Why do people drool over an HEMI engine? (or 'abuse' the HEMI)

[CB]

Ok, call me a moron or whatever but I don't get it why people would move heaven and earth to get a Hemi in their car. 

I know it has something nostalgic.
Does a Hemi make (much?) more power?
Doesn't it need much more maintenance?
Doesn't it consume more gas?
Why not getting a beefed up/stroker 440? 

Again, sorry for this stupid question, I don't want to upset people, just trying to figure it out...
CB

[mikesbbody]

Because the hemi is at the top when it comes to mopar muscle (or all muscle car's imo) it just looks so cool when you see it sitting there under the hood...of course there's the reputation and heritage as well and the brutal power

[69bronzeT5]

The HEMI is just plain bad-ass. Enough said.

[CB]

The HEMI is just plain bad-ass. Enough said.

Well, that's exactly why I ask this question!
why is it just plain bad-ass. Enough said... and do people say such things?

Should I look more into history then?

Any 'old school racers/back in the day' input please?

CB

[bull]

Hemis don't really do much for me. I would take one but I'm not hellbent on having one.

I don't know what all the fuss is about other than it's got some legendary status that has grown beyond the reality of what it can produce. But basically it's only the 426 Hemi that's all the rage and I think it has a lot to do with its historic domination for a short time on the circle track and drag strip. There's a lot of reluctant respect for it from GM and Ford guys and the Mopar guys wear that as a badge of honor. The 440 isn't any less powerful but it doesn't really speak as loudly as the word Hemi.

Again though, it's only the 426. You're not going to get the same wide-eyed reaction over a 392 Hemi or the newer ones.

[69bronzeT5]

It's a legendary engine. It's the top of the line motor from Ma-Mopar. It looks great and sounds great too.

[BIRD67]

I have also thought it was strange too, I have a book reviewing them when new and I was always told they were a bitch to properly tune and keep running..

[CB]

I hear 'badge of honor' so what comes into mind it's also a status.
My guess is that some people abuse the 'Hemi' more to show off then actually enjoy Mopars?
Or am I wrong?
CB

[CB]

I have also thought it was strange too, I have a book reviewing them when new and I was always told they were a bitch to properly tune and keep running..

yes! that's what I remember from my readings too

[dodgecharger-fan]

The HEMI is just plain bad-ass. Enough said.

Not quite.

I think there should be a lot more to be said about the subject.
Besides, one could safely say there are a lot of other "bad-ass" engines out there. If there's no argument to that point, then saying it's bad-ass doesn't really answer the original question, right?

There are many reasons why the HEMI is so desirable by so many.

Here are a few that I can think of:
There is the legend. It was a big deal when it first came out and started winning all kinds of races in several different types of racing.

There is the rarity of it. Some models of cars were not built with HEMI engines in any great numbers. That attaches the HEMI name to the rarity of the model in some cases (HEMI CUDA Convertible). In other cases, the model isn't as big a deal, but add in a HEMI from the factory, and it becomes a big deal (4-door Coronet - is it true or not? I forget... but it still works as an example.)

Of course, there are many more reasons that others should be able to express better than I - along the lines of the power, etc. Like the first to almost match hp to cubic inches 425 to 426 (I think there's an argument against that, but I read it somewhere and it stuck in my head. Then again, the 425 is likely a low-ball, too)

A lot is going to be subjective, but more descriptive than "plain bad-ass"  

[Hemidoug]

One ride will answer all your questions grasshopper........

Nothing sings quite like a 426 Hemi winding it's way to 7 grand.....absolutely NOTHING......and I've owned both wedges and Hemis....You just have to experience it.

And yes...if you own a Hemi you better be good at turning wrenches and tuning. When a Hemi is running right there is nothing as out and out as snotty like it in the world.

[Nacho-RT74]

I think simply because in stock form against stock, is the best... On those years I don't think you will modify the engine inmediatly coming from factory like we do play now to get same juice on a smaller engine like juice Hemis are able to give

[bull]

I think a lot of the fuss too is/was that it has a different look and design than most other engines. They are different and people that know engines always stop and look. There's something about those huge heads and the wires going through the middle of the valve covers that catches your eye. I know I always stop when I see different things on cars or engines but then I either shake my head and ask "why would they do that" or nod my head and say "how come no one thought of that sooner?" The Hemi falls into the latter category. The design makes sense, ie., it should burn the fuel more evenly and efficiently and therefore do more with less. Does it? Heck if I know. But it makes sense that it should so everyone thinks it does so it really doesn't matter what happens in reality.

[dfan]

 :coolgleamA:The reason for the admiration of the hemi is performance period---class racing demonstrates this Best-- A/ stock or AA/SS--even on the street it has the most POTENTIAL w/ 2.25 stock intake valves &1.88 exh. If you just like to buy and run your car the way the showroom gave it to you---buy a new challenger--it will out handle,stop,accellerate any stock dodge except maybe a viper.

[dodgecharger-fan]

My guess is that some people abuse the 'Hemi' more to show off then actually enjoy Mopars?

Case in point: the modern HEMI technically does not have hemispherical heads.

They brought back the name for marketing purposes.

One could argue that it's still a HEMI head with some modifications and it would be a valid point, I guess. I'm indifferent on the whole argument, really.

That said, given the opportunity to buy a V6 or a modern HEMI, I'd buy the HEMI.  

440 vs HEMI 426?   I'd probably look at the whole car rahter than just the engine and base my decision on that.... and I wouldn't likely put a HEMI in to a non-original-HEMI-car unless I was dong something really wild with the project.

[Dodge Don]

While I wouldn't turn down a Hemi....ever......during my formative street racing years in the 70s I was always astounded how the 440 Six Pack cars running the strip always, and I mean always, beat the Hemi cars (So did quite a few Ford and GM cars).  It is why I have a love for six packs today. Maybe the locals just had crappy Hemis?

Now if you weren't running light to light on the mean streets and actually were on a drag strip or long strech of road that allowed the Hemi to catch up and come into it's own then the Hemi wins.

[ITSA426]

second gear on a four speed hemi car, just going through the gears...

[tan top]

yeah performance is legendary all the wins in various classes.... .....  all the big  speed records & low Et's in dragracing still to this day    far too many to list  
  & really although only  loosely  same basic design  the current  top fuel HEMI motor  how much power ...who knows  6000   7000    8000hp    

back in the early 70s some guys  were still using production  iron water blocks /heads .... probably where more than a few  matching numbers blocks ended up
run 6.5 in your nitro  funny car at 230 mph .... 2500 - 3000 hp   take the motor apart rebuild it with street hemi parts  pistons , cam etc , paint it orange ..stick it back in your street mopar ...looks exactly stock    .....   

    

[dfan]

LEDGEND,HISTORY,or IMAGE pick one

[maxwellwedge]

yeah performance is legendary all the wins in various classes.... .....  all the big  speed records & low Et's in dragracing still to this day    far too many to list  
  & really although only he loosely  same basic design  the current  top fuel HEMI motor  how much power ...who knows  6000   7000    8000hp    

back in the early 70s some guys  were using production  iron water blocks /heads .... probably where more than a few  matching numbers blocks ended up
run 6.5 in your nitro  funny car at 230 mph .... 2500 - 3000 hp   take the motor apart rebuild it with street hemi parts , paint it orange ..stick it back in your street mopar ...looks exactly stock    .....    

Everything Tan Top said and.....

The Hemi is a de-tuned race engine put in a production street legal car for the soul purpose to be legal in NHRA, AHRA, Nascar etc.


If you put the compression, cam timing and manifolding back in you are in another zip code. The Boss 429 Ford runs under the same parameters....except the Hemi still ran well on the street and the Boss 429 was a boat anchor in street trim. It didn't have enough power to pull the skin off rice pudding.

Dodge Don - While it is true that a good six-pack could put a spanking on a Hemi back in the day, in most cases the Hemi was owned by some rich kid with no tuning prowess. I know Donny Cloak and others showed a lot of cars his tail lights with their Hemi's.

Here is a quote from Tom Shaw

"WHEN ELEPHANTS ATTACK".
With some get-acquainted miles now under my belt, we come to that part of the ride that, sooner or later, comes to every Hemi driver—the pony ride. You're motoring along, minding your own business, when out of nowhere, the thought explodes across your mind, "Man, I've got a 426 Hemi under the hood!" Your right foot swings into action, you drop a gear, and watch the tach needle on the Rallye dash jerk upwards. On the sole of your shoe, you feel the resistance of every return spring that Carter designed into its AFBs. But you continue to stand on it, and the sleeping giant comes to life. The sound coming from under the hood is ferocious, and my ears are deftly balanced between the engine's commotion and the tailpipes' thunder. To the musclecar lover, this is symphony. My backside confirms that the acceleration rush matches the engine's roar. Running up into the next gear produces all the velocity this two-lane blacktop can handle.

Why is there no towering granite monument to this musclecar legend? Why is there no national "Hemi ... holiday? Why is there no patriotic song played by marching bands at football games and parades to honor the Hemi...? Why is it not written into our code of conduct that gentlemen remove their hats and citizens put their hands over their hearts as the Hemi ... passes by?
                                                                                   
It should be. It's only right. And these things would happen if our leaders could experience the wide-open wail of the 426 Hemi; if they would grab hold of the Pistol Grip Hurst, slam second, and feel the Hemi's massive torque kick the whole car sideways; if they could slide behind the wheel of ...a Hemi... and learn for themselves the heart-pounding thrill and roller-coaster excitement that happens when Elephants attack.


Someone once said,"The Hemi idles like a coffee can full of rocks.......but it turns on after the others turn off".



'NUFF SAID!

[Mefirst]

I think most or al of the hype with the 426 Hemi has to do with the racing history (it did some major asskicking when it came out, and still does, and not to forget, it is also a factory RACE engine detuned for the street), the way it looks (those wide heads) and the low production number of the factory Hemi cars... This is in my opinion what makes the Hemi "special"..

As for the 440 V.s the 426 Hemi???

I have had both engines in my Charger. The difference (other than looks) is the different character/personality of the engines. The 440 is a more "gentle" engine, the power curve is progressive, even if it has a truck load of horsepower.. The Hemi on the other hand is kinda like a Turbo engine, first nothing happens, the rews go up, then suddenly it starts to pull like a SOB..

The only downside of the 440 is that in stock form it doesn't have 4-bolted main caps, other than that its a great engine. Stock against stock, it will give the Hemi a hell of a run and that says allot about how good it is...

Not to forget...

If Mopar had built and released the doomsday/kill al the Fords and Chevys once and for al engine, the DOHC 426 Hemi, then that would have been the most brutal and evil engine ever to see the light of day... Sadly that didnt happen

[dkn1997]

you have to look at why we like muscle cars and what the attraction to that general era of cars and racing really is.  In today's super sanitary pc world, musclecars are a reminder of a time of risk and freedom...of wildness.  Cars with outrageous colors, monster motors. All put out by the factory.  In an era of sheer audacity, the hemi was even that much more over the top.  for performance on the dragstrip and wide ovals and for it's visual differences from anything else, the Hemi stands out.  It's like having chuck norris partner up with clint eastwood. bad cop...worse cop!!

[jb666]

I hear 'badge of honor' so what comes into mind it's also a status.
My guess is that some people abuse the 'Hemi' more to show off then actually enjoy Mopars?
Or am I wrong?
CB

I disagree. I've got a buddy who has a couple of original Hemi cars and he's a die hard Mopar guy. Why I didn't take him when I went to pick up my nightmare I'll never know, but that's beside the point.  Anyways, his answer is always the same "There's nothing like it!!". I swear he's stuck back in the 70's, but it's ok because he's a great guy.

I love when people rant and rave that they have a "Hemi" in their new truck. A friend of mine tried telling me that his motor was "the same as the 60's/70's Hemi". Yeah, OK. 

Anyways, I think it's the history the name carries for a LOT of people.

you have to look at why we like muscle cars and what the attraction to that general era of cars and racing really is.  In today's super sanitary pc world, musclecars are a reminder of a time of risk and freedom...of wildness.  Cars with outrageous colors, monster motors. All put out by the factory.  In an era of sheer audacity, the hemi was even that much more over the top.  for performance on the dragstrip and wide ovals and for it's visual differences from anything else, the Hemi stands out.  It's like having chuck norris partner up with clint eastwood. bad cop...worse cop!!

Now THAT'S funny stuff right there!!

[68charger383]

I think cost made the hemi what it is:

Original cost of the engine option made it into a rarity. Chrysler would have built them all day long if people ordered them. However, it was something like a $450 add on to the overall cost of the $3,500 avg. car price.

Cost of insurance made it a rarity. When you hear almost any story about a person reminiscing about going into a dealer back in the day, all you hear is that they wanted a hemi car, but they were told/found out that they would never get/afford the insurance on a hemi car and had to opt for the 440 or lower model.

So when everyone sees one in a car, they see what they really wanted or what was unobtainable to them and it makes it a desirable engine. Since it was rare, it was harder to find in a used car and cost more money to buy it. Plus it looks cool, sounds mean....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljIA2-Y9HQk&feature=related

[375instroke]

Is there anything cool about a Honda with a turbo and nitrous that runs 9s?  It's more than just speed.  You think they will ever sell a NASCAR motor to the public again?