Hemi vs. 440

[68BabyBlue]

Thanks for all the input thus far. I have owned and driven just about everything else over the last five decades. I am fortunate to own two of my dream GTXs already: the one I owned back in the day, sold, and got back, plus the one I would have bought back in the day, in 1969, that I acquired nearly 50 years later, with every option and the colors I wanted. I have reached that point in my life where I have the time and means for one more car, and I've never owned or driven a hemi. I would have to part with the current cars to make the change. I value the opinions of those who have gone before me.

 

[turbine68rt]

Well if you're going to have one classic mopar id say go for the hemi car. Not because its BETTER per se, but when you buy a classic car you're going for the cool factor, so you may as well go all in on that...

Nice avatar

 

[Jesse6869]

Hemi always wanted one bragging rites yes not sure about pros and cons 440 6 pak 5 speed love it and want another

 

[hemi*guy]

In my opinion there is nothing like the sound,smell and brute force of a Hemi once it starts getting some air in it. The 440 is a great engine but the Hemi is a legend.

 

[AR67GTX]

I've owned a 67 GTX for 20 years and it gets a fair amount of attention at a cruise night but at least half the people ask if it has a 383 in it - even with 440 emblazoned across the air cleaner tin pie and the hood ornament. But my friends 69 Hemi Roadrunner gets 3 times as much attention any given night. It's always held a bit of mystique to me since I almost bought a 68 Hemi Charger back in 1971 and passed it up. I don't think they are much faster stock than a 440 but face it - they look cool, sound cool and have that mystique. I just bought a 66 Hemi but still going through some of it and haven't had much chance to play with it - but that engine in the engine bay is a great sight any time I'm out in the garage.

 

[Aero Warrior]

I own both and I agree performance wise in street trim, the Hemi is only slightly faster than the 440 Six Pack. But the indisputable fact is a 440 Six Pack is a standard passenger motor souped up by the factory to make more horsepower and the street hemi motor is a severely detuned race engine. At shows, the HEMI gets all the attention.

 

[gtx6970]

: the one I owned back in the day, sold, and got back, plus the one I would have bought back in the day, in 1969, that I acquired nearly 50 years later, with every option and the colors I wanted.

based on these comments. I would really do some soul searching to make sure giving these 2 up to replace with one is the right thing you want to do.

As for whether or not its faster . To me is irrelevant . I dont care . I didnt buy mine for a race car...... and to be honest. I dont even beat on it hard and odds are will never take it down the track , even though one is less than 5 miles away from my house .

When I made the decision to buy a car . I have only room for and can only afford the one car . I made sure the one I bought popped ALL my buttons.
And I assure you it does in a very big way

 

[Jeff Peterson]

About 15 yrs. ago, a friend purchased a real 70' TA challenger that had been completely redone, but was as disassembled as a unibody could get and the original drive train was long gone, anyway as he's in the building process, he found a big inch wedge from a local drag racer that he said would "wup a Hemi" which I have no doubt of but he was going to mostly show it and I told him if you go to a car show and there's 10 E bodies there and 9 have wedges, the other with a Hemi, which one do you think everybody is going to be gathered around?
He hung his head and said you're right, sold the race wedge and bought a Cummins crate 472, although everything is fine today, I could write a book on what he went through to get THAT POS right!
Edit: add picture, P.S. I like what he called it "one of none"

 

[gtx6970]

I built this one for a good friend back in Ky.
real AAR that the original drivetrain was LONG gone.

Car is running a 470 plus cu in Tim Banning built hemi with aftermkt air. Car has frame connectors , color changed from the original FC7 to limelight.
And he will be the 1st to tell you he has ZERO regrets building what HE wanted no matter what it was from the get go. He has owned the car since the very early 80s so its going NO WHERE as long as he is breathing air

 

[68BabyBlue]

based on these comments. I would really do some soul searching to make sure giving these 2 up to replace with one is the right thing you want to do.

As for whether or not its faster . To me is irrelevant . I dont care . I didnt buy mine for a race car...... and to be honest. I dont even beat on it hard and odds are will never take it down the track , even though one is less than 5 miles away from my house .

When I made the decision to buy a car . I have only room for and can only afford the one car . I made sure the one I bought popped ALL my buttons.
And I assure you it does in a very big way

You have nailed what I'm mulling over. I had a buddy, recently passed, who owned a twin to my '68 GTX, bought it back in '69, kept it till the end, went to his son. He worked in the same job for 45 years, good life, but no changes over 5 decades. Me, I've had a tortured path, truck driver, corporate lawyer, back to truck driver, up and down, but always moving forward, while the GTXs came and went. Putting on my lawyer hat, my wife would be better off dealing with one car if I predecease her. She would prefer I ditch the current two for one hemi car. I haven't cared about maximum performance in over 30 years, I haven't beat on my '68 since 1986.

 

[Richard Cranium]

No, not at all.

The only thing that I will add to this is at today's prices, a Hemi car is not worth the extra dough. But, if you found the deal of the century, then by all means pursue it.

 

[erickson]

I’ve had a lot motors six different hemis My 65 Dodge has a .060 Over Hemi with a single four barrel Would kick *** over the two 440+6 motors I built I’ve also had Hemis that where built By someone that didn’t know what they doing that a good running 383 could Beat them. A Hemi needs 10.5 compression and Good cam to really run. If someone is looking for a Hemi car I know of a gold 66 Hemi 4 speed satellites with less than 2000 miles on it for $65,000. 1 repaint. Not Perfect but very nice

 

[tonysrt]

I have a 71 Cuda and had 2 different 440's in it. When the crate Hemi's came out back around 2000, I decided I had to have one. No car dealers had one or could get 1. Monicatti in Michigan had the 472 in stock, although 500 miles away, I was lucky to have my son in law let me borrow his Dodge pick up to pick up the motor. I drove straight thru to Mi. loaded the crate in the bed and drove straight home staying up for 24 hours. I felt like a kid with the best Christmas present ever. I probably have over 30,000 miles on it and it still runs great. Although the plugs are a snap the valve covers are story in them self to remove. If you go Hemi make sure you get the milodon tubes in the head to prevent oil going into the cylinders when you change the plugs. If not a lot of blue on start up. Does that thing really have a Hemi in it?

 

[F4R/T]

Well I look at them this way ... Big high flow heads, heavy breathers, good compression, dual carbs, dual point distributor, with a proper tune by a pro, as Hoover said they are underrated. NASCAR banned them... enough said! Just like the wing cars.. they will kick your tail.. I still love my wedges and other engines.. imo Mopar never built bad engines...

 

[Joe66satellite]

Great thread

 

[1 Wild R/T]

I've worked on allot of Mopars through the years.... Guys often stop by to BS while I'm working & often my GF pops in & makes a few comments... About ten years ago there was a Hemi RR in the shop... And about 5-6 guys all around the engine compartment BSing, Coral just starts busting up.... What's so funny? Well her comment we look like an episode of King of the Hill, we're all saying stuff normal folks wouldn't comprehend, we are have a beverage in one hand & the other half tucked into a pocket.... So now Hemi = King of the Hill

 

[Cojohnso1]

The hemi really begins to shine when attempting to up its performance. The valve and head design just flat out allows for more CFM thru the heads than a Wedge motor. The down side of hemi? They are thinner webbed and certainly thinner in mid block. Thus are not as durable as a 440. I've heard and seen big old C-bodies with 440 and HEAVY rod knocking still running. Hemi pukes if you look at it wrong? It all starts in the 413 days. Early 60s when 413 went up against Pontiacs 389/421. Fords 406 and Chevy's 409. All very well performance. But toughest? Not even close. 413 was alot tougher. And more durable.

 

[70chall440]

I personally don't think it is a matter of what's better but I guess that depends on the 2nd part of the question which is "which is better for ????. If its stock performance, then I think it can be argued both ways, however if it is overall performance then I believe the Hemi has proven itself capable of making far more power with less work. However, if the question is more random such as which is better to own, the answer then becomes more murky as it is a matter of personal taste. Lastly if its a question of value, well thats a pretty straightforward answer in that a Hemi car will almost always bring more money than a wedge car of the same model and vintage.

I don't think there is a true Mopar guy out there that would not not want to have a Hemi, its the epitome of the brand, a thing of legend and thus the quintessential Mopar thing. I have one for the same reason I have a Viper, because it is or was the "king" at one point. Basically for me it came down to this; I am and always have been a Mopar guy, not to ever own "the legend" would have been a void for me.

Now, the last thing I will say on this is that speaking for myself only, if I had a wedge car that I had grown up with, loved and cherished where basically when I look at it I am seeing an old friend, I would find it very difficult to exchange it just to have a Hemi anything.

 

[Photon440]

Early 60s when 413 went up against Pontiacs 389/421. Fords 406 and Chevy's 409. All very well performance. But toughest? Not even close. 413 was alot tougher. And more durable.

They may have been durable, but the Pontiacs were winning. Pontiac took 30 out of 52 Nascar races in 1961, and 22 more in 1962. Ford woke up and said they were ignoring the racing ban in 1963 and started winning, evolving their 406 to a 427 and getting 26 wins which was when Chrysler decided it was time to get serious and build the 426 hemi. Even then, Dodge and Plymouth took just 26 wins compared to Fords 30 for 1964.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Which engine got banned cause Ferd and GM complained about getting bitch slapped?





426 Hemi