Re: Re: mopar spitfire engine

Posted by Hal/WA on January 08, 2005 at 18:51:11 from (148.65.0.200):

In Reply to: Re: mopar spitfire engine posted by Redmud on January 07, 2005 at 07:43:38:

If it actually has 2 rocker shafts under the valve covers, I believe it is a HEMI. Could the words be Chrysler Firepower? Have you taken a valve cover off?

On the Hemis, the valve covers are more or less rectangular, with the spark plug tubes poking through the middle of the valve covers. On the polysphere engines, the lower edge of the valve cover is not straight, but has bumps, and the spark plugs do not go through the valve covers. The Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler polysphere engines look quite different than the early A engine--the 277-318, that were originally used in mostly Plymouths. The Plymouth A engine valve covers also are scalloped along the lower edge, but the bumps are not nearly as big as on the polysphere engines.

Chrysler, then DeSoto and then Dodge got Hemi V8's in 1951,1952 and 1953. During this time the auto industry was really booming and Chrysler made the decision to build the 3 similar, but different engines. As I understand it there is very little that interchanges between the 3 engines, and this must have been very costly for Chrysler. To provide less costly engines a couple of years later when the automotive economy was not as good, they brought out polysphere versions of the 3 original engines and also started building the A engine in 1955. The last Dodge and DeSoto hemis were in 1957 and Chrysler had hemis in 1958. I have seen polysphere engines in 1959 models, but I think that by 1960, or so, they only used A engines and the B engine, which had come out in some models in 1958. The B engines were 350, 361, 383 and 400 cubic inches and the RB or raised deck B had 413, 426 and 440 cubic inches, all with wedge heads. There was supposed to also have been a RB 383, but I have never seen one.

The never finished hotrod sounds interesting. Too bad it never got finished, but that is what happened and happens to lots of projects. What transmission and rear end did they use? Hope this helps.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Re: Re: mopar spitfire engine Redmud 13:51:50 01/09/05 (1)
  • Re: Re: Re: Re: mopar spitfire engine Hal/WA 00:33:12 01/10/05 (0)
• Re: Re: Re: mopar spitfire engine Redmud 10:41:03 01/09/05 (0)

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