1964 426 Wedge questions...

Hey guys, trying to get my old mans Sport Fury running properly. this thing is giving me fits.

Heads are rebuilt, bottom end is in great shape with stock pistons. Cam is unknown. Recently added Mopar electronic ignition, M1 dual plane and Edelbrock 750. Initial timing is at 10 degrees, 36 degrees total mechanical advance (havent checked with vaccum hooked up yet) Im a small block guy So, questions...

Did the 64 426 Wedges all have hydraulic cams and adjustable rockers?

How soft should the lifters be? I can easily push them in by hand after running it (noticed while adjusting the rockers).

What are the odds that the lifters are shot and not allowing the valves to open fully?

Not getting any ticking or noise from the valve train.

Are small block and big block hydraulic lifters all the same size? I know my SBs are .904.

The thing is not very responsive, idles like crap and does not have the power it should have. With 3:23 gears and narrow red stripe tires, it wont even turn the tires over.

What am I missing here?

Laine.

The Street Wedge used a single four-barrel carb on a conventional cast-iron intake manifold. Its exhaust manifold was conventional, too, without the flamboyant ram’s-horn sweep that gave the Max Wedge headers such allure. But the Commando was no shrinking violet. It was rated at 365 horsepower and had 470 pounds/feet of torque. High performance valve springs, pistons, plugs, and a hot cam were inside. Hydraulic tappets, dual breaker distributor, nonsilenced air cleaner, dual exhausts, and heavy-duty clutch were part of the package. The exhaust manifolds were specific to the street wedge. Not like the Max Wedge manifolds.


Not to change the subject I have an original 426 street wedge intake laying around gathering dust

Non adjustable rockers on the street wedge.

I don't think I've ever seen those manifolds before. I've owned a '65 Coronet 500 that was originally equipped with a 426S for a long time but the original engine was gone when I bought the car. It had headers on it and a Max Wedge cross ram when I bought the car. I swapped in later model HP manifolds but those original manifolds would probably work okay. Maybe give up a little power to the later HP manifolds.

I always considered the factory 426S to be a dog of an engine. The cast iron intake is low profile and it didn't have much of a cam. More of an executive cruiser car than hot rodder setup. But as I get older I'm probably more in tune with an original 426S than the hot rod engines that I've been using. Maybe I'll go ahead and return my '65 to its roots someday. Who knows, maybe I'll be happy with 365 hp rather than 575?

The 426 Street Wedge was not really a performance engine based on it's specs, quite frankly it was nothing more than a passenger car 413 with a slightly bigger bore. Low profile dual plane intake, same size (small) AFB as the other street big blocks of the day, log style non HP exhaust manifolds, mild hydraulic cam, and small valve 516 cylinder heads. That said, as mentioned above, they were no slouch, plenty of torque and decent HP, just not as strong as their Max Wedge brothers or even the later year 440's (67 and up).

426 was just a bigger bore 413. the cam was rated at 268 degrees duration, .430 lift, 110lsa. no adjustable rockers and the hydraulic tappets should not be easy to depress. the 750 edelbrock is the same size as a '67 375hp 440. I would use the 440 factory jetting with the edlebrock carb and factory style intake. all the 750 edelbrocks I have came with .113 primary jets and .095 secondary jets. i would step the primaries down to .104 and the secondaries to .089. a fat fuel curve will definitely take power out of the engine, but the factory engines only made about 305hp. they were more of a torque engine than horsepower.

Actually they were rated at 365hp

The 426 street wedges were dogs
I tried to buy a 1964 415 HP M.W. 4 speed car in the spring of 1964, the stupid Chrysler Dodge dealer salesmen in Palm Springs swore Dodge and Plymouth only made 365 HP 426 wedge motors, nothing with more HP
I got a call from them several weeks later saying one of their salesmen in their Indio store knew about the M.W. ordering information codes but by the time I got to talk to him Mopar had discontinue making the M.W. motors in the 1964 cars, race Hemi motors only with no guaranty at all and you had to know someone in Detroit to be able to order them
The price I got for a 1964 Dodge 330 two door sedan with the 426 street wedge with the four speed was 2768.00 out the door from them My how times have changed

That's a bold statement. Compared to what, a top fuel car?

Doesn't Jim Hale have one that runs low elevens in 64 Plymouth stocker?

There's not much that is "Stock" about any Stock Eliminator car

they were "rated" but didn't come any where near the advertised power; just like all the street wedges. the 305 number comes direct from mopar.

they were mid to low 15 second cars. there might have been a high 14 second ringer but that would have been rare in show room condition.

Of course it didn't help that the cars they came in were heavy. My '65 Coronet weighs 3800 lbs (no driver) and the engine has aluminum heads, aluminum water pump housing, mini starter, aluminum intake, etc. So off the showroom floor that car was probably close to 4000 lbs. A 426W with the factory manifolds isn't going to be hot rod in that car. It would be a nice executive cruiser and freeway driver, but it wouldn't scare grandma much on the way to church.

I owned and restored this one in the early 90's, factory pilot car 426S 4 speed car. Nice powerful car but not what I'd call fast, never drag raced it but would probably run high 14's or low 15's.

Well, this specific 64 is an automatic, 426W numbers matching car. We are convinced by the condition of the car and engine that it is probably a 40,000 mile car as the odometer says.

Anyway, my dad bought an identical one to this one brand new in 1964 off the showroom floor. Family, life, farming etc... got the best of him and he sold it around 67. We have been looking for once since. The hard thing was finding a Medium Turquoise with Turquoise interior 426 automatic car. He wouldnt take red, white, black etc... had to be a factory turquoise car with a 426 Auto.

We found this one a few years ago out east. It was listed at $52,000. It had aftermarket wheels and a dual quad setup on it. Still, a bit steep on price for what it is. But, correct colors, engine and trans. So we went to look. Obviously we bought it, and no, not for $52k, but far from cheap.

Today I went through and re-adjusted the rocker arms, double checked firing order, swapped on a different Edelbrock, put on a different rotor button and then played with the timing. Long story short, my 74 year old pops just left my shop about 30 minutes ago and headed out on the hour drive home. He will head to Lincoln, NE in the morning to meet up with my little brother and his 68 Mustang so they can go to a car show together.

Dad is smiling like hes in high school. I got his favorite car back on the road after a couple months fixing and rebuilding various things. I now have a happy dad, I have more space in my shop. So, whats next... will he bring me his 36 Plymouth Coupe again to work on? Maybe his Cuda? His convertible Dakota? Or do I get a few weeks to work on my cars. No matter. Love my dad and glad to get to spend the time with him.

Cool story, thanks for sharing

Here is a shot of it last year.

nice looking car. '64 hardtops are one of my favorites. a 426 with a torqueflite can be made into a very reliable cruiser. stock axle ratio would have been 3.23 but for cruising the torquey engine could handle a 2.94 without issue.

I had a '65 Plymouth Sport Fury with the 426 street wedge. I agree with everyone who said the 426 wedge is a dog. About the only thing I could get around were Chevy station wagons with 327's in them.

A dog? I would classify this one in the Greyhound dept....

Jim Hale's car is a station wagon and is a 383. It is fast and it is for sale if you would like one.

Here is a video NHRA did on Jim and the car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMR1mKQ-stY

Jim Hale has had many different very fast Mopar drag cars including a original A990 1965 Dodge or Plymouth (CRS now ) SS/CA that he raced at the Winternationals in either 1974 or 1975. He was pitted across the way where I was spitted at that race, he was good guy and easy to talk to

I remember a mag tested a 64 Ply with the 426-S 365 hp eng. It ran 15.2 but it was 3.23 gear and had a passenger in the car with test equipment. I would say with a 3.91 gear and a bit less weight it was an easy 14 second car. Maybe mid 14's at best. Not a barn burner but not a total dog either. Ron

Great looking car!

Guys .... give that poor ole car a break !

Log exhaust mans... small valve heads... marginal compression, intake, carb and cam ....

That’s a nice car Scott

I bought a 64 Polara from a guy in Phoenix around 1985 that was going through a divorce - it was a 426 Wedge car, pushbutton auto. It had a 3:91 8-3/4" & was a very nice riding car, but I would not rate it as fast, but it did have some power. Anyway, I bought it to re-sell. One guy that came out to look at the car said it was not an original 426W car because it did not have a front sway bar.

My question is this, how can you tell if it is an original car as equipped? In 1964, it was not specified in the serial #, & I did not look for any #'s stamped on the motor. So was a front sway bar a distinguishing factor??? On a humorous note, my business partner referred to it as an "Airstream puller." I likened it to a competitive model against the GTO. About the same size & weight. So WHY was the 1964 GTO so often referred-to as the "first musclecar?"

If the fender tag is still on the car it will tell you what the factory engine and trans were. If the fender tag is gone then I think you're out of luck unless you can find a VIN registry somewhere. I'm not so sure about the anti-sway bar thing. My '65 Coronet is an original 426W car and it didn't have an anti-sway bar on it as far as I can tell.

I don't think any of the early B bodies before 1967 had front or rear sway bars, I'm going to say the 1967 Dodge R/T and Plymouth GTX where the first B bodies to have front end sway bars

My '66 Charger has one. I think all the Chargers did.

On that year model car you can contact Chrysler Historical and they will send you a copy of the IBM card for the car. And if they have enough time they will decode it for you. But you can do that yourself I believe.

There was an anti-sway bar available for the early B body cars but it was rare. Police cars got them and maybe Taxi cabs. I think it was an option but not many people ordered it. I found one in a wrecking yard years ago and have it hanging on the wall.

Streetwedge cars came with a front sway bar and 11 inch heavy duty brakes.

Did all of them come that way or was it a option or mid year change
My 1963 Plymouth 415 HP M.W. car did not have either of those options on it new

He said STREET wedge, you said MAX wedge.

Not the same.

I parted out a rusty 64 sport fury 426 st wedge car and it had sway bar and 11in brakes all around, after I took all the good stuff off ( I thought) I was going to junk out the chassis, and some guy paid me stupid money for the hulk with the sway bar and 11in brakes.