1964 Plymouth 413/426 Wedge

The 1964 Plymouth Belvedere was basically a carryover, but a new grille and taillamps were added, while the two-door hardtops got a new roof. Their rear roof pillar narrowed as it went down and created a handsome styling signature. This would be the final appearance for the optional push-button TorqueFlite automatic. It was replaced by a conventional column-shifted automatic in 1965.

Still available was the 426 Max Wedge Stage III. But for those who wished to actually make daily use of a big-block MoPar on the street, the ticket was the new-for-’64 426 Street Wedge. Plymouth advertised it as the Commando 426 wedge-head V-8 and billed it as the street version of the 426 Hemi competition engine. It was the sensibile alternative to the Max Wedge Stage III, made so by features like a provision for crossover heat to the manifold, so that it would start in cold weather, and a 10.3:1 compression, so that it could run on something less than aviation fuel.

The Street Wedge used a single four-barrel carb on a conventional cast-iron intake manifold. Its exhaust manifold was conventional, too, without the flamboyant ram’s-horn sweep that gave the Max Wedge headers such allure. But the Commando was no shrinking violet. It was rated at 365 horsepower and had 470 pounds/feet of torque. High performance valve springs, pistons, plugs, and a hot cam were inside. Hydraulic tappets, dual breaker distributor, nonsilenced air cleaner, dual exhausts, and heavy-duty clutch were part of the package.

Return to Classic Muscle Cars Library.

For more information on muscle cars, check out:

• Muscle Cars: Get information on more than 100 tough-guy rides.
  
• How Muscle Cars Work: Learn about the complete history of muscle cars, from the classic period in the 1960s to today.
• Plymouth Muscle Cars: Find out about more great Plymouth muscle cars.
• 1963 Plymouth 426 Wedge: Get vital details on this Plymouth model.