Rebuilding an OLD engine,1954 red ram 270 V8

I go this ol 54 wide block V8 tore down this weekend, Its in amazing shape except for the cam. I can no fond a cam anywhere to save my AZZ. I googled 270 red ram Camshaft, Ive tried looking up old 54 DODGE specs, I cant find anything. The cam is too far gone to be saved by a re grind, and it the only thing holding me up for my customer.

Im usually pretty good with the ol google machine, but this ones got me stumped.

ANY HELP is appreciated

http://detroitdemigod.deviantart.com/art/Dodge-Red-Ram-Engine-169723571

This is the engine

HOLY CRAPOLA

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dodge-270-Poly-Deluxe-engine-kit-1955-56-Plymouth-pistons-rings-gaskets-chain-/170896459759?hash=item27ca3907ef:g:YrMAAOxyFPNSKJ6Q&vxp=mtr

I do believe this it it!

Hot heads maybe?

no cam in this kit.

I called this number and there are NO CAMS AVAILABLE FOR THIS ENGINE!!!

Inly a rebuilt cam and a core required before I can buy a rebuilt cam.

If it's a Poly, wouldn't Gary Palpovich be able to help you? I was told he is the guy for poly parts.

Do you have his Info?

And thank you

Spaceman, I don't know if the cam from a Poly to a HEMI are the same this is a Poly head 270

I found this on the web, I believe this is the email I used to contact him years ago.

glpavlovich@cox.net

There are no cams or cores available for this engine. Unless you can find a usable core, you are SOL.
I believe the cores (i.e., they will physically interchange) for all the Dodge hemis and polys should be the same, though. But the valve timing is very different due to different angles of the lifters in the block.
Whether there is enough meat there to regrind a hemi into a poly (or vise versa), I don't know.
I have a reground cam for what I BELIEVE is a Dodge hemi, but might be a poly. Bought on ebay a long time ago. That's why I can't be 100% sure what it really is. Definitely for the Dodge block, though.
Since it's been reground once already, I cannot be sure if there is enough left to do another regrind or not.

OK thanks guys Ill keep checking, This truck was bought new by my customers grandpa, and its his dads now. He wants it done for Fathers day, but I doubt that will happen now...


Kasey

If you get hard up, shoot me a PM. I can pull the cam out of my old poly and send it to you if need be. I'm sure theres some other folks on here with polys in the backyard that you can get a cam from also.

egge.com

King Tuna!

Thank you!

Racer Brown Camshafts on the east coast can regrind the cam. He has Masters for the old engines. Back in October he regrind a 325 Cid. 2-4bbl hemi cam for my customer. Good Luck

Well I spoke with my Customer, I know of a truck, a 79 2x4 dodge with a 360. He is buying that, and Ill build brackets, and stick that in it for him. Will be happier with that anyway.

Man, I love those tiny Dodge Hemis! They're just the right size to slip between the rails of a '30s car. If I was a little closer I'd make him an offer on the engine. It'd move a 2000lb hot rod around "might smart".
Whatever you do, don't scrap it or set it out in the weather.

This guy does camshafts for old engines:
(If he's still alive and grinding)

Chris Neilson Cams (801) 451- 7745 Box 416 Farmington, UT 84025
New reproduction cams for early Mopar Hemi / Poly, & other
engine parts, bearings, pistons, etc.

Gary Pavlovich is interested in the Plymouth Poly, mostly.

Chrysler, Desoto and Dodge each had their own design Hemi. Each family had a different bore spacing. The Plymouth Poly doesn't share bore spacing with any of them. So four different engine designs, no interchange of most any part.
IIRC polys and Hemis from the same engine family shared intake manifolds.
R.

I wouldn't use "wide block" to describe the engine, that's generally reserved for the Plymouth poly (pre "LA" wedge) "A" engine.
The engine is quite wide across the exhausts and very heavy, only the bore pitch is small and unique at 4-3/16".
The 270 can only use low-deck Dodge 241, 259 or 270 cams due to the lifter angle difference, but hemi and poly had the same angle. All DeSoto poly engines are actually Dodge.
IIRC you also have to match the cam nose drive type, 1951-54? or 1955-58.
Visually, the Chrysler 301, 331, 354 poly looks very much like the Red Ram except for 3-bolt valve covers (and considerably larger).

All the early first generation hemis up to 1956 were plagued with soft cams.Even if you found a usable core the regrind and process of hardening would be costly and any performance from those early engine is minimal.If your going to consider any early hemi look to the 354 and 392 but remember these are enormously heavy engines.

Chrysler Power has been running a series on building the old poly head engines. Might be worth checking it out.

Racer Brown Cams only charged me $148.00 to regrind and parkerized it !!

This can is far beyond a regrind one lobe is literally a circle no sign of a point ever.....



I think we have decited on ging to a 360

Dodge, Desoto and Chrysler hemis each had their own bore spacing. I was not aware that there were no Desoto based poly motors.

Bore centers:
Dodge was 4.1875
Desoto was 4.3125
Chrysler was 4.5625
Plymouth Poly (A engine) was 4.46.

Heavy? Chryslers way over 700lb
DeSotos in the mid 600s
The Dodge 270 dry weight 600lb
Dodge GIII Hemi, 590lb

Yes, any of the engines from that time can be very expensive to build, but when have the words "budget" and "Hemi" belonged in the same sentence? If you want a Hemi you are willing to pay more.

It should be no problem to get 200 hp from a 241 and 250 from a 270. In a 2500lb car that'll do just fine. It may take a bunch of looking to find a camshaft, but that's part of the deal.

If you think that's hard, try working on a Buick Straight 8! Yet there are folks running them on the salt flats.

To the OP: You are probably right using an LA motor, quick and relatively easy. It'll probably be easier if you can find a bellhousing from a 318 powered truck up to 1968, because it should work with the crossmembers in the original frame.

My point is that there is a use for that original Hemi. Don't throw it away.

R.

Have you checked with Comp Cams? They have or had capability to grind from a solid billet. Not a budget option though.

we did 1 last year racer brown will weld up and regrind a cam for you. He was recommended by Hot heads I believe. give him a call 4108667660 I forgot the owners name. he usually answers after 3 pm. Good luck

For that matter just cut your own core and have the lobes ground on it.

Crane used to do all my tractor cams for me.

Some small Dodges did not have harmonic dampers, and the crankshaft cracked.
This applies to all 241, but after that not sure.
Don't spend any money until you know if your crank is good.