Thread: 440 hemi heads

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Hi,
I know this is probably every rodders dream but is any one making hemi heads for a 440 mopar??. I know the hemi head doesn't bolt directly on but there was a place called Stage V that had these for a while.
www.stagev.com/
Thier web site is minimal at best. I sent an e-mail but nothing yet.

About 2 years ago at Union Grove Wis there was a guy that had this setup. As it turned out he didn't know much about it as he had just bought the car from someone else. It was in a RED on Alcohol for brackets. The car ran pretty well and sure sounded good. The only tip off was that there were oil drain lines (braided lines) on both the front and back of the heads going down to the pan.
It had an 8-71 and an Enderle Bird on it and I think it had a Hilborne 150 pump. As close as I could see and count he was only running about 30% over on the blower. He said he had only run the car a few times at test and tunes.

any Info???

bentwings

The wedge to Hemi conersions were gaining limited popularity a decade or so ago. This was primarly due to the drying up of the then available supply of original 426 Hemi parts.

A couple of outfits did market the conversions and these were gaining some popularity when mother MOPAR anounced the re-release of the 426 and larger inch crate Hemis.

As far as I know this pretty much ended the developement of aftermarket conversions.

Do an internet search and see what you can come up with. If you do find someone still doing the connversions, or even one of the early sets of these heads, make sure the setup is going to be supportable for your build both now and in the future.

One thing that come to mind is if the conversion uses any one-off parts (i.e. gaskets, rockers, pushrods etc) that may or may not be availalbe when it comes tiome to reuild it of if a part breaks down the road. Additionally, as I recall some of these conversions also required unique intake manifolds and Headers.

Here are a couple of links I came across on these conversions.

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/52238/

http://popularhotrodding.com/enginem...k/0506em_hemi/

To my knowledge, Stage V and Indy Cylinder heads were the only two doing it with any regularity/success. They're both good quality stuff. As you probably noted, the Stage V site says "under construction August 2001". Obviously they don't get what the internet is about. You'll probably have to call them on the phone to get any info.

The article Mike linked to is the best info I've seen over the years, right down to a pretty accurate price listing, although you're not going to find a dual quad Hemi intake that cheap anymore.

I had some contact with a gentleman whom carries this conversion kit. I will try to dig up his name and number and PM you the information.

IMHO...the kit price was rather high. This statement coming from someone whom hates to penny pinch the inventors of grand ideas, but with the cost of the conversion being cents short of the Indy 426-RA1 and the recommended block modifications...why not just build a true hemi vice converting the 440? I would have thought this kit catered more to the limited pockets.

Feel free to e-mail me as I do have the phamplets he sent me on the details to the conversion.

~Ty @ TLI

I remember seeing write ups on these kits BEFORE Chryslers anouncements of the re-release of the 426. At that time the anything original Hemi was through the roof. Blocks especially were hard to come by. I saw blocks go in the $5K and way up range that were totally trashed (Picture a block with a hole in the side or chewed up bottom end) simply because there were no replacements available.

At the time the only reasonable looking alternatives seemed to be what Indy and stage V were doing and it looked pretty promising at the time. I suspect both companies had invested a LOT of money in R&D and initial low production runs.

AND THEN........Mopar made it's anouncements about the re-release of the 426 with big inch versions to follow closely behind.

As the Hemi conversions I'd read about at the time did not seem to show any real preformance advantage over the Chrysler Hemi and as you mentioned not that much difference in price, the conversions have pretty much faded into the woodwork.

I did see one of these conversions heads years ago, The owner had just bought them prior to Mopars anouncement. My understanding was after the anouncement he was not very happy and wished he had waited.

Had Chrysler decided NOT to bring the second generation Hemi back, and Indy/Stage V had enough demand, these conversions may have gone come down in price due to doing higher volume production runs, but we'll never know.

And couldn't agree more as both companies do deserve a tip of hat, as we call it here in Texas. I am impressed.

I think it would be sort of interesting to see both types of engines on the dyno, neck to neck just to see where the advantages are. I see alot of tech on the subject but again it's all apples and oranges in comparison.

I will comment the that Indy stuff is massive! We're trying...and I say trying!!!! not to slice up our client's car just to get one to fit between the towers and hood (this 528 does incorporate an F2 Procharger).


~Ty @TLI