Found a 392

Discussion about the Hemi in general.

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Harlow383
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Tucson, AZ

Found a 392

Post by Harlow383 »

Alright, I'm a new member. I'm 17 and I've got a numbers matching 1968 383 Sport Satellite. I've recently stumbled upon a 392 HEMI. Now here is my question. The guy wants 500 dollars for it. Its got mud on it and has been sitting in a warehouse for a LONG time. Now I don't know much about these older HEMIs. I wouldn't be putting the engine in my sport satellite, I would most likely rebuild it (which it will definitely need to be completely gone over) and put it into a 68-69 dart or fast back barracuda. Heres my questions.

1. Does that seem like a good price? What is the going rate on these engines?

2. I realize I will need a trans adapter and modified motor mounts, anything else I will need?

3. How much money am I realistically looking at to bring this thing back from the dead?

4. I see that these engines made horse power in the mid to high 300's. How hard is it to bring it into the 400's? Would I just need to do your typical motor build (cam, intake, carb, exhaust)?

I'm guessing price wise if I wanted to build a street bruiser dart or barracuda I could just build a big block for less money, but it would be really cool to open up the hood and have that HEMI sitting there on cruise night. Anyone else on here done a conversion like this into mopar?

Thanks, Scott
George
Posts: 694
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2004 4:12 pm
Location: Fl

Post by George »

Typical price for a rebuildable core is 2000$. Price would be lower if it is stuck(won't turn over). Check for cracks in block around the freeze plugs. For rebuild prices go to www.hothemiheads.com. You probably need to get Tex Smith's Hemi Book by Ron Ceradono.
Harlow383
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Tucson, AZ

Post by Harlow383 »

I went back and got the numbers cast into the block:

S25 13325 (not sure if the last 2 are correct)

Is this a 341 hemi out of a 57 desoto?

If it is what is the going rate on these engines?

It is 100% complete minus one valve cover. It looks like the intake had a singe two barrel carb on it. It also had a set of headers sitting next to it, like they came with the engine. Did these old engines have headers stock?
George
Posts: 694
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2004 4:12 pm
Location: Fl

Post by George »

Quite often a 392 turns out to be something else. It is a 57 341 DeSoto. 500$ is probably a fair price. Probably 88% of DeSotos came with a 2V intake (est 10% 4V, 1-2% 2X4) Came with ram horn exhaust.Should be a good one to do. Exterior diminsions are smaller than Chr., so it'll fit an early engine bay better.
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Hemi392_B-Body
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Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:22 pm
Location: SW Washington
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Re: Found a 392

Post by Hemi392_B-Body »

If you want to build that 341, and would like to do some very informative posts, check out http://www.hothemiheads.com

The Q&A section has plenty of information on the "True Hemi Engines". While I do own a '57 392 and in the process of building a Coronet for the engine, I also own a modern 5.7 motored car and a Dodge truck. Mopar has been a mainstay in my garage for many years, and will continue to be TopDawg in my book. Good luck with your project.

Bob
gregshemi
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Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:35 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Re: Found a 392

Post by gregshemi »

If it really is a 392 and its not cracked, $500 is a steal. You can make a ton of HP with a 392. A Hemi doesnt get any where close to its breathing capacity until you put a superchager on it. you can get an easy 500HP on the street. 800HP on the track.
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