and Don Nicholson in his 427 SOHC mustang. The wild popularity of these cars morphed into pro stock the following year . In 1969 these 3 racers and a camaro owned by Jungle Jim Liberman ,but; I don't remember the driver, had a 4 wide best out of 3 match race at my home track, York US 30 Racetrack in York ,Pa. I still have the flier from the race when it was published by the track press the following week. Thanks Tony, for all the info you put out there , especially about the combustion chamber issues with the domed pistons . How much understanding do you have about the last pro stock hemi raced by Allen Johnson , who was extremely successful with this motor on carburetors ??!! I was told by a nationally known racer , owner , engine builder , who was running one of these motors early on , that when they switched to fuel injection it would make this engine non competitive so when they saw the fuel injection rule change coming they switched to building chevrolets. Can you share anything about this ??

[@oldironguy]

Great info in your post Joe! You are right about the 331/392 as the 392 was a raised block where the 331 and 354 Chryslers were Low decks.

[@danielroberts698]

They killed the hemi not with fuel injection but the limit on rpm. How can NHRA limit rpm? Why of course to make sure Chevy wins. It’s a joke like always to make sure Chevy is your only option. Everyone gets the same fuel injection and a rpm limiter. The end for the hemi in pro stock.

[@milesbabin6578]

Another great show Tony. Thank you.

[@robertrio1164]

Finally finished this up today. Another great history video from UT! I really think that motor has a place between the fenders of Slaghammer.

[@nhra7110]

awesome video - could go on for hours!!

[@Joshcheyka]

My dad and I are big Mopar nuts and my oldest sister told him one time that one of her dream cars is a "Hemi Cuda, with a 440 engine". We both had to awkwardly explain that if it has a 440 it's not a Hemi Cuda lol

[@pughoneycutt1986]

While Chrysler never built a 440 hemi a guy I knew back then 1960s did build a Frankenstein 440 drove it a little bit and sold it to a racer. Only one I've ever seen but there was 1

[@hayneshvac2]

Had a guy pull up to the parts house next to me once. He pulled up in a very nice Dodge Mirada. I asked him what was under the hood, he then replied 350. I tried to correct him to 318 or 360, even a slant 6, but to no avail, he was determined it was a 350. I wished him luck on his part search and moved on...lol. Great video Tony, thanks for sharing.

[@kurtpoblenz2741]

Chrysler did make a 350.

[@hayneshvac2]

@@kurtpoblenz2741 yes they did, it was an RB block, but it was never offered in a Dodge Mirada, and this guy said his car was stock.

[@MrR6guy]

Excellent video! need more like this

[@philchambers188]

your knowledge is legendary...i wish you were a big block chevy man....wow...what we could learn...luv ya uncle tony....

[@user-lr2lg6qz4e]

Great presentation. Thanks UTG

[@KevinWidener-fz9hj]

You know what Mopar stands for are you Chevy guys mighty overpowered and respected 😮😮😮😮❤

[@RonBarracuda]

Growing up in the 1970s in Texas, and being a Mopar guy in a town (hamlet) worshiping the bow tie, a lot of folk often mentioned the 440-HEMI. I gave up trying to explain the difference between a HEMI and a wedge engine, or that Chrysler didn’t have a 440-HEMI. - I was driving a 1973 340 Cuda at the time (high school). Not a HEMI, but still fun.

[@cromBumny]

The mechanical architecture of the bore stroke and rod angle can spin a 383 to 7300rpm, with 60s tech alone (with a hemi head, as it flows well enough to feed that displacement about adequately.

[@roberthill2219]

Ok... just because I love Kathy... About 10 years ago a friend in Nebraska restored the Sox & Martin '79 Dodge Ommi Pro Stock car... he built a low deck Hemi very,very similar to what Ronnie and Buddy raced BITD... with a few modern tricks... that sucker dyno'd at a little over 880 hp....

[@baby-sharkgto4902]

Awesome video Tony! I learned a few things. Also I’m surprised that you didn’t purchase the engine, seems like a heck of a good deal especially with today’s dollar.

[@williamstel9330]

When we originally planned the conversion hemi engines, we counter bored the head for a bolt that had a piece of nylon in it to lock the bolt so it wouldn't unscrew in operation, and we never had an issue. And all the rocker arms are the same as fuel car rockers except the end exhaust which is turned in for the push rod. And the other end intake was a special inboard drilled hole for the push rod, all other rockers are the same as 426. Unfortunately we never made a .100 or .200 shallow chamber as we did try and neither Garlits or Pisano would try them so we recut the chambers to stock. Valves were stock location.

[@clintonsmith9931]

Only himi I saw raced in the 1960s ran only a few times and bent a rod. Lots of 409 Chevys, 390 and 406 Fords. Even saw a chain driven supercharger on Olds. Fun in the sun

[@whattheflux2733]

Once I saw a very rare and elusive 390 Wankel stroker semi-hemi V-8 converted to a naturally aspirated superturbo charged rocket that runs on water and propane mix.... it was just awesome, never seen another one since, kinda like bigfoot, see once never see it again....

[@briandeskins7661]

I absolutely love these types of videos T, more please!

[@tommyridolfi9261]

Thank you for the lesson, it was very interesting

[@elmerfudpucker3204]

I've heard of the "Hemi head conversion kits", but I've never actually seen an engine built with it. The whole time UT was going on in this clip, the rusty gears in my head were spinning with wondering what a person could do with a 400 low block version, with the big bores and such. Pretty sure that would be a ride to take.

[@keithroute8906]

Great video Tony, you have some mid blowing knowledge. I will add what I know for any curious person’s possible edification: Wow, as most people know I raced the 400 blocks in the 80’s throughout the southern MD tracks. I believe and I think any reasonable person can clearly see that the 426 blocks came from/by the 383 as the engineers sawed apart 383 blocks and mocked up possibilities with proven parts to make everything they cold into the new block with what they already had. That is why bores and bolt holes matched up perfectly in most cases. They spaced and filled and then recast the sawed and respaced pieces of 383 blocks into their 426 elephant motor. Chrysler for being a big three car manufacturer did more with less money than any other car company. They had to. They could have built a better 426 motor from scratch but they simply didn’t have the budget for it. What they did build was the best motor for NASCAR and ruled NASCAR until it was legislated out of racing for being too good and potentially dangerous. (Mostly caused by tires no longer good enough to handle the stress and heat of racing). The 426 was a heavy beast of a motor with a proven reputation of being able to run flat out wide open for five hundred miles and stay together to win a race. Tires at that time were sketchy and contributed to many and most crashes. Tires caught up in technology to handle speed and heat stresses put to them but the Hemi was gone by then. The 383 they later over bored to the 400, I always thought was the perfect race motor, that is why I raced them besides being able to at that time during those years get them dirt cheap at the junk yards. Nobody wanted them, gas was expensive and a lot of those 400’s I didn’t get for racing ended up being crushed in cars. Special heads with good springs, good intake and a cam was all they really needed. They were pretty tough for what they were and easily won races, very fast and I absolutely ran in to racers who did all kinds of things to 400’s I didn’t have the money for as far as speed parts. I knew I had a nice fast motor but I also knew there was a ton of power still to be had with money to pour into it. Chrysler knew what they had the 383 was stout and if gasoline had not skyrocketed the 426 may have lasted longer. Total marvel of engineering, created from cutting up a 383 block, stretching, filling, then recasting it into the 426 elephant block. That is why the heads had heavy gangly parts. To make the heads work with the way the 383 already was set up for, they made custom (gangly heavy part creations) head parts to make it last in races. What they created is history. They did it on the cheap and masterminded a monster. The 426 was the King of NASCAR.

[@SavingChevys73]

I really enjoy the info dump videos. Thanks UT.

[@theone861]

You reminded me of "Cannonball Run II". There's a guy that gives the girls a lift. He had a Mercedes SL that he "wedged in a 383 Hemi"!

[@STRIDER185]

Great video love this stuff

[@tidertom13]

Wish I lived close to your shop. I’d work cheap just to……get to.

[@zappa3543]

Good stuff Tony

[@alrui]

Buy the 383 Tony, would make for LOT'S of great content!

[@NGG1983]

This is a funny coincidence, but my buddies and I were watching an old 1970s movie recently called "The Friends of Eddie Coyle", it's a Boston bank robbery crime movie that intertwines a bunch of stories into one. Good film, one that definitely inspired Ben Affleck when he made The Town. But anyway, one character in it drives a 383 Roadrunner. At one point in the movie he's talking to a criminal associate about the car and his friend asks "You get the Magnum mill?" to which he responds "Naw, I got the Hemi, 383 Hemi" Me and my friends watching the movie has the same conversation, like huh, there was only a 426 Hemi right? and we had to look it up to see if it was a movie mistake, which it was i guess.

[@stephenlineman]

great vid outstanding history lesson keep it up UT

[@jppagetoo]

I love all the engineering that went on post war in engine design. Those designers knew how to make power with iron.

[@mattleonard5268]

Big block Chevy with hemi heads has a real good setup

[@adabada9407]

Saw an article on this build years ago, I believe it was in Super Stock and Drag Illustrated magazine.

[@thomassnyder7605]

My Pontiac 400 thrashed my friends and acquaintances with 383's including some SuperBee's. I miss those days. 😃

[@johnlees4387]

I saw one on a stand at Charlie Mayuke Racing on the north side of Des Moines Iowa. The welding process he used to weld the mild steel tubing to the cast iron block to make the space for the exhaust valves was top secret. I was just a kid so he didn't take me serious when I asked how much for one. I believe he made the blocks for ostrich racing in Nevada Iowa, who screwed together several of these...

[@alexgillies4183]

I don't think anyone watching this channel minds when you go off on a tangent! lol