Xcudame
Well-Known Member
Hey, I was just thinking about the Hemi Ball-Stud engine that Chrysler was considering to replace all big blocks with. As we know there were only a handful of the 444 cubic inch version built and tested. With two surviving, one that Tom Hoover had and one the I think the Chrysler museum has.
Anyway, I remember reading they intended to make two version, a 400 low deck and a 444 high deck that would use a lot of the same components except for the crankshaft and connecting rods. Pistons and rings were to be the same to reduce production cost.
Long story short, my brain got to thinking about the 400 blocks that were casted in 1971 for the 72 model year. These early blocks and even the later blocks had really beefing main webs. You see that in all the engine build up sites and books. Since this has always been a weak stop of the Mopar Big block, even our beloved cross bolt 426, I'm wondering if the engineers preparing the 400 blocks beefed up this area for preparing for the ball-stud hemies? Then when the ball-stud hemi got abandoned they just kept that area of the block beefier on the 400. It kinda makes sense.
What say you my Mopar buddies. Am I off the wall? Or did we almost have 400 ball-stud hemies and the web area confirms this?
Anyway, I remember reading they intended to make two version, a 400 low deck and a 444 high deck that would use a lot of the same components except for the crankshaft and connecting rods. Pistons and rings were to be the same to reduce production cost.
Long story short, my brain got to thinking about the 400 blocks that were casted in 1971 for the 72 model year. These early blocks and even the later blocks had really beefing main webs. You see that in all the engine build up sites and books. Since this has always been a weak stop of the Mopar Big block, even our beloved cross bolt 426, I'm wondering if the engineers preparing the 400 blocks beefed up this area for preparing for the ball-stud hemies? Then when the ball-stud hemi got abandoned they just kept that area of the block beefier on the 400. It kinda makes sense.
What say you my Mopar buddies. Am I off the wall? Or did we almost have 400 ball-stud hemies and the web area confirms this?
