Building a Hemi for Less - Car Craft Magazine

The head gaskets are standard-issue 440 by Fel-Pro with a 0.039 compressed thickness but must be nibbled for pushrod clearance on the workbench using a circular punch. If you don't have the time, Stage V Engineering sells pre-punched gaskets.

The head gaskets are standard-issue 440 by Fel-Pro with a 0.039 compressed thickness but m

BIG HEMI DYNO POWER*
RPM	HP	TQ
3,500	391	587
3,600	400	585
3,700	410	582
3,800	421	581
3,900	433	582
4,000	446	586
4,100	463	593
4,200	481	602
4,300	502	613
4,400	521	622
4,500	534	623
4,600	548	626
4,700	560	626
4,800	570	624
4,900	581	623
5,000	590	620
5,100	602	620
5,200	614	620
5,300	624	619
5,400	635	617
5,500	646	617
5,600	654	613
5,700	660	609
5,800	669	605
5,900	676	602
6,000	680	595
6,100	683	588
6,200	684	579
6,300	685	571
6,400	679	557
6,500	670	541
*Numbers are rounded to the nearest tenth.

All buttoned up, Joe Jill Jr. (left) and Don Spaccarotella set timing to 34 degrees on the Superior DTS dyno. With a pair of 1404 Edelbrock Performer 500-cfm carbs on the intake and exhaling through a set of cast-iron Street Hemi manifolds, it delivered 612.9 hp at 6,100 rpm and 569.7 lb-ft at 5,300 rpm. But we're not done . Replacing the Street Hemi manifolds with TTI 21/8 dyno headers, output jumped to 661 hp at 6,100 rpm and 600 lb-ft at 4,600 rpm. That's a sweet gain of 48 hp and 30 lb-ft. Thanks go to Kenn Funk for the loaned manifolds.

All buttoned up, Joe Jill Jr. (left) and Don Spaccarotella set timing to 34 degrees on the

With a stump pulling 587 lb-ft way down at 3,500 rpm and peak horsepower reached at a conservative 6,300 rpm, the benefits of the stroker crank and free-flowing heads are clear. We made more than 15 dyno pulls to ensure repeatability, and every one was made with 91-octane Shell gasoline from a local station.

CAMSHAFT	PN	PRICE
Crower mechanical roller with 308/314 degrees of duration at 0.050 with 0.688/0.649 lift	PN33472	$381.99
Crower lifters	S-66232	565.99
JP Performance timing chain	5606T	89.00
Manley thrust button	42116	7.99
Camshaft Total:		$1,044.97

INDUCTION	PN	PRICE
Mopar Performance Street Hemi intake manifold	P5153737	$425.99
Superior Automotive plenum dividers removal	N/A	150.00
SCE intake gaskets	P166101	15.99
Edelbrock 750-cfm Performers	1407	254.95 (each)
Induction Total:		$1,101.88

IGNITION	PN	PRICE
MSD Pro-Billet distributor	8546	$295.10
MSD Blaster 2 coil	8202	38.30
MSD Heli-Core, 8mm wires	31289	179.60
Champion spark plugs	RN9YC	14.00
Ignition Total:		$527.00

For compatibility with the steel billet roller cam, a Milodon intermediate shaft with a bronze drive gear must be used. The hardened oil pump drive hex ensures durability with the high-volume pump when the specified 20W-50 oil is cold.
For compatibility with the steel billet roller cam, a Milodon intermediate shaft with a br
Once the Conversion heads are installed, any 16-bolt Hemi intake manifold bolts right up. While dozens of induction setups are available, we'll go with the aluminum Street Hemi dual-plane casting with Edelbrock carbs. Jill removed the eight individual throttle bores and plenum dividers on a mill, effectively transforming it into a semi-single plane affair. Now each cylinder has access to all eight barrels rather than just the right or left half of each carburetor. Swapping the 500-cfm Performers for a set of 750-cfm Performers (PN 1407) added 23.6 hp and 25.7 lb-ft, taking the totals to 684.6 hp and 625.7 lb-ft
Once the Conversion heads are installed, any 16-bolt Hemi intake manifold bolts right up.
The Crower roller cam and lifters actuate the valves via Crower 3/8 chrome-moly pushrods. Dig the Conversion-specific head bolts in the floor of each intake port. You'd think they'd disturb port flow but are proven to have a negligible effect. Original 426 Hemi blocks have cast bosses on the walls of the lifter valley that engage studs protruding from the deck surfaces of the heads. Lacking on wedge blocks, the Stage V solution is ingenious.
The Crower roller cam and lifters actuate the valves via Crower 3/8 chrome-moly pushrods.