Automotive History Chrysler Hemi
My romance with the Chrysler Hemi dates back more than forty years to my college days, when I acquired a beautifully customized 1954 Dodge Coronet 2-door hardtop. It was a deep blue metallic, with leaded-in door handles, hood, and trunk lid. You had to press just the right spot on the hood to activate a solenoid that released the spring-loaded door closure mechanism, allowing the door to pop open- what a gas! It was great for impressing the girls! Under the hood lurked the mini-mouse of the Hemi family, a 241 cubic inch Red Ram. In spite of its small dimensions, this machine was no slouch, as attested to by the drag race plaque on the dash. Those monster hemispherical heads, with their trademark center holes for the spark plugs, dominated the engine compartment and announced to the world that this engine could breathe like no other.
The problem was, I couldn't keep a clutch in that rig, and with the typical tight finances of a college student, I sometimes ended up driving it without the benefit of a clutch- now that was a trick! I would slow way down as I approached an intersection, hoping that the light would turn green before I had to completely stop. Sometimes it worked, but when it didn't, I would kick the tranny into neutral and coast to a stop. Then, I would shut off the engine, put it in low gear and then re-start the engine with it in gear when the light changed. It was a little jerky, but it worked.
Of course, life happened and that car went on to intrigue some other young Hemi enthusiast, but it never left my heart.
That's why there is a 392 Chrysler Hemi engine sitting in my garage today, with Johns 10.5:1 aluminum pistons, a high-lift cam, Edelbrock high-rise intake manifold, Mallory ignition, ported and polished heads, high performance lifters, and dual Holley 750 carbs! It's set up to crank out about 500 horses and is eagerly awaiting the restoration of... you guessed it, a 1954 Dodge Coronet 2-door hardtop that sits in the pasture out back of the barn. I don't know when I will get around to mating those parts up and completing this project, but I do know that when it happens it will be sooo sweet!
