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What's it like, driving a Hemi?

Back in the day when the cars were pretty fresh I spent a night bench racing a friend with a V code 70 runner. The next day after the two of us making sure we were in tune we set out to clear the air, both 4 speeds 4:10 cars bone stock and we made 6 runs and I got him by 1/2 car or a tad more in all 6 runs. Oh this took place on a lonely county road so the only ones in danger was us. 1st gear was a push the 4 speed was an equalizer when it came to the 440s low end torque.(Now for the disclaimer this was in my first hemi runner the one I have now is a 3:54 car)
 
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IF I had a Gen 2 HEMI, for me, part of the pride of ownership would be having my favorite manufacturer's best engine.
Beyond that, the HEMI is legendary, and even hard core "other brand" guys have to either admit it, or they are lying! What engine design is the fundamental blueprint for the most powerful engines of ALL TIME including today, no limit?
The Chrysler HEMI.
Even if a HEMI powered car should be 2nd to the stripe, you KNOW the guy who made it across the line ahead of a HEMI has that little extra bit of satisfaction because he beat a HEMI.
Visually, the only engines that can compare to the "2x4 across the face, OMG" looks of those GIANT cylinder heads and 2x4bbl carbs would be a SOHC Ford 427 or the Boss 429, both cutting edge engines in their own right.
Climbing to the TOP of "legendary muscle car engine mountain", there will be a number of familiar mills close to the top. 440+6 (way more impressive than a 440 4bbl) L88, SOHC 427 and Boss 429, 426 Max Wedge, 2x4 Pontiac 421, SD 455, etc etc, but I have NO DOUBT that at the tippy top is the 426 HEMI, and when you have one, you know it too!
 
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oldbee said:
How about racing against one? My 383 against an also new R/T hemi. 0-100 he got me by a car length; rolling start 20-100 got me by 2-1/2 cars. Both auto trans& 3.23 rears. Boy when hit 40/50mph even I could hear that air rushing into those carbs!
Click to expand...
And, 2 weeks later he wanted to go again(4.10,headers had been added); I declined!
 
66 Sat said:
is the driving experience going to be world's apart from what I have now?
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My first thought when I read the opening post, (other than :lowdown:HEMI) was the HUGE difference between the bone stock 440 4bbl, automatic transmission, A/C, 3.23 open diff that was the drivetrain in my 71 Charger R/T and the warmed up 440+6bbl, standard transmission, 292/509 cam, headers, was 3.54-4 speed now 4.10-5 speed Dana SureGrip, CompCams springs, locks, retainers (yes, the springs made a BIG improvement) in my 70 Roadrunner which I'm sure is a few hundred pounds lighter.
It's as though it's a completely different engine.
So yes, I would think it would make a big difference going from ANY 318 to a strong big block, and the HEMI? Well that much more, especially in the higher RPM range, and much more torque.
 
This is great, all these stories! I think I'll just keep the mystique of the legendary hemi in my head, at least until I win the lottery and can buy one completely guilt free. Trying to explain to the wife that I've bought a car that looks virtually identical to the one I have, same interior, same wheels etc that cost seven times more will be a little difficult. Explaining how another 100 or so cubic inches cost $60,000 and now we can't take the car to the beach because it's too valuable may also cause some difficulty.
 
66 Sat said:
This is great, all these stories! I think I'll just keep the mystique of the legendary hemi in my head, at least until I win the lottery and can buy one completely guilt free. Trying to explain to the wife that I've bought a car that looks virtually identical to the one I have, same interior, same wheels etc that cost seven times more will be a little difficult. Explaining how another 100 or so cubic inches cost $60,000 and now we can't take the car to the beach because it's too valuable may also cause some difficulty.
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At least you are honest about it, and I like your story too.
 
biomedtechguy said:
IF I had a Gen 2 HEMI, for me, part of the pride of ownership would be having my favorite manufacturer's best engine.
Beyond that, the HEMI is legendary, and even hard core "other brand" guys have to either admit it, or they are lying! What engine design is the fundamental blueprint for the most powerful engines of ALL TIME including today, no limit?
The Chrysler HEMI.
Even if a HEMI powered car should be 2nd to the stripe, you KNOW the guy who made it across the line ahead of a HEMI has that little extra bit of satisfaction because he beat a HEMI.
Visually, the only engines that can compare to the "2x4 across the face, OMG" looks of those GIANT cylinder heads and 2x4bbl carbs would be a SOHC Ford 429 or the Boss 429, both cutting edge engines in their own right.
Climbing to the TOP of "legendary muscle car engine mountain", there will be a number of familiar mills close to the top. 440+6 (way more impressive than a 440 4bbl) L88, SOHC and Boss 429, 426 Max Wedge, 2x4 Pontiac 421, SD 455, etc etc, but I have NO DOUBT that at the tippy top is the 426 HEMI, and when you have one, you know it too!
Click to expand...
Correct me if am wrong but didn't Chrysler help Ford to develop the 429 ?
 
coronet68mx said:
Correct me if am wrong but didn't Chrysler help Ford to develop the 429 ?
Click to expand...
I have no knowledge at all on that topic, but I would give that possibility a zero% chance, given the highly competitive nature of the Big 3, especially when horsepower and performance were really coming into play as selling points.
 
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coronet68mx said:
Correct me if am wrong but didn't Chrysler help Ford to develop the 429 ?
Click to expand...
Here's an article on how Ford developed the 427 SOHC in only 3 months in an effort to compete with the 426 HEMI.
Other than problems with the 7 foot long timing (cam) chain stretching, (there may have been other issues, but the chain stretch is the only one I am immediately aware of) the 427 SOHC was an engine that did and should hold a rightful place as legendary.
https://www.goldeagle.com/tips-tools/the-cammer-fords-answer-to-the-hemi/
So no, as I suspected, Chrysler didn't "help" Ford develop the SOHC 427, and I'm sure (without any research) the same holds true for the Boss 429.
I've seen them spin over 7k RPMs and that is not unusual, but "normal".
No don't get me wrong, there is NOTHING, including the awesome GEN 3 "HEMI" that tops the engineering, design, and performance as far as I'm concerned (especially when built up beyond stock specifications) of the 426 HEMI. Sure, the chiller system, supercharger, EFI, and computer system of the new GEN 3 HEMIs are outstanding engineering, but for its time, and still today, the brain power that developed the 426 HEMI is second to none.
The Boss 429 was worse for being "tempremental" (read that as "ran like crap unless tuned to a T" ) on the street in stock trim than the HEMI, but the performance of the Boss 429 was also outstanding, especially in race trim, and in some cases, possibly due to its larger intake valve diameter, superior to a comparably built 426 HEMI on the top end or higher RPM range.
Still, when any of the "classic" engines of the muscle car era are taken to their fullest potential, I don't think there is anything that can out power a GEN 2 HEMI.
Last note: although GM had higher horsepower output on their high end big blocks than the :lowdown:440+6bbl, those numbers also came in because of higher compression, solid lifters, and aluminum cylinder heads from the factory. I am proud to have one of the most powerful big block non-HEMI engines produced by Chrysler, and like I said regarding "worth the difference", the difference between the experience of hammering my 440 4bbl in my Charger R/T back in 1978 vs my warmed over 440+6bbl in my Roadrunner is night and day. Other than the feeling I've had when boost kicks in from a turbocharger, there's nothing I've personally experienced that compares to the outboard carbs opening on my 440+6...it's a RUSH!
 
biomedtechguy said:
Here's an article on how Ford developed the 427 SOHC in only 3 months in an effort to compete with the 426 HEMI.
Other than problems with the 7 foot long timing (cam) chain stretching, (there may have been other issues, but the chain stretch is the only one I am immediately aware of) the 427 SOHC was an engine that did and should hold a rightful place as legendary.
https://www.goldeagle.com/tips-tools/the-cammer-fords-answer-to-the-hemi/
So no, as I suspected, Chrysler didn't "help" Ford develop the SOHC 427, and I'm sure (without any research) the same holds true for the Boss 429.
I've seen them spin over 7k RPMs and that is not unusual, but "normal".
No don't get me wrong, there is NOTHING, including the awesome GEN 3 "HEMI" that tops the engineering, design, and performance as far as I'm concerned (especially when built up beyond stock specifications) of the 426 HEMI. Sure, the chiller system, supercharger, EFI, and computer system of the new GEN 3 HEMIs are outstanding engineering, but for its time, and still today, the brain power that developed the 426 HEMI is second to none.
The Boss 429 was worse for being "tempremental" (read that as "ran like crap unless tuned to a T" ) on the street in stock trim than the HEMI, but the performance of the Boss 429 was also outstanding, especially in race trim, and in some cases, possibly due to its larger intake valve diameter, superior to a comparably built 426 HEMI on the top end or higher RPM range.
Still, when any of the "classic" engines of the muscle car era are taken to their fullest potential, I don't think there is anything that can out power a GEN 2 HEMI.
Last note: although GM had higher horsepower output on their high end big blocks than the :lowdown:440+6bbl, those numbers also came in because of higher compression, solid lifters, and aluminum cylinder heads from the factory. I am proud to have one of the most powerful big block non-HEMI engines produced by Chrysler, and like I said regarding "worth the difference", the difference between the experience of hammering my 440 4bbl in my Charger R/T back in 1978 vs my warmed over 440+6bbl in my Roadrunner is night and day. Other than the feeling I've had when boost kicks in from a turbocharger, there's nothing I've personally experienced that compares to the outboard carbs opening on my 440+6...it's a RUSH!
Click to expand...
Thank you so much, a very well articulated answer, with the propper info, I was wrong so that's why I ask, :thumbsup:
 
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Clear out your conversations enough so I can send you a message asap please.
 
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Thanks my friend!
I am absolutely a MOPAR fan, through and through, and MOPAR has been my favorite ever since I was 7 or 8 years old and had a high speed ride in my parents 69 383 Roadrunner, and so many other great MOPAR rides and experiences since that one. Back then, every other brand SUCKED as far as I was concerned, but now I appreciate the better efforts of "the other manufacturers" too, but MOPAR will always be my favorite.
 
I drive one several times a week and get to beat it like a speckeled stepchild! It's a vision I had when I caught the disorder that has NO CURE! HEMI-ITIS!!
It was National Speedway here on long island that is long gone,but my vision never left my head till I finally dropped in my 1st hemi. 432 with an original borrowed mag cross ram off a original unmolested 65 Super Stock Dodge. Then I aquired a tunnel ram with 2 750 DPs. I was then able to remove that engine and replace it with a siamesed bore hemi block with a BDS setup.The rest is my life story...........

Today coming home from the Rumblers Car Club show in Brooklyn NY
Now THIS is is what you really wanna do:rolleyes:


63554820_10156273624806245_3902937039296790528_o.jpg 62310299_10156273626271245_3292236927968739328_o.jpg 62355722_10156273625461245_8499648198980141056_n.jpg 63554820_10156273624806245_3902937039296790528_o.jpg
 
HEMI-ITIS said:
I drive one several times a week and get to beat it like a speckeled stepchild! It's a vision I had when I caught the disorder that has NO CURE! HEMI-ITIS!!
It was National Speedway here on long island that is long gone,but my vision never left my head till I finally dropped in my 1st hemi. 432 with an original borrowed mag cross ram off a original unmolested 65 Super Stock Dodge. Then I aquired a tunnel ram with 2 750 DPs. I was then able to remove that engine and replace it with a siamesed bore hemi block with a BDS setup.The rest is my life story...........

Today coming home from the Rumblers Car Club show in Brooklyn NY
Now THIS is is what you really wanna do:rolleyes:


View attachment 838387 View attachment 838388 View attachment 838389 View attachment 838390
Click to expand...

Now that’s a HEMI!!
 
:lowdown:Supercharger w/2x4s
:lowdown:Gen 2 HEMI
:lowdown: Street Driven
:lowdown:Fast at the Drag Strip
Add all 4 together and you get a sum greater than its parts!
:lowdown::lowdown::lowdown::lowdown::lowdown::lowdown::lowdown::lowdown::thumbsup::thumbsup::moparsmiley::moparsmiley:
 
Richard Cranium said:
In street form, Hemis are eye candy and ego boosters when the hood is popped. For the most part, wedge engines are better street engines.
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I'm not too sure I could agree with that statement.It does take some knowledge to fine tune a dual quad hemi or a sixpack. IMOP the HEMI is the best!
I drove 60 miles round trip to the Rumblers car car show yesterday in Williamsburg in Brooklyn yesterday mostly in bumper to bumper traffic.Great show!!

9.21.19 5578.jpg 9.21.19 5593.jpg 9.21.19 5600.jpg 9.21.19 5601.jpg 9.21.19 5603.jpg 9.21.19 5616.jpg
 
Can't remeber the name but there was a funny car that used a SOHC motor but they used a gear drive system for timing but it to was temperamental
 
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