For us non-Chrysler people, how come it was around for only a few years? I heard about through the Beach Boys and have even seen one or two over the years. Was there a built in mech issue with it, not as torqie, slower reving? Just curious.. Mike
The 413’s ran well enough, especially the hipo versions. They grew into the legendary 426” wedge, and then the 440”.
https://bringatrailer.com/2026/04/13/4-13-celebrating-chryslers-bracket-busting-413-max-wedge/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-413-chrysler-motor.423041/
I hope to be pulling a tired but running 413 out of my '61 Imperial this year. I also have a long block core sitting in my '63 Imperial parts car. I am in CA though, and not rushing towards pulling the engine.
I always figured that the 413 and its little brother, the 361, were just slightly behind the curve in producing horsepower for the day. The Chevy 409 breathed better and Ford's 427 side oiler brought the horsepower (even though the 406 with three deuces was a "light" heavyweight like the 413). What's the old saying, "There's no replacement for displacement?" I knew a guy in high school who's family car was a '62 Chrysler convertible with a cross ram 413. Couldn't tell you how it ran, but looked great with the top down and the hood up.
There was nothing inherently wrong with them, they just grew in size. The 413 became the 426 and then ultimately the 440. Generally speaking, big block Mopars come in only 2 varieties; B and RB. There are only 2 varieties of stroke, 3.375" and 3.75". The short stroke engines are the B series, and long stroke engines are the raised deck, to accommodate the longer stroke. You can immediately see a flat pad in the casting of the block on the RB engines next to the distributor, whereas the B engines don't have this casting. Variations in displacement then within these subcategories come solely from bore size. B engines were the 350 (1958 only), 361, 383, and 400. RB engines were the 383 (1959-1960 only), 413, 426, and 440. There is also a load of room in the bottom end of these engines, and aftermarket cranks allow for displacements in B engines of over 500ci and damn near 600 in RBs. Chrysler big blocks are insanely strong engines. All pre-1968 engines had forged cranks and rods. The external oil pump, etc, allow for a lot of flexibility in configuring these engines to different applications. Shaft mounted rocker arms are stable and strong. These engines are incredibly tough in stock form and have mountains of torque for pulling around huge cars. Honestly, they're one of my favorite V8s.
The Jalopy Journal
