ideas/opinions on max wedge street-engine build

[Mr4Speed]

hey guys,
As you might know, I am restoring/cloning my 1963 Savoy 2-door SDN to a Max Wedge car.
Car is gonna look as original as possible.
I would like to have your opinion/recepies on my engine;
it's a 1963 413 wedge, will get bored/honed to the 426 bore, and I will install a strokerkit to get to +/- 480 cubes.
It will be a streetcar, but i'd like to get around 500-550 horses.
It will get a repro-crossram with 2 edelbrockcarbs and I am running repro MW exhaustmanifold.
I'd like to have ported steel heads or maybe the Stealth heads, because the look ( kinda ) original.

I need opinions on: camshaft/rocker-ratio/compression/heads that I should use.
Did anyone build a comparable engine for a streetcar?

thanks for all the info!
Marcel

 

[vanrj1]

I would maybe question the use of MW manifolds for a stroker engine. Will it be able to get max flow?

 

[Mr4Speed]

I don't know exactly; i think the strokerkit will help increase the low-end torque. As said, it's gonna be a sunday-cruiser ( really ) and not a dragcar. But i'd like to get a few horses under the hood.

 

[Meep-Meep]

The MW manifolds should work well enough for what you are doing. Especially if you have a big free flowing exhaust.

Since you are looking for a street driver then don't go crazy on the cam. The MoPar .528" / 284 is a good choice and is similar to what was in the 64 version new. It's ground on a 112 lobe separation so will give a pretty good idle (slight lope) and be quite street friendly.

 

[BCBOUND]

I would start with a 440 block if possible as the cyl wall thickness and extra cubes would be an advantage, plus pistons are cheaper and readily available.

 

[383man]

You are doing basiclly what I did. I built my 63 to look like a Max Wedge street car but I did not use the crossram. I had a mild 440 in it that was about what you want to build. It was a 906 headed 440 with the MP .557 cam. Made about 500 hp and ran 11.40's at 3700 lbs. Now I have the new eng in it I built with about 600 hp and has run 10.70's on pump thru the full exh. Here is a pic of my eng as I know I dont have the WOW factor of the C/Ram but it has great driving manners with this combo. And I just tell everyone I took the C/Ram off for the street. Here is a link to my build of both engines if you are interested and a pic of the eng and car. Ron
http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/mmo82008.html

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[Mr4Speed]

thanks for all the replies guys;
Ron; i will dive into your information; an enginecombo like that would be sufficient for me. But if I am correct..you used a standard crankshaft? Not a strokercrank?

 

[ilm65]

This is a 440 + .030 with Eddy heads, repro cross-ram from A&A Transmission, 600 cfm Eddy carbs, 10:1 compression--276 advertised duration cam with 112 LSA, 2000 rpm Holeshot T.C.; uses pump gas, runs perfectly (and I emphasize PERFECTLY) on the street. The engine puts out 535 flywheel h.p., doesn't overheat, and is completely reliable. With the sounds of your build, you're in for a real treat! Good luck and enjoy!

 

[Mr4Speed]

Ilm65..that already sounds perfect for me. Do you think that a strokercranck will give it more bump at low rpm or would a stock stroke be sufficient?
( sorry for all the questions guys )

 

[Meep-Meep]

This is a 440 + .030 with Eddy heads, repro cross-ram from A&A Transmission, 600 cfm Eddy carbs, 10:1 compression--276 advertised duration cam with 112 LSA, 2000 rpm Holeshot T.C.; uses pump gas, runs perfectly (and I emphasize PERFECTLY) on the street. The engine puts out 535 flywheel h.p., doesn't overheat, and is completely reliable. With the sounds of your build, you're in for a real treat! Good luck and enjoy!

This is EXACTLY what I'm talking about!

 

[383man]

thanks for all the replies guys;
Ron; i will dive into your information; an enginecombo like that would be sufficient for me. But if I am correct..you used a standard crankshaft? Not a strokercrank?

I used to use a standard 440 crank but now I have a 4.15 stroker crank. Ron

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This is a 440 + .030 with Eddy heads, repro cross-ram from A&A Transmission, 600 cfm Eddy carbs, 10:1 compression--276 advertised duration cam with 112 LSA, 2000 rpm Holeshot T.C.; uses pump gas, runs perfectly (and I emphasize PERFECTLY) on the street. The engine puts out 535 flywheel h.p., doesn't overheat, and is completely reliable. With the sounds of your build, you're in for a real treat! Good luck and enjoy!

Nice combo and it looks good !
Talking about not overheating as last night I went to a local show and got stuck in traffic for 45 minuts. Moved about a car lenth every few minutes. After my temp hit 190 I turned on my added electric fan thats in front of the rad. Sitting idlig for 45 minutes it never went over 192 and it was in the 80's here yesterday. No problem with the 92 pump fuel boiling and never overheated. That was a good test for my cooling sytem. Ron

 

[lewtot184]

i've always thought if i had one of those '63 dodge or plymouth 2dr post cars i'd try to build a nascar type clone. everybody seems to want to do a drag racer, but a petty clone would be cool and different. probably be cheaper too.

 

[ilm65]

I don't know exactly; i think the strokerkit will help increase the low-end torque. As said, it's gonna be a sunday-cruiser ( really ) and not a dragcar. But i'd like to get a few horses under the hood.

I caution you about becoming too firm with a decision to use a stroker crank. My "maxie" uses the stock 440 forged crank: Plenty, plenty torque--will easily "pin" you against the seat--and break the tires loose to the point of no control from 30 mph. Max wedges can easily make upwards of 500 hp; what more do you want for the street?

 

[Mr4Speed]

a friend of mine from Germany recommended putting in a strokercranck. He drives a 64 Dodge 330, with a 498 stroker crossrammed hemi. But..that thing is dangerous. As you say..500 horses will be sufficient enough. So maybe a stock stroke would do it.

 

[ilm65]

a friend of mine from Germany recommended putting in a strokercranck. He drives a 64 Dodge 330, with a 498 stroker crossrammed hemi. But..that thing is dangerous. As you say..500 horses will be sufficient enough. So maybe a stock stroke would do it.

Good luck with whatever you choose--either way, be sure to have the entire rotating assembly balanced and you'll be very happy.

 

[62MAX]

I don't know exactly; i think the strokerkit will help increase the low-end torque. As said, it's gonna be a sunday-cruiser ( really ) and not a dragcar. But i'd like to get a few horses under the hood.

Depends on your intent or definition of a Sunday cruiser,anything built close to Max Wedge specs is not,you may go for ice cream of local shows but beyond that you probably should add a hitch and take along a reserve gas tank on wheels,you know you will be running on primaries of both carbs,the equivalent of a four barrel with your foot in it !!

 

[bob myers]

When you pick your pistons and cylinder heads pay particular attention to quench in the combustion chamber. You want as close to 40 thou as possible. I am setting up a similiar max style engine and when I measured my pistons they were 78 thou in the cylinders which would have set up some serious pinging with my planned 10:1 comp ratio with steel heads. Look back at my earlier posts, there are some good discussions about compression ratios, which is really important in street engines. You guys running the A+A intakes, how are you sealing the intake, material gaskets only, no turkey pan? Or turkey pan with 4 gaskets? Thanx