The Chrysler 413 is an interesting engine because it lived a long life in multiple roles and a very wide range of equipment. Hot rodders like to think about the hot rodded Max Wedge 413 (that gave way to the Max Wedge 426) and luxury car people like to think of the powerful and smooth Imperials and other cars that were shoved along by it, and finally truck guys will tell you that the 413 was a stalwart gas power plant offered in big trucks until 1979. That is a heck of a run for a mill that showed up on the scene in 1959 and was used in cars until 1965.
The videos below aren’t about floating Imperials or sneaky big Polaras. Nope, the videos below celebrate the most BangShifty application of the engine in the form of the 420hp Max Wedge 413 as offered in a small number of Plymouth and Dodge models in 1962. Combating the Pontiacs and Chevrolets, the “Super Stock Dodges” were quickly recognized in songs and popular culture. The Beach Boys talked about the cars in their song “Shut Down” while Jan and Dean were singing about the “Little Old Lady From Pasadena” who happened to also be driving a Max Wedge powered Chrysler. Rated at 420hp at 5,000 RPM this engine was a harbinger of things to come from Chrysler who really took the gloves off the next year when they expanded the engine to 426ci and later when the Hemi was introduced.
The Max Wedge may have been completely overshadowed by the Hemi when it hit the streets and the tracks, but the reality is that this engine was as good and powerful as anything Ford or GM was throwing out and lots of the strength characteristics of the Hemi can be traced right back to its RB engine family older brother. Happy 4/13…413!
Had 62 Fury 3 Canadian car 413 max wedge 727 456 gear use to scare the crap out of me never new what lane you be in car squirrelly all over the place gas pedal pegged to the floor The police loved the car lol I was young love 62s
The Little Old Lady From Pasadena had a 426, not a 413. You can bring that up in a couple weeks.
You can catch her all the time, just gettin’ her kicks now
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
With her four speed stick and a four-two-six now
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
The guys come to race her from miles around
But she’ll give ’em a length, then she’ll shut ’em down
Well Greg, you have to stop googling. Those lyrics are wrong. There is no mention of a 426. I have 2 J&D original albums and no mention of a 426 on them. Being the album was released in ’64, it was probably written way earlier before there even was a 426.
The Beach Boys covered the song in 1964 and added those lyrics. Ain’t the internet wonderful.
Ahhhhh that’s the way to start the day………..
what happened to 409 day ?