Dodge Viper

The FirePower was Chrysler’s first V8 engine; prior Chrysler 8-cylinders, dating to 1931, were in-line eights. Introduced in the Fall of 1950 for the 1951 model year, the FirePower had hemispherical combustion chambers, leading some to refer to this engine as the early Hemi or Generation 1 hemi. It was replaced by the Chrysler RB engine in 1959, though a different version of the hemi heads would live again in the RB-based 426″ Chrysler Hemi engine in 1964.

Chrysler, Dodge (Red Ram), and DeSoto (FireDome) all built their own versions of this engine (but not Plymouth which stayed with poly-head engines). The Chrysler, Dodge, and DeSoto versions were all independent with almost no parts in common. There was no Plymouth hemi engine until the 1964 426.

Dodge’s Hemi was called the Red Ram, introduced in 1953. They have the smallest bore center distance of any hemi engine at 4.1875 in (106.4 mm).

The Dodge Hemi engines manufactured during 1950’s had no harmonic balancer. They had a front hub on the crankshaft that attached to pulleys, and was held on by one large bolt/washer. This hub/pulley setup is very light, and has almost zero harmonics absorbing/dampening capability. These engines have been known to break crankshafts for no apparent reason. It is highly recommended that during any rebuild of the 1950s Dodge hemi/poly engines, the crankshaft be carefully magnufluxed for cracks first, and an aftermarket harmonic balancer purchased.

241

The Dodge introduced the 241 cu in (3.9 L) version in 1953. Bore was 3.4375 in (92 mm) and stroke was 3.25 in (83 mm). With a compression ratio of only 7.1:1 it produced just 140 hp (104 kW). Plymouth’s 241 version for 1955 had polyspherical heads.

270

The 270 displaced 268 cu in (4.4 L) and was used in the 1955 and 1956 Dodge high-line (premium) vehicles. Bore was 3.625 in (92 mm) and stroke was 3.25 in (83 mm). See also the Plymouth 270 poly-head. In the Dodge Coronet, running the same compression ratio as the 241″, the 270 made 140 bhp. In higher trims like the Dodge Meadowbrook, it ran a 7.5:1 compression ratio, producing 150 bhp.

315

For 1956, Dodge upped the displacement to 315 cu in (5.2 L) with a longer 3.80 in (97 mm) stroke and a taller raised-deck block.

325

Dodge used a 325 cu in (5.3 L) engine for 1957 until 1958. The engine used a 3.6875 in (94 mm) bore and 3.80 in (97 mm) stroke.

The Chrysler Firepower was a Dodge Viper based concept car. It also takes some of the styling cues from the Chrysler Crossfire that DaimlerChrysler produced under the Chrysler brand. The Firepower’s engine was a 6.1 L Hemi V8. According to Chrysler, this engine produced 425 hp (317 kW) and could propel the vehicle to a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds. It was once featured on the cover of Car and Driver, but on that cover its name ended with an exclamation point. Designers responsible for the design were Brian Nielander (exterior), who also worked on the ME-412 concept; and Greg Howell (interior).

The Firepower Concept was originally built to prove that Chrysler could indeed build a sports car using existing hardware. Signs earlier in the year pointed to the Firepower going into production using the same hardware as the concept, however Chrysler has now officially announced that the Firepower will not be produced, as Chrysler could not find a viable way to produce the car.