Posted By: gtx69
Max wedge air cleaners - 12/12/09 07:13 PM
Were they painted or cad plated from the factory.How do you tell repo's from the real deal?
Max wedge air cleaners
Posted By: ScottSmith_Harms
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/12/09 07:29 PM
Painted black, there are differences between repro's and originals but they are pretty minor, I have some originals but no repros to photogragh to compare them side by side.
Posted By: SportF
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/12/09 09:56 PM
Look at the tops to see "spin" marks on the repops. These are circular lines that look a little like a 78 RPM record. These are formed by metal spinning, and this is the best way to tell. On the real thing, if the paint is not to thick, you can see some crooked lines on the top, from stamping, although these are very subtle.
Posted By: Slim Smitty
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/13/09 08:43 AM
I also thought I had seen chrome MW air cleaners on the Plymouths, with chrome valve covers too. Not sure if it was a one year only deal or if it covered the full 62-64 span. Or if it was just an option. But I do have books showing the chrome package.
I'm sure someone here can either confirm this or tell me I'm crazy.
I'm sure someone here can either confirm this or tell me I'm crazy.
Posted By: 383man
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/13/09 08:54 AM
I heard the chrome air cleaners were a 64 only option. Ron
Posted By: ScottSmith_Harms
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/13/09 04:20 PM
1964,65,66 426 Street Wedges had chrome air cleaners & valve covers standard (single 4 barrel,one big air cleaner), to the best of my knowledge niether was available on any year Max Wedge.
Posted By: topside
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/13/09 04:45 PM
I have no doubt that some guys took their black MW air cleaner lids to a plater and had them chromed. The only race air cleaner lid that appears to have come chrome plated from Chrysler is the oval Hemi 2x4 lid from '64, unless sold over the counter as a dress-up item.
As an example, Chrysler sold chromed air cleaner lids for Roadrunner 383s & etc for years.
Back in the day, we used to send brackets & such to the platers to dress up the car; it seemed more "professional".
As an example, Chrysler sold chromed air cleaner lids for Roadrunner 383s & etc for years.
Back in the day, we used to send brackets & such to the platers to dress up the car; it seemed more "professional".
Posted By: Crizila
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/13/09 04:49 PM
Quote:
Painted black, there are differences between repro's and originals but they are pretty minor, I have some originals but no repros to photogragh to compare them side by side.
Only black in 63
Posted By: 62maxwgn
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/13/09 05:27 PM
And a significant difference in weight between both.
Posted By: NicksGarage
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/13/09 05:58 PM
Check out this page. http://racehemi.maxwedge.com/topics/air-cleaners.php
There is a press photo showing a chrome lid. Don't know if it means anything since the text on it is talking about the bases.
There is a press photo showing a chrome lid. Don't know if it means anything since the text on it is talking about the bases.
Posted By: ScottSmith_Harms
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/13/09 06:07 PM
Quote:
There is a press photo showing a chrome lid. Don't know if it means anything since the text on it is talking about the bases.
Cool old pics there but press release photos mean nothing in terms of what production vehicles left the line with. In fact MANY press release photos from the day (from all makes) depicted prototypes of parts and cars that varied allot from actual production line vehicles. The same goes for some of those NOS air filter element photos, NOS over the counter replacement parts often varied from what left the production line on the cars. FWIW the cars used as references in those photos are some of the best restored MW cars on the planet, I've seen them all in person. But as good as they are, they are not 100% exact, for instance, none of them have correct fuel filters (all originals were plastic, not metal).
Posted By: ScottSmith_Harms
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/13/09 06:17 PM
Here's another advertisement photo from 1962 showing chrome air cleaners & fan, but obviously they never came with blue painted parts either, look closely, the intake lacks the core plugs in the end, may have actually been non functional and made of wood?
Posted By: ScottSmith_Harms
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/13/09 06:23 PM
OT - Here's one of the nicer 63 Max Wedge detail jobs I've seen.
The owner, Doug Wikfors, really went all out trying to detail it correctly even though it's a clone. Beautiful car he built!
The owner, Doug Wikfors, really went all out trying to detail it correctly even though it's a clone. Beautiful car he built!
Posted By: max
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/14/09 06:40 PM
a late family friend bought a 1963 MW Dodge new and it had the chrome lids. if i remember correctly he said the chrome lids were sold over the counter. i had those complete air cleaners til 1994 and sold them to his nephew for $50.00 for the pair. i'm still regreating that one since i'm going to need a set in the near future. 
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/14/09 07:09 PM
Quote:
Here's another advertisement photo from 1962 showing chrome air cleaners & fan, but obviously they never came with blue painted parts either, look closely, the intake lacks the core plugs in the end, may have actually been non functional and made of wood?
you are correct. it is made of wood. MoPar did alot of that back in the day for mock-up purposes.
they had some cool 383 concept intakes in wood. i always thought 62-63 MW air cleaners were black.
Posted By: Slim Smitty
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/15/09 05:20 AM
Here's an old promo shot I found showing chrome air cleaners, valve covers and other items. I guess they were just concepts or used to look 'better' in promos. I like the black air cleaners and orange valve covers.
Posted By: Slim Smitty
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/15/09 05:23 AM
On another topic. Here's a pic of a 64 MW showing a new Tri-Y exhaust manifold design. It's said that these were an improvement over the previous design. I've never seen these other than in original product pics. Were these ever produced? These would certainly look cool under the hood.
Posted By: ScottSmith_Harms
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/15/09 05:47 AM
They were produced but never installed on production cars, they were built as an experimental NASCAR piece that never quite made it into production....Close though, some 64 cars have clearancing for them.
Posted By: ScottSmith_Harms
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/15/09 05:49 AM
Drivers
Posted By: ScottSmith_Harms
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/15/09 05:50 AM
Pretty crazy looking eh?
Posted By: ScottSmith_Harms
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/15/09 05:52 AM
Drivers 2
Posted By: Slim Smitty
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/15/09 05:56 AM
I didn't realize just how wide those things were. That's an engine bay full of exhaust manifolds!
Not as pretty when sitting in the engine bay compared to being on the engine stand.
That's super cool though that you have some pics. Thanks for sharing.
On the chrome MW air cleaner option, I've done some looking around and some people seem to think chrome lids were a 64 option. Not sure if it's true, but with all the chrome promo pix - dating from '62, you would think they would have at least been an option at some point. But I don't claim to know anything for sure.
Not as pretty when sitting in the engine bay compared to being on the engine stand.
That's super cool though that you have some pics. Thanks for sharing.
On the chrome MW air cleaner option, I've done some looking around and some people seem to think chrome lids were a 64 option. Not sure if it's true, but with all the chrome promo pix - dating from '62, you would think they would have at least been an option at some point. But I don't claim to know anything for sure.
Posted By: ScottSmith_Harms
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/15/09 06:01 AM
No problem, the pics were shared with me by another Moparts member, I'm just paying forward the favor
As far as the air cleaners go, I haven't seen any literature showing them as an option, I REALLY don't think they were optional on any year, however I don't doubt for a second that they were available over the counter. With such an easy part to swap out it's hard to provide any kind of solid proof unless there's some kind of rock solid documentation to back it up.
As far as the air cleaners go, I haven't seen any literature showing them as an option, I REALLY don't think they were optional on any year, however I don't doubt for a second that they were available over the counter. With such an easy part to swap out it's hard to provide any kind of solid proof unless there's some kind of rock solid documentation to back it up.
Posted By: max
Re: Max wedge air cleaners - 12/16/09 01:43 AM
Quote:
No problem, the pics were shared with me by another Moparts member, I'm just paying forward the favor
As far as the air cleaners go, I haven't seen any literature showing them as an option, I REALLY don't think they were optional on any year, however I don't doubt for a second that they were available over the counter. With such an easy part to swap out it's hard to provide any kind of solid proof unless there's some kind of rock solid documentation to back it up.
Scott, those are neat photos and the first ones i have ever seen that were actual on a car. talk about a nightmare to change the spark plugs.
i have only seen a couple of those manifolds in person over the years at swap meets and they were singles with a major price tag on them.
my mind isn't as good as it once was and that was several years ago when i talked with that late family friend when he mentioned his chrome lids were over the counter units, so as menitoned there isn't any documentation to back my statement.
what is truely sad is the fact i know where that factory 1963 MW car (body only) is and it has somewhere around 40k actual miles on it. coarse it is buried under tons of fill dirt so you can only imgine what it would look like today.
