The first of the Keith Black aluminum Street Hemi engines resides between the fenderwells of John Herrmann's '62 Chrysler New Yorker, a fitting place for such an awesome engine.
There was a time when the name Keith Black, KB for short, was the only one that counted. You either ran with KB or you ran second. In the pro drag racing categories, KB's Chrysler Hemi has been the standard mill in the Fuel classes for several decades. Keith went from peddling parts to service stations to dominance of the Fuel market in the '70s, and his obsession with improving existing designs was evident throughout his career. Though he wasn't the first guy to build an aluminum Chrysler Hemi block, his design soon became the industry standard. He introduced his aluminum version of Chrysler's 426 Hemi in 1974, and it became the Fuel category's standard-issue engine for the better part of the next decade.
With a block available in bore sizes from 4.250 to 4.500 inches and a deck height from 10.725 to 11.250 inches, getting the right displacement is never a problem. The new block offers dry sleeves, so water in the oil is a thing of the past. Ken also added hydraulic lifter oil galleys and an internal oil pickup tube.
Sadly, KB passed away in 1991, leaving his son Ken to carry on the legacy and the family business. Today a new chapter in the Black family performance novel is being written, and the result is a legit KB crate Hemi that you can buy. Having produced its high-quality aluminum blocks for a number of years, Black now has cylinder heads and complete aluminum Hemi engines for sale, in displacements ranging from 426 through 573 ci and with a price tag of just a tick under 25 grand. These engines carry on in the footsteps of previous Black products as superior powerplants, and while they deliver excellent power and torque, they are built chiefly for the street performance market as a great running, lightweight musclecar engine.
Jim Shewbert of Jim Shewbert Racing walked us through the buildup of the very first Keith Black aluminum Hemi engine, a simple 426ci mill with an estimated 600hp output. The Keith Black name is a legend to many engine builders and Mopar fans today. While the company doesn't have the stranglehold on pro class competition that it did during the heyday of NHRA competition, the traditional excellence of these engines is clearly present.
Final product, ready to go. There's nothing like a Hemi engine-especially one that says Keith Black on the valve covers.
Parts List
KB components:
Keith Black aluminum block and cylinder heads
KB Street Hemi connecting rods
KB hypereutectic pistons, 10.25:1 compression
Accessories:
Pro Race damper
March accessory pulleys
Milodon oil pan
Millings M63 pump with oil filter
Induction and ignition:
Mallory ignition
Mopar Performance intake manifold
Demon 850-cfm carburetor
Valvetrain:
Comp Cams mechanical flat tappet, PN 24-308-4
Valve adjustment: 0.024-inch intake,0.026 exhaust
Gross valve lift: 0.557-inch intake, 0.540- inch exhaust
Duration at 0.050-inch lift: 250-degree intake, 250-degree exhaust
Lobe separation: 108 degrees
Lobe lift: 0.03560-inch intake, 0.3560- inch exhaust
COMP Cams valvesprings PN 925-16
SI intake valves: 2.250 inches; exhaust valves:1.900 inches
The Car It Went In
In the scheme of unusual vehicle platforms, John Herrmann's '62 Newport has to be unique. Having first purchased the car back in 1989 with a vision of building an eye-catching street performance car, he took nearly 20 years to pull the pieces together. Draped in bright red paint with Mickey Thompson tires wrapped around bead-lock wheels, the Newport commands attention at many Southern California car shows. Today Herrmann uses the Mopar as the testbed and mobile display stand for his One Grand Products paint-care line.
The car is built on an Alston subframe and four-link and is channeled over the frame to lower the ride height. A NASCAR Super Speedway front clip from Speedway Engineering and a full race chassis provide structure for the big Chrysler.
By far the most exciting aspect of the well-engineered build was the installation of the first of the new Keith Black Street Hemi crate engines. Sporting some 600-plus horsepower, this Newport is an amazing balance of unique styling and ultimate Chrysler power. A two-time SEMA display car, first in 1991 as a work in progress and then again in 2006 as a completed vehicle, Herrmann's Newport is a certain showstopper, especially when he twists the key and lets folks hear that KB Hemi roar.
