Help Identifying a 392 HEMI for sale

-

Dave Haertel

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2017
Messages
282
Reaction score
68
Location
Charleston, SC
Looking at a 392 HEMI ad for sale on local FB. Sent a couple of questions over about it but haven't heard back from the seller yet.

2 numbers show on the block:
1873729 (Think this is a block number, hard to tell from the photo)
3NE571606

1 number on the heads:
1731528-1

It's all in pieces, includes the block, crank, heads and 2 4 bbl carter carbs with the linkages. No pistons, rings, or caps. Selling for 2000. I think this is a crazy price if it's a legit 392. When looking at a couple of sites to ID them, I saw 3NE55 and 3NE56, and NE57, not 3NE57 so I'm not sure.
 
Important- does the block have the main caps installed? For me- no caps=no sale.

No caps at all, not just not installed. The original caps are apparently MIA. So are caps too difficult to match or too difficult to find? That it would cause you to pass on it.
 
No caps at all, not just not installed. The original caps are apparently MIA. So are caps too difficult to match or too difficult to find? That it would cause you to pass on it.


You can get caps for it. Just deduct the money for the caps and a line bore from the cost of the engine.
 
Looking at a 392 HEMI ad for sale on local FB. Sent a couple of questions over about it but haven't heard back from the seller yet.

2 numbers show on the block:
1873729 (Think this is a block number, hard to tell from the photo)
3NE571606

1 number on the heads:
1731528-1

It's all in pieces, includes the block, crank, heads and 2 4 bbl carter carbs with the linkages. No pistons, rings, or caps. Selling for 2000. I think this is a crazy price if it's a legit 392. When looking at a couple of sites to ID them, I saw 3NE55 and 3NE56, and NE57, not 3NE57 so I'm not sure.
IMO save your money and find a 392 that is complete.
To many head aches for this Ol' Hillbilly
 
So the 3 in front of NE57 doesn’t indicate anything? And it is a 392 though? 2000 seems pretty legit price for it as long as there’s no damage to the block or heads I assume?


Yes, the 3 doesn't mean anything. Is it a 2x4 intake or just a single 4?


Edit: 72blu has it correct. I used a book form the 1990's rather than get off my can and walk to the library and get a book from 1960. And that says what 72blu posted. The 3 denotes the 2x4 intake etc.

My bad.
 
Last edited:
NE57 is either a 325 HP 392 4V or a 375 HP 8V engine.

So the 3 in front of NE57 doesn’t indicate anything? And it is a 392 though? 2000 seems pretty legit price for it as long as there’s no damage to the block or heads I assume?

3NE57 is a 1957 dual quad 392. If it was just "NE57" it would be a 1957 4 barrel 392. The "3" indicates the dual quad.

Main caps are not hard to find or difficult to deal with installing. A lot of the old hemi's can get away with a line hone, not even a full line bore with mismatched caps. Not always, but more often than other engines.
 
Main caps are machined to each engine. They must be installed exactly in order (#1,#2,#3 etc.) and are left or right. To install non-original caps, considerable machine work is needed to mate those surfaces together again. I would expect a discount for missing caps.
 
Main caps are machined to each engine. They must be installed exactly in order (#1,#2,#3 etc.) and are left or right. To install non-original caps, considerable machine work is needed to mate those surfaces together again.

No bud. On an early hemi 1-4 are identical. Yes, they have numbers cast into them indicating which main they're supposed to be on, but they work exactly the same regardless of their position. "considerable machine work" is not necessary. All that is needed is a line bore, which is not a completely unusual thing to have done to an old engine even with its original caps if it's being built for big power. If a significant line bore is needed you may need additional work so that a shorter timing chain isn't needed, but even that isn't what I would consider "considerable machine work". All of it is fairly straightforward, and is not uncommon for guys that build the early hemi's.

***Edit***
I want to make one change, I went out to look at my collection of Chrysler hemi mains to confirm. The #3 cap is chamfered because the bearing has a lip on both sides. So a #3 cap could be used in 1-4. But a 1,2, or 4 cap would need the chamfer added for it to be a #3 with the correct main bearing. The 1,2, and 4 main caps are identical.
 
Last edited:
The intake appears to have a crack, 7th photo. No rods or pistons. Tough decision, they're getting harder to find.
 
The intake appears to have a crack, 7th photo. No rods or pistons. Tough decision, they're getting harder to find.

This one? Wasn't sure if that was a crack or just debris. Could probably be welded I would think.

intake.jpg
 
So the seller responded that he received it as it is, already disassembled, so no idea where the caps are. I'm thinking of having a machine shop have a look at it and give me their thoughts. 2K isn't a bad price if it's truly rebuildable and will be reliable.
 
If it is a dual quad, should have the hot solid lifter cam and valve gear with the special dimpled valve covers to boot. $2,000 is a Deal!
 
If it is a dual quad, should have the hot solid lifter cam and valve gear with the special dimpled valve covers to boot. $2,000 is a Deal!

No cam unfortunately, from what I can tell, it's block, crank, heads (fully intact), intake and carbs

No pistons, rods, cam, lifters, or main caps.
 
No cam unfortunately, from what I can tell, it's block, crank, heads (fully intact), intake and carbs

No pistons, rods, cam, lifters, or main caps.

That's too bad, the solid lifter valvetrain alone is worth $1,000. Look on the Hot Heads swap meet, to get an Idea of what things go for and value. Good Luck.
 
Truck early Hemi's may actually be solid cammed. As far as I know they would and might have even heavier duty parts. Early Hemi's were supposed to be good to 1,000 horse power. So, I would think the same value or more. Look for dimpled valve covers and 4 bolt exhaust manifold pipe hook ups.
 
Looking at a 392 HEMI ad for sale on local FB. Sent a couple of questions over about it but haven't heard back from the seller yet.

2 numbers show on the block:
1873729 (Think this is a block number, hard to tell from the photo)
3NE571606

1 number on the heads:
1731528-1

It's all in pieces, includes the block, crank, heads and 2 4 bbl carter carbs with the linkages. No pistons, rings, or caps. Selling for 2000. I think this is a crazy price if it's a legit 392. When looking at a couple of sites to ID them, I saw 3NE55 and 3NE56, and NE57, not 3NE57 so I'm not sure.

Checked the rest of the casting numbers for you, it seems to be a 1957 392 out of a Chrysler 300. So, dual quad, solid cam, adjustable rocker set up. Best of the best. Heck even the dimpled "Chrysler Firepower" valve covers sell for twice as much as a normal set.

But you're missing almost all the good parts. The solid cam and adjustable rocker set up by themselves are worth as much as the rest of the engine. The heads you have are 1957 392 heads, which are good but not as valued as the '55 354 heads, they have a "555" casting number and are the best for flow.

Honestly, a 392 block, heads, and crankshaft with all that other stuff missing and the rust that's present is not a steal at $2k. It's not a bad price, but it's not a great one either. To return it to original form with just its original rocker gear and cam would cost several thousand dollars. The missing main caps are less of a worry IMHO, guys replace those all the time anyway for the cacklefest and nitro hemi builds, so an original main cap set isn't all that hard to come by. And I know guys in the early hemi crowd that have literally just swapped main caps and run them. Not what I would do, but it's not unusual for an early hemi with swapped main caps to work just fine with just a line hone, not even a full line bore.

Would a 392 out of an old dodge truck be of any value or are the different? Kim

Depends on the application. Some of them got adjustable rockers, which are worth a ton. Some didn't. The 4 bolt exhaust manifolds are sought after too, and worth a bunch. The only thing is that some of them got different heads, which are not sought after. The water supply and crossover are different. Not a big deal on most builds.
 
-
Back
Top