Author Topic: Hemi Engines  (Read 30491 times)

dreracecar

  • Guest
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #15 on: June 24, 2014, 03:47:35 PM »
Even in aluminum the early Hemi is very heavy and take a long time to build heat. All the old swapmeet parts are gone so generally one has to buy new which is pricey.You will put thousands into an iron block a take a chance of blowing the crank out of busting out a cyl wall and have to start all over again. The one great advantage to it is---very tear down freindly, pull the heads off and not touch the magneto or re-seal the intake manifold ends, after the manifold is off its 10 studs and the heads are off, My SBC is 17 studs and thats after taking the rocker assy and headers off.
Try not to look at everthing as a loss, but as a bank account. Unless you totaly destroy it , when you are done you can sell it (VALUE) to recoupe investment, any loss from sale is considered the cost of doing business

Offline Totally T

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 141
    • View Profile
    • NDRL
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #16 on: June 24, 2014, 05:56:07 PM »
Call Tony Lombardi....They cut their own aluminum olds...pontiac cant be that much different or harder to do.
Troy Wilson
Nostalgia Drag Racing League

Offline Van

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 116
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 7.11 @ 189 with this car
  • Your Engine: Lincoln blown alky 534
  • Your Track: Bakersfield Ca.
  • Your Vehicle: Dragster
  • General Location: west coast
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #17 on: June 24, 2014, 09:26:34 PM »
That said I reaLLY hate the Chevy= Chrysler mentality.  The fact that NHRA has banned the BBF from most every class I want to run confirms that mentality. Keep the Tin Indian  please.


The Chevy=Chysler mentality thing isn't as much about being in love with one brand or another, it's about parts availability. Not everyone has the time, money, patience or ability to make every little thing on their car or engine. The RED bracket racers have been the driving force in BBC development for years now, and as a result there's plenty of new and used stuff out there for reasonable money to go fast with. Same with the Hemi stuff, except its been the big dogs of the sport spearheading that development either decades ago or right now. I always get a kick out of my nostalgia customers with blown injected combo's towing to the line running 7.50's while my RED guys drive their cars up and back while running 7 flat.

                 That being said, I do love different combinations. But racing is expensive enough without paying extra to go just as fast as the guy next door.
[/quot


So NHRA in banning the Ford from racing in all the classes it's banned in, was to save me from making parts ? So then I would go buy someone elses parts & run a Chevy or Chrysler, OK this makes real sense ?   It wasn't the Chevy & Chrysler guys that told NHRA that if they didn't ban the Ford they would boycott their races.  Now it all makes perfect sense.  I can't run a motor made in 1958 in nostalgia fuel racing.  I went to Bakersfield for the march meet & watched first round of TF, 9 cars came to the line for the 16 car field. It was OK that my Ford car was sitting home in the trailer, as I felt that I had been saved from spending money & making parts.

Offline GlennLever

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2010
    • View Profile
    • The Lever Family Site
  • Your Best Time: 1/4 mile 7.950 at 165 MPH
  • Your Engine: Pontiac 461 Alky Blown
  • Your Track: Empire Dragway, NY
  • Your Vehicle: Front Engine Dragster
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #18 on: June 25, 2014, 06:26:42 AM »
I did not know, completely out of it again.

NHRA banned Ford Motors?
Glenn R. Lever
Rochester, New York 14617-2012
My Cars https://www.lever-family-racing.com/

Offline fuel749

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 159
    • View Profile
    • Dragster Supply
  • Your Track: New England Dragway
  • Your Vehicle: FED/Altered
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #19 on: June 25, 2014, 06:53:04 AM »
]




So NHRA in banning the Ford from racing in all the classes it's banned in, was to save me from making parts ? So then I would go buy someone elses parts & run a Chevy or Chrysler, OK this makes real sense ?   It wasn't the Chevy & Chrysler guys that told NHRA that if they didn't ban the Ford they would boycott their races.  Now it all makes perfect sense.  I can't run a motor made in 1958 in nostalgia fuel racing.  I went to Bakersfield for the march meet & watched first round of TF, 9 cars came to the line for the 16 car field. It was OK that my Ford car was sitting home in the trailer, as I felt that I had been saved from spending money & making parts.
[/quote]

    Of all the things they may have considered when making the rules, I'm sure that keeping you from making your own parts wasn't one of them. Whats to stop you from developing Chevy or Chrysler parts that are better than whats currently available? I'm sure their line of thinking came from the experience they had over the years when guys showed up with stuff that was homebuilt, custom, or one off trick (some of these things were brilliant, some not so much) stuff. Some of these guys spent their life savings while others spent beer money. Some showed promise while others showed how well the safety safari did their job, cleaning up oil. That's not saying your stuff wouldn't be top notch, but they won't know until you make a few dozen runs with only the same or less problems than the common combinations that they KNOW have high quality parts in them. Couple that with the fact that there's tons of info and help available for running fuel in the current combinations, and they just might be saving you from yourself. And then there's the opposite problem, what if your stuff turns out to be head and shoulders above the rest? Then they have to police the class to maintain parity (reference PSB, pro mod, and TAD) and that opens up a whole new can of worms. Unfortunately, it's not the 60's any more and if you want to play in the big leagues you've got to play by their rules.

         Something to remember is that the racers themselves gravitated to these common combinations for a variety of reasons, not necessarily because the were the best engine out there. Ease of maintenance, new and used parts availability (and interchangeability) aftermarket support, availability of good used cores and parts all factored into it. I really do respect the fact that you like something different than the norm, and I think there's plenty of room to play in the slower classes and have a great time doing it. If you really want to put your Ford to the test, there's always Land Speed Racing. Radical, different, and unique engine combination are the norm over there and you'll be welcomed with open arms.

       

dreracecar

  • Guest
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #20 on: June 25, 2014, 08:21:16 AM »
The Ford got booted because the bore spacing was greater than the other engines and NHRA feared the "If his is big, mine can be too" additude and racers would have to change out complete inventorys. How this ever related to the Nostalgia end of racing is beond me, but the rules makers have never had an abundance smarts either.

Offline Van

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 116
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 7.11 @ 189 with this car
  • Your Engine: Lincoln blown alky 534
  • Your Track: Bakersfield Ca.
  • Your Vehicle: Dragster
  • General Location: west coast
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #21 on: June 25, 2014, 08:49:49 AM »
Fuel 749  nice long post but you missed it completely. In the N T/F  & N F/C , I or anybody can run just about anything = yes even Glenns Pontiac is legal. NHRA set a so called bore space rule at 4.840  This bans the Ford, along with Packards & the 472-500 Cad.  Nothing will ever make Cads & Packards competitive, These are the only motors banned. Every part needed to make the Ford Competitive already exists and has for a very long time. I could easily offset bore a Ford block to make it Chevy bore center if that was the issue but NHRA banned that also. It is clearly a no Ford rule.  I contacted the All American T/F association, who along with NHRA made these rules, I was told that they would discuss letting the Ford run, later I was told that if I ever made a competitive run & could beat the good ol boys - the Ford would be back out, later I was told flat out no Fords.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2014, 09:20:01 AM by Van »

Offline Van

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 116
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 7.11 @ 189 with this car
  • Your Engine: Lincoln blown alky 534
  • Your Track: Bakersfield Ca.
  • Your Vehicle: Dragster
  • General Location: west coast
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #22 on: June 25, 2014, 08:58:11 AM »
The Ford got booted because the bore spacing was greater than the other engines and NHRA feared the "If his is big, mine can be too" additude and racers would have to change out complete inventorys. How this ever related to the Nostalgia end of racing is beond me, but the rules makers have never had an abundance smarts either.

  Yes and all this in a class with a fuel pump restriction that makes the hemi guys run destroked cranks and the small bore sleeves to reduce cubic inches, so the motor has enough fuel. and yes the classes do have a cubic inch limit,  this make a large cubic inch capable motor have no advantage.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2014, 09:19:26 AM by Van »

Offline Nightmare AA/FA

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 128
    • View Profile
  • Your Track: Bakersfield, CA
  • Your Vehicle: 1934 Ford AA/FA
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #23 on: June 25, 2014, 04:29:24 PM »
Keep the Indian!!!!

In fact I was at Van's shop this afternoon and they were tearing down a bitchin GTO headed 400, with  6-71 and a Hilborn injector hat.

Just my opinion.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2014, 07:50:10 PM by Nightmare AA/FA »

Offline GlennLever

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2010
    • View Profile
    • The Lever Family Site
  • Your Best Time: 1/4 mile 7.950 at 165 MPH
  • Your Engine: Pontiac 461 Alky Blown
  • Your Track: Empire Dragway, NY
  • Your Vehicle: Front Engine Dragster
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #24 on: June 25, 2014, 08:25:59 PM »
Might have to, I like different.
Glenn R. Lever
Rochester, New York 14617-2012
My Cars https://www.lever-family-racing.com/

Offline Van

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 116
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 7.11 @ 189 with this car
  • Your Engine: Lincoln blown alky 534
  • Your Track: Bakersfield Ca.
  • Your Vehicle: Dragster
  • General Location: west coast
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #25 on: June 25, 2014, 09:08:02 PM »
Might have to, I like different.

 Glenn  Guys like you should be the gold standard for nostalgia racing.  talking about different, back in the mid 70's thru the mid 80's I ran  OCIR, Irwindale (until they closed), & Bakersfield also LACR. I ran many front engine dragsters with 354 & 392 Hemi power, guess what  I was the only one bracket racing with a Hemi. Most weeks I ran Sat at OCIR & Sun at Irwindale. I was always the odd guy with the Hemi & I had to make just about everything needed to do it. I made the first adapter to put the GM trans behind the Hemi. I also made my own tunnel ram to put a 4 hole Hilborn on the motor. I had up to 40 early hemi's in stock. I even sold 354 blocks, cranks & heads to Gene Adams  and I even bought his record holding A/F dragster from him.  Keep the Pontiac please.

Offline GlennLever

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2010
    • View Profile
    • The Lever Family Site
  • Your Best Time: 1/4 mile 7.950 at 165 MPH
  • Your Engine: Pontiac 461 Alky Blown
  • Your Track: Empire Dragway, NY
  • Your Vehicle: Front Engine Dragster
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #26 on: June 26, 2014, 07:03:14 AM »
There is always this



Pontiac all aluminum block MR-1A

The need for speed is addictive.

Not purchased yet
Glenn R. Lever
Rochester, New York 14617-2012
My Cars https://www.lever-family-racing.com/

Offline Nightmare AA/FA

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 128
    • View Profile
  • Your Track: Bakersfield, CA
  • Your Vehicle: 1934 Ford AA/FA
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #27 on: June 26, 2014, 07:10:08 AM »
Nice stuff right there.

dreracecar

  • Guest
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #28 on: June 26, 2014, 07:31:05 AM »
Glenn,
  I have been running the same aluminum Donovan block since 1996
  So Far

   3 rods
   12 sleeves
   4 thread inserts
   1 main cap
   2 center headstuds

  A alu race block is a wise investment

Offline Paul New

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 744
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 6.47 @ 214 MPH SBC
  • Your Engine: 387" SBC
  • Your Track: Woodburn Dragstrip
  • Your Vehicle: 2005 FED
Re: Hemi Engines
« Reply #29 on: June 26, 2014, 09:14:24 AM »
There is always this



Pontiac all aluminum block MR-1A

The need for speed is addictive.

Not purchased yet

There is no difference in the price of your aftermarket aluminum Pontiac block than an aluminum SBC pretty much all the components will cost you the same for high quality parts keep your Pontiac. I see they also offer a billet block!