Few engine families have been...
Few engine families have been the subject of as much modification as that seen by the early Chrysler Hemi. This ’56 factory casting is filled with the right stuff to make it competitive some 55 years later, including a Bryant billet crank, Pauter rods, and Hot Heads steel main caps secured by ARP bolts to hold it together.
Readers who follow our annual engine building competition, the AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge, are likely familiar with the efforts of the late Dan Miller and his incredible early Hemi. Dan was a regular at the event, and his innovative modifications always placed his engines in the thick of competition. Dan did not work in seclusion, favoring instead to involve numerous talented and enthusiastic individuals from across the nation, using their input and expertise to help hone his engine building craft. Dan was well on his way to building a new early Chrysler Hemi for the 2011 EMC competition when the unthinkable occurred. Dan Miller died from a sudden heart attack on the May 9, 2011.
News of Dan’s death represented a personal shock to friends, family, and Engine Masters teammates alike. As team member John Beck of Pro Machine (where Dan did all his dyno testing) remembers: “Dan was the driving force behind the whole deal. He got it going and did most of the engineering. He was 90 percent of the effort. I saw him at my shop no less than an hour before he passed; then I heard he had the heart attack.” Dan had already put a tremendous amount of time and effort in the engine, and it seemed as though the project had come to an end, however, as the team members contemplated the events and conferred, it was decided that the engine should be completed as a tribute to their departed friend. Dan’s widow, Elaine Miller, agreed, and the result is the engine featured here.
A replacement Melling oil...
A replacement Melling oil pump circulates the AMSOIL 10-30 synthetic lubricant. The pump is modified with a custom pickup arrangement, and is mounted to an aluminum spacer to drop it into the deep oil pan.
The Build
Naturally, without Dan, the central figure of the project was gone, leaving a scattered group of individual team members across seven states. Each had played a role in Dan’s overall vision, but only in their own isolated specialty. Bob Holmes of Wilton, California, took the reins, taking it upon himself to become the project coordinator to see the engine through to completion. Bob would be the glue that would bind the team together, setting deadlines, assigning work goals, and working out the scheduling and logistics of the build.
Nick Smithberg of Smithberg Racing of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, would take on the responsibility of modeling the airflow and building the unique upper intake and ram tubes. Scott Clark of Omaha, would build the ECU and take the point position in the areas of engine management system development and tuning, with Scott Courtney providing additional expertise in the area of electronics. Beck of Pro Machine in Chico, California, would handle the block machining, final engine assembly, and dyno tuning. Bob Walker and Hot Heads Research of Lowgap, North Carolina, was on board to fund the project and provide the necessary specialty early Hemi components. Gene Adams and Ron Pratt of Northern California would provide their expertise in component selection and consultation.
Although Dan had competed with an early Hemi in previous Engine Masters Challenge competitions, when the group decided to take on the task of completing Dan’s project, there was plenty of work to do. Holmes tells us, “It was a pile of parts and a collection of ideas. Job one was to organize the effort, delegating responsibly and rounding up parts in progress all over the country.” Ground zero of the project was Beck’s shop. Beck set about the task of building the short-block using primarily components that had already been earmarked for the project.
A custom full-length Stef’s...
A custom full-length Stef’s aluminum oil pan keeps windage losses to a minimum, aided by a custom-fitted crank scraper and screen-style windage shield.
High-dome Ross custom forged...
High-dome Ross custom forged pistons fill the 4.015-inch bores, providing a compression ratio of just over 15:1. The bulletproof Pauter 7.00-inch rods feature their unique single-rib design, and are forged of premium E-4340 steel. The Total Seal ring pack used .043-inch compression rings aided by vertical gas ports.
This view of the piston protrusion...
This view of the piston protrusion from the deck illustrates the dome required to swallow the cavernous volume of the hemispherical heads. John Beck of Pro Machine fine-tuned the valve pocket for clearance.
The Engle-sourced solid-roller...
The Engle-sourced solid-roller lifters operate off a billet-roller Engle cam measuring 280 degrees duration at .050 inch. Extreme valve lift was the goal, with .950-inch intake lift achieved.
The very high valve lift was...
The very high valve lift was aided by the 1.9:1 ratio intake rockers from Rocker Arm Specialists. Smith Brothers pushrods help handle the load.
Nothing is more responsible...
Nothing is more responsible for the longevity of these old Chryslers than the famous Hemi head design. The inherent performance potential lives on through improved aluminum castings from Hot Heads Research. These castings were filled with Ferrea 2.20/1.75-inch valves.