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Found in a Farmer's Shed | The Cleanup | A Motor for Max | Other Improvements
Max
A Motor for Max

If I wanted some performance, I figured a good place to
start was with a 440 cubic inch "RB" block.

lump1.jpg

I found a 440 out of a '71 Chrysler but the only parts I ended up using were the block, forged crank and rods.

One of the neat things about a Max Wedge engine was the unique cross-ram, dual-quad intake manifold. However, nowadays they are hard to find and horribly expensive. In addition, they don't mate with Edelbrock aluminum heads. So I ended up buying an old Edelbrock STR 14-45 intake.

str14452.jpg

The STR 14-45 is a cross-ram, two-piece manifold with removeable top.

Fabricated top

I wanted a cross-ram dual-quad manifold, so I fabricated a new top out of 1/2 inch aluminum plate then added spacers to move the carbs up so the linkage would clear.

ram1.jpg

Two Edelbrock 500 CFM carbs were added....

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Hedman "Elite" ceramic coated headers were chosen for their 1 3/4" primary tubes in an effort to improve flow velocity.

Edelbrock aluminum head

I bought a set of Edelbrock aluminum heads.

The Edelbrock STR 14 is a cross-ram designed for RB engines and comes in variety of carburetor configurations from a single 4 barrel to dual quads, however, the large open plenum contributes to problems.

str14452.jpg

Note large, open plenum which is prone to puddling due to low mixture velocity.

STR interior

I made a "spider" out of aluminum to divide the large plenum into two smaller plenums each fed by its own carburetor, thus reducing the interior volume but still allowing equal vacuum through the 3/4 inch balance tube.

ram2.jpg

.... and linkage was fabricated.

Ready

The completed 440 was then carefully installed in Max's engine bay.

Keith Black pistons were used giving 10.2:1 compression. A Mopar Performance 509 purple shaft cam was combined with aluminum roller rockers giving a total lift of .509" and 248 degrees of duration at .050". Exhaust is through Hedman Elite ceramic coated headers which feed into handcrafted 3" pipes, then Dynomax Ultraflow mufflers and finally exiting through 2 1/2" aluminized tail pipes. Fire is by Mopar's electronic distributor using their chrome ECU. A lighter weight aluminum water pump is spun by March pulleys in an aluminum pump housing. A Toyota alternator was adapted along with custom brackets fabricated to fit a chromed Saginaw power steering pump.

Fury Motor.jpg

Other Improvements