Profiling Chrysler's B and RB engines
From 1959 to 1971, around three million 383-cubic-inch engines were produced. Around three quarters of a million 440-cubic-inch engines were produced as well. This is great for the parts industry in dealing with cars from this era. The B series engines were 361, 383 and 400.
Classic car fans can identify these "B" engines by a stamp marking the number of cubic inches, located on the right side of the block deck that's adjacent to the distributor.
The RB engines were the 413, 426W and the 440 engines. They could be identified by the stamp of cubic inches on a pad on the left front of the engine, near the front tappet rail. Both B and RB engine distributors can be found at the right front of the engines. Those needing to replace parts for these engines need only look next to the engine size for pertinent information.
The wedge engines from the B series have interchangeable parts with just a few exceptions. Here's a line-up of the B and RB series engines that were released.
Eight big block engines were released. The B series, or B blocks, are characterized as short deck while the RB series is known as tall deck. A wider intake manifold was needed for the RB series.
Engine sizes
The B series included engine sizes of 350, 361, 383 and 400 cubic inches. The RB series were sized at 383, 413, 426 Wedge and 440 cubic inches. The 426 Wedge was not a Hemi engine. The B series engines had 3.38 stroke crank with different bores. There were two 383s, one for the B series and one for the RB series. The 350 engine was produced for 1958 only, except for the Chrysler Saratoga and Windsor for 1959 and 1960.
RB engines were used in Imperial and Chrysler cars (American only) for 1959 and 1960. The 413-cubic-inch V-8 engine was used in the Chrysler New Yorker, Imperial and the Chrysler 300 E/F.
Key engine features
Released in 1958 and only produced that year, the 350 B engine had a bore of 4.0625 inches. It was only used on the Chrysler Windsor and the Plymouth Fury.
Then, the 361 B engine was released with a wider bore of 4.125 inches. It was similar to the 350. The 361 was used in the Chrysler Newport, Dodge Coronet and Charger, and the Plymouth Phoenix and Belvedere.
The 383 B engine with a short stroke had a bore of 4.25 inches. The Dodge version featured a cross-ram induction manifold and a dual four-barrel carburetor, each as an option. The Plymouth version was known as "Golden Commando."
Cars that featured the 383 B series engine were Chrysler's Newport, Town and Country, 300 and New Yorker. Dodge cars with this engine included the Monaco, Magnum, Challenger, Dart, Coronet, Super Bee ('68 to '71), and Polara. For the Plymouth, the engine came with the Road Runner, Satellite, Fury, Belvedere, GTX and Barracuda.
The 400 V-8 B series engine used a four-barrel carburetor with large intake and exhaust valve ports. These, along with a large diameter exhaust pipe, gave the engine excellent breathing for great performance. It had responsive acceleration when traveling at either cruising or passing speeds on the highway. Features included aluminum-on-steel and very durable main bearings, a deep-skirt block, and a rugged cast ductile iron crankshaft.
Cars with the 400 engine included Chrysler's Cordoba, Newport, New Yorker, and Town and Country. For Dodge, it was included with the Magnum, Charger and Monaco. For Plymouth, it came with the Fury, Gran Fury, Satellite, Road Runner and TrailDuster.
About Chrysler's RB series engines
Chrysler's RB (raised block) engines were first released in 1959 as raised deck versions of the B series engines. To recognize what type of RB engine, one must look at the bore size. There are no other outward clues. The 383 RB engine had a bore size of 4.031 inches, while the 413 had 4.1875 inches. This made an easy transition to 426 cubic inches, the NASCAR limit, possible, by simply boring the block to 4.25 inches in diameter.
For 1966, the same RB engine could be pushed out to 4.32 inches to reach 440 cubic inches thanks to the same thin wall casting techniques that had been developed in 1964, which had resulted in the release of a small 273-cubic-inch V-8 engine that year.
For the 440 V-8 engine, several features were combined to give it an extra power boost and quick acceleration at any speed, from low speeds to middle speeds - even while cruising or towing. It featured a rugged cast ductile iron crankshaft, a deep-skirt block and bearings of an aluminum-on-steel make. This provided smooth driving and operation. The 440 RB engine was called the TNT on Chryslers, the Super Commando for Plymouths and the Magnum for Dodges.
Though Chrysler was focused mainly on the racing aspects of the 413 through 426 engine families, the company was also on the lookout for ways to improve its other lines. After a couple of years of experimentation, the 273-cubic-inch V-8 engine was released for the smaller Chrysler models. It proved to be a little engine with big potential.
Chrysler's B and RB series engines will always be remembered for their performance and durability. Hot rodders still enjoy working with these remarkable engines today.
