BangShifters Scott Clark and Bob Holmes were part of an Engine Masters Challenge team along with guys like Gene Adams and the late Danny Miller. With Gene Adams aboard it is no surprise that the boys were working with Hot Heads Research on building a killer early Chrysler Hemi to take on all comers. The engine incorporated lots of modern thinking and practice with its first generation hemi architecture. It fared very well in the competition that year and shocked a lot of people using what they perceived to be “better” platforms. We think that it rules when brain power and creative thinking blow closed minds out of the water and that very much happened with this engine.
The angry little engine measures out to 387ci, has a MegaSquirt EFI system, 10:5:1 compression, and lots of highly worked pieces like the heads and intake manifold. While others may have scoffed at the idea of a first generation hemi hanging with the big dogs in the scoring at Engine Masters, guys like Gene Adams knew what they’d be capable of, given the time and support. They used the time they had and the support they got to the best of their ability and the end result was a shockingly bad ass engine that got lots of press and rewarded team members with a feeling of satisfaction they’ll never forget. That second part is the true pay off.
This video was made back in 2011, but that’s irrelevant. Why? Because a screaming hemi transcends time and place.
Press play below to see a small Hemi scream to 7500 RPM!
I love it when they have the timing light on checking the timing marks, it looks like the engine is not running….. it sounds ace i guess when its finished it will run ace aswell, i want this engine!!!!
This is awesome. Finally Megasquirt is back in the know.
Thanks, Brian, for bringing this back. It was the experience of a life-time. We had a great set of team members. Nick Smithberg was a huge part of the success of this effort. And we had the significant experience of John Beck, running the dyno. At one point we had team members in 7 states.
None of it would have happened without the significant support of Bob and Debra Walker, our sponsors from Hot Heads Research and Racing, and the invitation from Danny Miller to come and help out.
We all miss Danny Miller, he was the spark that made the team work. In the end we brought him a second place, a Torque Monster award, and the Editor’s Choice award. As well as significant editorial ink in Popular Hot Rodding, Engine Masters, and Hot Rod.
My only regret is that we achieved those ends after his untimely passing.
It was an opportunity of a lifetime and I will cherish every moment of that experience. I had more time in that induction than I care to share but in the end it was worth it. Lots of blood, sweat, and tears in the effort, we never gave up! We made history with that engine!
I am guessing this was 354 with a bit of a bore. I do like the sound. house the lifespan look on that girl? I have a pair of 1955 331 hemi’s I am researching to rebuild. Lets just say that parts are few. One is in a 1955 New Yorker. the other is in a box. I am looking to restore the fist, and build about 500hp out of the second. Any more and i fear that 2 speed power flight wont stand up. If you have any tips, let me know.
Yes, 354 based – 4.00 bore x 3.825 stroke for 385ci. I’ve developed alot of head CNC programs for the Early Hemi stuff thanks to this effort. Even a new intake manifold is in the works!