@chrisAll I remember about the 426 Hemi of that era was they were high maintenance compared to the 440. Even my 383 was a once a week tuneup. Dual point ignition, banking the carb, cleaning the plugs resetting the timing, adjusting the brakes, repacking the front wheel bearings. That was Saturday. Sunday was getting the gunk off my hands and from under my fingernails with Lava soap in the basement slop sink. Monday, it ran like a champ and every day after, I felt a subtle decrease in performance until Saturday rolled around again.... and so it went....
@chrisBack in the day, the only thing worse that driving a 4 door was a station wagon. It was assumed you didn't own your own car and you were driving daddy's. If you had a hardtop, it was because it looked cool but wasn't as serious as a tudor poster.
Back in the day, the only thing worse that driving a 4 door was a station wagon.
- One of the things I don't miss....when I sold off my collector cars ... were those pesky carburetors! It seemed like every summer I was having one rebuilt and I always kept my timing gun handy. 😏
- Back in my day too, only your Dad & the Police drove 4-doors.... young people did not.....and if you were seen in one.... it better be a hardtop! This is COMPLETELY opposite today. OLD GUYS want 2-doors, EVERYONE else wants FOUR DOORS! 🤢 🤢 🤢 🤮
@chrisI forgot the other pain in the a$$... putting those zirc fittings to do your own grease job and cleaning off the black gunk that extruded out the bushings. Yep. Get me a restomod instead.
Rich is correct regarding the Hemis of the later sixties/early seventies; they were expensive and not ideally suited for everyday driving on the street. They were awesome at the strip but needed a lot of attention, frequently needed fresh plugs, had finicky timing, etc. The clutches were very heavy, and they had a tendency to bog down after several hours of cruising. There were more Hemis sitting on dealers' lots than 440's because of their cost and the daily maintenance issue. One of the hardest sales the MOPAR dealers had in the early seventies was finding a buyer for a Hemi-powered wing car. Some dealers resorted to changing the front clips just to move the car.
@chris They weren't beating any Hemi's with the BOSS 429, the Ford 429 was designed for NASCAR not drag racing and one of the poorest preforming Mustangs was the BOSS 429, two reasons, one the RPM range was all wrong for the street and drag strip and two the engine was to heavy in the front end of the Mustang destroying the handling. Now the 428 Cobra Jet engine was another story while still to heavy it was not tuned for NASCAR and was formidable for a drag race.
They were essentially pure junk, and most people who had them couldn't give 'em away.
Wow, harsh language and to some,"fight'en words!"
I do know many purest believed the early 1950's HEMIs were more bullet proof than later '60's versions but I don't think I've heard anyone dismiss these as "junk." I do recall HEMIs being highly prized when I was in high school in the early 1980's, thus, your comments are bit surprising.
So.... you & your friends were blowing away HEMIs with big-block Ford 429s and Chevy 454s? You knew dudes that complained about their HEMIs?
Yup! On Woodward Ave., everyone blew away the HEMIs. Yeah, we beat on 'em like a drum.
Now, everyone knows about the vaunted performance of the HEMI at the drag strip. The deep breathing of the hemispherical head was difficult to overcome at a race venue. However, on the street, those powered by the 426 HEMI weren't good performers. They were difficult to stay in tune, ran rough, and I understand went through oil like shit through a goose! I remember seeing ads to sell them for almost pennies.
One of my car-club members (Vanguard Eliminators) had one and wanted to trade it in for a 440. The dealers didn't want them because they couldn't sell 'em. Due to all of the problems inherent in the street HEMI, they just had no appeal and were worthless.... then! Of course, no one had a crystal ball and couldn't see in the future.
Some day ask me about the performance of the 440 6-pack Mopars. I have an ENTIRELY different story to tell about that unbeatable combination!
Marty is spot on. By 1972, there were dealers in Ohio that had brand-new 1970 Hemis in stock. Sometime around '70, dealers became hesitant to order them. It's one of the reasons they are so rare now. That being said, they were never really popular to begin with. The guys who wanted them were going to use them on the dragstrips. Apart from Marty's observations, they used a lot of gas and needed the most premium, highest octane you could get. They sounded awesome and were very impressive to look at, but were just too troublesome to be an everyday driver. The 440s were the scary ones on the street.
Despite all the cars we've (my friends & I ) owned I continue to be surprised (and a bit embarrassed ) by these "corrborated" HEMI stories. I just don't recall ever hearing/reading details like this before. I think my best friend, who's probably owned close to 75 big block cars, may have owned one (maybe two? ) late '60's HEMI.... but I never have. Very enlightening info Marty, John, Rich ..... Thanks! 😬 😬
@john3976 - As a lifelong Ford Fan, I was excited about the release of the Boss 429 Shotgun motor! It was marketed by Ford as a supreme performer and would be the most powerful and quickest car in the the blue oval lineup. Sadly, the exhuberance quickly transitioned to disappointment. Like the street HEMI, it was junk too. It just never materialized as a good street performaner and frankly, it wasn't much at the drag strip, either. The 427 SOHC "Cammer," which it was supposed to replace, was a superior race engine.
When I had my '71 429 SCJ Ram Air Mach 1, I rarely came across a Boss 429 on Woodward Ave but when I did, I whipped on them like I did street HEMIs. I wasn't alone. Everyone stomped on the Boss 429.
