1964 Mopar - Build A Max Wedge For Under Seven Grand

Chrysler engineers didn't screw around when they designed the Max Wedge exhaust manifolds. Note how the three leading runners for cylinders 2, 4, and 6 are merged into a common 3-inch outlet while the No. 8 runner enters separately. This prevents the exhaust pulse from the No. 6 cylinder from partially blocking the flow from the No. 8 cylinder. This pulse separation effect is even more beneficial on the driver-side bank, where the No. 5 and 7 cylinders fire successively 90 degrees apart in crankshaft rotation. These excellent cast-iron reproductions from Mancini Racing weigh 32 pounds (driver side) and 27.5 pounds (passenger side) and are designed to fit '62-'65 B-Bodies, but may interfere if used in other Mopar body types.

Superior Automotive honcho Joe Jill installs the A&A linkage, return spring, and fuel-line kit. A pair of 500-cfm Edelbrock Performer carbs may seem like overkill on a 440-cube engine. But remember, the original Stage I and Stage II Max Wedges came with dual 525-cfm Carter AFBs, which grew to dual 750s on the Stage III. Joe Jill's name has been synonymous with hot Mopar wedges and Hemis since he opened Speedwin Automotive back in 1960. Jill campaigned a string of original Max Wedge and Race Hemi package cars with close factory support throughout the '60s and '70s.

Headers are always better, right? To see, we switched to a set of 171/48-inch headers and registered 446 hp at 5,500 rpm, a surprisingly modest gain of only 9.1 hp. The eye-opener was what happened to the torque curve. Though peak torque only rose 4 points, from 491.2 lb-ft at 4,100 rpm to 495.2 lb-ft at 3,100 rpm, note that the peak reading occurred a full 1,000 rpm lower in the curve with the headers. At the same 3,100 rpm, the manifolds were good for 474 lb-ft.

Dual 14-inch air cleaners are classic must-have goodies for any Max Wedge, and Kramer Automotive Specialties offers these excellent reproductions. But do they reduce power? To find out, Superior's Don Spaccarotella screwed 'em to the carbs and a dyno pull was made. With no other changes, we got 432 hp and 485 lb-ft, a small loss of 4.9 hp and 6.2 lb-ft.

Despite the many Max Wedge jetting nightmare myths, the dual Edelbrock carburetors worked great straight out of the box. The A/F ratio and EGT sensors showed a slight tendency for the driver-side bank to run a little leaner than the passenger-side bank, but the numbers were safe all the way from the 900-rpm idle speed to the 6,500-rpm redline. We removed the choke plates on this warm-weather-only bruiser. The groovy reproduction valve-cover stickers are from Bob Mazzolini Racing and contribute to the aura.