Re: 354 Poly?

The Dodge hemi engine was the smallest of the three hemi engines built by Mopar in the 1950's - Dodge (1953-1958), DeSoto (1952-1957) and Chrysler (1951-1958). Nothing interchanged between the three with Chrysler the largest and, naturally, DeSoto between the two.

Dodge V8 engines were built as 241,270, 315, and 325. All were hemi engines with poly versions appearing for 1956 (315) and 1957-58 (325). Plymouth's 1955 241/260 and 1956 270 poly engines were actually built by Dodge and based on their hemi engine.

Chrysler poly engines came as 301, 331 and 354 cid, with the hemis as 331, 354 and 392. Just to mess things up, Canadian 1956 Chrysler Windsors used a 303-cid A block poly with a 4-bbl carb.

DeSoto built only hemis - 276, 291, 330, 341 and 345. The 1957 DeSoto Firesweep used a 325-cid poly V8 built by Dodge.

Chrysler's 354 hemi was the basis for Dodge's 1957 D-501 engine.

Chrysler replaced all three hemi/poly blocks with two corporate engines built by Mopar's Automotive Manufacturing Group. The B block V8 was introduced for 1958 in 350 (1958 only) and 361 versions, used by Plymouth, Dodge and DeSoto. The Dodge poly 325 lasted through 1958 and was replaced by an A block 326 for 1959. The B block 383 came out in 1959 for Plymouth, Dodge, and DeSoto.

Chrysler 354/392 engines were replaced by the RB block 383 and 413 engines in the U.S. for 1959. In Canada, the 1959-1964 Windsor used the B block 361 and the Saratoga used the B block 383. The heads on the 1959-60 B/RB engines do cause some confusion. Know of one person who saw the heads on a 1960 DeSoto Adventurer (B block 383 only) were the same as used on the RB 413. Thus he thought the engine was a 413. But, Chrysler had two engine blocks, B and RB, and two sets of heads, small bore and large bore. The large bore heads were used on the RB 413 and B 383, and small bore heads on the RB 383 and B 361.

Bill

Vancouver, BC