241 HEMI, Enough hp for a real hotrod?

I plan to run a Plymouth 260 in a '54 Hudson Jet. Same block different heads. I have a Offy 3x2 for it and will be adapting a 200R4 to it most likely. I plan to build the Hudson as a cruiser on a full frame (stock unibody). http://www.hothemiheads.com/ sells many parts for the engine including a water pump upgrade and tranny adapter. I figure I will spend about the same amount of money the get the 260 going as what I would spend on a crate SBC but I think the 260 will look better and most people will not know what it is.

 

<TABLE class=tborder cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR align=middle><TD class=alt1Active id=u1052 align=left>You need to ask this member about the 241 Hemi




Andy
Senior Member
</TD><TD class=alt2></TD><TD class=alt1> </TD><TD class=alt2></TD><TD class=alt1></TD><TD class=alt2></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE class=tborder cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR align=middle><TD class=alt2>1,652</TD><TD class=alt1> </TD><TD class=alt2>Kerrville, Texas
</TD><TD class=alt1>Retired</TD><TD class=alt2>Barons</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

Build it!!!!!

 

These are wise words.

FWIW did the hemi rebuild math for my own ride a while back. Once the shock subsided I got off the floor, went out and did what it took to find a 392.

A- they're the 32 ford roadster of engines, money in the bank. Wish I had 5 more stacked up, probably a better return than my IRA.

B- the finished car should not lack throttle capability. It will be a HOT rod.

C- old racers flip out when they hear it's a 392. You immediately are told stories of the old days as they express amazement there's any left after the orgy of 60's nitro dragsters. Not something I expected going in, but honestly has become one of my favorite things about the car.

We all make decisions for different reasons. Hope none of you 241 guys think I'm looking down, cause they're cool engines and and a good size from an installation standpoint.

hemis forever!

 

This is gonna hurt a few of ya....but proof that good deals, even on Hemis, are out there.....
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,45712.0.html

And yeah.....he did get 'em......

 

Ouch that does hurt. But, I'm glad someone got a good deal.

Still, it hurts a little less knowing the deal I got on my hemi. I have a 354 that was allegedly pulled out of a Willys because it was too hairy scary for the owner. I haven't popped the top on the motor (I will, though) to check and see what kind of shape its in. It is nice and clean and looks good though. I got that 354, a disassembled 331, and a 41 Plymouth sedan as a package deal. Total price? $1000. It was a weird deal though. This guy found out I was a Mopar guy through a friend and called me up out of the blue. I went and looked but he wanted like $4K for just the motors (this was circa 1996 or so). I balked as it was a bit high and I didn't really have that kind of cash. Told him I didn't have it but I liked the stuff. A month later he calls me in the afternoon and says I can have it all for $1000 but I had to come get it then because he was leaving for Chicago that night. Oh and if I took it he'd throw in this 41 Plymouth he had. I got off my butt and headed to the bank PRONTO. ATM machine would only let me have $500 so I borrowed the rest from family (til Monday). Then, I loaded up the truck and went and got it. Got home late that night with all the motors and parts. Never even looked at the Plymouth before making the deal as it was at a storage place. So, I had to go get it from a storage unit the next day and it turns out he had dumped it out on the parking lot the day before. The owners of the storage unit were livid and were in the process of having someone come tow it away. But, I cooled them down and hauled the car off before anyone else showed up. I had to pay a tow truck about $100 to tow it to my place.

I sold the 41 Plymouth for $1000 about 2 months later so I've got $100 in the motors. I'm going to put the 354 in my Model A. Haven't decided what to do with the 331 but I am keeping it. I'm not even sure if its a good block to be honest.

So, the deals are out there. You just have to be ready.

 

Well, for the price that I paid for the whole car I think, in my mind at least that I got the HEMI for free.

 

first i want to say: tom, im PISSED i turned that 2 door down, but at least you got it and i can watch it grow.

my 241 is pretty much done. needs the intake put on and brake it in. i spent about...$2600 in parts. mind you, i get a pretty fuckin good deal with wayne calbert, so needless to say i got the works done to the block, heads and rotating assy. i got alot of shit from egge.com. they were alot of help. and i got the other shit from hothemiheads.com

its all stock except bored .040 and a .420 lift cam. and went with some new flat tops. exhaust valve is slightly larger. im just trying to save the money for the three carbs so i can have that offy 3x2.

ill let yall know how it runs. im fuckin stoked.

OH, and i talked to a fella and he said in order to fit headers, you have to move the engine around under the hood so they will fit on the right side.

 

Nickles Street Chopshop..Here is a custom build 3x2 for a 241 or 270..
Duane.

 

Somebody asked me and I didn't know. Does the script Red-Ram cover like on the 241 in that photo, also fit the other Dodge hemi heads?

I have one I fished out of a car, kept mostly as a wall hanger.

 

stromburg- you made that, im sure? have you put it on a flow bench against stock?

 

yes

 

Some things haven't been discussed.
If you're really most concerned with how it looks, you're looking at 250 hp max.
That old school manifold really doesn't work - it was simple all they had back before the 4 bbl. carb came into general use.
300 hp is going to cost far, far more than $6K, partially because you're going to have to make your own manifold (or have it made, for $2500), even a Drag-Star isn't really up to it. There is no dual-quad manifold for the low deck.

References are frequently made to "makes a lot of torque".
Most engines make torque in direct proportion to their displacement and compression - not much else matters. All the porting, cam, manifold etc. does is raise the RPM. You have perhaps 200 ft. lbs. now, and you may have 250 if you spend $6,000.
The only question is at what RPM? 200 at 4000 is 152 hp - more than you have now. RPM is what adds power, but 300 hp is going to be at an engine speed way above what you want: 300 hp from 250 ft. lbs. is 6,300 RPM. Power at high RPM is expensive and dangerous, and requires steep gearing.

What to do?
Bite the bullet before spending any more money, sell the engine and get a 315/325 Dodge or 330/341/345 DeSoto, all of which are far more powerful than the 241 and therefore need less speed equipment. The rebuilds are about the same, and the price difference between the engines is small compared to what the project costs.

 

I installed the intake on another engine and compared it to the Offy..Bench flow was much better..The long runners seem to mix (atomize) the air and fuel better..I will be putting the intake on my 241 this winter..Not only does it look great but will perform also..
Duane..

 

Hell I'm re-building a 291 Desoto to put in my coupe and nothing lookis meaner than a set of Hemi covers hanging out in the air!!
I doing a stock rebuild w/ a 700r and a quickie out back. Don't need gobs of horse power to cruise.....

 

i have a 276 desoto hemi, so as far as i can tell no one makes a reasonable priced intake for these, so the other day i was at a foundry talking to them about getting some proto type woodstove doors cast, i'll be making my own patterns, and when i was finished talking about the doors i asked about getting an intake cast and how i should go about makeing the core and patterens, all seems like just some time and not much money, basicly a sheet of 3/4" ply for the mold and $100 to have it cast.

 

Good, cheap, fast: can't have all 3, which combination of 2 do you want?

 

i'm putting my 276 in a 31, 5 window, all i ask of my little hemi is to smoke the tires from a dead stop all the way through first and second gear, what else do you need?

 

I'm using a stock 2bbl intake that I'm port matching and using a Tardel 2 x 2 w/ 94's. The last one I saw for a desoto (4 carb) went for 740.00 on the 'bay. Too much for my blood.....
We also made a pro-stock style for my buddies 276. It works great but I don't want to put that much time into an intake

 

3rd gear and hopefully some of 4th

 

There was a joke popular around the Civil War about boys who planned an entire military career around a single piece of equipment:
"Hey, look, I just found a horseshoe!"
"Now all you need is 3 more horseshoes, and a horse, and a uniform, and a gun... and you're in the cavalry."

You're committing a huge amount of money on an engine that I can predict with absolute certainty will be a disappointment, and from whcih there is no recovery possible except:
1. sell it at a big loss, and start over
2. go back and re-do every piece of speed equipment, and make it even more gutless.

An aside: "NOS ISKY cam (No clue on the specs)"?
Is it marked ISKY or Iskenderian? Does it have any serial numbers on it? Perhaps someone can de-code it from that.
You also want to be sure that you didn't inherit a perfectly good piece of antique speed equipment - for a different engine. Only 53-56 241/259/270 Dodge low deck cams (hemi or poly) will fit your engine (not high deck 315/325, DeSoto, etc.).
Again: none of those manifolds can be compared to a modern single-plane high rise, they're just better than the factory manifolds (and not necessarily better than the factory dual quad). For what you can buy (as opposed to make) the Drag-Star is probably the best.

That advice to have the crank checked cannot be over-emphasized - breakage is very common, and there is no reliable source for used 241/259/270 cranks.

It's your project, not mine. I just hate to see you go down the wrong road.

 

I have a the same choice to make for my Brookville '32 roadster project. I have a Dodge 241 and a 325 (original 4bb motor). I think the 325 would be the best choice but I also have a small journal 327 that would cost 1/4 as much to build as either of the Dodge's. Is it worth the extra three grand for looks? I plan on using a S-10 5 speed with either of them. Decisions, Decisions!

 

Iv'e been running a SBC for years and wanted to do something different. Since my buddie is a Hemi Guru and he had 5 sitting around, I thought I'd give this one a try..
One of my other buddies built a 276" motor for around 2k and it looks and sounds Kool.....

 

id say go with the 241, everyones got chevy motors, not that theres anything wrong with that its just that 241 would be pretty bitchin!

esp. with that intake thats up there

 

I've found a picture of a dual quad intake labeled 241, but can't make out what it is - brand, etc.

Look familiar to anyone?

 

Looks like the Offy intake that I have that isn't size marked, but is supposed to be for a 315/325.

 

Who do you guys recommend to supply a quality complete rebuild kit for a Dodge 325? I see a company called Falcon Sales from Jacksonville, FL that has one on Ebay for $1165.43.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Dodg...yZ140682QQihZ022QQitemZ350082310109QQtcZphoto

Has anyone have any experience with them? Or who do you recommend? And a cam supplier?

 

The raised block Dodge Hemi intake will not fit a 241 or a 270...
Except a log type..
Duane..

 

You might ask them for a list of who made the items. You will get quality parts from Hot Heads.

 

i agree with what is beeing said about the disspointment factor. i went into this knowing it wont be cop magnet. thats why i havent gone all out with it. its going in a big 4 door car (hopefully 2 door if i can find another one) so its just a cruiser. and it sounds damn good with cut outs, so thats a plus.

all of yalls info is not going unappreciated, not by a long shot.