Chrysler 426 Street Hemi Engine Restoration | 1964-1971 Dodge and Plymouth HEMI Engines For Sale

426 Street Hemi Engine

My quest for the Hemi was on since 1972. It took until 1983 for enough funds to fuel my first Hemi engine project. I bought it for $3000.00 from racing and Hemi great JOE GERDLEMAN and took it home until I decided what to do with it. I knew what to do with it! Ring it like a bell and let it be known. To get it ready for bracket racing I needed to raise the stock compression (10.25 to 1) to 12.5 to 1. Stronger valves, springs and retainers. The stock camshaft had to be replaced to a roller style with roller lifters. Special pushrods to handle all the new stresses. Of course high dollar ignition and fuel system. I remember how I felt, when my first Hemi that I built, came to life. It was loud! I had to keep it running for a little while so things could break-in. This engine was started at 11 o'clock at night. Nothing but blue flames came out the exhaust. The next day I called Joe Gerdelmann who I bought it from. He kept saying "why are you screaming in the phone"? I said "I can't hear". He laughed and laughed because he realized why I was yelling. He then said " what did you think you were buying a Briggs and Stratton engine"? This engine went on to be a successful bracket racing engine. During that time I met Roland Leong that owned and tuned the Hawaiian Punch funny car. Johnny West drove it. Bruce Larson owned and drove the U.S. Mail funny car. These guys were running at my local track at "Atco Dragway". They were all top fuel funny car drivers and tuned their own engines. They were very helpful, trying to keep me ahead of the field. Again I was the only guy running a Hemi back then. When I look back now I realize how busy things were in the pits for them but they stopped and would talk to me seeming like forever. Hemi engines are very known for when things go wrong, they go wrong in a big way. Thanks to them I was very lucky, I kept mine together. Years later, at different tracks, I met up with them and thanked them for all of their good ideas. I had a lot of fun with that first 426. I build Hemi engines.

My second 426 hemi came when I arrived in Florida in 1985. It was even bolder than my first effort. By now I had new found knowledge from the late Keith Black that I visited when I was in South Gate, California. Keith Black was the person responsible that copied the 426 cast iron block and made his own castings from aluminum. From the minute I saw and met Keith Black, I wanted to get my point across. After I got the grand tour of his shop we walked back to the parts counter and I said" Keith I believe that I can make more horsepower in the block by making a stronger foundation from which horsepower will evolve" He looked right at me and with a smile and said "Eddie you are one of the first guys that has come in here from the East Coast and agreed with what I believe is most important". He went on to say that, All East Coasters believe that horsepower is made in the heads. Agreed that power is made there only after a strong Block is established. I worshipped that visit with him and will always remember his calm way of getting you to listen to what he had to say! So my sights are on getting home and I vowed "I was going to build a better mouse trap" . I brought even newer Techniques to the table that Keith Black said" now I haven't even thought about doing that" I used some old school basics, along with new innovated ideas and made a Hemi that nearly equaled 2 horsepower per cubic inch. Simply unheard of back then in 1985, from a guy from Jersey working out of his apartment! Here I'm fairly new at this and I'm able to contribute to the Industry. I build Hemi engines.

My third 426 Hemi came in 1987 when I drove up to Wernersville, PA. and purchased a engine from Ray Barton. When I got here I found this to be a family organization. This was a residential home. They were working out of a super size garage. They had everything they needed to machine Hemi engines. I recognized when Ray started giving me the tour that most of their emphasis were on the heads. "BING" I remembered where I heard that from. Ray Barton's shop was a place that Tom Hoover frequently visited. This was my day that he just happened to visit. Tom Hoover if you don't know is the Industry's quoted "Father of the Hemi". It was Tom Hoover that brought that particular engine back into the scene. By 1958 the earlier Hemi Engines were phased out due to high production costs. Tom Hoover and a few others was directly responsible for the late model Hemi Engines success in development. It was Tom Hoovers suggestion to slant the Valve train so the combustion chamber could facilitate the large valves and add a fifth bolt to the combustion chamber, by locating it under the intake port. It would prove to be another engineering mile mark. That success would ultimately create the greatest engine in drag racing history. Here were two greats in front of me admiring each other achievements. These two are among the best in the Industry. Tom kept telling me that, Ray is the only guy building Hemi engines today, that can keep squeezing out more horsepower, with his own research and development. They build hemi engines too!

My forth 426 Hemi was in the year 1988. I purchased it from a local great Hemi engine builder in Ocala, Florida. Marvin Hughes has been building Hemi engines since the 1950's. I really think he has more knowledge of building street Hemi engines than anyone I have ever met. He has helped more people in his lifetime with Hemi engine problems than probably anyone else. He has built more of the Dodge, Chrysler and DeSoto engines than you can imagine. You can call on him at any time and he can tell you what, where and how in a split second. He has done it all, thousands of times. I think a lot of him. I call him friend. He also builds Hemi engines.

My fifth through the current Hemi engines projects have all Mopar Performance new blocks. Since the year 2000 I have continued to build over 105, 426 Hemis including all components from Stage V, Dick Landy, Norris, Keith Black, Indy, Mopar Performance, Crane, Manley, Comp., Engle, Bullet, Eagle, K-1, Mallory, Taylor, Edelbrock, Clevite, SealedPower, JE and Smith Brothers. They have been sold all over the country, including Canada and Europe.

For more photos, go to home page and click on Hemiphotos.