The 426 cubic-inch Chrysler “Hemi” has become known as the “Elephant Engine.” It started as a racing motor in the 1960s that would be adapted for street use, too. Typically, the street engine produces nearly one horse per cube and – with some tweaking – a whole lot more. The seller had this engine built for him in 2008 but it was never used. It was fogged and then stored in his garage ever since. Located in Horn Lake, Mississippi, this Hemi is available here on eBay. Bidding has reached $11,600 and may continue to climb.
Though Chrysler’s first V8s with hemispherical-shaped combustion chambers dated to 1951, it was not until 1963 that they approved a program to build one for a car that could win the 1964 Daytona 500. Rather than working with the “Wedge” which Chrysler also employed, they thought the Hemi was the cheapest and surest way to win. The fruits of their labors would be the 426 Hemi. And it worked – Hemi-powered cars finished 1-2-3-4 in the “Great American Race” as it would later be called.
Success on the track would lead to “Streets Hemi’s” turning up in Dodge and Plymouth intermediates beginning in 1966. The street version had a lower compression ratio, milder valve timing, different intake and exhaust manifolds, and cast-iron heads, instead of aluminum. The Street Hemi would be available in production cars through 1971, rated at 425 hp and 490 foot-pounds of torque.
As the story goes, the seller commissioned a performance shop in Mississippi to build this engine for him and its specs and noted here and here. He was going to install it in a Mopar product but never did. The completed engine, sans carburetor, has been in storage for 14 years and it’s now time for it to move on to someone who can put it to good use. Any Barn Finds takers?
So why would a person buy this? For investment? For pleasure? If you want a big block for power, a 440 is almost as powerful as this, plus a lot easier to live with in so many ways…plus a fraction of the price. For a drag racer that gets towed to and from the track, I am all over this, a good choice. For a street car, the 440 in a heart beat, or better yet, a proper small block that would make a better all around driving car. Take it from an old timer who lived through this era, these were not all they were cracked up to be. More hype then reality.
But.. nothing beats the sound of a hemi.
How about the soft voice of a pretty lady who fancies you? I know which of the two I would choose.
Myth, they sound no different.
I have always thought the 440 to be a better choice too. I have seen and driven some built 440s and have always been impressed.
I agree. I’m getting close to done in restoring a 77 Ramcharger, and although the Hemi was a little tempting at first, I went with the 440. Especially in a truck it’s going to be the best option for the money, and plenty of power and wonderful sounds!
If your original Hemi car is missing its heart, this would be more correct than a 440.
Yeah, but at triple the price with not much more for performance. It all goes back to the black hole of perceived value. Get the money men out of the game and we all will be better off.
There’s an inherent value to tuning and tweaking a race engine and then cruising and enjoying your ride. If you seriously don’t get the mystique and attitude that come with a raw street Hemi, side oiler Ford 427, or LS6 big block Chevy then you’re obviously not the target audience. Nobody’s going to daily this thing, and if you’ve ever riden in a Hemi powered Mopar you’d understand that while the 440 is strong and much more civil for everyday use, nothing hits you in the chest like running an Elephant down the strip. Or you obviously just don’t get it!
Drove the HemiCuda convertible daily for 4 years, 13 miles each way to A.S.U. and back, to my work, and every other place I needed to go. Same for the Tri-Power Corvette Convertibles that succeeded it, the XK-E after that, etc…
My brother and I were / are not wealthy.
Just because we have owned (and driven) almost every ’60’s (and ’70’s) muscle car worth owning doesn’t mean we were rich. We owned them one-at-a-time. Serially. (sometimes 2 at once, if we found a deal).
We could never afford a new one (to this day, I have never bought a new car). So we had to wait until some neandertal had had his way with it, then buy whatever remained, and undertake the tedious process of putting it back together.
Once the car was good to go, we usually had so much $$$ in it, that we had to sell it, then buy another. A process which we both never escaped.
My brother is currently restoring a Triumph TR4A (after 2 previous MGA’s, and a Healey 100), and I’ve undertaken to re-animate a 1968 Olds 442 4-speed, A/C, Convertible (rare though it may be, at the age of 70, I may have bitten off a bite too much).
These on the edge cars felt normal to us as daily drivers.
440’s and 426 hemis are two extremely different engines. 440’s are torque monsters that typically peak out at 5,000 – 5 500 rpm. Hemis are for horsepower which starts really coming in at 5 000 through 6,500 rpm where a 440 can’t keep up. Think Nascar where the engines were at the top of their rpm range for hours of racing, or a drag car with an automatic and a 4-5K stall converter. The Motortrend show Engine Masters recently did a comparison of the two engines which is very informative.
I myself like the 440-6 barrel just because…
Torque distribution is a product of primarily stroke, bore and rod length. You might want to look at how the 440 and 426 differ. More myth.
The only people who ever argue that a Hemi isn’t that much better than a 440 are those who’ve never owned one.
Having owned 440+6 ‘Cuda and Superbees, a 340+6 AAR, Tri-Power Corvettes, and yes a 1971 HemiCuda Convertible, I have 2 observations: 1) Corked up on the street and bone-stock, as delivered, a 440+6 will give a Hemi a run for its money 2) Uncorked at the track, and with a few touches (headers, opened induction, good spark, etc…) the Hemi is unbeatable (even-up weight). Just ask Whinin’ Bill Jenkins.
Gosh I miss being able to buy a Hemicar, or a Shelby or a 427 Corvette for $1,000 or so.
I still have a set of Hooker Competition Race Tubes that’ve never been welded, and a dual-quad Rat Roaster Intake… Hmmmm.
Yes, but when a used 426 car was a grand in 1980, how much did you make per hour at your job? Could you afford aviation fuel for it? Lord knows you needed it back then, the gas was awful. 40 years ago, most of us had other responsibilities in our lives. School costs, mortgages, families to raise. A hot used car was low on the list of priorities. Many of us here come from that era, but now we are geriatric, yet we have recourses and less responsibilities, but now the cars are out of reach financially. Life a’int fair, but I figured that one out a while back. Be happy you could experience them in your youth and be satisfied. And, yes, a prepped hemi on a drag strip was a thing to behold, but on the street? I never owned one, but got to drive several. I was not impressed except showing off to some kid in an old Chevy at a stop light. Not good for much else. That is why I always opted for standard engines, the best compromises thought out by skilled engineers.
…skilled bean counters, you mean.
RC, the bean counters are real, no doubt, but that does not mean that the standard engines were quite a bit cheaper to produce. Some, for sure, but an engine is an engine, esp in those days. Consumer and manufacturing costs are very different. The performance engines cost not too much more to make, but they had much greater mark up on them. Of anything, the reason why more powerful engines were not standard, in my opinion, is because they could charge more for them, plus they could offer lower base prices to lure cheapskates through the doors. Of course, in that light, it also is a crazy game. Take Plymouth. Base slant six at this time (1970ish) was a goofy 198 whereas the standard SS was a 225. No difference in cost to make, no difference in MPG, just a stupid marketing ploy. Despite that, a standard 225/318 offered good reliability, performance, and MPG..hence..they were standard. They met the needs of most customers. Performance engines have caveats with them for all those things, so…not standard.
LOL, in 1980 i was 17 and had paid 1000$ for a 71 Celica, i NEVER ran across any muscle cars for a grand, let alone a hemi……i remember chasing a early Cutlass with a 4speed, but the guy always wanted more than i could spare without selling my car and at 17 i wasn’t going without a car, and flipping burgers wasn’t going to cut it ……..
Your Right on Gary. It’s all about the Dollar and having a little “WIGGLE ROOM” for the manufacturers. Also, parts can be made to last forever, but do not, for a reason. Most manufacturers of anything make their money on the repairs and sale of the parts. I rebuilt a 1945 generator once, by using the original head gasket (copper) and making all the other gaskets and seals using a beer packaging box, by cutting out to fit the app..
So Bill Jenkins races against Hemi cars in Pro Stock did he?
He didn’t so much ‘race’ them as lose to them, until he discovered that you could just whine yourself into victory lane.
Every time Ron Sox (or Butch Leal or any other real (Hemi) racer) began winning, Jenkins would scream to the NHRA and they would add weight to the Hemi car.
When Sox finally presented the extended middle finger to them, the sanctioning body was requiring that Hemi’s (and Ford SOHC’s) carry as much as 800 lbs more than their small block ‘competitors’.
No, but really, small block Chevys are fantastic.
https://www.nhra.com/news/2009/history-lesson-book
Yes. He races (sic) against Hemi cars in Pro Stock.
https://autos.yahoo.com/nhra-most-popular-classes-pro-180000712.html
https://us.motorsport.com/vintage/news/nhra-s-50-greatest-drivers-no-15-ronnie-sox/1914995/
I never mind providing references, but what’s your point?
One wonders why Jenkins didn’t install a Tecumseh or Briggs engine, and require the Hemi to carry Jenkins’ car on its back, with the nose slightly sticking out, so it would always reach the finish line first.
Yes.
Just remember: There are no silly questions, just silly questioners.
This should get you started:
https://us.motorsport.com/vintage/news/nhra-s-50-greatest-drivers-no-15-ronnie-sox/1914995/
https://www.nhra.com/news/2009/history-lesson-book
https://autos.yahoo.com/nhra-most-popular-classes-pro-180000712.html
Glad to have let you audit my course. For any further, consult the Internet yourself.
this is a deal! last one i saw was 26000. when this starts up u know what motor it is as all heads turn to see it. this motor you feel it down to your bones.
and there is no way your going to buy a 440 ready to go for less than 10,000 so 12000 is cheap. and yes may cost more to keep running but worth it!
You got this one right, Sterling. My girlfriend at the time said she always knew when I was coming, because the dishes in her mother’s china cabinet would start to rattle even before she could hear me. It’s easy to make any car loud, it takes a Hemi to make ‘motor music’.
Lets face it, when you retire, and always wanted a Hemi, times ticking away, BUY THE HEMI! you can at the least say, hey, come here, I want to show you my Hemi in the garage, and when they say what are you going to do with it, say I don’t know. but it’s not for sale.
Yes, then go inside and drink your Ensure, and take a nap. At our age, time is a valued, but limited resource. Do you really want to risk it with a dangerous relic from our youth?
Gary, you are absolutely right, but let us at least fantasize a little bit before reality kicks in. You sound like my dad, or my wife.
I have a ’66 Dodge Charger, with a swapped in 440, that I have tweaked in a couple of places. The 440 wasn’t supposed to be an option in ’66 but, I have found a few references that say it was. I don’t know for sure. I would absolutely love to have a 426 Hemi under the hood as this was the BIG motor option in the first year of the Charger! Unfortunately, this 426 Hemi has already outdistanced my wallet! My ’66 is in great condition and still has the original factory interior. I do need the period correct Radio for it, as the one I have doesn’t work and is not complete. The head light rotation motors need re-built and I have a power brake kit to install. After a thorough detailing, inside and out this Spring, this sharp looking and go-fast ’66 Charger will go on the market. I seldom drive it anymore, as I’m afraid some tourist or farmer will crash it. Besides, I need money to finish my ’67 Scout “Thunder Chicken”!
Michael S,
In 1969 I bought a beautiful red 1966 Plymouth Fury Convertible. The hood ornament displayed the engine size in 3 small numbers: 440. That stand-up hood ornament was available only in 1966, and it’s proof the 440 was indeed available in 1966. It was a few years later that I realized just how rare that engine was in any Mopar for 1966 [even Imperials!], as the engine was introduced late in the model year. When I traded the Fury in for my new 1973 Dodge B-200 van, I kept the hood ornament.
When my friend and I first met, he was answering my ad to sell my HemiCuda Convertible. At the time, he had a black on black 1966 Hemi Charger.
Hi Micheal, Just wondering if that 66 Charger is for sale yet? Or did I miss it? Would like a 4 speed as I’ve had 2 automatic 66”s. But It’s not a deal breaker. Pls advise, Greg Williams or Gregwilliams196400@gmail.com
If I were building a street rod I would buy this engine for its nostalgia alone. Nothing looks better in a custom rod than a hemi. The car shows with the endless line of small block chevys looks like a used car lot. The hemi stands out, although the 392 hemi would be my first choice because it’s designed for longevity. Cast iron Hemis were no small job to muscle around the shop as they weighed well over 800 pounds.
If I were building a street rod I would buy this engine for its nostalgia alone. Nothing looks better in a custom rod than a hemi. The car shows with the endless line of small block chevys looks like a used car lot. The hemi stands out, although the 392 hemi would be my first choice because it’s designed for longevity. Cast iron Hemis were no small job to muscle around the shop as they weighed well over 800 pounds. As much as I loved the hemi I must admit modern technology has made todays small blocks into monsters in power. An LS engine will soundly stomp any engine of that era, even a stock 426 Hemi. It just doesn’t look as good.
800 plus pounds, hahahahaha
It’s hard to take a race motor and detune it for the street. A properly tuned Hemi will shred pretty much anything that comes along.
My understanding from the past is the 426 Hemi was first built as a 800 HP motor, but was detuned to 426 HP for street use. Not sure what the race Hemi was in HP, but the intake with the single 4 BBL was what was offered as the race Hemi and the dual carbs for the street motor. I agree with the others here, that the 440 or even a hoped up LA motor is the way to go on any street ride as the 426 Hemi parts and accessories are much out of reach in cost. If money is no option, then that is another factor. I would buy a 340 Dart complete, rather than have a 426 Hemi sitting on the garage floor.
The question is: how do I get it in my Charger without my wife knowing?
Second question: how do I get her to not look in the check book?
A lot of them oldie Ford RodCoupes the engine choice was a Hemi
It ended, no longer available.
Too bad it ended that way, it would have been interesting to see what this legendary engine would have ended up at.
Well I had a Hemi, actually two of them! Rear engined, air cooled V8 Hemis built by Communists! My 1957 and 1970 Tatra 603s were all of the above! Yet most Americans think only Chrysler built Hemis! Come to think of it, the little 4 banger Toyota truck I drive is a Hemi also!
Chinga, my friend,
As I think you know, in the early 1990s, in the former East Germany, I bought a Tatra 603, right after the fall of the iron curtain.
That year, as a major vendor at the big Carlisle Events, I was talking with the Miller brothers [owners of Carlisle Events], and I happen to mention to the brothers [1 who was a ‘vette fanatic], that I had just bought a 1962 split-window, factory equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes, and a hemi V8.
Both knew I wasn’t an expert on Corvettes, and I was politely informed no split windows were sold as 1962 cars, and they never came with disc brakes. And of course he insisted none of them were sold with a hemi, telling me that was a Chrysler engine.
I said it again, and they said I was mistaken. So we made a small bet; Dinner was on the loser. So I asked them if they wanted to see a photo of my split window. Of course they said yes, and I produced a series of photos of my Tatra 603 with a split rear window, factory 4-wheel discs, and the air-cooled hemi V8 in the rear!
“Hey, that’s not a Corvette!” To which I replied, smiling, “Never said I bought a Corvette!”
Ahem guys, still waiting for that dinner.
Sounds like a late night, Bar story to me. LOL
That Tatra 603 is the penultimate of luxury and styling for totalitarian governments everywhere. Politburo designed, and built by people who hate and fear their government. Looks like the deformed product of a nightmarish tryst between a 1963 Corvette and a Dymaxion. This is what the West has to look forward to.
RC Graham,
Yes, the Tatra 603 was the favored 6 passenger, high speed car, favored by government officials and secret police, especially the Stasi in the former East Germany. [My second Tatra was a former Stasi car]
However Tatra designs were not done by “Politburo” means, the cars were fully designed in-house. In the case of the T-603 cars, they were designed in secret, before suggesting to the government it was a good idea to manufacture. The only government decision was that Tatra was permitted to build a powerful 6 passenger 4-door car, in addition to their world-class trucks..
I’ve spoken and corresponded with many people involved in the design and building [as well as the factory rebuilding service] of the post-war Tatra cars, and I experienced a high level of satisfaction by those connected to the Tatra company. Tatra paid well for eastern European standards, and former employees have said they were happy to have been involved in the cars they built.
As to the design of Tatra cars in general, while the styling is a bit unusual, the streamlining of the 1936 Tatra T-87 has a cD that exceeds air flow standards of cars today. And speaking of airflow, the Tatra T-87 makes the Chrysler Airflow look like a brick.
At one of Maryland’s largest car shows, when the outside temperature at noon was exceeding 100f, I let my Tatra sit and idle for a couple of hours, on the hot asphalt pavement, to show people that the Tatra air-cooled V8 engine just won’t overheat unless a fan belt were to break.
If you’ve never seen the 1962 Tatra promotional video, it’s really worth watching. Search YouTube for the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR6-ReQR45E
In 2014, Road & Track’s Alex Nunez said: “The Tatra 603 was the world’s greatest car”. Referring to the video, R & T said:
“1962 promo reel shows there is literally nothing you can’t do with it.”
Jason Torchinsky [the Torch] from Jalopnik did a 2018 video on the Tatra T-603 cars, also worth watching. He praised what the factory had accomplished with the T-603.
My 1962 Tatra T2-603 was factory equipped with:
4-wheel disc brakes [a copy of the Girling discs used on the Jaguar XK cars, and the Jag pads & rebuild kits work great].
Rack & pinion steering.
Macpherson struts up front.
Full syncro gearbox.
Electronic ignition by PAL.
What American car had all the above equipment in 1962?
And an interesting design of the electronic ignition, is that unlike “Western” electronic ignition with a trigger on the distributor shaft for the ignition sensor, where there is a trigger for each cylinder [8 triggers for a V8, 6 triggers for a 6, etc], and only one sensor coil replacing the point set, the PAL system has a single trigger that rotates inside a ring of coils, one per cylinder.
If an early western electronic ignition had their single coil in the distributor fail [a common problem], the car stopped running. With the Tatra-PAL design, if a coil failed, the car was still running on the other cylinders.
Bill M. – I stand corrected. After some small amount of research, I have come to the conclusion that these cars are more than they appear to be. Jay Leno is impressed… I’m impressed. The full belly pan is straight out of the Salt Lakes! Please forgive my ignorance.
I stand firm on my styling comments. There are many solutions to making a low CD aesthetically infinitely more appealing. However; totalitarian countries offer a ‘this’ or ‘nothing’ selection in most consumer goods.
Your response contained a lot of good information, though. For that, I thank you. The list of standard equipment is impressive, even to this day.
You made significant note of the fact that the engine did a better job of cooling than it would seem at first blush.
Notice I made no mention of that area of design. It was largely because the car was designed for operation in nearly subarctic conditions much of the time, where survivability under cold conditions had to have tilted the design trade-offs in that direction.
I am still curious why nobody called me out on the use of ‘penultimate’. It is because that lowest point in Iron Curtain automotive arts is and always will be reserved for the Yugo.
RC, Thanks for the recognition! My main reason for continuing with Barn Finds is to contribute content that informs the public, especially in my specialty; rare & unusual cars!
Yes, the Yugo is a candidate, but there are other lesser Soviet Block cars that might qualify as well.
I took my race Hemi heads, intake, carbs, headers and other parts to be reunited with the rotating assembly in VA several years ago. I delivered them in my wife’s Honda Crosstour, thus being qualified to tell everyone that I had once a Crosstour with a Hemi in it🤣
I so envy you… The best of both worlds.
We humans are a weird bunch. Either engine would be a good choice with neither gaining a moral high ground or justified argument. Were I building a Hot Rod, I’d install the DOHC Coyote. However, remember that Top Fuel still uses the basic idea of this engine whose roots go back to the early 1950’s. I think that is the ultimate “bragging right” as I know of nothing on the ground that puts out more power without becoming airborne.
The bigger question would be was motor stored in climate controlled garage for 14yrs , I wouldn’t install without inspection, my first boss at a general automotive repair shop had a 71 SS 454 Monte Carlo stored in a unheated garage for couple of years , took car out of storage and ended up spinning rod bearings , when we tore down motor there was evendence of rust / pitting on bearing surface between bearing & journals , motor had less than breaking in miles
That is from the engine builder handing the crank with no gloves. Acid and moisture from the hands can cause rust. I get brought projects started years ago all the time. I have seen rust finger prints on crank journals, cams and cylinder walls.
I had a Hemi Satellite in 1966 and in my little town of 100k I never ran across anything faster. Mine was an auto and would beat the same Hemi with a 4 speed a few feet every shift. There was one in town with what I call a rash box, but it wasn’t street legal. 425hp was very understated by mopar. More like somewhere north of 500. After it got me in more trouble than my insurance co could bear I sold it. The guy that bought it decided to rebuild the engine and found that the parts for a Hemi were many times more $$ than for more common V8.
The parts weren’t just more expensive, they were often unobtanium, without going to the trouble of a special order, then waiting. Even the biggest speed shop in Phoenix often didn’t have a decent set of valve cover gaskets.
That’s weird, I bought my valve covers at the local Chrysler dealership. They always had them in stock.
Well, Hell… My brother and I should’ve just come to your town and bought stuff at the dealership there. At least it wouldn’t have been weird. Are you some kind of a Chevy troll?
In May 1966 i was hired as an engine inspector on the 383 and 426 line at the Trenton,Michigan Chrysler engine plant. I was just nineteen years old and worked the day shift. My job was to start every engine on the Merry go round, the name for the engine test stand. They only built the 426 on days so every 6 or 7 engines one would be a 426, the rest were 383. I quit at the end of August because the company would not let off that job and i could not stand the noise anymore. I would go home and my teeth would ache
I have more broken 440 factory blocks, cranks, and rods of all makers.
You know what I do not have? Broken Hemi motor parts.
And after all these years I have only one set of factory 426 Hemi standard bearings left. Every once in a while I will open that drawer of the tool cabinet and see the boxed set. They may be the only factory set left in the world.
I may auction them off and see a 1000% profit. LMAO