‘Max Wedge’ V-8 Trivia Question of the Week:  1. Who performed the pop song “The Cheater”, and in what year did it hit the pop charts?  2. Who was the original group who performed the sixties hit song, The Little Old Lady from Pasadena, and in what year did it first appear on the charts?  3. While we’re on the subject, what kind of flowers did granny have in her ‘pretty little flower bed’ and what color were they?  4. Well, now we’ll see who the first time readers are with this little riddle.  What does the Dodge autoomobile and a symphony orchestra have in common?  5. On January 14, 1963, this Democrat became Governor of the state of Alabama.  In his inaugural speech, he defiantly proclaimed, “segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever!”  What was his name?  6.  On March 5, 1963, Virginia Patterson Hensley (real name), a female country superstar was killed in a plane crash along with two fellow performers, her manage and the pilot.  One of her biggest hits was I Fall to Pieces.  What was her stage name?  7. The very next day (March 6th) saw the debut of NBC TV’s popular animal series, Wild Kingdom.  Who was the show’s original host and who was the show’s sponsor?  8. Born June 17, 1963, you might find this popular, current TV talk show host on ‘Later’.  What’s his name?   

For the answers to this week’s Dodge 330 Hemi Trivia Questions, and more photos of the ‘63 Dodge 330 series, visit MY web site at http://www.thefinman.com.

“Look out for the Sleeper”… no, wait a minute.  Sorry, that was “look out for the CHEATER!”  But it could have been written that way if the composer was doing a song about the 1963 Dodge 330.  You see, what you have here is the perfect example of what we called a ‘sleeper’ when it came to automobiles.  That term was (and still is) often applied to any, simple-looking, ‘plain Jane’ automobile of minimal fashion that would lead one (‘one’ being a potential street drag racer) to believe the car is equipped with a basic, wimpy, six-cylinder engine and either ‘three on the tree’ (a three-speed manual transmission controlled by a column-mounted shift lever) or automatic transmission.  (And by the way… are all Janes plain?  I don’t think so!)

Disclaimer:  The following, fictitious scenario is presented for illustration and nostalgic purposes only, and is not meant to encourage readers to seek out and purchase a 1963 Dodge 330 ‘sleeper’.  This could be hazardous to your health and others, and we do not recommend trying this at home or in your neighborhood. 

Here’s how it may have played out.  Let’s take a trip back to 1963.  It was a balmy, spring evening and you had just pulled out of the Florisssant Steak ‘n’ Shake behind the wheel of your new Dodge 330 sedan (they didn’t make ‘em in flashy hardtops or convertibles, but there were two station wagons available), dressed in conservative ‘Medium Blue’ .  You’re northbound on Lindbergh, stopped at a red light at the intersection of Lindbergh and Charbonaire.  As you wait patiently for the light to turn green, you notice that a car full of classmates pulled up next to you.  It was The FIN MAN and friends, driving his dad’s flashy, 1962 Olds Starfire trimmed out in ‘Cirrus Blue’ and ‘Provincial White’, with 394 pounds of chrome trim and a tri-tone, blue leather interior.  The Starfire’s factory glass packs burbled with anticipation of the tarmac confrontation about to unfold.  The FIN MAN glanced your way with a nod and a smile... the universal expression that, without a spoken word, begs the question, “wanna race”?  You nod back in acceptance, and as the light turns green, you leave The FIN MAN and the Starfire in a cloud of burning Bridgestones.  What went wrong?  I’ll explain later on in this story.

But now for a sidebar.  People often ask me how I decide what car I’m going to write about for my next story.  The manner in which that decision comes varies greatly.  Sometimes I’ll just be driving down the road and my well-honed peripheral vison, tuned to special-interest automobiles, kicks in as I spot something off in the distance.  My adrenalline typically skyrockets as I do a quick one-eighty in order to get a close up look.  If it’s something I haven’t written about before, it may well be my next story.  Inspirations often come from other sources as well, including, but not limited to, swap meets (car corals); car shows; parades and various television shows.  Readers often write asking if I would do a story about their uncle’s old Packard; the car their parents owned when they were a toddler or the car they made out in at the drive-in.  This week’s story about the ‘63 Dodge 330, however, was not the result of any of the aforementioned circumstances.  It was something much more innocuous. 

Recently, I decided that my ‘cubby’ at the office needed a touch of Christmas in keeping with the season.  An overhead compartment had been home to three 1/18 scale, die-cast cars since last spring– a two-tone, blue and white ‘58 Bonneville rag top, a pink and white ‘58 Edsel coupe and a drop dead gorgeous ‘56 Lincoln Premiere convertible in a typical fifties aqua.  Beautiful as the trio was, I was growing tired of seeing them and it was time for a change.  On a recent morning before work, I went  to my ‘toy shop’ and fetched three fresh die-cast models which had never been out of their respective cardboard window boxes.  Christmas being right around the corner, I made my choices based on the color scheme of the season.  The first car I picked was a bright cherry red 1963 Studebaker Avanti, a perennial Fin Man favorite.  My next selection was a beautiful, 1957 Chrysler 300C coupe all done up in ‘Parade Green’ a fitting holiday hue.  My final choice was a ‘63 Dodge 300 two-door sedan in bright red.  This ‘stripper’ was devoid of any ‘‘bling’’.  It even had small hub caps and blackwall tires. 

Before parking the cars, I lined the overhead compartment in my cubby with a fluffy white cotton cloth with silver sparkles, which proceeded to fall in unbelievable  numbers, onto my desk below.  There appeared to be many more of these shiny, silver chips on the desk and surrounding floor than were on the cloth itself.  To my chagrin, I also quickly noticed that the tiny, metallic chips were sprinkled across the entire width of my computer keyboard!  For the rest of the day, I was waiting for my computer to go up in smoke!  (The boss still doesn’t know about this, unless he has read this story already.  So, mum’s the word!)  A clear, rope light coiled on the underside of the compartment roof and a green, glitter encrusted miniature Christmas tree completed the ambience.  Once the scene was set, I strategically placed the trio of Christmas colored chariots on the faux snow.  Later that day, a fellow office worker stopped by to say hello and was immediately fixated by the cheery new display.  He began trying to identify the trio of models, having no trouble with the Avanti or the Chrysler, but when it came to the last car on the left, he had to ask what it was.  As I replied that it was a 1963 Dodge 330 and went into an explanation of the specific real car model, I decided then and there that this car would be the subject of this week’s story.

So, there you have it... more than you ever really wanted to know about this week’s selection process.  Now, back to the car itself– the REAL car that is.

By model year 1963, Chrysler Corporation’s full size Plymouths and Dodges were into their second year of a fitness program which saw wheelbases chopped a full six inches from the 1961 models.  The 1962 models of both nameplates were noticeably more svelte than the chunky models of the years just prior.  Full size Dodge coupes for 1961 tipped the scales at 3,690 pounds.  After the serious training program, including that six inch wheelbase chop, the ‘62 models weighed in at 3,135, a  555 pound reduction resulting in a noticeable improvement at the track, and at that stoplight at North Lindbergh and Charbonaire!  Many consumers were turned off by the scaled down ‘62 models, however, particularly Dodge buyers, therefore, while Plymouth maintained the new, shorter 116” wheelbase for their ‘63 models, Dodge decided to bump their full sized cars up a notch to 119” in an effort to please those buyers desiring a bit more bulk for the buck.  Despite the extra three inches, the Dodge boys managed to limit the weight gain to roughly 150 pounds.

Power for this trim package ranged from mild to wild.  On the mild side was the standard, and highly regarded Chrysler ‘Slant Six’ displacing 226 cubic inches (3.7 liters for the Gen-Xers and newer in the audience) and producing an ‘adequate for aunt Dorothy’ 145 brake horsepower.  From there, things got quite interesting.  Three V-8s were available in the Dodge 330.  The standard V-8 was the popular 318 cubic inch (5.2 liters) mill which produced a respectable 230 horsepower... enough to move the lightweight Dodge handily down the boulevard.  If that engine didn’t produce quite enough ‘umph’ to satisfy your lust for power, a 383 cubic inch (6.3 liters) version was offered.  This engine managed an additional ‘c’ note of power, rated at 330– enough to satisfy all but the greediest of the power hungry Dodge buyers.  (This is where the ‘wild’ comes in.)  For that group of lunatics, the 426 cube (7.0 liters... okay, so I exaggerate– it was really only 6.98), ‘Max Wedge Ramcharger’ V-8 was available in two versions, Stage I and Stage II, IF, that is, you had nerve enough to get behind the wheel and put the pedal to the metal!  These magnificent monster ‘mills’ produced insane horsepower figures of 415 and 425, respectively.  (I wonder if that extra 10 horsepower was really noticeable???)  Both were built around five main bearings, sported two (count ‘em, two) Carter 4-barrel carburetors and employed solid valve lifters.  Compression ratios were 11.0:1 and 13.5:1 respectively.  (Don’t even think about putting ‘regular’ gas in the tank!)    The 425 horse engine was an ‘all out racing engine’ as John R. Smith writes in the Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975.  He also states that Dodges, when so equipped, “were the absolute ‘terror’ of the country’s dragstrips during 1963”, and that “almost no other car could catch them”!  YEAH, BABY!!!  I have to wonder if that ‘shiny red super-stock Dodge’ that the ‘Little Old Lady from Pasadena’ was driving as she ‘terrorized the Colorado boulevard’ was a 330 like the die cast model in my cubby at the office.  The lyrics specified it was a “four-speed stick and a four-twenty-six”.  All I can say is granny sure knew how to ride!

My aunt Dorothy, on the other hand, was far too practical to purchase a beefy, race-bred car.  She probably would have opted for the base, 318 cubic inch V-8 in her 330 and been very happy with her choice.  Convenience options comprised a short but comfortable list with items such as an electric clock, priced at just $16.00; the ‘Music Master’ radio at $58.00 and a windshield washer at just twelve bucks.  The only significant appearance option on the list was whitewall tires for an additional $29.00.  To make the driving experience easier, power assist options were offered including steering at $77.00; brakes at $43.00; seats, $96.00 and windows for $102.00.  Three transmissions were available including the standard, standard... a three speed with column-mounted shifter; a four-speed manual with floor-mounted shifter for $146.00 and of course Mopar’s venerable TorqueFlite automatic with aluminum case, priced at $192.00 on six cylinder cars and $211.00 on V-8s.  Pick and choose what you will.  Those extras were added on to a base price of $2,245.00 for the 2-door sedan with six cylinder power and $2,352.00 for the same model with a 318 V-8 under the hood, making the 330 a very affordable choice for a (sort of) full size car.  Four doors would cost you an additional $56.00 on either the six or the V-8 cars.  Oh yes, just so you know– granny paid $445.00 for that brawny, 426 Max Wedge engine... but she swore it was worth every penny!

Finally, let’s talk real world, 2008 prices, just in case my story has prompted you to want to run out and find yourself a ‘63 Dodge 330 ‘sleeper’ for the first 2009 Chuck-A-Burger cruise night.  A quick perusal of the current issue of Auto Trader’s Classic Cars & Parts (formerly Old Car Trader), found not one single sixty-three Dodge of any model.  An internet search came up with nothing as well.  What I DID find on the web were a few photos and prices of four similar ‘62-’64 Mopars from the Barrett-Jackson auction back in 2006.  They ranged from just under 100k on the ‘low’ side to around 130k on high.  But alas, none for sale.  So you may have to get on a list and wait until one turns up.  Or, you might want to give Jay Leno or Richard Carpenter a call.  They could probably help you out. 

And what, you might ask, would be the tab for a really cool ‘63 Dodge 330 sleeper?  Well, the Old Cars Price Guide lists a show quality ‘63 330 two-door at around $12,000.00... a relative bargain in today’s collector market.  You could expect a car in this price range to be equipped with the base 318 V-8 or possibly the 383 if you got lucky.  (The price guide instructs you to deduct 5% for six cylinder equipped cars.)  However, if nothing but the best will satisfy your need for Mopar speed, be prepared to anti up a substantial premium... 100% to be exact for the 426 Max Wedge V-8.  Your $12,000.00 car just doubled in price to $24,000.00!  Oh, you say you want a show quality 330 with the 426 Max Wedge Stage II under the bonnet?  Well, partner, for this privilege, the Old Cars Price Guide says that a car equipped from the factory with this option is ‘inestimable’!  I love that term.

Oh yes... I said I would tell you what might have gone wrong in the earlier scenario I posed with the Dodge 330 up against the FIN MAN’s father’s Olds Starfire.  What the FIN MAN didn’t notice were the low profile, twin air scoop intakes running nearly the full length of the Dodge’s hood.  Those scoops, hardly noticeable from the rear or side of the car, were an indication of what lurked under that hood... the mighty Max Wedge 426 Ramcharger engine.

Say, don’t forget to check out the annual It’s A Gas show in Columbia on January 16th.  Search It’s A Gas petroliana show for all the details!   
 
For the answers to this week’s trivia questions and other images of the 1963 Dodge 330, visit the FIN MAN’s web site at http://www.thefinman.com.  To e-mail him, click on this link: mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.

‘The FIN MAN’TM is available for your group’s special occasion.  In addition to his seminar schedule, he has been a guest speaker at group meetings including car clubs, engineering clubs and other professional associations.  He has also acted as host or emcee at a number of special events including trivia parties, holiday parties, social and professional club events, benefits and fund raisers.  There are still a few open dates for December, 2008 and we are now accepting bookings for calendar year 2009.  During his appearances, he presents an overview of the collector car hobby plus a detailed look at American cars from the fifties and sixties.  His program includes a fascinating Power Point presentation with images of collectible automobiles and various associated nostalgia and Americana.  Guests also have the opportunity to play “FINS for FUN,” the video game he produced in 1987 which inspired his nickname, in which players compete to identify the year, make and model of cars from tightly cropped photos of fins and taillights.  Those who score the highest win auto-related prizes donated by supporting Fin Man sponsors.  Be sure to sign up for the program which is being presented at the secluded YMCA Trout Lodge in April and May of 2009.  For more information, click on this link:  http://groups.msn.com/the-fin-man/seminaragenda.msnw. 

Bruce Kunz is a member of the Society of Automotive Historians, the St. Louis Chapter of the Buick Club of America and the Monte Carlo Owners Association of America.  He welcomes your comments and suggestions.  To e-mail him, click here > mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.  


Bruce Kunz- a.k.a. "The FIN MAN"