The Dodge Challenger Message Board

Not specifically Challenger related but the magazine Hot Rod, put out here in the USA, ocasionally comes out with a one-off magazine. Usually it is a compilation of articles done over the years with maybe a new article or two thrown in for good measure. Just picked up a copy this am. As the title states, its about Hemis, including the first generation (Red Rams, Firedomes, Firepower[including my 354 ]) and the second generation 426. There's only a two page spread on the new Hemis. Picture spreads on diggers, gassers, floppers etc.
The whole magazine is pretty much a picture book but very cool. 106 pages long.
Don't know if you can get it on the east side of the Atlantic.

Thanks Barc! Hot Rod USED to be a good mag when the late Ray Brock wrote and edited for them. As a matter of fact he and another dude took a 1962 Plymouth to the 'big" at Indy and won Stock eliminator and set a low et qualifying record, I think, my memory circuits are fading away as I get older. You have a 354? That engine was outlawed by Indy 500 as it stomped the vaginal offy engines into the ground with Sam Firestone driving, Ray Nichols Engineering building the car, the A-311 354 Baby Hemi reaching 170+M.P.H. speeds on Alcohol and sending the offenhauser engine builders into a state of shock. Their response was to threaten boycott if the Chrysler's,(engines), were allowed to compete. The Indy organisation then immediately changed the rules and placed an even smaller displacement on the Indy 500 engines thereby rendering the Chrysler uncompetitive, as it would have to be under 270 Cubes to qualify. One of many times that racing organisations have changed their rules to keep Chrysler products out due to superior engineering.

In 1956 and 1957 Carl Kiekaefer, then President of Mercury OutBoards Marine engine company took his Race prepped 331 and then later came the 354 Chrysler's and won the Grand National Championship. So dominant were his Teams that eventually they were booed and had bottles, debris thrown at hem. He was a businessman first, and with this 'negative' publicity, withdrew completely from Stock car Racing. The Chrysler's with the superior 354 Hemi won over 50% of the total races in each season they competed in! Big Daddy Don Garlits considered the 354 the superior engine of the first design due to flatter intake ports. I saw many 392's with 354 heads on em at The GoodGuys at Indy evry year I go. You going in 08 Barc at Indy?

your right there eddie there has been quite a long history of rule changes that do not favour chrysler but somehow seem to favour there compediters particularly frord & gm it seems to me
cheers ian

Yes, Ian, and the reason I watch when I can get them, televised Formula one racing. The racing here is dictated by politics and money not racing accomplishments. Like how successful was G.M. in the heyday of Detriot Horsepower manufacturing from 1960-1973? I am talking the professional ranks like Nascar,Top fuel, Pro-Stock, ect.. very little. Only until the great rule changes of 1971,72,73,74 did nascar and nhra get those 'pesky' Chrysler products off the field and get the gm and phord garbage back in the winnes circle, as I said earlier Indy did it to them in the late 50's. When the Viper won the World Championship embarassing the finest German and other highly developed machines did they change the rules again to help Porsche out. The largest richest company has the most cash,(G.M.). Why couldnt they win? Beats me, I never owned a shitvrolet.

Yeah I've read all about pushing the Hemi out of Indy. IIRC it was also ruled out of the 24 houres de LeMans. The Caddy then Chrysler Cunninghams were terrors Amazing when you actually develop and encourage an engineering department instead of a marketing department
Back in the day, it was very common to use a 354 block with 392 heads as the 354 block was stronger. Then fill the block's coolant passages with toothpaste That's the way my friend did it on his Funny Car in the '60s.
Eddie, let me know if you can't find a copy.
Can you guys get this over on your side? If not, maybe I can buy up a bunch of copies and send them over. If they are still around.

fal308 wrote:Yeah I've read all about pushing the Hemi out of Indy. IIRC it was also ruled out of the 24 houres de LeMans. The Caddy then Chrysler Cunninghams were terrors Amazing when you actually develop and encourage an engineering department instead of a marketing department
Back in the day, it was very common to use a 354 block with 392 heads as the 354 block was stronger. Then fill the block's coolant passages with toothpaste That's the way my friend did it on his Funny Car in the '60s.
Eddie, let me know if you can't find a copy.
Can you guys get this over on your side? If not, maybe I can buy up a bunch of copies and send them over. If they are still around.

Barc, thanks for the offer man, do you have Tex Smiths Chrysler Hemi Book? If not I will send you mine, I am not going to be doing anything with it and it contains many needed parts developers and suppliers of these awesome engines. Here is apic of the manual. i bought it from Bob Walker at the goodguys meet in Indy 2005 he owns Hot Heads and makes alloy 354 Heads. These were supposedly the best flowing due to a flatter intake port. Many 392's used 354 Heads but you are correct barc, the 354 Block is considered the strongest and can be bored .125 over! The Gen. I Hemi was considered by many to be the most precise engine ever built as well, many racers changed main caps from one plant to the next at a race successfully.

Here is a pic of the book Barc.

Thanks Eddie but I've already got that one plus several others. I do like Hot Heads stuff too. Before nostalgia became the IN Thing, there was an old dragstrip that reopened quite a few years ago, Mid America Dragway. This was an old NHRA, AHRA and IHRA sanctioned track in the '50s - '70s. It became a road course when the drag strip was shut dowm in the '70s. I remember me and a buddy taking our girlfriends to a Camel GT and Trans Am race there in the mid-seventies.
Anyway they would hold a nostalgia drag meet every year. Folks would bring their old racecars and run. I used to see several Hot Heads parts on various cars. Big Daddy was even the Grand Marshall one year Unfortunately they started losing their crowd when nostalgia racing became bigtime. I heard that the land was sold for development.

That sucks Barc, these pics were taken at the GoodGuys in INDY in 05, we will have to hook and go there in June 08,(first weekend, I usually never miss), it's like walking back in time to the sixties, The Doors and Mama Cass wailing on the radio, Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple ect.Lots of SuperStock Pontiacs,Chevys, Fords Mercurys, And of course the dominant S.S. cars there are of course the Dodge and Plymouth Max Wedges and S.S. Hemis. Those cars rule, they are violent and command your complete attention, The MoPars ususally have the fastest times. it's confined to pre-1974 Cars,Trucks,Drag Race machines,Hot Rods,Rat Rods,Questionable Women,Clean RestRooms.

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2, never mind the date it's wrong it was June 2005

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That '71 Challenger bay is so clean you eat off it

They were both nice cars and they had a few more e-bodies there but my battery ran out and my spares were low too. The pic I wish I had the opportunity to photo was an incredible show quality 71Challenger R/T 440-6 for sale at 36k and I thought, pretty decent price for a ragtop.