426 Hemi

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ir3333 said:
..Is the 426 hemi the ultimate engine?
your thoughts?
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Oh boy here it comes!

It's all subjective on what context you're looking at. Really to many variables to just pick one. So in what way are you looking at this? Example in top fuel the Hemi dominates all, but a Hemi will always lose when it comes to fuel economy etc...
 
I think the 440 was and is. Much more reliable and stable valve train for cheaper money. Cheaper to build and cheaper to maintain. All the reasons Chrysler moved to the B and RB engines TWICE over the Hemis.
 
ir3333 said:
..Is the 426 hemi the ultimate engine?
your thoughts?
Click to expand...

Yes it is.
It has the looks and the performance to back it.
The 440 and the 383 were a lot more practical though, that's why a lot more were sold.
The same thing can be said about the Dana 60 versus the 8 and three quarter rear end too.
 
It all depends on your definition of the ultimate engine. The 426 hemi is definitely one of the most iconic engines made. Most Mopar fanatics would donate a kidney to own one.

You could list several other engines as American icons.

FoMoCo fans would point to the 427 SOHC and the flathead Ford. Those engines draw plenty of attention. Some would argue that the flathead deserves credit for creating the whole 'hotrod' movement.

The General Nuisance fans might claim their small block Chebbies deserve the title because it's so affordable and it seems to outnumber all other engines combined. The amount of aftermarket speed equipment available for it surpasses that made for any other motor.

 
Factory - yes. Currently, I'd rather have a small block 440 in an A body. I'd like to have a 426 in my '69 Chrysler though.
 
No...but the max wedge engines were in my opinion.....
 
For looks you can't beat them. WAY more expensive than a B or RB.Would I ever get another,,?More than likely not...
 

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The Hemi head design allows for bigger valves, and straighter ports for less flow restriction. You can't fit Hemi valves into a wedge engine.

Even the early Hemi made more power than the big block engines. Don Garlits had a great story at the Mopar Nats one year about how the 392 Hemi was better than the 413 that was to replace them.

Richard Petty won the 64 Daytona 500 with a prototype Hemi block that was cast 10 days before the race after identifying and correcting a weak spot from testing. You aren't supposed to win with prototypes, sometimes they break while you "tune in the design"...

The 68 SS Darts and Barracudas have OWNED SS/A and SS/AA class record since they came out. the record just keeps getting broken by another Hemi Dart or Barracuda.

Top Fuel and Funny Car engines are all based off of the Hemi head design, no matter what body they wrap around it...

The Hemi Daytona was the first car to break 200 MPH on a closed circuit track, and did it before Indy...

Hemis set records in both quarter-mile and NASCAR style racing in their days, both the early Hemis and the 426 Hemis...


Yeah, they're junk, who'd want one...
 
the 426 hemi , the greatest of all time, then the 354 hemi was the greatest of the 1950s, now the new hemi is the greatest
 
krazykuda said:
The Hemi head design allows for bigger valves, and straighter ports for less flow restriction. You can't fit Hemi valves into a wedge engine.

Even the early Hemi made more power than the big block engines. Don Garlits had a great story at the Mopar Nats one year about how the 392 Hemi was better than the 413 that was to replace them.

Richard Petty won the 64 Daytona 500 with a prototype Hemi block that was cast 10 days before the race after identifying and correcting a weak spot from testing. You aren't supposed to win with prototypes, sometimes they break while you "tune in the design"...

The 68 SS Darts and Barracudas have OWNED SS/A and SS/AA class record since they came out. the record just keeps getting broken by another Hemi Dart or Barracuda.

Top Fuel and Funny Car engines are all based off of the Hemi head design, no matter what body they wrap around it...

The Hemi Daytona was the first car to break 200 MPH on a closed circuit track, and did it before Indy...

Hemis set records in both quarter-mile and NASCAR style racing in their days, both the early Hemis and the 426 Hemis...


Yeah, they're junk, who'd want one...
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Nothing is the same on any of the race examples now except the name and the records fall because they loosen the definition of "acceptible" or someone finds a way to incorporate more modern technology in parts or machining accuracy. They were cool for their time - but sorry - a Honda VTec makes them look like a dinosaur in hp/in and even back then a well tuned wedge could outrun them and certainly was more driveable on the street. In terms of cost there's no justification for them besides the aura. I've always been a mopar guy, but really the Gen II Hemi is not the be-all-end-all of engines. Simply a cool approach to solving airflow problems "back in the day".

:happy1:
 
famous bob said:
neither one of my street hemi`s were ever out run by any wedge!
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I'd love to see a modern race between a 63 Super Stock Dodge with a 426 Max Wedge and a 426 hemi, stock for stock...it'd be pretty neat.
 
dukeboy_318 said:
I'd love to see a modern race between a 63 Super Stock Dodge with a 426 Max Wedge and a 426 hemi, stock for stock...it'd be pretty neat.
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That would be interesting. They are rated for the same HP and the hemi weighs a touch more.



To the OP, in the Mopar world, yes the 426 (and the new hemi) are king.

In the overall hot rod world, the LS platform is simply over the top. With stock valvetrain and bottom ends they are reliably making over 1,000 hp.
 
Lets see.I will compare the 426 hemi with a B-52 bomber. Both were laid out by a small group of engineers on the fly in order to meet an impending deadline. Both were designed using slide rules and drafting tables. Both immediately rose to the top of their fields. Both remained on top long after they went out of production. And both,dispite being 50+years old,are not to be trifled with. Still getting it done!
And today's engines,while impressive,are not fifty years worth of technology impressive. Compare a rotary dial land line phone to the latest cell phones. And yet I never "dropped"a call using a land line.LOL.
I have a 392(gen1) two 426s(gen2) and two 5.7s (ones in boxes). Guess which one I don't trust! That's right. The one that had an intake seat just decide to drop out!
 
Motors is motors, they all do the same thing, all are held together with nuts and bolts, the 426 is only 426 cubic inches, a 440 is bigger and a 400 is smaller, cubic inch wise.
 
One of my second Gen hemis. Out of a car cast iron block,factory caps. Forged crank,after market rods. After market pistons. Big cam. Out of a car,unported cast iron heads. Stock valves. Big springs. Out of a car,stock stands,rocker shafts and arms. After market pushrods. Supercharged,injected Burns Meth. I can put in a tune up and get 1000+HP. This is a late 70s engine combo. Still getting it done!
 
Regardless of power output (others can make more including some wedges with
modern cylinder heads).....NOTHING beats the heart-stopping visual impact of a
Gen II Hemi when the hood is raised.
 
I think the ultimate engine is one that got much less respect. One that was in everything from mom's two barrel station wagon, to 4 speed Road Runners. I think the lowly 383 gets the nod, IMHO.
 
I remember when I was 16 I worked at a local small race car shop. We built an aluminum rodded, aluminum heads 13 to 1 Pistons hemi in one of our customers cars. I sill remember the texture falling off the ceiling when we first fired it up. Gen 2 hemi is the ultimate motor design. In mid 70s if you had a 400 to 450 horse motor you had a ton of money in it and a bad street car lol now production cars are a 1000 horses.
 
i remember when the hemi Cuda , Hemi Dart came out. after a while NHRA made a class JUST for the two cars. in October of 1968 i talked to Ronnie Sox standing next to his car in Tulsa OK.
 
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