Stellantis
While the original Chrysler 426 cubic inch HEMI rampaged through drag strips and NASCAR tracks during the 1960s, obliterating the competition, the engine itself had its own share of problems. It was complex and expensive to manufacture, it was heavier and wider than it needed to be, and a cheaper replacement was needed for the company's muscle cars.
In addition to these issues with the 426 HEMI, Chrysler's other performance engines also had problems. The company had two different mass-produced V8 engines, the 383/400 cubic inch and the 440 cubic inch, which were on two completely different short blocks. A new project was to be the solution to all of Chrysler's big-block engine problems. It would be known as the Ball-Stud HEMI, so-called because its valves were operated by rocker arms that were ball-mounted.
The primary objective of the Ball-Stud HEMI project was to make two different displacements of a production-ready, cost-effective, high-performance V8 that could replace all of these existing engines. This would be done by building both a 400 cubic inch and a 444 cubic inch mill on a common cylinder block, while also using a common casting for the cylinder head. The project received the designation A279, and it was official. While the origin of the first HEMI engine in a car takes us back to 1905, Chrysler revealed its first automotive HEMI in 1951. Since then, there have been many different HEMI engines made by Chrysler.
What happened to the forgotten Chrysler Hemi that never made it to production?
Stellantis
Of the three to 12 engines developed for this project, only a single prototype of the Ball-Stud HEMI survives, with a 1969 date cast into its block. It was somewhat similar to both a Cleveland-type Ford engine and a big-block Chevy in its appearance. The prototype came out being over six inches more narrow than the original HEMI, as well as over 100 pounds lower in weight, so its mission was accomplished on that front.
About a year's worth of work went into the Ball-Stud HEMI project, which was slated to have its engines going into production at some point between 1971 and 1973. But the storm clouds were already rising over the muscle car's future. Insurance rates, emissions regulations, and a fuel crisis were all conspiring to kill off this high performance era, just when it was getting started. Another major issue for Chrysler was that the new Ball-Stud HEMI would require a substantial amount of new equipment to produce it, and Chrysler was suffering through some serious financial problems at the time. The Ball-Stud HEMI project was stopped forever in 1969.
The Ball-Stud HEMI project was a clever way to solve several different engine production problems simultaneously, ranging from the sheer cost and bulk of the existing street HEMI to a better way of producing the company's standard V8 engines. It's an interesting piece of history and one more fact every car enthusiast should know about HEMI engines.
