Why the "wedge" designation..

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grassy

grassy

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I saw a car this weekend and was told it was a numbers matching "wedge 340"...

I did a quick search and found on allpar, that "the 340 and then the 360, both came with wedge chambers".

Is this what it means and then my 360 is one as well ?

Thanks, Ian
 
No. That's not the 'real' reason. The real reason is because of hemis. In 64, when the 426 hemi came out, there was also the 426 "wedge." So they needed a name to differentiate. This got carried over in slang, and even used by Ma on some of the 340 cars, even though there was never a "non" wedge 340

I could be wrong but I don't think Ma ever used this term before the 426

http://wildaboutcarsonline.com/members/images/1962-05%20HR%201962%20410%20HP%20413%20Short%20Ram%20MOPAR%201-2X.jpg

http://wildaboutcarsonline.com/members/images/1962-05 HR 1962 410 HP 413 Short Ram MOPAR 1-2X.jpg


According to this, Dodge called it a "Ram Charger"


http://maxwedge.com/orangemonster/orangemonster.php

"The following is from the 1962 booklet, "Salesman's Facts About The Dodge Dart Ram-Charger 413 V-8 High- I stole this text from maxwedge.com! Performance Engine Package":

The Ram-Charger is one of the hottest power plants ever produced on an American assembly line. It includes entirely new high-performance exhaust manifolds, valves and valve gear, cylinder heads, pistons and rings, carburetors, ignition, transmission, and suspension components. These specially engineered features, combined with top engine displacement, put the new Ram-Charger chassis well out in front of all the new performance models."

===================================

Here's a guy selling reprints of some of the special manuals, showing covers.........

http://www.perogie.com/moparlit.htm
 
ALL small and big block Mopars have wedge shaped chambers. It was simply used as a marketing name like Hemi, Max Wedge, Magnum, Vortec, Coyote and on and on and on.
 
grassy said:
I saw a car this weekend and was told it was a numbers matching "wedge 340"...

I did a quick search and found on allpar, that "the 340 and then the 360, both came with wedge chambers".

Is this what it means and then my 360 is one as well ?

Thanks, Ian
Click to expand...



All small blocks and big blocks are "wedge" engines.

It's because of the shape of the combustion chamber.


If you look at the combustion chamber in a 426 hemi head, you could put a tennis ball in there and run a guillotine blade down the block face of the head and chop it in half...


The 5.7 and 6.1 can't do that. They are not true "hemi" combustion chambers. Chrysler just brought back the name because of all of the reputation and hype of the original Hemi so they could boost sales.
 
I would like to add one side note. The 1966 and earlier 318 is not a wedge head, it's a poly head. Completely different combustion chamber shape from the wedge head shape.

Russ.
 
Most small and big block engines from all the big three through the muscle car era and into the 80s had wedge shaped chambers. It's a good design. Chrysler didn't hold the copyright on it. Chevy beat them to the punch bad in 1955 with the 265.
 
The hemis made more power, but the wedges were cheaper to manufacture.
 
Well then....The Chrysler "A" engines were all Polyspherical as the Early Hemis' were Hemispherical, and then when the B/RB blocks came along with the LA "Light A" engines were all "Wedge"....Meaning the combustion chambers were on the "A" a Polyphere, on the Hemi naturally Hemispherical, and the B/RB and LA heads were Wedge-shaped....
 
Excellent info and excellent links...what a good read. Now I will not feel like a twit when someone is dumping information on me :) I wasn't quite sure how to respond so I just nodded.

Thanks
 
I never did like when they carried the wedge moniker over to non-rb motors.I am sure it was a sales tool,Kevin.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Chrysler didn't hold the copyright on it. Chevy beat them to the punch bad in 1955 with the 265.
Click to expand...

Wait a minute. What about all the rest of the pre--55 OHV engines, Olds, Ponch, etc?

I think Olds was the first.................

1949 Olds "Rocket"

53218134_pr.jpg


(Other than the 1917 / 1918 Chevy, may or may not have been a "wedge" and the 1913 scripps-booth OHV V8 unknown design)

Nice big photo:

http://www.significantcars.com/cars/th-1915-17scripps/016.jpg
 
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