Cost to build my HEMI

Well I took a deep breath and sat down the other night and figured out how much it cost to build the 331 Hemi that’s going in the 37 Dodge. I was a very pleasantly surprised, but I really don’t know how to list it.

Keep in mind I’ve had the engine for 15 years and only started putting it together a couple of years ago. It was originally going to go in a 54 Studebaker1/2 ton short-bed but that changed when I picked up the 37.

Even at the time the engine was a good deal to begin with at $500, and I traded out labor doing an engine swap for it.

I traded a pair for $50 swap meet carburetors and set them up on a friends engine for a lot of the machine work.

I got a deal on a bunch of early HEMI parts from a guy that was moving ……$50 for: a 53 extended block Hemi, heads, valve covers, 392 dual point distributor, Tri-power intake (now on the 57 Plymouth) and set of new Jahns .060 pistons (in the 331). I then sold the block, heads and dual point to a friend for $160. So a $110 net profit?

I sold the original intake from the 331 on E Bay for $110.

I picked up the 6 X 2 intake at a swap meet 12 years ago before they were popular or E Bay was so big for $100 and the carbs were either free take-offs or $3-$5 swap meet units with $15 dollar kits in each one.

The windage tray was free……. the guy I got it from didn’t know what it was (it was laying behind a 52 (?) Chrysler that had been a Hemi car and was parted out). Even after I told him what it was he said just take it.

As it sits on the stand right now (less the 4 speed adaptor) it figures out to right at $2500 out of pocket or $3200 if you add the labor trade for the engine and don’t subtract what I sold the spare parts for.

Now the 354 that’s in the 57 Plymouth in a whole different story……. I have a least 3 times the amount in it.

One thing I have noted over the last 20 years since I bought my first early hemi is that the availability of parts has really increased and in some cases even gone down. 20 years ago new parts like gasket sets were old shelf stock about $40 bucks a set higher than now. The only bearing available were also old shelf stock and only available in .030 under for both rods and mains when you could find them. No new cams were available so you were stuck with finding a good core to regrind…… if you went that route you were stuck with trying to find adjustable rocker assemblies and the dimple valve covers to use them with.

I remember buying one of the first sets of BBC water pump adaptors (for $90 there were as low as $35 not too long ago and are now up around $40). It was still a bargain when compared to finding a decent used water pump and sending it out to be rebuilt. I notice that even some of the transmission adaptors have come down about $100. It was the price and availability that actually caused me to build my own 4 speed adaptors.

It sure is a lot easier to build them now……not cheap but at least now the parts are out there..