Nick Meets The First Hemi - The Origins of MOPAR Muscle 

This car is real old school. An Original 1954 Dodge Royal with a 241 Red Ram Hemi ~ so cool. Can't wait to see this car brought back to original condition with its Hemi motor. This is why I watch Nick's Garage. He jumps straight into these really challenging projects that most guys would turn away. Good luck guys! I will be watching this project with intense interest.

I just picked up 2 of these old hemi's, so I'll be watching closely

Nick..the most humble legend on YT...

The cameraman does a great job Nick. Excellent video. Keep it up guys.

The world is a better place because people like Nick make it better. Keep on going Nick. !!!!

This is honestly the greatest RU-vid channel I’ve ever seen. So glad I stumbled upon Nick’s Garage. It’s incredible to see all these old Mopars that I’ve dreamt about driving and wrenching on since I was a kid. You’re truly living the dream Nick.. thank you so much for sharing it with ordinary cats like myself!

I could watch Nick and gang's videos all day long. Your crew really does an amazing job with video production! Thank you for sharing so much of your automotive knowledge with us, Nick! Simple things like telling people to save old gaskets might not seem like much, but I can guarantee you someone will thank you for it later. /waves from St. Louis, Missouri

Always a treat when a new episode of Nick's Garage is released. Love the Kowalski project. Love the customer projects. LOVE the dyno room projects. (and often crank up the volume for dyno pulls) It seems Nick understands that if you focus too much on the cars, and forget that it's all about the people, then there will always be a very important ingredient missing to the recipe.

There's engineering and design and assembly but it takes COMMON SENSE to make the build great.

At the 4:15 mark of the chronometer my heart was warmed to hear Nick say ; "make the best with what you've got" ..... ......that's in good compliment to Count Basie , and that is to say ; take a little bit, and get a lot out of it.

A 440 with 440Hp just sounds right. All I'm going to say is good luck with that Dodge 241 parts are kinda scarce for it. For those who don't know every Chrysler division, except Plymouth, made a HEMI engine in the '50s. Dodge was the RedRam in 241, 270, 315 and 325 cubic inches, Desoto was the FireDome in 276, 291, 330, 341, and 345 cubic inches. Both the Chrysler and Imperial FirePower in 331, 354 and 392 cubic inches. And basically, nothing interchanges!!! I forgot what year but Dodge used the Chrysler 354 HEMI in its trucks and Desoto used a Plymouth polyhead engine in 1954 and 55. You really have to know the numbers if you get into these old HEMIs. Like I said not much interchanges sometimes the water pump is unique to the engine and some the generator, do your research before you dive in.

Nothing like grabbing a cup of coffee on the weekend and binge watching Nick's Garage to get up to date with the projects.

Love that the owner kept every single piece of that historic motor!

love the way you sort and keep the screws on the carton board. That‘s the way we like it. Good luck building the first gen hemi again👍

This is where engines go to live not die..... Way to go Nick you keep the dream of owning a muscle car alive.

What a champion Nick is. I hope to visit his shop one day.

Mr. Nick Mopar man you are and absolute pleasure to watch l love mopars to see your accomplishments its like being a little kids drooling in front of a candy store your very humble thank you for your experiences and knowledge your awesome Mopar!!!!!!!!!!

Old School, what a gem. Fantastic channel.

Nick...You are a GREAT AMERICAN and A BLESSING for our community ....... THANK YOU SO MUCH........

Doctor Nick does it again.👑The king of Mopar!

The little baby Hemi is cool. Company called Hotheads did parts for them. They have alot of casting sand still in them so wash n clean well. You can punch them out to +150. Chevy water pump conversation Hotheads did was good on the street. Great videos Nick. Watching from here in the UK.

You know your in the presence of an automotive master mechanic when he hears the engine on the dyno in the next room start detonating while performing a pull, And there's a wall between him and the engine. Nick's attention to detail is some of the best I've ever seen. Salute to you Nick!

I totally enjoy this channel - especially Nick. He describes with clarity, teaches with compassion... and is, over all, a totally nice bloke.

Nick, a living Legend, nice of you to welcome fans into the shop, Challenger looking great, that old Hemi looks like it needs a good bath, before you know it, Nick will have it built, thanks for the great video, stay warm, looks awfully cold up there,

@6:57 I can clearly see the pair of movie posters I sent you hanging exactly where I suggested in the control room !!! and @13:32 the Challenger is directly over your head! BRAVO! Thank you Nick !

when I finally did my heads on my 241 i found out BOTH of the heads were cracked..... got a pair out of MO all done up for DIRT cheap.... Stoked.

When I was in the 10thgrade.I Had a 1952 Desoto. 4 Dr sedan. It Had a Chrysler Hemi FIredome. I think it was a 352?? It had a fluid drive with a clutch pedle. In South Texas there is a road across the Kings Ranch. There is a 76mile straight stretch on it. My father got clocked by the law from the air. They wrote him a ticket for 152mph in a 60mph zone. We didn't believe it, but, they insisted on it. It had a towing package which gave it a low stance front end. I gotta tell you it was surprising fast. The ultimate sleeper that looked like ur grandma's car. Appliance white black side wall tires n black steel rims. I embarrassed a lot of guys with fast cars with it. Haha. It was ony 12yrs old and showroom perfect. I remember it had been bought to pull an air stream trailer by an elderly couple. They parked it in an rv park. He died n she never drove it. I think it had about 1800 miles on it. Like new. I paid $500.00 cash for it n drove it home. It was a very plain looking car. But what a sleeper.

I'm sorry Nick but you made me laugh, it doesn't matter if it's a 241, 352, 413 or any other engine, you are far to humble to recognize your own mastery, and that's why you have the love and respect of people around the world.

My dad said that he had a car with Red Ram hemi in it and he loved that engine. Not sure what model it was but I believe it was a Dodge and it was before I was born so I never saw it. He said it would smoke the tires when he punched it. I can't wait to see this motor get rebuilt and I hope that you can put it on the dyno Nick.

Nick greetings from Australia . You can't help but admire a man that doesn't stick it to people . Good man !

first engine i ever rebuilt, when i was in high school, was a 331 Hemi in a 55' Chrysler C-300 . it had dual Carter four barrels and was around 300 hp stock, but a little more after the rebuild. Engine sure have came a long way since then.

Man, watching that 54 Hemi come back together and then listen to it run, will be a joy! Don't see many of those. Thanks, Nick.

Can't wait to see the Kowalski when it's finished. I bet Barry Newman would be proud. Wow the OG Hemi. Can't be many of those still around I'm guessing. Keep up the great work Nick.

When I was just a kid -- about 8 years old, my parents had a 1972 Chrysler Town and Country wagon with a 440. The thing was a huge, fully loaded luxury yacht for its time, but it had a lot of power, that's for sure. Back then, you could hit resume on the cruise control from a standstill, so sometimes dad used to get his kicks doing hole shots from stoplights after just getting off of the interstate. I always loved it when he did that. What's strange is it felt almost as fast as his daily driver, a Red '69 Mustang fastback with a 428cj. Basically, it looked a lot like the 429 Boss cars without those stupid Mach 1 stripes. I still remember sitting in the passenger seat riding in the Mustang as dad drove off of the dealer's lot. I LOVED that car! I also loved the wagon because it was so roomy and was very comfy for long drives across the USA. It was the classic Brady bunch wagon. heh

If you want to talk about hard to find hemi parts how about a 331 chrysler marine hemi. The heads and rockers are the only thing that swap from a car motor. The motor is totally gear driven and the transmission is driven off of the "front" of motor because it is mounted backwards in the boat.

When I was a kid my dad bought a 1956 Dodge station wagon in 1960 that had the 270 ci Red Ram Hemi in it. It moved the car pretty well but my dad always complained that it used too much gas with that four barrel carb on it so he traded it in on a new 1962 Plymouth with a slant six.

You know what Nick, back in 69-71 I worked at a gas station. There was this man that bought used up CHP cars. They were Mopars. He had this old one about a 60 or 61. The thing is it was so freakin fast I have never forgotten it. I’m wondering if it had an early Hemi in it. I know you would know.

Yet again Nick a true passion in what you do! Thank you for making these videos, I cant wait to see more on the Red Ram hemi! But again I will say at 443 BHP 518 TORQUE that is a seriously healthy engine!!

It's nice to see some one actually likes to work on Chryslers and Dodges also Plymouths. as well as other makes. I miss My Father's 1955 Crown Imperial that was a great car with lots of Horse power It had a Chrysler Fire Power Hemi The car was owned by a Montana Sheriff It had a 6 volt system Fun to see people scratch their heads wondering how it had enough power to turn over that beast.

The first Chrysler Hemi, though, is sometimes considered to be the XIV-2220. This being a 2220-ci V-16, which was not only mounted upside down, but had the power taken from a gear drive at the center of the crankshaft - that hugely long crank being considered at the risk of breaking if it came off one end. The resulting jackshaft then ran forward between the cylinder banks to the propeller.

In 55 the Dodge Hemi went to 270 cu. In. 56 was 315, and 57 it was 325. The 315 and 325 were taller deck height. I have a 241, 270, and a 56 315 D500 engine. Also have a school bus with a 315 in it!

Ahh! I was close but no cigar. It is 241c.i.,Dodge, red ram, early Hemi. I'll remember that one. Now that's what I call a real trivia contest. Congratulations Nick... Did anyone get that right? The Kowalski "street engine" 440 sounds like fun. And the "matching numbers" 440 will give the "correct" show car appeal to it. As usual your one of the only shops left standing when it comes to cars. The way of the muscle car will never die. T

I have a 1949 Flathead V8 I’m building and it looked just like the hemi when I first got it. Good luck to you sir, Lot of time involved cleaning that block/parts up

that is a great ole engine , Sure wanna see it run again ! .. ENJOYED ..

Clean the pan gasket off and you will see a letter stamped by every cylinder. An A signifys exact bore. A letter B is .001 over C=.002 over. Used to race Chrysler 354's back in the late 60's. Once built,they stayed build. Never broke. Maybe an exhaust rocker arm ( the long one!) or a pushrod.

good luck on the hemi build guys hope it goes well i know u guys can make nice again for sure cheers.

Nice that you allow fans to watch how an engine gets dyno’d Nick. I’m sure those two guys will cherish the time you took out of your day to do that. 👍👍I had never heard of the 241 Hemi engine. You never stop learning.

It's good to be Nick~!

Thank you Nick and crew! So much cool stuff to see in your vids! 😎👍

Hi Nick! One of the many reasons I love watching your channel is because I learn something new every time. A 1954 Hemi, Wow! I did not know it had flattop pistons! P.S. Way to beat that Mule! It would do Kowalski proud! 📈🏁👍

The two engine builders here are Ellis piston rings , and Raymond kittler automotive . Kittler is really good at complete machining and rebuilding mopars . Ellis does most anything with a motor . But , they are not into going as far as you do with your rebuilds .

Very cool opening shot through the cab of the car. Clever camera work!

What a cute little half-pint hemi! I hope the block and heads are still ok, so that we can see the baby heffalump on the dyno one day 👍

While I understand everyone's on a budget, still would go with roller rockers if I was getting my engine done, as the overall longer performance just makes it worth it. Another good episode though, and watching even more parts get mounted on the Kowalski body just gets us excited to see more, film guy, if you can catch them putting up axles or any other parts on it, even a time lapse perhaps, please do, even if some shots get blocked by the workers. That 1st gen Hemi is a find, and will be interesting to see that engine up and running again.

All this and donuts too...Nick you are the 'man'

A few years back I had to pick up some parts and this engine was sitting on wooden blocks ... I instantly said, "Oh' a RED RAM!" The guy there asked, "You know this thing?" I said yeah it's an early hemi ... the guy yelled out to his buddy... HEY Joey! This guy knows about you engine... Evidently the owner bought it but wasn't sure what he had .... ah, memories..

My dad is a hemi nut. He had to build a new garrage to hold them all. He has multiple of every first gen they made. He says he sells them but he has more everytime i visit.

Thank you nick! And crew, i love watching been going through alot of things but your videos really make me feel better! You all bring more to RU-vid than just cars bring alot of happiness to people like me ! Keep up the awsome work

Very cool to see the Gen 1. I have a 331 firepower still in the car (54 NewYorker Deluxe) It was my late uncle's car, he bought it in Germany in 1956 from a USAF Colonel, while he was serving in the RCAF. He brought it back and drove it until 1961, when he got a job in the US. He left the car with my grandparents and said he'd be back for it next year..... He never came back for it. Grandpa passed away in 1978, my grandmother kept it in an old garage, my brother and I pulled it out in 1999 so she could sell the property. It has been sitting since, probably hasn't run since the 60's.... car is rusty, it had been vandalized, I want to someday pull the heart and do a rebuilt on it and have it live on in another Mopar (1988 Ramcharger maybe??) I'll be watching the progress on this Nick, thanks again. (great time lapse video on youtube from Hagerty of a rebuilt of a 331 worth checking out)

Nick your a gentleman and a scholar the mopar world is lucky to have you brother

I have only had one of these 241 Hemi w/two-barrel witch came from a Dodge Coronet Royal station-wagon but squeezed it into a 1954 Hillman Two door hardtop sedan with its four-speed manual trans, and I worked where I had to dismantle a 1953 Chrysler Imperial also had a Hemi it was parted out fully I did most of the work at the dismantling.

Really looking forward to that little Hemi build, keep up the good work guys.

hi Dr Nick,it very cool that you let mopar People drop by the shop to see what is going on,anyway,I can not wait to see that nice old hemi run,we all know that ONLY you can do it,stay warm.

I agree with you NICK just bcs your revving your engine doesn't mean your building horsepower actually your most likely losing horsepower and damaging the engine If you shit at the peak power instead high rpm you'll be faster also Love the video's you and your crue is butting out

cant wait to see the 1954 hemi build....it is going to be a sweet engine...

Cranked up my feed Got a Nicks Garage session He's a Mopar professor Here endeth the lesson

Best Automotive Channel On RU-vid 😀😊😊👍🏼 Nicks Garage

Fancy that aye Nick that first Gen Hemi will be like new and better once you've worked your Magic, can't wait to see it finished though! The 440 sounds real sweet and a goer for the Kowalski Project!

Smart move magnafluxing the first gen hemi. I know some guys who restored a Chris Craft Barrel Back Speedster. They rebuilt the Hercules six but didn't check for cracks. The block was cracked and we had to go fetch it. I got to go along and bring it back from Alabama to Minnesota

Nick, Finally a 1954 Red Ram baby Hemi! 150 hp maybe? The start of the Hemi. Now do every Hemi engine from there. Dyno each one and see what you can do! Shawn

That Hemi will start collecting Social Security this year.

very cool Nick I have never seen this old of a hemi, can't wait for the build please keep us updated.

Had a good older friend in New Orleans with a super old school Hemi collection. Really large and approx a dozen pristine Mopars including a really nice Cuda. Had mainly old stuff. Mostly 331 and a few 392/426’s. Entire warehouse was flooded during Katrina. Insurance paid minimal. Agent hadn’t inventoried anything properly. He was heartbroken. He didn’t even try to save anything. He got a FEMA trailer at his daughters house and didn’t go back to his warehouse. SouthernScrap came and bulldozed the entire property to grade. It was horrible seeing all those cars and engines from the 50/60’s all headed for the furnace. He past away less than a year later. I still think of the money lost there.

The first one was in the early 50s. a red ram my father had a Dodge Texan red ram . It was blue and white. Had a ram head on the hood with red eyes.

That 241 is going to make some awesome content can't wait !

We had 2 of these one in a55 coronet,and one in 56 Royal Lancer with the D500 kit .The Coronet was 3 on the tree,the Lancer was a Powerflite,that was converted to a 3 spd on the floor.The Coronet quite at a a hundred thousand miles ,the local garage rebuilt it for 500 dollors that was reasonable in 58,and that was pistons ,rings, valve job etc i would love to put one in a 64 dart.

Really looking forward to watching the progress on that Gen1 hemi. We'll have to start calling you "The Archeologist" lol.

Awesome! Iv got a 241 to rebuild, can’t wait to seeing this one come back to life!!

Wow - I'd sure like to see that 241 Hemi come back to life.

Nick & the boyz! Cool 1st gen relic HEMI! Hope it can be salvaged.

Always thought it was kinda odd chrysler didn't make a 4 bbl Intake that year. That's why they sourced the offy intake. That's actually the stock intake. You got this covered nick!

WOW! that 241 is gonna be an awesome project and have a cool outcome im sure!!.

I'm "gassed" for the Hemi build. How awesome.

You got a new subscriber. Love your humbleness and passion for quality work.

Hey Again Nick. Now I'm sure that you do Know the Chrysler Hemi began Life as a Marine Engine Developed for the US Navy near the End of WW2 and then was Scrapped because the war was ending. Chrysler then began Using them in 1949 in The Chrysler Imperial as they needed a Engine to Compete with the Cadillac for performance. And since they Didn't have another Design ready at the time they pulled those Marine Hemi's out of the warehouse and adapted them for road use. Thus the Legend Began.

Thanks for another great and informative video!! Did I hear 241 ci? Talk about little brother!!

I love this show! I dream of the Kowalski car everynight!!!! Thanks Nick this is exciting!

Geez I would come to hang out with you Nick... But I would probably never leave just pick up a wrench and start to work.. egads.. I did the same thing with the cardboard with my very first rebuild when I was 16.... Just because I wasn't sure if I could rebuild a car motor.. I had been rebuilding old lawn mower engines since I was 12 but wasn't completely sure about a car..But it ran fine when I was done.. once I really learned engines I was surprised that I ever got that bad boy running.. anyway thanks so much for the share and a look at an old hemi red!

Those hemi engines powered alot of air sirens horns for military. Cool stuff!!

That old Hemi couldn't have gone to a better man to rebuild it when Nick is done with this engine, she'll be just like brand new, except a lot better.

Great video ! Thanks to all that make them possible Never a dull moment @ Nicks Garage .

can't wait for the 241 build gets started. Love that mule, it has a nasty sound to it too.

Try a cool can and see what it can do!! Nice work team Nick!!

Thank you.

I love you man, and your show is the greatest. You are fun to listen to. Jerry in Tampa FL.

It's interesting to view the first gen Red Ram HEMI you're working on. = ) Back in the mid 70's my neighbour bought a 55? Dodge (not sure model) that had the Red Ram HEMI. The lady he got the car from said it sat in the garage for years after her husband passed, as she didn't drive. The couple enjoyed going cross Canada many times (problem free) in that car.

awesome job on the demon440!!!!!!!!!!!The old school hemi well it speaks for itself. Thanks for another great video:)

Such a TRUE gentleman Nick is !

Thank you, Nick.

NIck, these videos make me smile! Can't get enough of em!