1964 - THE NEXT LINK
Quick! When did Chrysler build its first K-car?
Wrong! It was 1964 and the Chrysler 300K was indeed, a beautiful car, even
though it was clear the letter-series was no longer a priority at Chrysler.
Still no slouch at 360 horsepower, the 413 RB-engine was equipped with a single
4-barrel carburetor for the first time in Letter Series history. Was the end
of an era in sight?
Dodge entered its 50th year of production with all-new
styling and an ever-growing
reputation as a performance car to be reckoned with - a concept that sold cars
of every configuration in the 60s. Model lines continued unchanged with the
compact Dart receiving an all-new 180 horsepower, 273 cubic-inch LA-family
V8 engine.
Over at Plymouth, styling refinements and the ever-growing performance reputation
of Chrysler products brought buyers into the showrooms in droves. A mid-year
offering from Plymouth would set the stage for sales figure increases in the
years to come. The all-new Valiant-based Barracuda fastback joined the Plymouth
family in the soon-to-be-coined "Pony Car" class. As with the Dart,
a Barracuda could be had with either 170 or 225 cubic-inch Slant Six power
on the new, lightweight 273 cube V8.
At first glance, 1964 could have appeared to be a "watering-down" year
for the Max-Wedge engine just as it was for the 300 cars. Now available in
just one version (426 cubic-inch, 425 horsepower, 12.5:1 compression ratio),
the Stage III Max-Wedge would see only a 1/2 year production. The competition
was beginning to catch up and Max-Wedge was losing its domination in the racing
and street wars. And, drag racing was no longer the #1 priority at Chrysler.
The company wanted desperately to be a force in NASCAR racing and a secret
plan was about to make that possible.
In early February, just in time for the annual Daytona 500, a new "Crate
Motor" was released
for competition. The 426 cubic-inch
Hemi engine (Hemi Charger for Dodge/Super Commando for Plymouth) was
put into the hands of factory-backed NASCAR teams, including Richard Petty,
and history was written as Petty won the race handily. Within two months, Max-Wedge
production was ended and production race cars were now equipped with the new
Hemi as a running production change. A 365 horsepower, single 4-barrel 426 "Street" Wedge
engine proved a very popular option as did the new A833 4-speed transmission.
NOTE: As much as most of us would like to believe otherwise, the 426
Hemi engine was developed solely for NASCAR stock racing competition. Drag racing versions
that came later were, in fact, an after-thought!
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