68 Barracuda Savage GT Tribute Pro-touring Build

I said I would share a little more on the modern Hemi Valve Train geometry in a post above. Let me tell you a little of my background first...

I went to school for Design Technology and Engineering. I then attended school at School of Automotive Machinists. I am constantly reading something, I believe in self education. I have hundreds of Books on engineering, engine building, head porting all written by reputable and world record holding builders. I am a function over form guy and at times I can be very analytical. Now I don't know everything, and I never will but that's why I keep reading and educating myself.

The Modern Hemi valve train is not a bad valve train. The modern Hemi is a great engine. I love everything about it... except the valve train. Keep in mind what I am about to discuss applies only to racing engines. The hemi as a street and hot rod motor is great. So here is my issue... The pushrods aren't center square with the lifters. This is a very bad thing when is comes to high rpm. I never even considered this until Judd the owner and instructor at SAM pointed it out. So at the highest levels of racing when you have done everything you can do to make power the only thing you can do to make more is turn more RPM. Judd's engine in his orange Camaro is 440 LSX that turns 10,000 rpm and make right around 1000hp NA:twisted:. Now according to Judd... a modern hemi is at risk of bending the end of the push rod that is in contact with the lifter. Because the lifter and the pushrod meet at an angle. The pushrod has even been know to "jump" off the pushrod seat on the lifter at high rpm. Now I personally have never witnessed this. But here is how I look at it. Judd is a world record holding engine builder and racer. If he says its bad its bad. He is a non-prejudice engine builder. To him engines are just air pumps. If he says hang fuzzy dice from the mirror to go faster, you hang fuzzy dice from the mirror.:D My take on learning racing secrets is like this... Do you want to learn from a backyard mechanic or weekend racer, or do you want to learn from someone with world record holder written on the side of their car.

Honestly I Believe the whole Hemi head thing is just a marketing scheme to sell cars. You look at the valve sizes and flow numbers on a 5.7 ls6 head and a 5.7 Hemi and they are really close. You take a look at the LS3 head vs the 6.1 head they flow about the same but the Hemi actually uses a slightly smaller valve. Which is the Hemi design advantage virtually no valve shrouding from the cylinder. But again the figures are very close.

Again I seriously considered the Hemi. But it was just way out of my budget. I would love a 6.1 under the hood. Maybe someday. But for now its gonna be a Frankenstein. Mopar car, Chevy engine, Jaguar IRS, Ford front suspension...#-o