Amazing 426 HEMI Engine Build

By Dave Ashton

The Hemi line of muscle car engines has been in the public consciousness for many decades. Synonymous with power and performance, it’s no wonder this large displacement engine has found a use from street to top drag racers. The origins of the hemispherical cylinder head go back to World War II, but it was in 1964 that Chrysler decided that the 426ci. (7.0 L) engine needed proper performance applications.

Nicknamed the ‘elephant engine’, the original was aimed at NASCAR racing, being dropped into the Dodge Dart and Plymouth Fury in 1965 and a street version going into things like the Dodge Coronet from 1966 onwards. These are often referred to as the 2G or Gen 2 Hemis. A modern, limited edition version of the elephant engine was also recently produced by Mopar.

So, what goes into one of these huge brutes of an engine, going from the basic engine block to the final build? This video from Nick’s garage covers the rebuild of one of these huge engines and testing. As for power levels, the engine produces 500HP and the dyno test produced torque ranges from 490.4lb. ft. to 493.1lb. ft. at 4500-4600rpm.

If you’re at all fascinated with how one of these engines ticks, than the video below is definitely worth checking out.

 

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