Gearheads attending the annual Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) in Chicago were blown away and battered by the huge collection of 1963-64 Dodge and Plymouth Factory “Lightweights” Super Stock Max Wedge and HEMI® engine-powered machines. These rare cars, which were built with delicate aluminum sheet metal and other components, lived life a quarter-mile at a time. They were on display at MCACN in the “Factory Lightweights Invitational” display that was presented by Kramer Automotive Specialties, a company that specializes in providing parts for these unique production-based racecars. While the immense halls of the Donald E. Stephen Convention Center just outside the Windy City were packed with virtually every example of high-performance vehicles, these unique “Package Cars” drew many admirers during the MCACN event. Remember, it was these cars that put Chrysler on the map within the growing sport of drag racing that took over the youth culture during the early 1960s. They also laid the groundwork for the Mopar® muscle car movement that exploded on the scene toward the later part of the decade. If it wasn’t for these bare-bones, purposed-built factory racecars, the Street HEMI, along with nameplates like R/T, GTX, Road Runner, Super Bee and many others, wouldn’t have been born.
To the untrained eye, these early midsized Dodge and Plymouth “B-bodies” look rather sedated and unassuming. There were no wild colors or crazy stripes to announce their arrival and intent. Other than the hood scoop and, of course, the raucous exhaust tone when the accelerator was mashed, these looked like the cars your grandparents drove to Sunday church. But beneath the plain Jane appearance and spartan interior laid a beast displacing 426 cubic inches topped with a pair of carburetors that could suck the air right out of a football stadium. To reduce weight, Chrysler’s engineers got creative by replacing front-end bits like hoods, fenders, bumpers, brackets and even doors (in some years) with aluminum stampings. A functional hood scoop (also stamped out of aluminum) was also sealed right to the carburetors. When Chrysler initially released their “Lightweight” package on the 1963 426 Max Wedge Dodge and Plymouth models, it was sold over the counter at dealers while being an assembly line option. Needless to say, this gave the NHRA tech folks heartburn (along with the Chevy guys in their 409s) when these lightweight Mopar vehicles started showing up at the drags in the spring of 1963. To keep the peace, NHRA initially moved any 1963 Plymouth or Dodge Max Wedge car wearing an aluminum front end and hood scoop into the FX or Modified Production classes. It took Chrysler senior management to fire off letters to NHRA stating these are legit production options and meet all Super Stock class guidelines.
After all the smoke and drama of the 1963 race season had cleared, Chrysler released its 1964 Super Stock Lightweight HEMI Package on the Dodge and Plymouth intermediate lineup. With lessons learned from the 1963 package cars, new aluminum stampings were made for the refreshed sheet metal. Radical changes were also used on the 1964 Super Stock HEMI Package Cars that included a “lift off” aluminum hood and revised scoop. Even more weight reduction came by removing the high beam headlamps with a modified front grille. Once again, Chrysler dominated the strip with a win at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in 1964 and smashing records whenever these cars ran down the track. These Factory Lightweight drag machines made heroes out of many racers and teams, sent fear into the competition, and made Chrysler’s crosstown rivals very angry. It’s because of this achievement some 60 years ago that muscle fans, regardless of their age and brand allegiance, respect, admire and love the Max Wedge and HEMI Factory Lightweight machines. They are rolling, living examples of a bygone era in which Detroit pulled out all the stops to put their crosstown competition on the trailer.
At this year’s MCACN show, many generations of gearheads got to see an impressive example of these Factory Lightweight cars not just from Chrysler, but other manufacturers including Ford, Chevy and even Pontiac. They took a trip back in time to see who made the fastest and admire what these cars represented. It was a time within the industry when automakers pulled out all the stops to put the competition on the trailer. Jim Kramer has been in love with these cars for decades and has owned many rare examples including a 1964 Dodge Max Wedge formerly owned by Dave Strickler and driven by Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins that was on display at MCACN. “It was Len Grimsley Jr., Len Grimsley Sr. and me to round up as many of these factory lightweight aluminum cars of the early 1960s and showcased them at MCACN. After chatting with Bob Ashton who runs the MCACN show, he said ‘Go ahead and do it’,” noted Jim. “After the initial struggles, we rounded up all the cars, and the display came out very nice. The owners were happy, and many people thanked us over the weekend. We also had our exotic engine display that included rare intake manifolds, cylinder heads, blocks and many other experimental items from Detroit’s horsepower wars that added to the coolness of the overall exhibit.”
Another person who’s responsible for preserving these scarce factory-built racecars is Ed Strzelecki. Known among his friends as “HEMI Eddy”, he researches and restores these cars to either their “as-raced back-in-the-day” condition or as they rolled off the assembly line. But unlike traditional muscle cars, restoring an old factory lightweight racer has its challenges. “A restoration, regardless of the vehicle, is equally difficult. But I would say the major difference is securing the non-reproduction one-of-a-kind parts found on these factory racecars. Even before the next restoration is in the works, you’re always looking for the hard-to-find parts just to have them on the shelf,” said Ed, whose been involved in the hobby for years saving these old race relics. “Between complete restorations and major clean-ups, I’ve worked on close to 25 Factory Lightweight Max Wedge and HEMI cars. Restoring these cars is a passion that started a long time ago and I’ll do what it takes to make them correct as possible and meet the owner’s vision.”
Many of these old warriors of the drag strips lived a hard life and succumbed to the ravages of time. For the ones that survived, they may no longer do battle, but their mere presence in their restored glory is just as impactful.
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