Technical Hemi rebuild questions

Hi everyone! I've been gone for like 10 years so I'm kinda rusty...

I'm finally around to rebuilding the engine from my '55 Chrysler. It was running but pretty worn out when I disassembled it, and that was in 2006... Now it's finally at a machine shop, with most of the parts that used to be on it.

So far all that's been done is the block has been cleaned, decked, bored .030, and the crank ground .010. I need to order all the rebuild parts except the full gasket set, which I already bought (a decade ago). The main problem is that I can't remember at all what brands were the best and/or best value, and I can't remember the specs I had planned for the rest of it.

Obviously it needs new bearings and pistons/rings. I'm also currently missing a rod cap... I'm pretty sure I have it somewhere, but if I can't find it, am I going to have to buy all new rods too?

The machinist tells me the valves and pushrods are still straight, but I don't think he's inspected the rocker arms yet. I'm worried about them because the engine was extremely gunked up when I took it apart, and I don't know how much or how badly that stuff can get worn. The hydraulic lifters are all there but I imagine they're worn out too, so I'm just assuming I'll be buying new ones (but which ones?)

The camshaft was worn out and actually had a little chunk missing from one of the lobes, which I assume was a casting flaw, but in any case I need a new one. I had some idea of what kind of cam I wanted, but that idea has long since fluttered away...

What I want out of this engine is a reliable daily driver with hopefully a bit of extra power. I'm going to stick with the original 2-speed auto for now which (I think) means I'd do well with a pretty wide power band. I'm planning on replacing the stock water pump with a BBC pump (already have the parts for that) and some kind of newer, more reliable ignition, carb, oil pump (360?), and oil filter, all of which I need some recommendations on.

Thanks!

 

Bob Walker at Hot Heads would be a great resource for you for information and parts. Crane, Comp, and Howards Cams all have cam cores to grind you a new cam and also get you matching lifters. I do alot of cylinder head work on Early Hemis and there are many options on that side to give you a better street performer. A quality multi-angle valve job and slightly larger valves would be a benefit. If you are changing valve sizes you can either replace the valve guides or run a bronze liner to neck down to a 11/32 stem to help lighten things up a little. By doing this you can open up more options on the valvetrain side. With the installed height these typically end up at you can also look at GM LS type valve springs in dual spring or beehive springs to work nicely together with a upgraded cam. The 340 oil pump is also a nice upgrade on these. There is a good amount of aftermarket support for this engine to get just about anything your looking for to the most part. Hope this info helps.

 

Yes, good point the Pertronix in the factory ignition is a good investment. Depending on how much larger of a camshaft he wishes to go with the actual Pertronix distributor may be a better deal overall to deal with the timing curve needed.

 

I am no hemi builder by any means but I have discovered with the one I have that its critical for you to take the plugs out of the rocker shafts and clean them out well with brushes. Also, the rocker arms have oil holes in them that need to be cleaned out well also.
Go here and read up on them:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/hemi-tech-index.118764/

 

I don't spend much time on line on a Sunday morning but this caught my eye. The 55-331 is a great engine and can be a great package without wasting a lot of money.
Everything mentioned is all well and good for some particular purpose but perhaps not yours.
What I want out of this engine is a reliable daily driver with hopefully a bit of extra power
So, forget about crap like changing to a shiverlay valve or the 340 oil pump...they are not needed and only add $$$
to your costs. Put your money where it is actually going to be useful, like a proper rebuild on the rocker assemblies.
Pertronix? If the distributor is as tired as the rest of the engine then just use the Mopar electronic ignition package and be miles ahead.
IMHO, the best DD combo is 10:1 c/r, electronic ignition and a warm cam (around 225@050). The LA timing chain set also works. Everything else can be kept close to the oem including the oil pump; use the Melling M50 and modify the pickup tube.
Reusing the stock trans will save piles of money and aggravation unless you are planning on a new steering column or adding a floor shift and replacing the rear axle.

Your best bet at this point is to read through the HemiTech library.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/hemi-tech-index.118764/

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Curious
You stated it's been bored but you don't have pistons yet???
You definitely want to have a good line of communication with your piston supplier if the plan was to finish hone at a later date.

 

Great comments from 73RR. I would echo his comment on the oil pump, use an M50, look up the hot heads pump on here and you will see why. Egge cast pistons are reasonable cost if building a mild engine. Maybe you could smooth up the ports a little of you want to improve the heads, and a mild/moderate cam. I think King bearings is your only option for new bearings unless you watch eBay etc... Someone chime in if I am wrong in that.

Sent from my XT1254 using H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Fel-Pro or BEST gaskets. KING bearings. M50 oil pump with mounting mods. As for rods, I have dozens of sets and/or singles. Through cleaning INSIDE and out of the rockers and shafts. If your machinist is too young to know how to resurface the rocker tips, post it here. There are several of us that offer that service.

 

Thanks everyone! I'm guessing some things have changed since I last looked. The only reason I said new oil pump and BBC water pump was because of availability... my oil pump might be fine, but like I said the motor was really gunky, so I figured a new and easy to get replacement would be better. And the cost to rebuild my stock water pump was close to $400 when I tried! I've actually got two of them (bad ones).

Thanks especially for the Hemi Tech thread, I'm sure reading through that will eat up some hours for me. My machinist is experienced but like most people he has pretty limited experience with these engines (some experience though!) He bored the engine as much as it needed to go to and we're at the stage where I tell him what pistons and rings to order and he finishes that up. I was hoping to do the actual assembly myself, I have a factory shop manual and a lot of spare time now, but not as much cash.

I'm pretty sure my rods are fine except for the one missing cap. Where would I get cast pistons with a higher compression ratio? Another part of it being a daily driver for me is that I'd like to use 89 octane tops and hopefully get somewhat-acceptable gas mileage! On that topic, was the 354 the same block but bored out more - in other words, can you actually bore a '55 331 to a 354 without a problem?

Carb and distributor I want to change just for the sake of simplicity. I have the original parts, and I dealt with them a lot when driving it all those years ago... I can still get the parts, but I'd be happier not having to adjust stuff all the time to keep it running. The stock exhaust manifold with its cold-start choke-adjuster thingy was not cooperative. The stock oil filter looks cool but I don't wanna buy those filters off eBay again!

The main reason I'm sticking with the stock trans is because I just wanna get it going. Plus I have 4 of them, one supposedly rebuilt a long time ago, two that might work great, and my stock one that worked great until it leaked too much (which I have a rebuild kit for...) In the future I'm sure I'll change it, but for now I just want it to move. The dash shifter is kind of an irreplacably cool feature too.

 

If I may.....
•I don't currently have a 55 style water pump on the shelf but I can rebuild yours, and your second core has some value. Send a PM if you want to discuss this option.
•Cast pistons are only available in OEM c/r.
You can safely run higher c/r on pump gas but forgings will be required. Depending on brand, some forgings will not be a huge jump in price over that of castings. Shop around.
•Please please please do not hog out the bores to use 354 pistons. These blocks can have huge core shift problems and should be sonic checked before any cutting is done.
•My issue with aftermarket electronics is availability. Can you buy replacement parts around town or will you have to buy from the manufacturer and wait for delivery? Go to any parts house and you can get service parts for the Mopar electronic ignition, which, by the way, has been around since 1971!
•The stock WCFB is not for everyone. With either a Holley or a Carter-type carb you will need a spacer/adapter as much for the throttle bore size as for raising the carb to get the linkage to clear the manifold. 600cfm should be adequate.
•Plenty of oil filter adapters on the market for spin-on. Yes, you can keep the pressure by-pass/check ball assembly or you can plug the hole with a small cup-plug for 100% flow. I have some of the old 'Milodon-style' pieces that I am liquidating if that is of interest...$10ppd until they are gone......
•And yes, irreplacably cool!!

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