Hemi Ford
by Ron Roberts
Title
Hemi Ford
Artist
Ron Roberts
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
I found this cool hemi powered red ford hot rod at a local car show..
Among hot rod engines, the flathead Ford V8 and small-block Chevy V8 are usually considered the most significant milestone powerplants. But there's another mill that ranks right up there with the Big Two: Chrysler's first-generation Hemi of the '50s, Detroit's first serious attempt to build a mass-produced, no-compromise engine using advanced (for the time) hemispherical combustion chamber technology previously reserved for aircraft or exotic sports cars.
Chrysler's early Hemi grew out of experience gained during World War II with developing Hemi-headed aircraft and tank engines for the war effort. After the war, Chrysler needed to remain competitive with the new Caddy and Olds overhead-valve V8s, so it began developing brand-new motors. Early testing of alternative head and valve layouts revealed that the hemispherical combustion chamber was superior to other designs.
The result was the 1951 debut of the 331 Chrysler Hemi. DeSoto and Dodge Hemis followed in 1952 and 1953, respectively. Each division's Hemi had a unique block, heads, and cylinder-bore spacing. Virtually no internal parts interchange between them. In the Chrysler line, the 331 grew to 354 ci in 1956, and finally--using a raised-deck block--to 392 for '57 to '58. In the process, hard-core racers quickly discovered the engine's potential. The Hemi's efficient combustion chambers responded well to the new high-octane gas and was unsurpassed while running on alcohol and later nitromethane, a legacy maintained by the Hemi's modern-day descendents.
Alas, the engine was more massive for its displacement than its competitors' products, making it harder to package in increasingly streamlined engine compartments. The heads' fully machined combustion chambers and complicated valve layout made it costly to produce. In 1959, Chrysler turned to the cheaper wedge motors, bringing the first-gen Hemi's short, eight-year run to a close.
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Uploaded
July 30th, 2012
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