Did you know they put HEMI's in boats ?

[skip68]

I just found out tonight that they put hemi engines in Chris Crafts and some others from the factory.   I guess I should be looking at old boats for a HEMI.!! 

[Ghoste]

Haven't you heard the story about the US navy using them in those personnel transports they use in the harbor?  Common legend holds it that they had a warehouse full of spare 426 marine Hemi's in crates that were scrapped as obsolete surplus.
The marine engines are usually reverse rotation so if you find one, there are some minor things to fix before sliding it between the fenders on your Charger.

[4402tuff4u]

Yes. I learned that about three months ago when I dropped my engine to the machinist. I asked the machinist that had pictures of some racing cars in the wall if he ever rebuilt any Hemi's. He said he did a pair of them for an old wooden Chris Craft cruiser. He said that they are good engines that put out allot of low end torque, however they are sensitive to tune up.

[skip68]

I've got a buddy that has a marine salvage yard that I'll be talking to this morning.  I'll ask him if he has any or knows where to get them.  I know it's going to be a waste of time but, you never know............

[DFS68_Charger]

A good friend of mine has a 1955 Chris Craft Continental. It has a small block Chrysler Marine Hemi with two 1V carbs.

DFS

[skip68]

I'll bet there's lots of them out there just waiting to be picked up.

[KMPX2]

They also used them to power some of the old air-raid warning towers. Some can be found running water pumps in farmers fields too. Heck the old packard plant in Michigan has a walk in freezer build by Chryslers Air Temp Divison

[hemihead]

I thought this was common knowledge.

[RD]

how about the introduction of the Golden Lion series of hemi's in the marine division prior to the auto debut of the hemi in the 60's?

[71_deputy]

here is one from Moparfest two years ago?

[Brock Samson]

HEMIs were also used in the Delta boats that were used on the Mekong delta and also powered the old foam sprayers used at airports...
BTW: that story about  25 surplus HEMIs at Mare Island Navel Shipyard is an urban legend...

[Ghoste]

Thanks Strat.  I wondered if it were true or not.  I remember hearing the tale years ago but also thought I could recall it being debunked.

[4402tuff4u]

Read the attached link:
http://thehemi.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1209&sid=4098de625987745bb2707a4da6fa45a7

[68ChargerJMP]

Anyone ever heard of the A-1 Hemi? Supposedly a monster of an engine. It was a project that ended as soon as it started. It was Chryslers answer to the 427 Ford in Nascar, but when the 427 was banned, the A-1 was dropped.

[Brock Samson]

 a few years ago i happened to take a phone call from the Commander of the alameda navel shipyard, and asked him about the rumor, he said they got lots of inquiries from Moparians looking for these legendary surplus hemis, he said they had a few on base but they were the early '50s vintage, i dont recall what if anything he said they were used for...
great story though..

[Bandit72]

i've seen them in boats though not as many as irrigation systems...the joys of living in kansas....i only remember seeing one actually being used and it was cool because it would run for days on end without being shut off in the middle of the summer...i remember being 5 and you could hear it running about 1 mile away from my grandpas house (the thing had about 2 feet of exhaust pipe on each manfold...my grandpa said once upon a time it had tractor mufflers on it but they rusted off years before.) he took me by it at night once after it had been running for 3 or 4 days, and you could see the manifolds glowing damn near cherry red..it was the coolest site i'd ever seen (i was 5 give me credit)...i have no idea where most of these engines went but they are definitally gone...oh well

[Ghoste]

I grew up on an apple orchard and it used to be the same around here.  At one time, it seemed like every neighbors pond had a derelict old style Hemi sitting by it.  By the time I was old enough to notice, they had all switched over to wedge V-8's.  But it's funny you mention that, because I remember growing up and listening to those things running all night in the summer.

[69_500]

There is a gentleman down the road from me that had a Marine 426 HEMI given to him last summer. A guy had it in a car, found out it was a Marine motor and just gave it to the guy down the road. It runs great, nothing wrong with it. Not all of the marine motors had reverse cranks in them, so some of them don't need much to be just like a street HEMI.