Ask any Challenger racer who’s been doing battle in recent NHRA Factory Stock Showdown, NMCA Factory Super Car, or the Modern Street HEMI classes for the last few years, and they’ll tell you obtaining a replacement Gen-III HEMI  block in aluminum was like winning Powerball.

Every time a racer made a pass down the strip in their Drag Pak, it was like playing Russian Roulette. If their HEMI block had a massive failure, the racer’s season was likely done.

The same holds for street enthusiasts and weekend racers running a Gen-III HEMI with a ton of boost. Many Gen-III HEMI devotees crossed their fingers and rubbed their good luck charms before whacking the throttle in their 1,500-horsepower HEMI-powered machines on a seven-second pass. They were praying their factory iron HEMI block wouldn’t self-destruct with a connecting rod flying out of the side.

The situation has been dire for the last 24 months—more, actually. Supplier issues, COVID-19, and the general upheaval in the performance parts industry created a product vacuum. But now, the diehard Mopar faithful can rejoice as the fine folks at Callies Performance come bearing gifts in the form of their brand new Gen-III HEMI aluminum block.

Callies’ new Gen-III HEMI aluminum block is a thing of beauty and would look great under any Christmas Tree. Like production Gen-III iron HEMI blocks, the Callies unit accepts the production timing cover, engine mounts, A8 automatic, or old school 727/904 small-block TorqueFlite.

The Callies/Energy Manufacturing team led by Heath Norton has been hard at work these last 16 months engineering, designing, casting, and machining a new line of Gen-III HEMI aluminum blocks not only for Drag Pak racers but anyone looking to make serious power in a modern HEMI engine. This includes those crazy street cars taking part in Sick Week.

“I was born into this business, and I’m the fourth generation to run our companies, says Norton. “My father started Callies Performance as an offshoot of Norton Manufacturing in 1989, and we started Energy in 2009 as a new company to do oil and gas work, along with defense. Since then, we’ve moved into doing a lot of engine blocks and other automotive components.

“Our relationship with Mopar began about five years ago when they (Mopar) were looking for a home on the Gen-II Cast Iron HEMI blocks. Mopar was at the point where they needed a partner and not just a vendor. Mopar approached me about setting up a licensing agreement for Callies to produce and sell the Gen-II HEMI blocks on their behalf. With that, we got the GEN 2 HEMI and 440 Wedge blocks off the ground and back into production.” With the steady stream of Gen-II HEMI and Wedge blocks flowing from Callies’ facility into the hands of WDs, engine builders, and racers, they shifted their focus to the GEN 3 HEMI block.

Like a proud father looking over his kids, Heath Norton, president of Callies Performance Products, makes sure any block, crankshaft, or anything else it manufactures in-house is right before it goes out the door of its Ohio facility. The tolerances and materials have improved dramatically while Callies pushed the envelope to improve its products.

“We then moved into producing an aluminum GEN 3 HEMI block to support the Direct Connection Challenger Drag Pak program but also the Hellephant crate engines. The blocks we developed for the Direct Connection’s Hellephant program can use many production G3 HEMI components and support serious horsepower in numerous street applications,” noted Heath.

Just like Callies’ prior program on the GEN 2 HEMI and Wedge blocks, the new GEN 3 HEMI block is licensed through Stellantis, and they are cast with Mopar’s iconic omega “M” logo, and the “P” part number is stamped on the side of the block near the oil pan rail.

“With our relationship with Mopar, we developed a program on the modern HEMI blocks that supports the racer and enthusiast. One of the things we have to do is protect those racers, enthusiasts, and the Mopar brand,” says Heath.

Callies’ new Gen-III HEMI block is licensed by Mopar Direct Connection (just like its cast iron Gen-II HEMI block) and has Mopar’s iconic omega “M” cast on the side while the “P” part number with the specific block stamped above the oil pan rail. As of right now, the blocks are going through final evaluation with the SRT engineering team, and then the Drag Pak block will be submitted to NHRA for approval as a legal replacement for Challenger Drag Paks competing in the Factory Stock Showdown.

During the development processes on the Gen-III HEMI block, it went through many iterations as Callies took the established design to ensure they were being made per the blueprints. There had been many running changes on the blocks’ casting process that had not been documented that the Callies’ team caught.

Both the Drag Pak and Hellephant Callies-produced HEMI blocks will go through rigorous testing.—Heath Norton, Callies Performance

“We had to start from scratch, which caused the block to be delayed, but we got with the Mopar engineers to update the prints and make sure all the revisions had been captured, documented, and, therefore, a current product,” Norton says.

To make sure Callies’ new Gen-III HEMI blocks can withstand the rigors and support the insane 1,500 – 2,000 horsepower engine builders are getting from the modern HEMI architecture, Heath and his team have been working very hard on a validation process with input from SRT Mopar and other major players in the Gen-III HEMI world.

In developing the new aluminum Gen-III HEMI block, Callies did a deep dive and researched all the nuances of the existing block and made it stronger. It developed a computer program to record the data, including measurements that make the block round, straight, and have the proper wall thickness and deck height. The result is a stout piece capable of handling the horsepower supercharged Drag Paks make, and in some cases, can approach close to the 2,000-horse mark.

“It’s a conjoint effort between BES Racing Engines, DSM (Don Schumacher Manufacturing), and Callies,” says Norton. “The validation process is a very stringent test to make sure the block holds power and does everything it’s supposed to do for Mopar’s Drag Pak and Hellephant crate engines

“Both the Drag Pak and Hellephant Callies-produced HEMI blocks will go through rigorous testing. BES does the dyno testing that includes numerous simulation runs that replicate drag, road race, and street driving. It’s over a 33-hour test on their computer-controlled dyno. Once the dyno validation is complete, DSM confirms the block is made to the blueprint specs. Once the validation process is complete, Callies will be able to sell blocks to whoever wants to buy them,” according to Heath.

With the days of the production 5.7L, 6.4L/392, and 6.2L HEMI engines numbered, Callies looks at this as an opportunity. Recently, other aftermarket companies have jumped into the Gen-III HEMI block business by offering cast iron and aluminum versions. “Yes, those other companies are competitors, but a rising tide lifts all ships. If the Mopar brand is supported not just by us but also by companies like Dart or HHP, it benefits all of us,” said Heath. A healthy environment of competition forces companies to design, build, and offer better products at competitive prices. Customers of Gen-III HEMI engines will reap the rewards.

Challenger Drag Pak racers have been waiting a long time for a replacement block. In some cases, they’ve dialed back their combo to save the engines from catastrophic failure. There’s almost a black market on aluminum Gen-III HEMI blocks as some engine builders were hoarding the few remaining units that were made a few years ago from the original supplier.

Callies has plans to make numerous versions of its new Gen-III HEMI block to satisfy the needs of most hardcore street enthusiasts and racers. These include a unique cast “dry” non-water jacket version that offers increased bore sizes along with modified cam tunnels and lifter bore angles.

Right now, Callies has two versions of the new aluminum Gen-III HEMI block for Direct Connection’s Hellephant crate engine and Drag Pak. Both are water blocks and use production engine mounts for modern Chrysler vehicles such as Challenger, Charger, 300, Durango, Grand Cherokee, and RAM. Since the Hellephant block (P/N: P5160271AA) keeps the production-style lifter angles, standard cam bore, and timing drive for VCT solenoid, this would make for a killer street piece, while the Drag Pak block (P/N: P5160272AA) has unfinished lifter bores, raised cam bore, and the 6.1L style drive with no VCT solenoid.

Will the Gen-III HEMI become as popular as the Chevy LS market? Probably not. But this modern HEMI that first came out in 2003 in the RAM 1500 truck with a 5.7L displacement has evolved into a supercharged 6.2L 1,025 horsepower monster in the 2023 Challenger Demon 170. With Callies providing blocks and other core Gen-III HEMI components for street and race Mopars, its popularity should continue expanding.

As of now, retail pricing has not been announced, but Heath assured us it will be in line with other aftermarket Gen-III HEMI blocks, and they are now available to dealers, WDs, and even direct from Callies.

Here are some specs on Callies new aluminum GEN 3 HEMI Blocks