While muscle car enthusiasts love to talk about the cars, the engines that drove those icons to the forefront may be ignored or relegated to secondary discussion. The fact is that those engines often have just as much, or more, history behind them than the cars they made famous.

The automotive industry’s compliance with a 1957 ban on factory-sponsored racing teams, by the AMA (Automobile Manufacturing Association), lasted until about 1960 when Ford released the “Special Power” 352cui engine, and GMintroduced the 409 engine and “Tri-power” carburetor setup.

Development work at Chrysler had not stopped either. The year 1958 saw Dodge drop the first generation HEMI engine and replace it with a wedge-shaped combustion chamber in the new, big block (“B”) engines, along with a small block (“A”) engine that used a poly-spherical chamber – a.k.a. the “semi-hemi.” The new engines were lighter and less expensive to make than the line they replaced.

During the AMA ban, a team of Chrysler engineers had been drag racing without factory support and some of their work became critical to the success – and legend – of the Wedge engines. Known as the Ramchargers, Dick Maxwell, Jim Thornton and Tom Hoover had been experimenting with long intake runners, previously used on the Chrysler 300’s engine. They found that equal length, tuned runners could create a ram effect that was particularly effective when used with long duration cams at high rpm.

The high-rise manifolds that stuck up through the hood of dragsters needed repackaging before they could be used on a production car, but by 1960, big block Wedges were being fitted with an unusual looking intake manifold. A four barrel carburetor on one side of the engine fed into long runners that went to the cylinder head on the opposite side. On that side, another carburetor fed back across to the other. The “Cross Ram” intake manifold would be copied and used on Ford and GM race cars alike.

For production vehicles, the updated manifold delivered impressive low-end torque, making it suitable for the performance cars of the time, including the 1960 Chrysler 300-F and the 1961 300-G. D-500 trucks in those years came standard with a cross ram motor and it was optional in some of the larger DeSoto models.

Plans had been ongoing for a “Maximum Performance Package,” as Chrysler’s presence in racing, both stock and drag, was minimal. Tom Hoover, from the Ramchargers team, led the development effort. The Max Wedge was introduced at the Chicago Auto Show in February, 1962. Internally, the Max Wedge sported forged pistons, a heavy duty crankshaft, special camshaft and new cylinder heads with larger valves and dual valve springs.

A more conventional looking ‘short ram’ intake manifold supported a pair of 4-bbl carburetors, while distinctively “upswept” cast iron exhaust headers were new. The 413cui Max Wedge motor, when used with an 11.0:1 compression ratio delivered 410 hp, while at 13.5:1, the output gained another ten horsepower. For 1963 and 1964, the displacement was increased to 426cui, bumping outputs to 415 and 425hp for the two compression ratios.

Suffering from a late introduction in 1962, just under 300 Plymouths and a little over 200 Dodges were built with the Max Wedge package. While intended to be “the hottest of the new cars on the strips,” they surely didn’t look much different from Grandpa’s slant six version of the same car. Max Wedges were delivered with a choice of a T-85, 3-speed manual transmission or an A-727 automatic. The three-inch diameter exhaust system included lake pipes, which opened the exhaust before the mufflers for race purposes.

As a result, the 1962 Max Wedge cars blew away the Chevy 409s and Ford’s 406s for the balance of the season. It was Chrysler’s time to shine. NHRA’s 1962 record books document four class records attributed to the 413. It wasn’t long before the best axle gearing, combined with proper tires, made mid-twelve-second passes a regular occurrence.

While engine options remained the same for 1963, a lightweight package became available with the 13.5:1 compression motor. This included several aluminum body panels, a hood scoop, relocated battery and a special carburetor horn to draw from the hood scoop. Changes for 1964 were short-lived, but included the increased displacement, stronger connecting rods, a new crankshaft and a larger capacity oil pan.

Shortly into the 1964 calendar, the 426 HEMI arrived and began a new chapter in Dodge and Plymouth performance – one, however, that had drawn heavily on the lessons learned from the Max Wedge motor.