More Than Merely Muscle - 1963 Dodge 330 Max Wedge

Chrysler's B-body Max Wedge powered twins are occasionally referred to as the first muscle cars, fitting the traditional definition of a full-size-car engine stuffed into an intermediate-line body. We ain't buying it.

Let us momentarily set aside the existence of the 1949 Olds 88, which matches the definition of a muscle car and arrived a baker's-dozen years before. In 1962, the new B-body was Mopar's idea of a full-size car. That the full-size Dodge and Plymouth should come within a couple of inches of Ford's midsize Fairlane was entirely by accident. A Chrysler exec had overheard Chevy boss Ed Cole at a party talking about his new downsized car for 1962. Cole had been discussing the Chevy II, but the Chrysler exec was convinced Cole was talking about the Impala, and upended Mopar's previous plans with an expensive and hurried downsizing program. The big Dart/Polara went away at the end of the '61 model year, and in 1962, the Dodge 330 was considered the division's full-sized model. It wasn't an intermediate-sized car, it was a smaller big car. It is true that when Dodge's sales tanked hard in '62, the company quickly pulled the big-car tooling out of mothballs, merged the '61 Dodge front end with the '62 Chrysler Newport and named it Dodge Custom 880 for the tail end of the '62 model year, suddenly making the B-body lines (330/440/Polara) intermediate-sized by default. We'll call it "midsize with an asterisk," then.

Then there was the engine itself, burly and imposing enough that referring to it as "Max Wedge" seemed too familiar. "Maximilian Wedge," perhaps. Or "Mr. Wedge." Though with as much engineering know-how as went into it, maybe "Dr. Wedge" is more appropriate. In any event, we're not convinced that M. Wedge, Esq., strictly fits the muscle car definition either. When Olds dropped the Ninety-Eight's new-for-'49 OHV V-8 into a lowly Series 76 to create the 88, no tweaking or fettling was done to the engine beyond making it fit. Pontiac's Tri-Power 389 in the GTO was simply repurposing an existing engine and dropping it in place of the Le Mans's 326, which shared external dimensions. They were production engines in lighter bodies. But while the Max Wedge had its bones in other production- car engines, it shared only their general architecture-- these engines were specially set up for track duty and vastly improved.

Based on the RB engine, itself evolved from the OHV B-series engine that had been new for 1959, the 413-cubic-inch RB was full of high-performance parts. Factory-stress-relieved severe-duty blocks featured larger oil passages. A pair of four-barrel manual-choke Carter carburetors sat atop a staggered-carb cross-ram intake, with a series of 15-inch ram tubes beneath to help build torque. Forged pistons (with compression ratios of 11:1 or 13.5:1) rotated on Magnaflux-tested connecting rods. The crankshaft was treated to hardened journals and bearings. A high-lift (.520-inch) camshaft also offered greater exhaust- valve duration. Solid mechanical lifters and high-load doublevalve springs controlled valve float up to 6,500 rpm. Cast-iron rocker arms replaced stamped steel, and tubular pushrods replaced solid-steel pieces. Cylinder heads saw the heat-crossover passage eliminated, but gained huge 2.08/1.88-inch valves and 25-percent-larger ports for increased breathing capabilities. The size of the exhaust valves meant the cylinder bores needed to be relieved for clearance. Exhaust manifolds were cast-iron, but blew into factory three-inch pipes that featured optional cutouts. (The rest of the exhaust was Dodge's standard 2-inch fare.) A high-volume mechanical fuel pump, an oil pan equipped with baffles to prevent starvation, deep-groove engine pulleys, and a dual-breaker distributor feeding low-resistance wires and colder-range spark plugs were all part of the Max Wedge. All of the RB blocks had a 3.75-inch stroke, and when the Max Wedge debuted, a 4.17-inch bore meant it displaced 413 cubic inches, putting out 425 horses with 13.5:1 compression.

It's hard to stare into the gaping maw of a legend and not come away impressed. Four-hundred and twenty-six cubes (give or take .030-over). Special intake and carbs. Special heads. Special internals. Special block prep. Special exhaust...

The rest of the car was beefed up to follow suit. Order the heavy-duty Borg-Warner T85 three-speed aluminum-housing manual trans (no four-speeds till '64, remember) and receive shot-peened gears and extensions, a 101⁄2-inch clutch, a sturdier torque shaft, and more. Move up to the A727 TorqueFlite threespeed automatic, full of heavy-duty components, and get ready for 5,600-rpm upshifts if you dare stay in the throttle long enough to get there. Both got power out to the rear tires (four-ply rayon 7.50-14s) via a specially balanced driveshaft, and an 83⁄4 ring and pinion--with Sure-Grip, of course--via standard 3.91 gears, or one of a host of optional ratios. Oh, and this engine was not available in the reintroduced 880 line. Therefore, it's not a full-size-car engine.

Other Detroit brands had dealer-available race engines for 1962 (e.g. Pontiac's 421 Super Duty, Ford's 405-horse 406, Chevy's one-horse- per-cube 409), but they were installed in heavy full-sized cars that blunted their impact. ("More Live Action ... Less Dead Weight!" crowed Dodge.) Other brands had chassis that were sized on par with the downsized full-size '62 Mopars (the all-new Ford Fairlane comes to mind), but didn't have the factory-installed chutzpah to compete yet.

In late 1962, ACCUS (the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, American racing's sanctioning body) imposed a seven-liter limit (427 cubes) on racing engines, and Mother Mopar quickly snuggled right up to the limit. Starting June 1, 1963, a larger 4.25-inch bore meant 426 cubic inches. Neither the power nor the torque rating moved, and with the bulk of the engine tweaks carried over, Mopar moved toward shedding pounds from its already-competitive cars with aluminum noses and other lightweight parts for improved weight distribution and less mass to push down the track.

The result was instant dragstrip domination: Dodge and Plymouth were knocking down class records all over the land, mid-12-second runs were de rigueur, and Chrysler Corporation was building its high-performance reputation one weekend at a time. Quarter-mile track and national records crumbled in their wake; there was so much power on tap that the what passed for slick tires of the time couldn't handle the pressure without going up in smoke (thus bringing in altered-wheelbase cars, which soon led to funny cars).

The NASCAR circuit was little different. In a 53-race 1962 Grand National season, Plymouth won three of the first 35 races--then won eight of the last 18, including a six-race streak that saw Richard Petty and Jim Paschal trade victories. In '63, with 55 races on the calendar, Mopar took 19 outright victories, including another six-race Plymouth streak with Petty and Paschal swapping the top spot. Senor Wedge, at your service.

But as is so often the case, these image cars were often seen but rarely purchased. In late 1963, ticking off the Ramcharger 426 box on the order form meant that you were going to pony up $682.50-- not a small amount of cash when you consider that the Dodge 330 started at $2,352. That's three grand for something that is, grille aside, largely devoid of brightwork. No radio. No heater. Just an engine and a place to put it. Only 162 Max Wedges were built for the 1963 model year, in all combinations of 11:1 and 13.5:1 compression, stick and automatic, steel nose and aluminum.

This sparse specification is what attracted Joe Vitello to this particular Max Wedge-equipped Dodge 330. Now retired and living in Springfield, Pennsylvania, Joe had long since been bitten by the B-body bug, having owned a '64 Fury since 1968, a 383/four-barrel-equipped '71 Satellite Sebring Plus. During the mid-to-late-'80s Joe also picked up another Max Wedge '63 Dodge 330, this one an 11:1-compression car. That other one came first: "It was an early-production three-speed stick car, and it was supposed to be white with red interior, but someone painted it red. I started to restore it, tore it apart, and accumulated a bunch of parts for it ... and I never did anything with it. I bought this car just a couple of years after the other one, from a friend of mine, in 1990, with the intention of using the door panels because they weren't making reproduction door panels then. Then reproductions came out."

And a bit of sense kicked in. Yeah, this one had a roll bar in it, as well as incorrect seats. But it was a factory red-on red, 13.5:1, three-speed-manual Max Wedge with neither heater nor radio installed from the factory. That was enough for Joe to shift his focus to the newer purchase; the white one was put on the back burner and eventually sold.

It was the confluence of options (or lack thereof) that moved Joe to favor this car. Though he knew that not many could have been so equipped, he didn't actually know how rare it was until a few years ago. One of 162 is rare enough for most, and he had two of them for a time, but when you factor in the 13.5:1 compression and the three-speed stick, you're looking at one of 56 made, according to Darrell Davis's sold-out 1962-'64 Max Wedge Serial Number Guide.

"But I always knew this car was a real Max Wedge, just from little differences." Such as? "There's a brake line that goes across the firewall that's routed differently than a regular '63 Dodge production car, because of the cross-ram intake. Also, there were some brackets that held the emergency-brake cable above the exhaust pipes, which are unique pieces. There are also some differences with the way the wire harness ran across the inner fenders.

Things like that. "Whoever raced it before I had it used a street wedge, not a Max Wedge, and a TorqueFlite--even though it's an original T85 car. More recently it had been raced with a 383, but I bought it as a rolling chassis. It wasn't tubbed--I probably wouldn't have purchased it if it had been tubbed. I'm not that into having so much metal work done on a car, and tubs would have been too much." An era-correct 13.5:1 426 Max Wedge had been acquired in Joe's parts-gathering process for the first car, as had an era-correct T85 three-speed. Neither are original to this car, but both are correct for it.

Joe is proud that, save for paint, he completed this build himself. "It was touch and go for a couple of years, and I didn't do anything. Then I really got going in the mid-2000s. I got the mechanicals together first, and made sure I had everything I needed. I sandblasted underneath and got it in shape for paint, which was completed in June of 2007. My first car show with it was an AACA event in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in May 2009. Other than paint, I put the whole car together-- the assembly was all done by myself. I get a better feeling from doing it myself than if I'd purchased a car that was already restored or if I'd sent it out to someone to do it. There's a part of me in the car now."

So, are the Max Wedge twins muscle cars? We say no. The stuff that made them, their power and size, and their outsized accomplishments put them beyond the definition of what we now call a muscle car. Max Wedgeequipped Mopars were race cars, full stop. Yes, you could buy one at a dealership and drive it off the showroom floor. You could turn 12s in Joe Vitello's '63 Dodge 330 today without trying. "Super car" was the term tossed around in the '60s buff books, and Max Wedge Mopars like this immaculate '63 Dodge 330 were probably the first to deserve the "Super Car" moniker. Most of what came afterwards was merely muscle.

Owner's View

I like the stripped-down cars. These, when they were sold, weren't muscle cars. They were race cars. In a separate owner's manual, they told you that this car is not meant for everyday use, and used "for supervised acceleration trials only." That's what they were built for.

I kept this one because it's a 13.5:1 car, factory radio and heater delete, and thought it would be the neater car to keep. The 13.5:1 cars were basically for someone who wanted to race, and lots of them sold without radio or heater. This one was sold on the East Coast, and with the heater delete, you're not going to drive it in wintertime.

Since I finished it in 2009, I've only driven to a few local shows--I 've only had it out half a dozen times. Generally, I go to AACA events; it was awarded Senior Grand National in 2012 in Shelbyville, Tennessee. I'm going to try for a repeat in 2018, in Greensburg, PA. There are a couple of little things I want to take care of before then. After that, I'll drive it more.--Joe Vitello

1963 DODGE 330 MAX WEDGE

425 horsepower @ 5,600 RPM

480 lb-ft torque @ 4,400 RPM

1/4-mile: 11.96 seconds @ 116.42 MPH*

SPECIFICATIONS

PRICE

Base price: $2,352

Options on car profiled: 425-hp Ramcharger V-8

ENGINE

Type: Chrysler RB-series OHV V-8, cast-iron block and cylinder heads

Displacement: 426 cubic inches

Bore x stroke: 4.25 (plus .030) inches x 3.75 inches

Compression ratio: 13.5:1

Horsepower @ rpm: 425 @ 5,600

Torque @ rpm: 480 lb-ft @ 4,400

Valvetrain: Solid valve lifters

Main bearings: Five

Fuel system: Two Carter AFB four-barrel carburetors, mechanical pump

Lubrication system: Full pressure; gear-type pump

Electrical system: 12-volt

Exhaust system: Max Wedge high-flow, cast-iron manifolds; three-inch aluminized dual exhaust

TRANSMISSION

Type: Borg-Warner T85 three-speed manual

Ratios: 1st 2.10:1

2nd 1.44:1

3rd 1.00:1

Reverse 2.73:1

DIFFERENTIAL

Type: Corporate housing, 8 3/4-inch ring and pinion, Sure-Grip limited-slip

Ratio: 3.91:1

STEERING

Type: Recirculating ball; manual

Ratio: 26:1

Turns, lock-to-lock: 4.5

Turning circle: 42.0 feet

BRAKES

Type: Hydraulic, four-wheel manual drum

Front: 10 x 2.5-inch drum

Rear: 10 x 2.5-inch drum

CHASSIS & BODY

Construction: Unitized, all-steel

Body style: Two-door, six-passenger sedan

Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive

SUSPENSION

Front: Independent: upper and lower control arms, torsion bars, Oriflow shock absorbers

Rear: Solid axle: unequal semi-elliptical leaf springs, Oriflow shock absorbers

WHEELS & TIRES

Wheels: Stamped-steel, drop-center

Front 14 x 6 inches

Rear 14 x 6 inches

Tires: Tubeless, Tyrex four-cord rayon construction, blackwall

Front 7.50-14

Rear 7.50-14

WEIGHTS & MEASURES

Wheelbase: 119 inches

Overall length: 208.2 inches

Overall width: 76.5 inches

Overall height: 54 inches

Front track: 59.4 inches

Rear track: 57.5 inches

Shipping weight: N/A

CAPACITIES

Crankcase: 7 quarts (including filter)

Cooling system: 17 quarts (with heater)

Fuel tank: 20 gallons

CALCULATED DATA

Bhp per cu.in.: 0.997

Weight per bhp: N/A

Weight per cu.in.: N/A

PRODUCTION

Dodge built 56 two-door 330 models with 426 Max Wedge power for 1963.

PERFORMANCE

0-60 mph: N/A

1/4-mile ET: 11.96 seconds @ 116.42 mph*

Top speed: N/A

*Race-prepped Ramchargers 1963 Dodge, racing at Pomona, California.