two 354 hemi's

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dodgedifferent2

dodgedifferent2

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I have to early 354 hemis.
I will have to dig to get the casting numbers

one is from a 59 dodge truck so its a 1958 354 hemi It is disassembled crank turned .01/.01
I have all the parts for it.

I picked up another 1956? 354 hemi awhile back, it is also disassembled.

I am debating on selling these engines. What are these things worth now?

i dont see many on hothemiheads.com this size. I know the 392's are worth more.
 
Be careful. Chrysler used the 331 truck engine all the way to 1959. Verify them by the stamped number on the block right behind the water pump just in front of the intake valley.
 
Cool. Then the truck engine in particular is probably what is called an "extended service" engine. Very thick casting that can be bored many times. Most of them can go to 4". Of course sonic checking is a must.

There was a rumor that those cast with a large "W" in the side of the blocks were the extended service engines, although I don't think that's ever been substantiated. I sonic tested my 331 and verified that it is an extended service block, but since it was in such good shape, I left it at .030" over.
 
dodgedifferent2 said:
I have to early 354 hemis.
I will have to dig to get the casting numbers

one is from a 59 dodge truck so its a 1958 354 hemi It is disassembled crank turned .01/.01
I have all the parts for it.

I picked up another 1956? 354 hemi awhile back, it is also disassembled.

I am debating on selling these engines. What are these things worth now?

i dont see many on hothemiheads.com this size. I know the 392's are worth more.
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354 is the second most desirable followed by RRR's 331. They are worth a lot, in the thousands. The stock internals of the 392 are supposed to handle 1000 horsepower. The other Chrysler hemi's close to it. Only engines outlawed by NHRA.
 
66fs said:
354 is the second most desirable followed by RRR's 331. They are worth a lot, in the thousands. The stock internals of the 392 are supposed to handle 1000 horsepower. The other Chrysler hemi's close to it. Only engines outlawed by NHRA.
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Garlits has said the stone stock 392 crank unmodified would handle 1500 HP. They are NICE pieces.

Also too, don't let anyone tell you the 392 heads are better. They are not. The intake ports are longer on the 392, since the 331, 354 and 392 all used the same intakes. The 392 is the tall deck, which means the heads are farther apart. Rather than cast a different intake, they made the 392 heads with the intake side longer. This also makes an undesirable curve in the intake floor of the 392 heads.

The 331 and 354 oval exhaust port heads are far superior, especially when you upgrade them with the 392 size valves. That's what I did with mine.

Stay away from the 51-53 round exhaust port 331 heads. They are no good for performance.
 
I am not looking to rebuild engines
Decided to go a different route. I have studied these rhings extensively over the last decade or so. I was going to build a sweet hot rod truck with one, but have decided to liquidate stuff ...
 
Old Hemi's very across the country . I picked mine up for $450 and sold it a year ago for $7500 finished. I had over $8000 into it. I've seen them as low as $200. and as high as $1500 for 354's. Throw a price your comfortable with on it and see what happens.
I sold mine on Hot heads.
 
zigs said:
Old Hemi's very across the country . I picked mine up for $450 and sold it a year ago for $7500 finished. I had over $8000 into it. I've seen them as low as $200. and as high as $1500 for 354's. Throw a price your comfortable with on it and see what happens.
I sold mine on Hot heads.
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am wondering, on the average, how big a street motor one can make out of an old 354 ? w/o putting a fortune in it !?
 
famous bob said:
am wondering, on the average, how big a street motor one can make out of an old 354 ? w/o putting a fortune in it !?
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Stock 392 crank, cut the mains, bore to 4.00 cheap 392. Doesn't really matter if you can run a real blower on the stock internals. Of course early Hemi's have never been known for being cheap, just real strong and real fast.
 
66fs said:
Stock 392 crank, cut the mains, bore to 4.00 cheap 392. Doesn't really matter if you can run a real blower on the stock internals. Of course early Hemi's have never been known for being cheap, just real strong and real fast.
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quite familiar w/ 426`s , but have never messed w/ the gen 1`s . if I was to do so, money permitting, I`d want it to be as big as possible. dollar for dollar , it will never stay w/ a 426, both of them being built the same way, but I`d want it to.
 
Early Hemi engines just have the Cool Factor. Built for the street they can run about like a mild 440. It's about the look not the HP.
 
It's worth whatever soemone will pay. I've seen most owners of them let them rot rather than take a real offer they thought was "too low... It's a real Hemi!" If they were mine I'd probably go around $1K each and take whatever I could get. So if you're liquidating, come up with a number and stick them for sale. You'll know from the responses if you're close.
 
famous bob said:
am wondering, on the average, how big a street motor one can make out of an old 354 ? w/o putting a fortune in it !?
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The thing with the first generation Hemi is not the size. It's the efficiency. The heads (54 and up 331 and 354) are so efficient that it does not take much in the way of mods to have a very respectable street engine.
 
RRR speaks the truth. a little head work and larger valves and these old HEMI's really start breathing. They go pretty good bu are heavy as hell!
 
kelso1 said:
RRR speaks the truth. a little head work and larger valves and these old HEMI's really start breathing. They go pretty good bu are heavy as hell!
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I've been weighing parts, and they are not as heavy as people think. If you use the aluminum parts available they can get pretty light. Nothing cheap about them, but you do not need a lot of aftermarket parts.
 
66fs said:
I've been weighing parts, and they are not as heavy as people think. If you use the aluminum parts available they can get pretty light. Nothing cheap about them, but you do not need a lot of aftermarket parts.
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X2 Dosen't take much to wake them up . My 354 was 40 over good cam and scored some Chrysler heads that had been bowl hogged . It made 450 HP.
If I would have kept it , I would have opted for Hot Heads aluminum heads. That would have lightened it up a bunch.
 
zigs said:
X2 Dosen't take much to wake them up . My 354 was 40 over good cam and scored some Chrysler heads that had been bowl hogged . It made 450 HP.
If I would have kept it , I would have opted for Hot Heads aluminum heads. That would have lightened it up a bunch.
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Hey Zigs, Good to see you old friend. Ive surprised a few cars that thought my old Hemi would be slower. running 2 450 Holleys and a warm cam, also bored .040. have moved to NC, 60 miles from Hot Heads, considering the aluminum heads now.

354 +.040.jpg
 
A/C control on the driver side door panel commonly called a window crank
 
kelso1 said:
Hey Zigs, Good to see you old friend. Ive surprised a few cars that thought my old Hemi would be slower. running 2 450 Holleys and a warm cam, also bored .040. have moved to NC, 60 miles from Hot Heads, considering the aluminum heads now.

View attachment 1714943831
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I was thinking about about sending you a line after seeing this thread. I'm doing OK. Got the 470 fired up this last week end , pretty nasty even on bad gas but doesn't have that Hemi sound. I do miss the 354.
I said before HotHeads is the way to go. You'll dump about 100 lbs put you in around 383/440 weight. Engine looks good.
 
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