The 2003 5.7-litre Hemi V8The technology of the latest Hemi - and a quick look at the pastby Julian EdgarClick on pics to view larger images |
However, in the end, the company chose a 2-valves-per-cylinder, overhead valve, hemispherical combustion chamber approach. The 5.7-litre Hemi was introduced for the 2003 model year Ram series of pick-up trucks.
So what makes this engine better than the engines of 20, 30, and 40 years ago that the specifications appear so similar to?
New Design Aims
DaimlerChrysler engineers had these aims for the new engine:
- engine performance
- noise/vibration/harshness (NVH)
- reliability and serviceability
- leak free
- fuel economy
- exhaust emissions
- quality
- mass reduction
- "no touch"
- reduced part count
But let's have a look at the design in more detail.
Block
The main bearing caps were made from powder metal and used cross-bolting with a single M8 bolt each side. A 99.5mm bore and a 90.9mm stroke were used, with a bore spacing of 113.3mm.
Extensive use of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) was made in the design of the block, primarily in order that it be made as light as possible while still being cast from iron. In addition, the "no touch" goal was addressed - this referred to a manufacturing process that prevented any finished surface from being touched once it had been machined or ground.
Heads
The heads were cast from A319F aluminium alloy and each had a mass of approximately 13.6kg, a substantial 9kg reduction over the previous 5.9-litre engine. The heads were bolted to the block using M12 bolts spaced around the bores and M8 bolts near the intake manifold. Intake valves were 50.8mm in diameter and exhaust valves, 39.4mm. The intakes were angled at 18 degrees relative to the head surface, while the exhaust valves were at 16.5 degrees. The valve seats and valve guides were made from powdered metal.
The valve bridge was kept wide in order that adequate cooling flow could be maintained; this was seen as especially important in the truck applications of the engine where it could be expected to be working hard for long periods.
CAE was used to optimise the coolant flow within the heads, which was primarily a 'U-flow' beginning at the rear of each head and exiting at the front into the cylinder block. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics, fillets and ribs were added to the internal head coolant passages in order that higher velocity flows occurred in critical cooling zones.
The cylinder head gaskets were three-layer stainless steel with a compressed thickness of 0.7mm.
Front Cover
The water pump was also die-cast from SAE A380 alloy. It used an internal coolant bypass and an 89mm diameter, fully-shrouded nylon impeller.
Intake Manifold
The intake system, made from seven sub-assemblies formed from Nylon 6, used an 11.3 litre plenum volume and intake runners that were each 273mm long. Each runner tapered from a diameter of 50mm at the plenum to 43mm at the heads. The intake plenum volume was kept low to "achieve excellent throttle response and minimise idle speed variation". When compared with intake port flow alone, the intake system caused a 10 per cent flow restriction at maximum power.
To reduce NVH, the intake assembly used a 3-chamber Helmholtz intake resonator (see Driving Emotion), extensive ribbing and a minimum 3mm wall thickness on all exposed surfaces. A soundproofing pad was also attached to the base of the assembly, across the engine's valley.
Exhaust Manifolds
Lubrication
A geroter style pump, driven from the timing chain crankshaft sprocket, provided oil flow to the lubrication system. The pump was made from die-cast aluminium (housing), powdered metal (geroters) and cast iron (cover plate). It displaced 1.1 cubic inches per revolution and was sized to allow for "future oil system controlled devices" (perhaps variable cam timing or variable cylinder cut-off), worked at a relief pressure of 55 psi and used 5W-30 oil. The oil capacity was 7 quarts; smaller volumes created aeration problems at high rpm.
Crankshaft
The crank was cast from nodular iron. It used main journals that were 65mm in diameter, with the small-end journals 54mm. The design included deep-rolled undercut fillets to improve fatigue strength. A vibration damper was a press-fit on the nose of the crank; no keyway was used as part of the 'leak-free' design goal.
Con-Rods
Pistons
Conclusion
It is significant that despite starting with the proverbial 'clean sheet of paper', DaimlerChrysler engineers decided to go with a design that was very conventional in its engineering fundamentals. The engineers saw the advantages of the 5.7-litre Hemi design as:
- Class-leading performance with 41 per cent more power, 46 per cent greater power density and a torque increase of 12 per cent over the previous design
- Competitive fuel economy, high combustion stability and low specific exhaust emissions
- Highly integrated intake manifold assembly
| SAE paper 2002-01-2815: The New DaimlerChrysler Corporation 5.7 HEMI V8 Engine |
Hemis of the PastThe 5.7-litre is the fifth OHV Hemi Chrysler V8. Here are the previous designs:
The detail in the comparison between the '66 426 and the new 5.7-litre show some startling changes, even in the basic specifications.
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Courtesy of DaimlerChrysler, Some Hemi-Powered Cars...
1955 CHRYSLER 300
With a HEMI® engine mated to the new Powerflite automatic transmission, styling by Virgil Exner, plus power steering and power brakes, Chrysler product planners realized they had the ingredients for a car that in Italy would be called a Gran Turismo - a sport tourer. Despite a two-ton body and a luxurious cabin, a stock 300 powered by its 300 hp dual four-barrel, 331 c.i.d. HEMI® could nudge 125 mph. The Chrysler 300 was a performance blueblood from the beginning and is highly sought by collectors today.
1957 PLYMOUTH "SUDDENLY," THE HOT ROD MAGAZINE SPECIAL
When NASCAR introduced a new "Experimental" class for its Speedweeks at Daytona Beach in 1957, Wally Parks, co-founder of both Hot Rod Magazine and of the National Hot Rod Association, decided he'd play, too. Although the class was intended primarily for company-backed entries, Parks, then editor of Hot Road Magazine, and the magazine's technical writer Ray Brock "borrowed" a new Plymouth Savoy right off the line at Chrysler's Los Angeles plant. The name came from the Plymouth ad campaign at the time, "Suddenly It's 1960!"
A Chrysler HEMI® was modified to 389 c.i.d. and special exhaust headers added. Firestone racing tyres, roll bars and safety equipment were installed and the front end modified. Towed to the starting line at Daytona, it had never run under its own power. Nevertheless Parks hit 166.898 mph, and the two-way average over two miles was 159.893 mph! This was the fastest time run for the week, and was then the fastest closed-car run ever recorded at Daytona. In the process, Plymouth beat 13 other makes. Later that year, with a new HEMI® from Dean Moon, Ray Brock got the Plymouth to 183 mph at Bonneville.
After being reconverted to street use, the car was sold and disappeared. In 1995 Parks, then age 83, decided to recreate "Suddenly," but the body used was not a hardtop, which Parks felt was not authentic. Brock then gave him a hardtop as a birthday present and it became the source of the correct "postless" body. Parks has run "Suddenly II" a number of times in exhibition competition.
1967 GOULET & DENOBLE "PROBE" AA/FUEL DRAGSTER
1/4 mile/7.640 sec. 178.57mph
Following in the slick marks left by Don Garlits' Swamp Rat, HEMI® engines were a common choice for the supercharged, lightweight dragsters that ran in the AA/fuel class, burning nitromethane/alcohol mixtures. The rugged design of the HEMI® could withstand even the 1,200 to 1,500 hp generated by the cars. This dragster built in 1967 used a 1957 392 c.i.d. HEMI® as the starting point. It is equipped with Hilborn fuel injection and a Roots-type 8-71 supercharger. A Hayes sliding clutch couples the drive shaft directly to the solid rear axle. There is no transmission. Wheels are 16-inch, polished American mags with M & H racing slicks. Dubbed "Probe," this car competed in the Midwest between 1967-1969 for the Phil Goulet (tuning) and Ray DeNoble (driver) team.
Logghe Stamping Company of Warren, Mich., fabricated Probe's frame of chrome-molybdenum tubing; the aluminium body was fabricated by Al Bergler.
Length: 220"
Wheelbase: 185"
Max. Width: 48"
Minimum Ground Clearance: 3"
1967 "SILVER BULLET"
The saga of the "Silver Bullet" began with Jimmy Addison, the manager of a Sunoco station on Woodward Avenue, and a man known for his skill in setting up a car for drag racing competition. He was also famed as a street racer, driving a 1962 Max Wedge Dodge. Addison was respected by Chrysler performance engineers, who helped him acquire a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX used to set 440 four-bbl Wedge component combinations.
Connections at Chrysler also helped Addison build a bored and stroked HEMI® with aluminium heads, special cam, carburettors and pistons to replace the Wedge. The HEMI® was matched with a Torqueflight automatic transmission fitted with a 4,000 rpm stall converter, special rear end ratios and 12-inch slicks on the rear tyres. Addison installed fibreglass fenders, doors, hood and decklid to drop the overall weight by some 500 pounds. Flared rear fenders were necessary due to the wide slicks, and the car was painted silver. When journalist Ro McGonegal wrote about the car for the September 1971 issue of Car Craft magazine, he supplied the name - the "Silver Bullet."
Retired from racing, the "Silver Bullet" was found and restored by noted Mopar muscle car collector Harold Sullivan.
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