Hemis now and then

[Nacho-RT74]

It is just me or does look there is more Hemis cars running out now from dealer ( on new cars ) than then. Of course I can't tell from experience because I didn't live those years and I'm outside USA, but telling by sales numbers from those years and what I can see now on streets and what you talk it does seem to me.

[Brock Samson]

        yes

[andy74]

yes nacho, there are a lot more of the new hemis in street cars then the real hemis from back in the day,one big reason is ease of service,not a big selling point in the 60s and 70s,and the other is it is available in so damn many rides,trucks,suvs and cars

[694spdRT]

Also the new 5.7 Hemi is a much more practical and affordable option than the early Hemi's. They were more of a pure performance engine back then. I would say the old 426 Hemi and the 6.1 Hemi are "close" in purpose but there are more people now and many more families own multiple cars these days.   

[Brock Samson]

the new "hemi" pretty much fullfills the same role the old 440 and even the 383s did back in the mid '60 to mid '70s...

here's  great link to the new all-wheel drive Chrysler 300 C from www.allpar.com, looks like it's gone to finishing school...

                                http://www.allpar.com/cars/lx/300C-review.html

couldn't get fourwheel drive or cylinder deactivation back in the old days,... let alone blue tooth and two video screens,.. note the MPG figures too... but it's also pretty pricey at $ 40K plus... 

somewhere,..  the sales numbers of the hemi equiped cars must be listed,...

[Nacho-RT74]

So we can say again Mopar strikes backs on affordable performance to ppl, like on those years too, what it was one of the success back in the day. NOT BIG MONEY to get a real performance car, like maybe other brands HiPo cars. And now ON ANY STREET CAR AVAILABLE, as you stated andy ( I already had thought on that )

I know there is a diff between the BIG performance concept on those years and now, but if you look at 6.1 and 426, you got same performance with less cubic inchess... Of course, advantages on technology.

Still, shame the looks on some models

[Nacho-RT74]

other thing to think about.... I THINK gas/oil prices crissis and emissions stuff is more critical now than back in the days, and we are having still more perfromance stuff, so in diff with 70s which that made dissapears performance COMPLETELLY...

maybe because efficience on engines ?

[Joshua]

Old Hemis were built with PERFORMANCE in mind and winning races......the new engines are built with economy, emissions, and servicability (along with 'some' performance) in mind and using, in part, the old Hemi performance image to help sell 'em......

Top fuel hemi's are just derivitives of old 426's, that speaks volumes.....

I'd take an ol' 392 over any new Hemi any day of the week.....

[Aero426]

So we can say again Mopar strikes backs on affordable performance to ppl, like on those years too, what it was one of the success back in the day. NOT BIG MONEY to get a real performance car, like maybe other brands HiPo cars. And now ON ANY STREET CAR AVAILABLE, as you stated andy ( I already had thought on that )

At a cost of close to $700 in 1970, the Hemi option was not exactly what you'd call "affordable" to most buyers.     The 426 Hemi was a race based engine not intended for the average buyer.    The new Hemi is performance for the masses, but marketing is really the only connection to the old engine. 

[Nacho-RT74]

So we can say again Mopar strikes backs on affordable performance to ppl, like on those years too, what it was one of the success back in the day. NOT BIG MONEY to get a real performance car, like maybe other brands HiPo cars. And now ON ANY STREET CAR AVAILABLE, as you stated andy ( I already had thought on that )

At a cost of close to $700 in 1970, the Hemi option was not exactly what you'd call "affordable" to most buyers.     The 426 Hemi was a race based engine not intended for the average buyer.    The new Hemi is performance for the masses, but marketing is really the only connection to the old engine. 

well yes, but maybe compairing with rest of brands

[hemihead]

So we can say again Mopar strikes backs on affordable performance to ppl, like on those years too, what it was one of the success back in the day. NOT BIG MONEY to get a real performance car, like maybe other brands HiPo cars. And now ON ANY STREET CAR AVAILABLE, as you stated andy ( I already had thought on that )

At a cost of close to $700 in 1970, the Hemi option was not exactly what you'd call "affordable" to most buyers.     The 426 Hemi was a race based engine not intended for the average buyer.    The new Hemi is performance for the masses, but marketing is really the only connection to the old engine. 

The 426 Hemi was a NASCAR engine and detuned for the street. The price tag, driveability , warranty , and maintence made customers buy something else . The " New Hemi " is not the same animal . It's not even a true Hemi . The only thing they have i common is a name which is used more PR and marketing to suck some more cash out of some clueless people .

[pettyfan43]

One other little thing about the new Hemi. I LOVE MINE!!! You wanna pass somebody. There ain't a lot of trouble to do so.

For a full sized 4 door truck, the mileage is about average, they ALL suck gas. It'll pull anything you can tie it to as well.

I may be "Clueless" (Gee thanks for insulting me, I DID research full sized trucks BEFORE I settled on the one I have) but I NEED a full sized truck and this one fills the bill nicely.

And it's a HELLUVA lot of fun to drive too!

[BB1]

A-hem... 

[bull]

Yea, pretty much everything with four wheels Chrysler pumps out is either a Hemi, an R/T or both. It doesn't mean much anymore.

[Aero426]

Yea, pretty much everything with four wheels Chrysler pumps out is either a Hemi, an R/T or both. It doesn't mean much anymore.

Yes. 

When you owned a Hemi in your new 1968 Charger,  your car was viewed as something very special, just like it is today.   The  new Hemi has its place, but it's really just a corporate workhorse.  No more, no less.   

[Nacho-RT74]

Yea, pretty much everything with four wheels Chrysler pumps out is either a Hemi, an R/T or both. It doesn't mean much anymore.

well is true being massive is not anymore the same now.

The " New Hemi " is not the same animal . It's not even a true Hemi . The only thing they have i common is a name which is used more PR and marketing to suck some more cash out of some clueless people .

Got HEMIspherical combustion chambers and spark plug on top, righ ? then IS AN HEMI.... and more monster than earliers because with less cubic inchs gets about same power.

if 426 is the only Hemi, 392 and earliers are not Hemi either

[69_500]

I think that the new 6.1 L HEMI's probably fall in the same category as the old 426. Granted a ton of new cars have the 5.7 L HEMI in them now. But I don't see that many SRT-8 cars running around anywhere. I see them every great once in a while, but not that often.

[bull]

What's the diff between a Hemi and the so-called semi-Hemi?

And do we really need R/T badging on Jeeps, pickups and little four-banger Neons?

[hemihead]

 I can't believe how thin skinnned people are . Geezz , take everything that is said literally why don't we .

Yea, pretty much everything with four wheels Chrysler pumps out is either a Hemi, an R/T or both. It doesn't mean much anymore.

well is true being massive is not anymore the same now.

The " New Hemi " is not the same animal . It's not even a true Hemi . The only thing they have i common is a name which is used more PR and marketing to suck some more cash out of some clueless people .

Got HEMIspherical combustion chambers and spark plug on top, righ ? then IS AN HEMI.... and more monster than earliers because with less cubic inchs gets about same power.

if 426 is the only Hemi, 392 and earliers are not Hemi either

Whatever you say. Again , you are the expert .

[Nacho-RT74]

welll, we can say is better or not, likes more or less, but the fact is those are Hemis, because is HEMISPHERICAL heads design and that the reason why name cames out.

I mean, we can't say 426 is the only TRUE Hemi... diff stuff is that is or not the "best made" or more famous, or whatever, literally or not.

[69bronzeT5]

the new "hemi" pretty much fullfills the same role the old 440 and even the 383s did back in the mid '60 to mid '70s...

EXACTLY! Its not even funny anymore...there sticking Hemis in everything! Somebody with a Hemi '69 goes to get a plate saying "HEMI" and is told its taken by some guy with a Hemi Durango....its unbelievable.

[Chris G.]

Still, shame the looks on some models

Another misguided member who forgot about Chrysler in the 80's. I would take any 06-08 Dodge product over anything done in the 80's. 

[69bronzeT5]

A HEMI 2.6........

[Nacho-RT74]

Still, shame the looks on some models

Another misguided member who forgot about Chrysler in the 80's. I would take any 06-08 Dodge product over anything done in the 80's. 

I didn't forget, simply I don't know about those exist

and isn't there some 6 cilinders Hemis made n Aussie ?

[Ghoste]

Actually the 426 is less of a "true" hemi combustion chamber than the first generation ones.  The chamber is slighty flatter and the valves are at an angle which is less ideal than the first ones too.  Also, the pistons in the 1st ones tend to be shaped better to the dome.   
The current Hemis are probably a logical evolution and deserving of the name "Hemi".  Aren't the chambers in the modern ones closer to the old Ford Boss 429 or MarkIV Chevy's?  In any case, they found a way to reap some of the hemi chamber advantages as to volumetric efficiency and gas flow while also using some of the quench technology seen in a wedge.