The engine is going together. The rotating assembly got back from the balancer. The first order of business was getting the crankshaft in the block.


crank 354 by M Patterson, on Flickr


For the last few decades I’ve used Plastigauge for a quick check on the Mains and Rods when I assemble an engine. Normally everything’s fine. I’ve had a couple over the years where it did catch some problems……making me a believer that it’s important to do on every engine I build.

When I was checking the mains the clearance was coming out a little loose (as in about a thousands bigger than it should be).

So I pulled the crank and torqued the caps and bearings back in place. I pulled out the gauges and everything was right on the money (I did the rods the same way). Don’t know if I just got a bad stick of plastigauge or what. I don’t think it goes bad with age, even if it does, I just picked this batch up a couple weeks ago and it was about 65 degrees in the shop when I was doing the checking. When I posted this on another site I found out I’m not the only one who has run into this recently.

With the crank, rods and piston in, I installed the Hot Heads SB MOPAR oil pump, adapter and pickup. The instructions say a bit of fitting might be needed to get the neck on the drive to fully seat in the main cap (and on mine there was).


354 OP by M Patterson, on Flickr


There are 2 basic styles of passenger car oil pans for the 331/354/392 Hemi’s and Polys; the rear sump pans (foreground) used from 1951thru 1956 and the center sump used in 1957-8. For now I’m setting this engine up with a rear sump pan (and this became a bit of an issue a little later).


2 oil pans by M Patterson, on Flickr


I normally like to run a windage tray. Back when I built the 331 (in my 37 Dodge truck) and the 354 (in my 57 Plymouth) there were a couple of options available.

If you can find one, the factory actually used a windage tray the first couple of years of the 331 HEMI with the rear sump pan. The tray was bolted to the pan rail area on 4 legs. I used this setup with on the 331 I built with the rear sump pan.


3 0il pickup 331 Cap by M Patterson, on Flickr


When I built the 354 for the Plymouth they (can’t remember if it was Hot heads or PAW) offered a modified SB MOPAR windage tray for the early HEMIs’.



4 SB windage tray by M Patterson, on Flickr


Basically they relocated the tabs that bolt to the main cap bolts to move the windage tray up a bit for counter weight clearance. This setup worked great with the center sump oil pan on the 57 Plymouth.



5 Oil pickup 354 cap by M Patterson, on Flickr




I had a SM MOPAR windage tray and bolts set aside and figured modifying it should be fairly easy. This is when I discovered that the front section of the rear sump oil pan is a little shallower than the center sump pan. Basically I couldn’t get the windage tray high enough to clear the counter weights on the front throws without interfering with the oil pan.


340 WT by M Patterson, on Flickr


I looked up the windage tray Hot Heads sells to see how theirs looked. Basically their windage tray is shorter and stops just shy of the #2 main cap. The windage tray main cap bolts are now bolted on the #3 and #4 main caps.


It was a pretty simple mod so what the heck. Now do I NEED windage tray on a street motor that may at the most might see a drag strip once or twice…..NO. If I didn’t have the windage tray would I spend the money to buy one for this motor…..NO. Would it really bother me not to have a windage tray in this motor…..NO. Basically I had the windage tray laying around so all I had tied up in it was some time.


Mod Tray by M Patterson, on Flickr



So at the end of the day I now have a 354 short block.


354 SB by M Patterson, on Flickr



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