Re: {Chrysler 300} 426 300H

Apropos of nothing, I sometimes wonder 'what if' B body muscle cars didn't become a thing, if a 1966 300M could/would have been available with a dual quad 426 street Hemi and a 4 speed. Talk about a "banker's hot rod" or "gentleman's express". Seeing where B body cars went, and how they were joined by E body muscle, it probably would have failed in the marketplace. Having to buy a big car to get a big performance engine began to die in 1962 with the downsized Plymouths and Dodges, and to a lesser extent even with the 62H moving to the shorter 122" wheelbase Newport platform. It became more about horsepower to weight ratio rather than just horsepower. A milder, smooth running 440 with single 4 bbl for the big C body luxury cars was better at addressing the market. The Hurst in 1970 was probably the only C body that came standard with the 375hp TNT engine. I think it was strictly an option on any other Chrysler. The only other C body I can imagine having the 375 hp 440 as standard equipment may have been the 70 Plymouth Sport Fury GT, which would also have the 390 hp 6-bbl as optional equipment, but not a 426 Hemi. Would have been cool for the Hurst to have optional engine choices of 6-bbl or 426 Hemi, too.

I once saw a Hurst at Chrysler's at Carlisle that had aftermarket Hemi heads mounted to the 440. I think that was a thing for a few years- a cheaper way to migrate from a 440 to a Hemi than getting a complete new engine. Not sure if it did as much for performance as it did for the look of the engine bay. Anyone else remember seeing that? It was probably in the early 1990's.

On Mon, Mar 10, 2025 at 9:20 AM 'dave mason' via Chrysler 300 Club International <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Thought there were a small number of 300K’s built with the 426 wedge…
I know of a couple but not sure if they were factory.

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 10, 2025, at 10:14, Dan Plotkin <dplotkin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

To my knowledge the 426 street wedge appeared in B body cars only, never used in Chryslers. Best way to tell if it was ever even possible is to consult with the AMA specifications for the 1962 300

Danny Plotkin

From: chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bill Werick
Sent: Sunday, March 9, 2025 2:46 PM
To: 'Chrysler 300 Club International' <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: {Chrysler 300} 426 300H

In Number 182 news-flite, there is a table of 300 specifications and it includes, for just the 300H, the mention of a 426 wedge over the counter engine with a 12-1 compression ratio that produced 421 hp. I had never heard of this engine and I wonder whether there is a 300H out there with this engine.

Bill Werick
14508 Chesterfield Lane
Culpeper VA 22701
703-328-3034
.
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