1963 Belvedere Lightweight?

[cammer427]

I've come across a certain 1963 Plymouth Belvedere at several local car shows. The engine is apparently a 426 Wedge (it originally had a dual 4-bbl, cross-ram intake, but now has a single 4-bbl intake. Here's a photo of the car:



The owner has mentioned that he went down to the States to drag race in Super Stock for a couple years back in the mid-late '60s, so I don't have much reason to doubt his knowledge of these types of cars. He mentioned it IS NOT a 426 Max Wedge car, but rather a '63 &quot;Lightweight&quot;. He mentioned very few were built and that the car was built by the factory (or a company Plymouth had gotten to build it). Did Plymouth build &quot;lightweight&quot; Belvedere drag racers in '63 with a 426 Wedge engine <span style="font-style: italic">which wasn't</span> the 426 Max Wedge?

[John Brown]

My old NHRA class guide shows the ~Aluminum Component Car~ was available with either the 415 or 425 horsepower engine in 63, and they show weight breaks for the aluminum parts on all the body styles.

[old5.0]

I've never heard of any such animal, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There was a high-perf inline dual four barrel 413 available very early in the 62 model year, but I believe it was canceled when the Max was released, and survivors are few and far between. I'm not aware of a similar option for 63. I think that B-Body options that year skipped right from a 383 to the Max Wedge.

It could be something that was built by an individual very early on. As an example, I've heard a story that the parts manager at Feld Chevrolet in Kansas City, KS built his own Z-11 Impala with service parts on a brand new 409-425 Impala hardtop. Even though that car was not built as a Z-11, it had all the special parts on it almost from day one. This car could be similar.

[John Brown]

http://www.nhra.com/competition/classification.aspx

Quote NHRA <span style="font-style: italic">&quot;Al(uminum) component car required to have aluminum hood with hood scoops, &amp; both aluminum front fenders to be classified as an aluminum component car.&quot;</span>

They show the flat steel hood or the aluminum hoods with scoops. Then you can add in the variations with the high compression engine with dual carbs or the low compression engine with dual carbs. Plus they have the Super Stock weight factors on the same page..... It gets just a little busy. Just take a look and see. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/crazy.gif[/img]

[old5.0]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: John Brown</div><div class="ubbcode-body">http://www.nhra.com/competition/classification.aspx

Quote NHRA <span style="font-style: italic">&quot;Al(uminum) component car required to have aluminum hood with hood scoops, &amp; both aluminum front fenders to be classified as an aluminum component car.&quot;</span>

They show the flat steel hood or the aluminum hoods with scoops. Then you can add in the variations with the high compression engine with dual carbs or the low compression engine with dual carbs. Plus they have the Super Stock weight factors on the same page..... It gets just a little busy. Just take a look and see. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/crazy.gif[/img] </div></div>

Yeah, it appears that they were all Max Wedges, either of the high or low compression variety.