Gen II Hemi vs 440 cu in engine debate

[JollySipper]

You see an old MoPar at a car show, what's the first question most people would be asking?

"Has it got a Hemi?"

I like the Elephant engine, but would much rather just have the good ol' 440 RB engine.... The Highway Patrol that used the 440s did so because it was the only engine that could withstand WOT for an extended period. I've read that the Hemi engine needed constant adjustment (mainly the valve train) to stay at peak performance.

What about you guys? If you had a choice, which engine would you prefer?

[High octane]

I like you, have heard in the past that the Hemi does take a lot of maintenance to keep running at it's peak. I have a 440 and I'm happy with it.

[Mark]

For the average guy, the 440 was probably the way to go.  The guy who worked as a dealership mechanic at a Dodge or Plymouth dealer probably went with the Hemi, as they had the acumen to keep it in tune.

The killer engine IMO was the 440 Six-Pack.  Probably better than the Hemi in the hands of all but a few.  Two of my cousins (two brothers) had '69 Coronet Six-Pack cars.  I remember my dad seeing one of them with the hood off, he and my uncle (their dad) were scratching their heads, as in "why would you buy a car that you have to take off the hood to work on it".  

[1972coronet]

The 426 Hemi --specifically Street Hemi of '66-'71-- was a detuned race engine . Additionally , that engine in stock form ( e.g. , as-delivered ) truly needed a thorough going-over to run properly... even the hydraulic lifter iteration of '70-'71 . 

The 440 --especially the 1969-1972 Six Pack / Six Barrel version-- was a superior engine : hydraulic lifters , less-expensive , and compact-by-comparison . 

Police agencies wouldn't purchase a fleet of high-maintenance pursuit vehicles ( most city "patroller" models were equipped with either a Slant Six --and its solid lifters-- or a small V8 such as the 273 or 318 , albeit in heavy duty versions ) . The only exception that I can think of was the L.A. Sheriff's Office 1962 Dodge coupe with the 413 ---- it was a freeway pursuit unit (when local municipalities had jurisdiction over in-town freeways ; Long Beach [ CA 15 / CA 7 ] Harbor [ US 6 / CA 11 ] Hollywood [ US 101 ] , etc. ) . My uncle got to drive that beast during his rookie year ; he said it was the quickest and fastest car in their fleet... but its brakes were trash after one or two hard-stops from 60 MPH .

So , yeah , the wedge engine is the way to go . However , I like the 340 or 360-HP . 

[1930fordpickup]

Not a MOPAR guy but I have a few friends that are. They have always ran the 440, even when you could afford to run a Hemi in the late 70'S early 80'S.  The one guy was even a street racer,  he liked the reliability of the 440. He would say, I don't make money wrenching on my cars.  

[Mark]

The Hemi with a single four-barrel carb might have been better.  Chrysler sold the street version with two fours however, because they wanted that setup to be legal for NHRA Stock and Super Stock classes.  They did experiment with it again to try to get the Hemi smog legal for 1972.  They couldn't quite get it there.

But the single four-barrel Hemi was no slouch, Arlen Vanke ran one in AHRA GT class, and got it into the tens...

[Mike 1017]

My dad, my brother and some neighbors worked at Mr. Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago.  Bud the hemi mechanic was a master at taming down those Street Hemi's. If I remember right he changed carb jets, timing, spark plug temp and  increased cooling . He had a lot of satisfied customers

 

 

[JollySipper]

23 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

So , yeah , the wedge engine is the way to go .

John, didn't the CHP use the 440 in their pursuit vehicles? I know some states did, that's how I found out about the WOT tests..... read it in a magazine article, Hemmings Muscle Car Review or something.....

[1972coronet]

31 minutes ago, JollySipper said:

John, didn't the CHP use the 440 in their pursuit vehicles?

Quickest and fastest police car until 1992 was the 1969 Polara , CHP-spec. What made those special was that the CHP used to specify their own cam grinds --- until c.1975 ( then Jerry Brown , blah-blah-blah , yadda yadda , etc. ) .

Even the 1978 Monaco ( mid-sized B-platform by then --by 1976-- not the C-body ) was hot . The 440 was layin' down 255hp , even with its 'white gas' compression ratio , and even with California's notorious emissions equipment .

I don't know exactly what year the CHP started using the 440... 1966 was its first year ( C-body-only option ) , and was available in something like 3 different power ratings ( 350hp , 360hp , and 365hp ) .

[Rodent]

4 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

I don't know exactly what year the CHP started using the 440... 1966 was its first year ( C-body-only option ) , and was available in something like 3 different power ratings ( 350hp , 360hp , and 365hp ) .

Probably 1968. 1967 is the year they used the Olds Delmont 88 425. Earlier CHP stuff still used the 426 wedge.