Rare Max Wedge 330 Emerges from Storage Without Original V8

Once powered by the 7.0-liter four-barrel V8, one of 23 ’64 Max Wedge 330s comes out of the barn with a “more modern” 440 V8.

If there’s one year to remember when it comes to performance, 1964 is it. That was the year the first muscle era was established, with power figures climbing higher and higher until the big crash in 1973. For Dodge, this was the year they dropped the 426 Hemi into their 330. Dubbed the 330 Lightweight, it became better known as the Max Wedge. Only 23 such cars left the factory to destroy the quarter-mile in ’64 and ’65, leaving at least 425 horses on the pavement.

One such Max Wedge 330 turned up on eBay recently, according to Autoevolution. However, the key ingredient has vanished into the winds of history.

This Don’t Got a Hemi

This isn’t the Hemi which should be here. As the seller said, the Elephant had been replaced by a “more modern” 440 V8 linked a ’65 trans and rear. Though sad to see the 426 not where it’s supposed to be, the 440 should at least deliver the goods off the line.

A Rarity Among Rarities

Not only is this 330 one of 23 ever to have a 426 Hemi with four-barrel carbs, it’s also one of two Max Wedges to wear black over a red interior, with the optional heater to keep things hot all year ’round. Imagine all of the stories those red benches could tell, though. The roar of the 426, the 440 destroying competitors left and right. The driver collecting his time slips.

JC Penney’s Got Everything, Even Drag Slicks

This Max Wedge still wears its original black paint and most of its bodywork. Only the hood, like the 426, was swapped out. Instead of the aluminum unit, a steel hood without scoops covers the 440. Yet, the 330 wears an interesting set of shoes, in the form of JC Penney A/FX slicks. That’s right! The chain department store made drag tires back in the day!

Forever a Legend

Though hidden from view for the past 12 years, this Max Wedge 330’s got a ton of life still left. While it would be a challenge to find the original Hemi, trans and rear (and hood), the Dodge is still ready to rumble down the street once more. There are more timeslips to collect, after all.

Photos: ebay/mrsellall

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Cameron Aubernon

Cameron Aubernon's path to automotive journalism began in the early New '10s. Back then, a friend of hers thought she was an independent fashion blogger.

Aubernon wasn't, so she became one, covering fashion in her own way for the next few years.

From there, she's written for: Louisville.com/Louisville Magazine, Insider Louisville, The Voice-Tribune/The Voice, TOPS Louisville, Jeffersontown Magazine, Dispatches Europe, The Truth About Cars, Automotive News, Yahoo Autos, RideApart, Hagerty, and Street Trucks.

Aubernon also served as the editor-in-chief of a short-lived online society publication in Louisville, Kentucky, interned at the city's NPR affiliate, WFPL-FM, and was the de facto publicist-in-residence for a communal art space near the University of Louisville.

Aubernon is a member of the International Motor Press Association, and the Washington Automotive Press Association.

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