Because HAMB reaches world wide I thought this would make a more than enlightening subject and impart some great knowledge that we would like to see and know about. Pictures if you can. Not limited to just cars/trucks/boats etc.
I bought a nice 1956 354 Chrysler Hemi from a co-op that had been running it to power a large propeller ('fan') to keep the orchard trees from freezing. A few thousand otherwise hungry residents probably termed that as 'wild'... $150 price tag was pretty 'wild', at least to me! Clean oil, filtered fuel, no ring ridge, tight guides! Bonanza!
Saw one that was used to run a large water pump on a corn farm. Saw two that were mid-mounted. One far left and one far right. In a Owens 34'(?) boat. Also saw one that was used to power a large firewood processor (think the owner added it). And I have a 413 (I know not hemi) out of all things, a sweeper that cleaned the runway at Martin's airport near me.
I think Al Teague’s use of hemi’s at Bonneville qualifies as wild. He ran an astounding 268 mph and had set the B Fuel Roadster record at 250.80, driving a ‘29 highboy roadster. Eventually he moved up to the Streamliner class and he set the record in A Blown Fuel ‘liner at 409.97, and had a top speed of 425.05 with a single blown hemi.
I knew of a 331" Industrial sitting on top of a 40' tower on top of a building downtown. It powered a Civil Defense siren and was tested once a week from the 1950s to the 1980s. Built during the Cold War era from 1952 to 1957 by Chrysler, its power plant contained a newly designed FirePower Hemi V8 engine with a displacement of 331 cubic inches and producing 180 horsepower They were 12 feet long, built atop a quarter section of a Dodge truck chassis rail, and weighed an estimated 3 short tons. Its six horns were each 3 feet long. The siren had an output of 138 dBC (30,000 watts), and could be heard as far as 25 miles away. In 1952, the cost of a Chrysler Air-raid Siren was $5,500 (equivalent to $50,768 in 2017). The United States government helped buy sirens for selected state and county law enforcement agencies. In Los Angeles County, six were placed around key locations of populated areas, and another ten were sold to other government agencies in the state of California. These "Big Red Whistles" only saw testing use. Some were located so remotely that they deteriorated due to lack of maintenance. The main purpose of the siren was to warn the public in the event of a nuclear attack by the Soviets during the Cold War. The operator's job was to start the engine and bring it up to operating speed, then to pull and release the transmission handle to start the wailing signal generation. The Chrysler air raid siren produced the loudest sound ever achieved by an air raid siren. jack vines
Al Teague is amazing. Bought many parts from him in the '70s-'80s, from his speed shop. Always a man of his word, always eager to help his competitors. Proud to know him.
I found one powering the generator of an old IH Paymover airplane mover. The generator is for powering the airplane while it is on the ground.
I don’t know how wild this is but it was fun to see. This one runs a compressor at the small airport near us.
I love that my Hemi motorcycle was deleted but the traditional wind machines, air raid sirens and airport tugs are still here. Hot rodding at it's finest
Back about 15 years ago, my wife, son and I went to an old gold mine in Colorado that offered tours. The elevator was powered by an old Chrysler industrial hemi that I think was running off propane.
The Jalopy Journal
