With the eye-popping performance of Mopar's latest supercharged Gen III Hemis, it's all too easy to forget the stunning capability of the old-school street Hemi. It's worth remembering that a smidge of compression, a few extra cubic inches, and some carefully curated airflow in a naturally aspirated Gen II Hemi can top the output of a Hellcat Redeye.
That's exactly what the Michigan-based Mopar engine specialists at Valley Performance delivered when customer Honda Joe Fuentes (yes, that's his legal name) brought them a truckload of parts, including an aluminum Indy Maxx block, and asked them for some big street/strip power.
"Figures tossed around during our initial discussion included 900-1,000 horsepower, naturally aspirated. But getting there took careful planning, and not all the parts Honda Joe delivered were going to work," says Jack Barna, owner of Valley Performance.
In the end, the project netted out at 914 horsepower and 740 lb-ft of torque, with the all-alloy Hemi atomizing 110 octane through a single four-barrel carb on the engine dyno. Barna notes that they could have pushed the engine's output very close to that 1,000-horsepower threshold with a less streetable combination, but Honda Joe was also adamant about durability and drivability.
"We went a little conservative with things like the cam specs to help keep down the maximum rpm, but we also went over the top with areas such as the valvetrain, all to ensure a maintenance-free combination," says Barna. "That approach also helped the engine make more low-end grunt, for a greater feeling of performance on the street."
Esta historia es de la edición January 2024 de Hot Rod.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición January 2024 de Hot Rod.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
What Is Pro Street?
You know it when you see it.
Pro Street in Pure Vision
Builder Steve Strope weighs in on the Pro Street look and what he would build today.
THE GAS ERA LIVES ON
These vintage race cars chart the evolution of technology in the early days of drag racing.
MOTOR HEAD FOR LIFE
Scott Sullivan is one of the original Pro Street pioneers. He still builds cars today out of a small shop in Dayton, Ohio.
BRINGING BACK PRO STREET!
David Freiburger and Roadkill Garage built a Pro Street Nova.
SWEET ASPIRATIONS
Jerry and Matthew Sweet added an 800ci Pro Stock mountain motor to chase HOT ROD Drag Week's Pro Street NA Record.
Making Bad Decisions Badder
Bradley Gray's 1970 Nova is a Hybrid! It's a streetable Funny Car.
ART PROJECT
This Rad Rides by Troy-built '63 split-window Corvette went from restaurant prop to ripping up the street!
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
THE PRO STREET ERA PEAKED IN THE '80S. ARE WE IN THE BEGINNING OF A RESURGENCE?
Making Connections
Project T-top Coupe: We install a Terminator X Max for big power.