Lets talk about 348 409 stuff-1958 to 1965

[countrytravler]

Would like to hear your experience with the big W. Dad was working with GM in Detroit during that period. My 1st experience was when I was 13 (1965), I was on my paper route and came across a 59 Biscayne with a 348 tri power with a blown clutch for 50 dollars. bought it, towed roped it home and dad and I put a junk yard clutch in it, cleaned the car up and flipped the car for 250.00. I'm on my way to my profession. Working on broken cars and flipping them. Later.

Enjoy the ride!!

https://youtu.be/16qsYreBJZE

 

[countrytravler]

Here is a link to my FB.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/406019856199113/

[countrytravler]

Nice 1961 and pulling the 409 from a 63.

[countrytravler]

My 2nd 409 car that I bought in 1968. I was 16 and work as a cook at a Palace restaurant in Livonia MI. Paid 200.00 for the car with no engine. It was a Drag car all its life at the Motor City and Detroit Dragway. Only had 2000 miles.

[countrytravler]

The 65 in the background was a rare 65 Impala SS 395-425 car

[Robert Street]

Well here are my current two.  The 61 348 I haven't started showing yet.  The 62 409 has done well with AACA.

Robert

 

[countrytravler]

This was my 1st 409 car. 1965 Impala SS 409-400 that I bought in 1968 with 20,000 miles in 1968. Guy lost his license and living at home. Mom said let it be gone. Paid 400.00 on a payment plan. It was in Brightmore MI. Had the car until I came back from Nam and I pulled the motor for the white 62. Big mistake. Did not know how rare the car was.

Edited December 15, 2016 by countrytravler (see edit history)

[countrytravler]

Another 62 that I did a ground up. 409-409 4 speed. This was in 1980.

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2016 by countrytravler (see edit history)

[countrytravler]

Did a frame on in 1976 in a one-car garage. My 1st car show at Detroit Auto Rama. You had to be invited. That was a big woopy do back then

[countrytravler]

The Big W in Canadian Pontiacs.

[Stude Light]

I had a 348 in my 1961 T-80 Cab Over that was a fire truck converted into a dump truck.  It ran  and pulled exceptionally well.  I recall overloading it with crushed limestone once (really heavy stuff) which put the rig at just under 30,000 lbs (only 5000 over GVW).  No problem....that engine pulled that truck right along. I don't think I ever took a photo of it before I sold it though.  I'll have to look around.

Scott

[countrytravler]

Here is a 409 twin turbo from an offshore racer that ran between NY and FL. It won many races.

[countrytravler]

GM even toyed with the Rochester for a while.

[real61ss]

Dave,

The pictures of the 61 Pontiac were taken at the 2014 409 reunion in Great Bend, Kansas, were you there? I was there with my 61 SS.

[countrytravler]

7 minutes ago, real61ss said:

Dave,

The pictures of the 61 Pontiac were taken at the 2014 409 reunion in Great Bend, Kansas, were you there? I was there with my 61 SS.

 

I was doing the Dodge 100 year show in Detriot that year. A friend of mine  (Rusty Syms) took the pictures.

[countrytravler]

Here is a 61 wagon being done. 348 tri power 4 speed air. Shares from the 348/409 forum

[real61ss]

I have always been fascinated with the 61 Impala SS. Bought my first 61 Impala in 1962 just before I graduated from high school. That summer I was at Emporia Drag Strip in Emporia , Va. and saw my first 61 SS. I went straight to the local Chevrolet dealer and bought a set of SS emblems for my car. For almost 40 years I searched for a "real 61 SS" and finally found one in a shed just 15 miles from my house. I bought that car, did a frame off restoration and just recently sold it. In 2004 I ran across the car in the attached photos at the Charlotte Auto Fair. It was just a body, a basket case but it is a real factory built SS so it had to be saved. The original motor and transmission were long gone. I located a correct date coded 61 409 motor in a museum in Tn., bought it and installed it in the car. I have been extremely fortunate with this car at AACA National events. The car has reached Sr. Grand National status and in 2009 was awarded the Annual Grand National Award for post war cars. The car hasn't been out of the garage since the 2014 409 Reunion in Kansas but it is going to New Bern this weekend and also is going to Hershey this fall.     

[real61ss]

1 hour ago, countrytravler said:

I was doing the Dodge 100 year show in Detriot that year. A friend of mine  (Rusty Syms) took the pictures.

Rusty has some great cars but the thing that he has that I really like is his truck. I would love to have one like it

[John348]

Here is my 60 348/340 I have owned the car now over 30 years. It is now getting painted and expect it back in a few weeks. It had gotten damaged loading into the trailer, it was a shame it was an original paint car. I had bought the car from the original owner, who wanted a 283 3 speed with overdrive but it had to be green. Anyone who lived in the NYC area knows that green cars seldom ever get stolen. He bought it at Speilman Chevrolet Manhattan. I tried to get the lacquer matched when the damage was repaired, the color did not match and It did not look right. The paint was weak in a few other areas. It is a tough color to match and I knew that going in.  I had a lot of the car apart already so I had decided I had to go for the total repaint. You can see the color mismatch on the passenger fender to the hood.

 

Not too many of these were built, I never saw another 60 340HP  this car is a late one out of Tarrytown 08A. The compression was lowered to 10:1 and a hydraulic cam was installed, I did this years ago. I also put a wide ratio gear set in the T-10 and changed the posi rear from 3:73 to 3:08

Edited August 11, 2016 by John348
more content (see edit history)

[John348]

3 hours ago, countrytravler said:

GM even toyed with the Rochester for a while.

 

You are sure that you are not getting the Rochester units mixed up with the aftermarket Hillborn units?

Edited August 11, 2016 by John348 (see edit history)

[Robert Street]

John:

Those 409 Fuel Injection units weren't a production item and as far as I know they only had about 6 of them up in the engineering area messing with the 63 cars.  They actually look like a throttle body system with a funky looking pump assembly over the water pump on a chain drive.  An acquaintance of mine down south has the only running complete unit on a car.  The story I always heard was the costs and that development was ongoing with the mystery motor killed it and we all know how that motor "snowballed down the hill".  There are photos of the completed running unit as my photos aren't that great of it.

Robert

 

[real61ss]

John,

I remember your 60 well, very nice car, sorry to hear it got damaged but now many it will be better than ever.

[8E45E]

Did any of them appear at the annual MCACN show in Chicago?  Or have any yet to make their appearance?

 

Craig

[countrytravler]

9 hours ago, John348 said:

 

You are sure that you are not getting the Rochester units mixed up with the aftermarket Hillborn units?

 

NO, They made a couple of prototypes. Never a production item like the Z11 in a Corvette was a prototype.

[countrytravler]

Check ou the 61 beating the 63 Chev at the stop light 3/4 into the short take.

 

https://www.facebook.com/VintageLosAngeles/videos/870673036322750/

 

Edited August 11, 2016 by countrytravler (see edit history)

[countrytravler]

409 stuff

[countrytravler]

[countrytravler]

Not a 348 car but this car is super rare. Too bad not a 3 speed on the column.

[countrytravler]

Back end Thursday!

[countrytravler]

Here is a cool old tow vehicle for your w cars. 1984 Sub with a 454. 45.000 miles

http://barnfinds.com/42500-miles-1984-chevrolet-suburban-silverado/?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Newsletter+(Instant)&utm_content=morelink

[JACK M]

17 minutes ago, countrytravler said:

Back end Thursday!

 

Love the theme song Dave, Never heard that version before.

 

[countrytravler]

12 hours ago, real61ss said:

Rusty has some great cars but the thing that he has that I really like is his truck. I would love to have one like it

We cloned a 62 Chev that Hayden Proffitt won the nationals in 1962. Nobody was cloning cars in the late 70s. I think that we started the trend. We put in the very rare Z11 409. Then we took it to Super Chevy Weekend at Indy IN at the race track. That it where we met Reggie Jackson, Doug Marion the editor of Super Chevy and Rusty I believe. Forgot a lot more than I remember. Rusty had owned an aluminum foundry and he was thinking about reproducing the Z11 heads. Here is the article on the car. This car was put together from spare parts when I was buying all the 409 cars that I could find when I was restoring or cloning 62s into 409s. When I converted the small block cars to 409s, no way you could tell unless you had the window sticker.

[countrytravler]

On my office wall and door. The silver plate from MI 1952 is the state and year that I was born. The Alaska plate is from a friend that just moved here from Alaska . This was his personal plate and he transferred his plates to CA. 

[John348]

Dave so what "W" block car or cars do you own now? I am trying to figure out what is the aim and purpose of this thread?

[real61ss]

John,

Probably isn't a purpose, it started over in the Buy & Sell section where Matt listed the 63 409 car. I suggested we move it to this area because that thread was dead.

 

 

[countrytravler]

29 minutes ago, John348 said:

Dave so what "W" block car or cars do you own now? I am trying to figure out what is the aim and purpose of this thread?

What is to figure out? The heading is, let's talk about the W. At the present, no Ws at this time . We own about 40 old Mopars. I have owned about 30 Ws. From the Ws in hot rods to trucks and cars. Had a boat also with a 409. I have raced semi pro in a 63 that we took 2nd in the nationals in 87. Had a 09 that ran 8s in 1980. Thought that it would be cool to share my history and background with the W. And you?

Thanks for asking

Dave

PS

Working on buying a ton of 409 stuff that a friend has when the funds are available to build an another 65 Impala SS convertable 

Edited August 11, 2016 by countrytravler (see edit history)

[George Smolinski]

Country,

In the '63 409 thread, I think you said Chevy even offered the SS in '61 in a 4 door. That was discussed some time ago on CT. As I recall, the result was that although it may have been possible to get a 4 door SS, none, nor any proof of one have ever surfaced.

On another note, there was/is a very long thread on the discovery of & resto of a real '64 wagon with 409/425hp four speed.

And on another note, when my brother & I were in high school in the mid to late 60's, we'd go looking at & buying cars on weekends. We looked at a '62 SS 409 w/4 speed, but walked away from it as soon as we walked around it. Reason was it was what we called old man gold paint.

And finally, we also looked at a his & hers pair of '62 SS's in 1968. Both red/red. His was the 409 4 speed & hers was the 327 w/PG. We couldn't scrape up the $8500 for the pair.

 

I'm also curious as to what that '63 409 sold for, but I'm afraid to ask & it may not be ethical in some people's eyes. So I guess I won't.

[countrytravler]

18 minutes ago, George Smolinski said:

Country,

In the '63 409 thread, I think you said Chevy even offered the SS in '61 in a 4 door. That was discussed some time ago on CT. As I recall, the result was that although it may have been possible to get a 4 door SS, none, nor any proof of one have ever surfaced.

On another note, there was/is a very long thread on the discovery of & resto of a real '64 wagon with 409/425hp four speed.

And on another note, when my brother & I were in high school in the mid to late 60's, we'd go looking at & buying cars on weekends. We looked at a '62 SS 409 w/4 speed, but walked away from it as soon as we walked around it. Reason was it was what we called old man gold paint.

And finally, we also looked at a his & hers pair of '62 SS's in 1968. Both red/red. His was the 409 4 speed & hers was the 327 w/PG. We couldn't scrape up the $8500 for the pair.

 

I'm also curious as to what that '63 409 sold for, but I'm afraid to ask & it may not be ethical in some people's eyes. So I guess I won't.

 

 

Not photoshopped!

Edited August 11, 2016 by countrytravler (see edit history)

[countrytravler]

56 minutes ago, George Smolinski said:

Country,

In the '63 409 thread, I think you said Chevy even offered the SS in '61 in a 4 door. That was discussed some time ago on CT. As I recall, the result was that although it may have been possible to get a 4 door SS, none, nor any proof of one have ever surfaced.

On another note, there was/is a very long thread on the discovery of & resto of a real '64 wagon with 409/425hp four speed.

And on another note, when my brother & I were in high school in the mid to late 60's, we'd go looking at & buying cars on weekends. We looked at a '62 SS 409 w/4 speed, but walked away from it as soon as we walked around it. Reason was it was what we called old man gold paint.

And finally, we also looked at a his & hers pair of '62 SS's in 1968. Both red/red. His was the 409 4 speed & hers was the 327 w/PG. We couldn't scrape up the $8500 for the pair.

 

I'm also curious as to what that '63 409 sold for, but I'm afraid to ask & it may not be ethical in some people's eyes. So I guess I won't.

 

 

We have owned about 100 muscles cars in the 60s when my dad worked in the GM center. He would buy cars from GM that some had XP parts under the body. He would bring home muscle cars on the weekend and go street racing with me and sometimes a friend. He would have to report what he beat and not. Most of the street racing was done on Woodward ave, Gratiot and Telegraph roads. Wish cameras were big back then like it is now. So I think that I have a pretty neat history with the job that my dad had with the area and times in Detroit that we were in.

Here is the 63 that we campaigned in 85 to 88. We built a low compression 409 with a big cam. And we used a modified Holly 550 2 barrel with an adapter plate on a single plane 4 barrel intake. 4000 stall with trans brake, Powerglide trans with 4.88 rears. Evan ran with the 2 part drive shaft. 3600 with driver and 12.70s all day. 1000 plus runs on the engine in 3 seasons and the only thing that broke was a fuel pump and electric motor for the water pump. We would race then park the car to watch the races.

Edited August 11, 2016 by countrytravler (see edit history)

[John348]

2 hours ago, countrytravler said:

. And you?

 

 

I guess you missed the photo one of my cars in post #19