ok so i went to a buddy of mines house today and he went to show me some stuff.ok so there was a hemi just sittin there in the coner of his garage.i dont no wat size it is bbut it is all there excpt for the distributer .i think its a long bellhousing hemi so i guess it aint the good one .but he said he wats 600 bucks for it and he thinks it runs .is it a good deal ?i no nothing about hemis so any help would be greatful
If the distributor is up front it is a 426 Hemi and worth $7,500-$10,000 if the dist is in the rear it is the old one. If it runs, and doesn't need rebuilt, it would be worth $600, but not much more.
The 2 that seem to be worth th emost are the 426 and 392. The 426 is really big bucks. The 392 moderate. The older hemi's might bring $600 for a good core that spins freely. Look for numbers on the block. And try visiting http://hothemiheads.com/research/hemi_guide.html for help to identify the beast...
I would think carefully about an early Hemi due to cost, not of purchase but re-build/hopping up. In retrospect I perhaps should have gone SBC (blasphemy) & as funds become available (in the far future) switch to an early Hemi or something more interesting. I have been pricing out the rebuild path and it is scary. I suspect the early Hemi route will cost me 3-5yrs in build time ... though in the end it sure will look cool and sound great Jimmy White Concerto Just my 2 cents. Later, papa al
I would think it would be worth some bucks at least... I though Mopar shit was worth a bunch. But I guess not... I've got a complete 440 with a transmission that needs a rebuild(I think) and I can't seem to get rid of it for a decent price.
hey, its probably a 354 or a 331. i have owned both. 600 dollars sounds fair, but not a screaming deal by any means. unless you have a particular application for it, i would probably leave it at your friends house. i love the early hemis, but as was commented in an earlier post, the cost of a rebuild would probably be fairly expensive. not a good enough deal to be tripping over it in the garage for 10 years. jeff
As stated earlier, it's the rebuild, and hop up cost that's the killer. I started with a $1200 pulling tractor motor. I have $2500 total into mine already, and I need probably at least $1500 more to make it reliable on the street. 'Course there is really nothing like a Hemi powering your ride. Bugman Jeff
Sounds to me like it's a early 331 Chrysler what with the extended bellhousing. The later 331's, like mine, had the separate bellhousing (aluminum) and all the 354's and 392's had the separate bellhousing. I just started on mine and I figure I will have at least five grand in it when it's done.The rebuild kits and parts for these engines are available...but VERY expensive. Six hundred is a lot of money for that engine...maybe $400-$450 tops. Look at the top front of the engine...just in front of the valley cover and get that number. Post it on the hamb and we will look it up and tell you what engine it is. Hope this helps your decision.
This is interesting to me too, In fact I got on here this time to ask the same question. Exept in my case the motor is still in the 53 chrysler, in my friends back yard. been there for a few years now. Im not sure if it even turns over... Is there anthing in particular I should look out for? Cracks anyplace special or anything? -J.
The Jalopy Journal
