50s Hemi Engine Build With 21st Century Technology - A Contemporary Chrysler - Tech

This would be all fine and good if this were 1958 and there were piles of engines in the junkyard or available at the local Mopar dealer. Problem is, it ain't 1958, it's 2010 and 59 years have passed since the first-gen block rolled off the assembly line. But while the engines themselves are slightly more elusive than they were 50 years ago, there exists today a booming aftermarket industry that supports vintage engine builds such as the early Hemi, perhaps in a more progressive way today than ever before. A number of the weak spots in those old engines have been addressed, such as the water pumps, which companies like Hot Heads offers adapters to run readily available small-block Chevy pumps in their place, as well as adapters for more transmissions than you can shake a stick at. And internal items such as pistons, bearings, seals, gaskets, rings, cranks, and camshafts, and even CNC'd aluminum heads are all readily available.

That was exactly my mentality when it came time to pick a mill for my '52 F-1 pickup. Sure I could have ordered up a crate engine from any of the suppliers across the country and I probably could have had my project on the road months ago, but who wants to take the easy way out? Always up for a challenge and wanting to do something different, I set out hunting for a good candidate to power my truck. As luck would have it, I found one locally in a barn that looked pretty clean and didn't appear to be too worse for wear. The price was right, a deal was struck and soon I was heading over to Speed-O-Motive with the engine in the back of my parts hauler to give those guys a thorough headache with my vintage "gem."

Speed-O-Motive has been known as the stroker experts since 1946, so there was no doubt in my mind that they would be the perfect choice to handle the machining chores. Another name synonymous with vintage engines is Egge Machine Company, who supplied all the internals for the Hemi, save the camshaft, crank, rods, and springs. They run a first-class business that cast pistons for everything from, well, Flatheads to Hemis, and also stock every internal part you can think of for vintage engines from 1900 to 1980. A camshaft was ordered up from legendary Mooneyes, ground by the master himself, Bill Jenks. With a spec sheet with that much history, I was sure to be in good hands!

Building a vintage engine can be shrouded by old time voodoo secrets, ancient magic, and must-do speed tips, but be forewarned that a knowledgeable machine shop coupled with a competent parts supplier can take that ancient relic of Detroit's past and dumb it down to a tractor motor. The internal combustion engine is going on 100-plus years and while a great many innovations have been made, it all boils down to a simple few points. Get the gas in the cylinder, make it explode, expel the burn, and create power to get you down the road. There have been leaps and bounds in technology, but the general idea has been the same since Henry Ford first took the Model T coast to coast.

That said, I was able to convince myself to act as the guinea pig for those who wanted to build a vintage engine and do it in the confines of their home shop. I've worked on the Mooneyes dragster and even moonlighted on a Bonneville race car that made it into the 200 mph Club in 2004 (Todd Haas' So Cal Speed Shop-sponsored '34 roadster), but that hardly means I knew what I was doing. I was simply a bystander at the feet of bigger and better tuners, fabricators, and racers. But I had the itch and that's all that matters.

While building a vintage engine can have its ups and downs, today's vast aftermarket industry makes it easier than ever to build a bulletproof vintage engine that is as reliable as any crate motor out there. Just remember that if you can't find something that applies to your particular project, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but sometimes it is necessary to think outside the box.