Real 63 max wedge?

[696pack]

i'm talking about the 64 race hemi there was no 65 street hemi only a 65 race hemi street hemis didnt hit the street until 1966 a street hemi wouldn't stand a chance against a max wedge as we all know.[/QUOTE]

I will put my 1966 dtreet Hemi up against a Max Wedge ANY day. Mine is built to NHRA stock class specs and I would race against any Max Wedge built to the same specs. Mine runs high 10s--low 11s.

 

[65DODGE]

i'm talking about the 64 race hemi there was no 65 street hemi only a 65 race hemi street hemis didnt hit the street until 1966 a street hemi wouldn't stand a chance against a max wedge as we all know.[/QUOTE]

I will put my 1966 dtreet Hemi up against a Max Wedge ANY day. Mine is built to NHRA stock class specs and I would race against any Max Wedge built to the same specs. Mine runs high 10s--low 11s.

i'm talking a bone stock off the showroom floor 1966 what ever model plymouth or dodge street hemi 425 hp car would not beat a crossram maxwedge super stock car not talking about your car in particular if your cars running the times you claim its far from stock how many times have you ran your car at the strip because of the lack of a roll cage in your car you would only have ran it once at one place running that fast with out one.

 

[skyman51]

i'm talking about the 64 race hemi there was no 65 street hemi only a 65 race hemi street hemis didnt hit the street until 1966 a street hemi wouldn't stand a chance against a max wedge as we all know.[/QUOTE]

I will put my 1966 dtreet Hemi up against a Max Wedge ANY day. Mine is built to NHRA stock class specs and I would race against any Max Wedge built to the same specs. Mine runs high 10s--low 11s.

The following is just my experience and opinion,which doesn't mean a whole lot as we all have them.What do you mean built to NHRA stock class specs. No stock street Hemi in any model body in the day ran better than 13's. Our group in 1968 had two street Hemi's. a GTX and a Superbee. I blew both of them away with my 1966 Chevelle SS L78 (396/375hp). The 1963 Polara 500 Max Wedge off the showroom floor, It doesn't have the light weight front end ran 12.6@114. The lightweigt version was reported by the car magazines of the day, to run a 12.0@117. This was just opening the cutouts and putting on some tires. Both cars ran in Super Stock Automatic. If you can beat a stock Max Wedge than your Hemi is not stock. High 10's-low11's is not a stock street Hemi motor.

 

[65DODGE]

The following is just my experience and opinion,which doesn't mean a whole lot as we all have them.What do you mean built to NHRA stock class specs. No stock street Hemi in any model body in the day ran better than 13's. Our group in 1968 had two street Hemi's. a GTX and a Superbee. I blew both of them away with my 1966 Chevelle SS L78 (396/375hp). The 1963 Polara 500 Max Wedge off the showroom floor, It doesn't have the light weight front end ran 12.6@114. The lightweigt version was reported by the car magazines of the day, to run a 12.0@117. This was just opening the cutouts and putting on some tires. Both cars ran in Super Stock Automatic. If you can beat a stock Max Wedge than your Hemi is not stock. High 10's-low11's is not a stock street Hemi motor.

thats what i'm saying.

 

[skyman51]

There is some serious smell here. Do the calculations. Take a 3350 ib. car (very generous) and quote high 10's - low 11's for 1/4 mile times. That would take 550 - 600 hp at the fly wheel. STOCK?

On the other hand take the same 3350 lb. car and 415 hp at the fly wheel and you will ge times like 12.5 -12.6 which is what a stock Max Wedge would do. Both Max Wedges were severely underated on horsepower and torque. When my 415hp 11.1 compression engine was rebuilt to complete stock specs, including using many original parts, it was dynoed on the engine stand with heders. 473HP! The 13.5.1 compression Max Wedge rated at 425 hp, was probably somewhere north of 500hp. The street Hemi was for us 16 and 17 year old bigshots to impress our friends. The Max Wedge was for serious racing. I never saw a Max Wedge on the street, only at the track and they were unbeatable in their class.

 

[383man]

The thing is no matter what you call the 62 to 64 Max Wedge cars anyone could walk in and buy one and then drive it on the street all they want. The street Hemi was really like a choked up race Hemi and in stock form could not run to its true potential.
I feel the 63 and 64 Max Wedges were the fastest Mopars that were stock right off the showroom floor. I have a 63 Hot Rod where they just put on the old cheater slicks which were still junk back then and opened the cut outs. Ran 12.69 @ 112 ! I dont know of any car bone stock with just crappy cheater slicks slapped on that ran in the 12's. I know Ronnie Sox got 12.60's out of a 69 Hemi Roadrunner but it had headers and a racer brown cam in it with slicks I believe. The Hemi to me was more of an all out race eng all choked up on the street and thats why unless you put good exhaust and intake system on it and good tires it was really held back. Thats why the Max Wedge was faster in all stock trim. In fact even in 1964 when the Hemi first hit the track it was running mid 11's just like the Max Wedges. After the Hemi was worked and they changed the cam they were running low 11's in later 64. I like all Mopars and certainly dont want to fight with other Mopar people about which Mopar was the fastest but I just call it as I see it. The best Hemi cars were the 68 A-bodies as they took full advantage of the Hemi strong points and thats why they ran 10.50's right out of the box. Ron

 

[super-bee_ski]

Lots of "fakes" out there.
As a matter of fact: a "well respected" Muscle Car magazine just had an article on a 63 Polara Max Wedge "vert" that, in some circles, the experts think may be a clone.
Not my opinion, their opinion. Either way, truly magnificant pieces of automotive history.
I'm currently doing a 63 Polara, 440 built "Max Wedge" w/ a pushbutton.
A story I heard in Dayton Ohio by an "old timer" was someone had a Thunderbolt. Real fast. Some guy came in one night w/ a "plain Jane" 63 Dodge 330. They both lined up and at takeoff the "wedge" bogged down and "stuttered". The T-bolt launched hard but the Max wedge "ran him down".
That story was given to me in 1985 by an "old timer" and when cars were not collectible except for Dusenbergs, Pierce Arrows, Ferraris and Edsels.
Take it for what it's worth. I'm still a FORD lover too w/ a 70 Superbee and a 63 Polara "Max wedge" clone.

 

[65DODGE]

not fighting with any one but the proofs in the pudding the facts have been around for like 50 years to say a stock street hemi is running high 10s to low 11s and would race any maxwedge is just crazy talking i would like to know those specs on that supposed stock hemi thats going that fast if the hemi in question was built like a race hemi engine but looked like a stock street hemi then alright i could believe those times but no way from a built to stock specs street hemi.

 

[MoparMikey]

not fighting with any one but the proofs in the pudding the facts have been around for like 50 years to say a stock street hemi is running high 10s to low 11s and would race any maxwedge is just crazy talking i would like to know those specs on that supposed stock hemi thats going that fast if the hemi in question was built like a race hemi engine but looked like a stock street hemi then alright i could believe those times but no way from a built to stock specs street hemi.

NHRA "stock" is anything but stock.

 

[383man]

NHRA "stock" is anything but stock.

That is soooooooo true ! Factory stock Hemi cars and most all muscle cars for that only ran mid to low 13's at best on stock tires in all stock trim. Now remove the air cleaner and loosen the belts and throw some slicks on it and then some would dip in the 12's.

NHRA stock is basically a fully blueprinted race eng. I dont care what anyone says as thats about it but they have to use the stock intake and carb setup. The cam can have any duration they want as long as the lift stays stock and NHRA also raises the comp ratio some on what they call stock. Dont get me wrong as I love NHRA stock eleiminator cars but dont try to tell me they are stock. Stock to me means just the way it came off the showroom floor. Ron

 

[65DODGE]

regardless i like them all and theres always someone faster than you no matter what you've got thats what it boils down to.

 

[696pack]

That is sooooooootrue ! Factory stock Hemi cars and most all muscle cars for that only ran mid to low 13's at best on stock tires in all stock trim. Now remove the air cleaner and loosen the belts and throw some slicks on it and then some would dip in the 12's.

NHRA stock is basically a fully blueprinted race eng. I dont care what anyone says as thats about it but they have to use the stock intake and carb setup. The cam can have any duration they want as long as the lift stays stock and NHRA also raises the comp ratio some on what they call stock. Dont get me wrong as I love NHRA stock eleiminator cars but dont try to tell me they are stock. Stock to me means just the way it came off the showroom floor. Ron

That is all dead nuts on.

My comparison for the (my) Hemi and the high compression Max Wedge is very accurate.

What you guys are NOT doing is comparing what SHOULD be compared which is a 65 race Hemi and the earlier hipo Max Wedges. The Max Wedges were pretty much race prepared for NHRA specs from the factory with exception of the headers that they ALL immediately got before hitting the track. So, the race NHRA prepared street Hemi is right on in comparison to the factory prepped hipo Max Wedges.

You have to be fair about it all. The compression, heads and carbs for the factory hipo Max Wedges are true race pieces. The factory street Hemis are not and even when the street Hemi is NHRA prepped it STILL has to use the stock carbs, heads, cam LIFT and lower compression than the factory prepped hipo Max Wedge.

The simple facts are that in like compression for both cars (even though lower compression for the street Hemi with NHRA specs) it all comes down to the better breathing heads, higher winding Hemi, the Hemi takes it.

I am not dissing the Max Wedges they are great performers but as Ron says above about the street Hemi the Hipo Max Wedge is far from a stock car from the factory which would be just like saying the true L88 Corvette is a stock car that was rated 430 h.p. but was really about 560 h.p.

 

[TheGodfather]

Mopars at the strip

For sure! Way far out of my price range these days. I sold that car in 68. Lost track of it for over 30 years. By pure coincidence, ran in to a a guy that owned it at a car show ( the car wasn't at the show ) in early 2000. It was since sold to another guy that did a professional resto on it around 2005. It won best of show at "Mopars At The Strip" in Vegas in 2008. Again, missed seeing the car by one day. I was at that show on Saturday and the owner showed up with the car on Sunday. Since, I have seen it in several Mopar mags - MCG, Mopar Muscle, Etc. I raced it a bit in 64 /65 when I owned it. It ran a best of 12.41 @ 116 mph. Pretty fast for a rag top back in those days. Still have the time slip.

Well I don't know if you ment 2008 or 2010? My Black 63 Max Wedge Convertible Won "Best of Show" (Restified Class) at Mopars at the Strip in 2010. "Big Willie" presented the awards to me and my wife. I bought that car in 1967 and have owned it ever since. Part of my family history I guess!!? MCG was there in Vegas and did my story and pictorial in their August 2010 issue. It was a Pretty Crazy Year and then the 63 won again at HAN's 2010 in Reno. My 415hp TMP LC Steel nose Max Wedge car ran high 12's at sea level in Factory Showroom Stock configuation w/bias ply/polyglass tires.. The 425hp TMP Aluminun nose cars could run a little faster....mid 12's. If we all had decent tires we would've run a lot faster.Today's NHRA Stock and/or Nostalgia Rules are extremely different then than they are now. You really can not compare them. Anyways, as a youngster of 19 I didn't know S about a Max Wedge.....Just knew it was Quick and it could outrun just about all Fords and Chevy's of the same period and that's all I gave a S about!!! Picture #1 taken at MATS 2010 Picture #2 taken in July 1976 at Firebird Raceway - Boise.

 

[Basoline]

Back in the days, if the car didn't have a scoop but you wanted one...it was delivered in the trunk...

Note: you can recognise the hemi's in the 64 cars by the scoop...it's flat. But I think that's redundant in this thread I believe...hahaha!

 

[65DODGE]

thats one sweet car you have there godfather.

 

[OG max wedge]

scoop in the trunk?...

Back in the days, if the car didn't have a scoop but you wanted one...it was delivered in the trunk...

Note: you can recognise the hemi's in the 64 cars by the scoop...it's flat. But I think that's redundant in this thread I believe...hahaha!

i love posting photos of my car any chance i get,

this car is an original aluminum nose 1964 "ram charger" the first owner ordered a steel hood so he could hussle people at the street races by making them think it was just grandpa's car. i bought it from the 2nd owner that had is since 1971 and was best friends with the original owner when he bought it new, it's the number 4 oldes in Darrel's book and the first oldest in Galen's Registry. it's all bone stock un painted and unrestored.. from what people in the "know" say you can order the cross ram 426 in any car as an option but the "dodge ram charger" and "plymouth super stock" were stand alone models, the package included 456 sure grip, no under coating, no sound profing. no carpet pading, no warranty and not legal for street use...

 

[TheGodfather]

Thanks

thats one sweet car you have there godfather.

Thanks 65Dodge. It's part of my life and who I am. I drove it in highschool, several first dates, College vehicle, and did other things in it I can't mention here; then put him in storage in 1978 for 30 years before I restored it to factory Max Wedge correct specs. I couldn't take those Cragars off however, as I bought them in 1970.

 

[MoparMikey]

That is a sweet car Godfather. If you were 19 in 1967 you don't look 63 yrs old in that picture.
By the way who is Big Willy?

 

[64BEL]

That's Big Willie Robinson of the Brotherhood of Street Racers. He and his wife drove Charger Daytonas and were involved in the street racing scene of L.A. back in the '60s/'70s.

 

[brian.linn]

Very nice car, but I would rather have a Hemi and these Max Wedge cars priced as much or more which make no sense to me.

Well said...