Tom Hoover, Father of the Hemi, Passed Away

[zebra03]

http://blog.fcanorthamerica.com/2015/05/01/we-mourn-the-passing-of-the-father-of-the-426-hemi/

He had quite a life and my friend Mr Mopar had the pleasure of meeting him .

 

[PastTechFan]

Thanks for that.

I recall the Ramchargers with their amazing max wedge engines, and altered wheelbase. Hoover did some amazing things. R.I.P.

 

[Yamaki]

I met Mr. Hoover some years ago at a HEMI Reunion and had a great time listening to his stories of HEMI development, racing, his team and their struggles.

I own two HEMI powered vehicles at this time and I really enjoy the power of that iconic engine.

 

[MaxxVolume]

Travel well, Mr. Hoover !

 

[noogies]

I've read many of his reminiscences about hemi development and the old Ramchargers days and always enjoyed them. What a great life he must have had. Plus, he always seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Rest well, Tom.

Thanks for the post.

 

[Kingshead]

Not to belittle his passing, outstanding achievements, father of the 426 hemi, but certainly not the hemi design. Jaguar was running dual overhead cam hemis before Dodge ever built a pushrod hemi. No Jaguar aslo didnt invent the hemi, only used the design to win Le Mans numerous times.

 

[MaxxVolume]

Not to belittle his passing, outstanding achievements, father of the 426 hemi, but certainly not the hemi design. Jaguar was running dual overhead cam hemis before Dodge ever built a pushrod hemi. No Jaguar aslo didnt invent the hemi, only used the design to win Le Mans numerous times.

Also, Zora Arkus-Duntov (the father of the Corvette), along with his brother, designed and built Hemi heads for the flathead Ford engines back in 1947. The Ardun heads allowed HP figures above 300, a remarkable figure back then.

 

[GuyK]

Tough day for MoPar fans. RIP, Mr.Hoover.

 

[quaddriver]

Holy cow, last friday, and last week I was reading some of his stuff for another reason.

I lived by him in huntingdon for many a year. Met him in person for the first time at 'sams garage' in a back alley in huntingdon. Kind old gentleman who forgot more than most will ever know.

What is not often mentioned is his other passion.....model trains. If he was not near a car, he was near model locos!

 

[68custom]

Also, Zora Arkus-Duntov (the father of the Corvette), along with his brother, designed and built Hemi heads for the flathead Ford engines back in 1947. The Ardun heads allowed HP figures above 300, a remarkable figure back then.

Duesenberg beat them both with a DOHC head in the 30s.
RIP.Tom

 

[slow_jazz]

RIP Tom.

Loved the old Mopar muscle cars...

 

[Kingshead]

Duesenberg beat them both with a DOHC head in the 30s.
RIP.Tom

But was it a hemi is the question. Apparently the design dates back centuries to mortars and cannons, and was used in the internal cobustion engine at least as far back as 1901.

 

[grillebilly]

But was it a hemi is the question. Apparently the design dates back centuries to mortars and cannons, and was used in the internal cobustion engine at least as far back as 1901.

I believe by definition a Hemi should be half a circle. There were quite a few engines that had a hemispherical combustion chamber, with opposing valve locations. The current Chrysler design is much shallower, and is nothing like the original design. Therefore it really isn't a Hemi.
None of this should take away from the achievements of Mr. Hoover. RIP.

 

[Tom Brennan]

I think some guys buy Dodge V-8 trucks just so they can say "hemi".

 

[g..v]

The real Hemi Hemis were not much of a hemisphere either. I don't think the chamber on my '54 331 is much more than an inch or so deep. The difference with the early ones is that they weren't offset and If I'm right with my description, the spark plug may be in the true center. 426 flavor had the chamber shifted so the massively wide head would fit in the engine compartment. Don't ask me about the "revival" engines.

 

[noogies]

I think some guys buy Dodge V-8 trucks just so they can say "hemi".

I've got a V-8 in my Dodge truck, but all I can say is "4.7 liter SOHC modular design aluminum-head V-8." So I just don't talk about it.

 

[g..v]

Dodge did have other V8 engines between the 426 and the late ( 2005 on-current) hemi. I don't think the 360 or 318 varieties ever advanced to 4 valve/cylinder.

 

[needforspeed]

Remember seeing the "Showtime" Vette FC match races at Orange County International Raceway, Back in the day. Always put on a helleva show. Ahh, The 70's. Way to much fun! RIP to a drag racing pioneer.