Projects 354 Hemi Engine Build

Well I told you guys that I would make a thread for the engine/powertrain for the '37, so here it is! We've been very busy these past few weeks with college and it will stay that way until winter break, so forgive me in advance because updates will be sporadic. Here's what we've done so far:


This is just a mockup we did of the block and the exterior pretty parts. Looked pretty sweet.


Priming the block


More priming!


Cylinder head assembly. This part took a little while, we had to shim all of the valve springs to Crane's specified height, simple but it was something we had never done before.


Laying the crank in after we checked the bearing clearances and installed the bottom half of the rear main seal.


Main caps bolted on and torqued down. Turns very easily by hand.


We are reusing the Forged True 11:1 pistons that were in the engine "originally". For those that did not see my other thread, they were attached to aluminum rods, but we didn't like that for street use, so we sprung for these.


Sorry that this picture looks a little funny, I took it upside down and had to flip it over. We have not finished installing the pistons because we were sent 4 sets of rod bearings that were the correct size and 4 that were .010 under. We are getting the correct sizes in tomorrow. Always check your clearances!


Money shot


We installed oil pan studs so we chased all of the holes to make sure they would go in all the way with your fingers. Not interesting but necessary.



That's all I've got so far, I'll post more this weekend as the build progresses.




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Don't understand why your chasing threads halfway through critical assembly.

 

Yea, it wasn't the best time to do it I'll admit. We had already done all of the other bolt holes prior to this but I guess the pan just slipped my mind.


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I didn't like the vibe I was getting after I chased them so I took it apart and washed it again. Squeaky clean now.


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Masking the heads for paint


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Checking rod side clearances as I go. They all came in at .010.


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Rotating assembly finished and torqued. Turns over very nicely with a pull handle.


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Here is the adapted 340 oil pump installed. In order to get it to slide down to the correct depth in the main cap, I had to grind the washer on the main bolt flat on one side. This is something that I was told could happen, no biggie.


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What's Happening with the injection set up from the motor?

 

We still have it. We haven't decided what to do with all of the stuff we took off/out of the car just yet. I guess we'll sort it all out when the project is closer to getting done


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Early Hemis are my favorite. Thanks for posting.

 

What are the freeze plugs that you are using?

 

They're Hot Heads' milled stainless plugs. They have a t-bar on the back that locks on to the stepped hole as you tighten up the screw. They are kind of expensive but eliminate the possibility of one popping out. We had to open up our holes a tad with a die grinder to get them to sit down all the way, but apparently that isn't always necessary.


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Did a little head and manifold mock-up before I leave for school again. I'll be back this coming weekend and we'll do some more work. Hope y'all have liked it so far


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You may already be aware of this....if not, don't forget about that oil-galley plug that's down in the distributor well. Especially if the block was tanked and/or oil passages cleaned.
Accessible only after taking out the larger plug at the rear of the block.

 

Thanks for mentioning this. I am aware and we did change the plugs, but it's good to have info like this on the thread for any other readers who might need tips on building one of these. If anyone has any useful info on Early Hemis, you're welcome to post it here.

 

Well I'm back home this weekend, today we're doing some work on the cam and timing set.

I thought I'd post a picture of this part, it's a spacer for the timing chain to rest against. It is chamfered and installs with this side facing towards the cam.


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This thread is gettiing me antsy to assemble mine. Its a 354 in the machine shop, waiting and waiting...

 

Just make sure you do a better job masking the front cover than I did!


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Mine is still on the stand waiting for tear down.
What is your intended use for this one?

 

It's going in a '37 Ford coupe, I had a build thread on it a while back but it sort of went south so I'm just doing the engine.


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Looking good !

 

Degreed the cam last night using the intake centerline method. We installed it straight up but it was good to know everything is correct.


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Nice work. I love threads like this. What is the final destination for this beast?


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'37 Ford Coupe


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...the Melling M-50 is a direct bolt-on...no adapter needed and it flows plenty of oil...for those who want an option....

 

Good point


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Very nice. Is that a 750 cfm Holley? What are the cam specs?

 

It's a 650 Holley, might end up being too small. At some point we might even slap two of them on there but this is it for now. The cam is a Crane Hyd. roller 236/236 108 LSA, .486" lift.

 

Oil pickup in and ready for the pan, but before I do that, I have a question about the oil pan seals. I don't know which side is which, i.e. which face sits on the timing cover and which goes into that recess in the pan? I feel like I should know this... But I don't!





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