ttotired - 2013-06-10 6:54 PM

For my 318 poly (cheaper than a hemi) it cost me just under $3000

Now before you faint here is the breakdown

Bore and hone cylinders (30 TH)
Re grind Cam
Rebuild both heads to suit ULP/LPG
Re grind crankshaft (10 TH)
Re face lifters
Re face rockers
Weld and machine intake manifold.

With your rods, you really need to check the roundness (is that a word?) of the big ends, to do this, you need an inside micrometer.

You have to put the cap on the rod and torque the nuts tight, then you can measure, your basically looking for out of round.

If the big end is out of round, I am afraid its going to be head (s no point just doing one) off.

This is still not that bad provided the heads were/are ok, just wrap them up and put them asside.

Unless you really are trying to make it go faster, just rebuild it as stock as you can (cam it a bit if you want), But if the
pistons and rings ect are good and your on a budget, then why mess with them (although if the pistons come out, I would fit new rings)

I would expect about maybe 300? for a crank grind, but not sure as I got a lot of stuff done

Mopar1 - 2013-06-10 2:02 PM

Yeah, nothing is cheap about these engines. QEC is "Wayfarer" here, PM him, and he's "73RR" on the HAMB, could try PMing him there. There's a place in Jacksonville, Fla that has a lot of new hemi stuff on EBay, could look them up & see what they think of there stuff. The cheap way of doing it is dropping in a 318LA/904 and a modern axle. :)

dodge59 - 2013-06-11 9:16 PM

the 241 hemi is at the machine shop.
still debating upon those high compression pistons for the hemi.. do you guys know if they would bolt right in without different rods?
I heard they will. those would probally ad 50 HP .

dodge59 - 2013-06-28 6:47 PM

also going to use mopar 1966 and older lifters becuase they are half expensive. 1966 and older mopar engines used 1/4" pushrod tips like the hemis did back then.

Mopar1 - 2013-07-06 9:50 AM

It's supposed to have intake seals, no ex seals

dodge59 - 2013-07-06 9:19 PM



were the 1954 hemis suppose to have intake valve seals from the factory ??
I thought I remember reading articles saying the 1954 redram did no valve seals . period .

dodge59 - 2013-07-06 9:37 PM

let me run this by you guys .........
upon reassembling the 241 hemi ... there is a 12"vent tube that is in the oil pan and runs along the crankshaft for venting vapors and pressure in the crankcse area.. the foot long tube exits a hole on the rear of the engine block next to the rear main cap .. it makes a mess inside the bellhousing area with oil and condensation from inside the oil pan.. I think I am going to plug that hole with a screw in plug and eliminate the vent tube all together . your opinions please..

I really don't think it is really neccessary .

dodge59 - 2013-07-07 10:59 AM

mopar1
maybe second thought ......... I'll just leave the tube in the crankcase and pick up hotheads pcv conversion kit that fits in the rear of the valley pan where the old down draft tube is..
once there is suction there from the carbs pvc in the valley pan , it won't be pushing all the vapors and oil condensation junk into the bellhousing .

Mopar1 - 2013-07-07 11:17 AM

I have no expierience with Dodge hemis, but if you have the draft tube @ the back of the valley cover & this other seperate one down in the pan area, you'd want to seal off the pan one so no unfiltered air is drawn in through it. You want air coming in through a filtered source, witch should be the oil fill cap.

dodge59 - 2013-07-10 5:18 PM

update on241 hemi rebuild

machine shop just squared the block up .. had to deck the block .020 on both sides of the block . appears the block deck was off by .020 on each end.
that means the pistons will now stick out of the block .015-.020 . Well , I got my compression back now and then some. new head gasket is .050 thick. looks like we are safe still. now the block is true and even on both sides.

back in 1954 .......... they did some crazy machine work ..

went to install the new egge oil pump kit and the drive gear shaft is a 1/4" shorter than the old one. checking into that issue as we speek.

dodge59 - 2013-07-10 5:18 PM

update on241 hemi rebuild

machine shop just squared the block up .. had to deck the block .020 on both sides of the block . appears the block deck was off by .020 on each end.
that means the pistons will now stick out of the block .015-.020 . Well , I got my compression back now and then some. new head gasket is .050 thick. looks like we are safe still. now the block is true and even on both sides.

back in 1954 .......... they did some crazy machine work ..

went to install the new egge oil pump kit and the drive gear shaft is a 1/4" shorter than the old one. checking into that issue as we speek.

Mopar1 - 2013-07-12 4:19 PM

What is in the oil pump kit, & why are you replacing the shaft?

d500neil - 2013-07-12 4:10 PM


OK, John; here's some eye candy for your thread.

First pic shows the 315/325 engine with the crankcase breather tube mounting to the top-rear of the engine.

Next pic shows a factory illustration showing the 54 engine with the breather tube exiting like it does on the later
engines (right by the air-cooled trannie grille...and yeah; that breather tube's excrement will get all over the
undercarriage).

Next photo is an 8x10" factory print of your engine, without the breather tube being installed on it.

Next pics are from my 1954 file, showing the 5/54 Hot Rod article, which should be of interest to you.

I'll go dig out that issue and PM you with some readable PDF-scans of its pages.

d500neil - 2013-07-12 4:10 PM


OK, John; here's some eye candy for your thread.

First pic shows the 315/325 engine with the crankcase breather tube mounting to the top-rear of the engine.

Next pic shows a factory illustration showing the 54 engine with the breather tube exiting like it does on the later
engines (right by the air-cooled trannie grille...and yeah; that breather tube's excrement will get all over the
undercarriage).

Next photo is an 8x10" factory print of your engine, without the breather tube being installed on it.

Next pics are from my 1954 file, showing the 5/54 Hot Rod article, which should be of interest to you.

I'll go dig out that issue and PM you with some readable PDF-scans of its pages.

dodge59 - 2013-07-12 4:32 PM update on the hemi rebuild maching shop says today ............. one of the rod journals has been welded up previously and feels I should find another crank.. to be safe and all. anyone out there have a good crank that is not cracked , welded up and still has some meat to it? I have two other people close by milwaukee wi that I am waiting to talk to. they might have one.. just covering all my bases on locating one for now. geeee .. I just can't see how supposeablly a 70K engine could of had all the work done do it before . now the crank .

Mopar1 - 2013-07-14 12:29 PM

Looks like after & before! :-)[/QUOTe)


sorry about that mopar1 ! pics are in order now. .

d500neil - 2013-07-14 6:46 PM

That's good news, for sure; but you're gonna need a re-ground camshaft: http://www.qualityengineeredcomponents.com/
and, per my first post on page 1 of your thread, you're going to need to have your distributor be modified, in order to get
the full benefit of that D500 carb's CFM.