thanks for those numbers wayfarer !

X2

By mutual agreement my block has been pretty much sitting in queue at the machine shop while my hand heals. In the mean time I've been collecting parts and making a few measurements.

Dave currently has 2 other 331 HEMIs under construction at his shop so I've been able to get some measurements off those for reference when I make a decision of what pistons I'll be using in my engine.

One engine is a customer's 331 that is using Hot Heads stock replacement (.030) pistons. This is just pretty much a stock rebuild so it's not going thru the steps to figure what the actual compression ratio, but I did get piston pin height on the pistons before they were installed and deck height numbers off it for comparison.

Y SR by M Patterson, on Flickr


We haven't sonic checked my block yet so it's still up in the air as to what pistons I'll be using. I got a couldn't pass up deal on a set of NOS standard bore 354 Pistons that may go in it. These are about .060 taller than the stock replacement pistons HH sells but have a lot more valve relief.


Y NOS by M Patterson, on Flickr


Just fort grins this is the 331 Dave is building for himself using Ross pistons. With the aluminum heads that will go on it will be right at 10:1 compression.


Y 10 1 by M Patterson, on Flickr


I've also been collecting more parts for my build. My Hot Heads order came in.....mostly the parts I know I'll need regardless of the heads and cam I'll be using. I'm using the Hot Heads thin timing cover and lower pulleys which are the same as what I currently have on the 354 in my 57 Plymouth. The water pump pulley is actually an aftermarket 2 groove pulley for a small block Chevy with short water pump. It lines up perfectly with the HH lower pulleys and is about 1/3 the cost of HH billet one.

I also stumbled across a OLD Fel Pro head gasket set the 331/354 Poly. It had been mis-advertised as being for an early Hemi and had no takers so the price was right. It's got the steel shim head gaskets (worth about a 1/4 point compression over the composite gaskets).

I was also pleasantly surprised to find out HH sells the solid copper exhaust flange gaskets. The set I bought from a different vendor for the Hemi in the 37 turned out to be composite with thin sheets of copper on either side.


Y inv by M Patterson, on Flickr


When I built the 331 and 354 HEMIs back in 2006 I didn't add the lower spark plug tube seals HH sells. I've pulled the plugs on both engines a couple of time. When I restart the 354 afterwards it gives off a little puff of smoke when it's started again and then it's fine. When I pull the plugs on the 331 and restart it smokes like a train until the oil that falls in the cylinder is burned off. As the HEMI heads that will eventually go on this engine are the same triple nickel heads that the other 331 uses I'll be using HH lower tube seals on this one.

I like the looks of the 426 spark plug boots on the early HEMIs. When I built my other HEMIs they sold custom spark plug tubes that were flanged at the top for stock 426 boots. Those tubes are apparently no longer available but HH sells a push in 426 "style" boot for use with the stock spark plug tubes. Their site didn't have a real good picture of what the boots looked like so here's a better picture. I can live with them especially as I have a bunch of good stock plug tubes I can use (which saves about $150 by not having to buy the custom tubes if they were even available).

Y PT by M Patterson, on Flickr


So that's about were I'm currently at.