When we were in the showroom buying the 1960 Chevrolet, my older brother tried to talk Dad into getting one with the 348. Dad didn't want to spend the extra money for the larger engine, so he bought one with the 283/Powerglide combo.
You bet I’m finding out information such as that I didn’t know about the combustion chambers as well I think I talked about it one other time but I didn’t go into detail as much as I did this go around..
Great video, many great comments and stories on this engine. In 1964 I bought a 1959 Impala Sport Coup, Greacian Gray with beautiful red and gray interiour. The killer was, it had the rare 348 engine, 335 horse tri power, with factory 4-speed. It was such a beautiful car for the time. With that 348 engine, it sure made a believer out of me, along with many early muscle cars of the day. We had a popular Burger Chef drive in where I met a guy with a 1958 Plymouth that had 2 -4 - barrel carbs and auto. We raced, that 348 engine beat that plymouth, we remained good friends after that. What a great era to grow up in.
Thank you so much glad you dig this video thank you so much for sharing those stories I never got to drive a 348 but got to drive a 409 with dual quads in a 62 bel air
hi enjoyed your "dissertation" on the "W's" very much. Someone else might have addressed this, but: in positively I D-ing the "09" you didn't mention the small cast on"X" on the front of the block, above the water pump inlet(drivers side)? Best wishes
I had the 62 Impala in black with a silver interior. It was a beautiful car. It only had the 283 engine but I always wished it had the 409. The 283 was married to a 2 speed automatic transmission. If you accelerated hard, it went 0-55 mph in 1st gear and 55 to 110 mph (top speed) in 2nd. Excellent video that cleared up information about this engine for me! Glad you are doing an engine series. I would like to see one on the Ford 260 - 289 that was in the 63 Fords like the 63 Falcon Sprint.
Great story =) ford FE family will get covered one day as well as Chevy small block (those ones will be long lots of block sizes) but definitely one day
Hi Jay!: GREAT video! Wasn't aware that Chevy popped the 409 out to 427 for NASCAR, but it makes sense. By 1964 Ford had their Side Oiler up to 427 Cubes, and the more cubes, the better! As nice as the 1963 Chevy is (probably one of their best looking cars of the 1960's) I have a thing for the 1962. My grandmother had a '63, though. WAY back when I was in high-school, one of my best friends and myself stopped at a gas station somewhere in Indiana, and parked right out front of the garage was a 1962 Impala, black with red interior. It had the hood up and in there was the dual quad 409, and it had a 4-speed. of course! That thing was CHERRY! Enough to make this Ford guy lust for a Chevy! So WYR#1 1962 Impala. WYR#2 As good as the mark IV was, and it REALLY was GREAT! I still have a thing for that Dual-Quad 409! Giddy-UP!
Old guy here and I am reliving some of my youth through RUclips. 1st car 60 Electra sedan 2nd&3rd 63 2 & 4 door sedans, my family also had a 63 Biscayne wagon. So I am partial to those although a classmate's sister had a 64SS Impala. What strikes me is how attractive these designs remain 60 years on and the fact they immediately followed the era of the most hideous designs. Some of this can be attributed to Harley Earl and more to Virgil Exner but a whole lot of people besides them all had to pretend that the Emperor wasn't buck a$$ nekkid to get those monstrosities in to the showrooms. I am consequently increasingly impressed with the Independent producers. The Rambler designs compare very favorably with later Mercedes and I think the Studabaker Hawk is still beautiful Of you look at my old 59 Willys Wagon you know where the design for the new Wrangler came from.
62 Impala and the 396 Love engine Wednesdays How about doing the Mopar Polysphere series engines. A really solid motor that just got completely overshadowed by hemis, the later series LA small blocks, and the Mopar wedge engines.
I’m lucky enough to have had a ride in a 62 Impala 409 4speed with 411 gears white and green car what a great ride very seriously fast car had another friend with a tricked out 348 in a 63. I underestimated these cars as a kid.
I got to drive a 4 speed 409 last year it was a great experience but after 50 mph that car turns into a Lincoln Mark v with a crazy engine floaty ride..
A 1964 with a 409 and a Poweglide for me. You forgot to mention the 340hp 409 made available in 1963 that allowed the engine use with automatic transmission. Previous 409 cars were all 4 speeds.
I've owned a 348 great torque..... Put it in a 1972 Chevelle 😉👍 409 and 427 w were long gone on the streets pretty heavy hording 😢😞.. I did get my hands on a 1968 Chevy Caprice Station wagon with a HP 427 automatic 😉👍 she ran strong ❤️👏👏 put it in a 65 Malibu 4 door I bought for a 175 dollars 😂 I blew 6 rear ends before my uncle told me to get a 1957 Oldsmobile rear axle 😊 great fun ... 1962 Impala is my styling 👍 just too big.... I'm a mid size car man .... Great episode 😉👏👏 enjoy your day ✌️
I drove a 1966 Impala SS Coupe that had a 396 and Automatic and it ran great! My Neighbor had a 1969 Chevelle SS that had a 396 and it would really go in the smaller car. I saw a few Novas that had them.
You found my wheelhouse! I'll be breif. The 1965 Corvette could be had with the 396, but for only that year. In 1966, the 427 was the big block choice. I liked the photo with "Smokey Yunick" who was the Chevy guru who knew how to squeeze every bit of power out of a Chevy! I owned a 67 Chevelle SS with a 396 and a 4 speed. I was able to get it to a best time of 11.93/107 in the quarter. I'd take a 396 over the 409, and I love the 64 Chevy's.
Glad you dig this episode I was really proud of myself aside from the research putting this episode together was one of the quickest.. generally takes eight hours between research and putting it together this one took four hours to put together
@@What.its.like. The evolution of engines is interesting (I have a Mechanical Engineering degree) and the effects on sales are interesting. If I remember correctly, although The Beach Boys sang about the Chevy 409, there was a Ford 390 tri-power or dual quads that was more powerful, but as was often the case Chevy sold more 409’s. Keep up the good work
My brother had a 1964 Impala SS 283 Powerglide while we were in college, then much more recently a 1963 Impala SS 327-300 with 4-speed. Though the 1963 was much nicer and faster, I like the 1964 better. Our father had an early 1965 Impala Sport Coupe with a 409 automatic 4-barrel Carter AFB. It was a hot car; especially with no A/C and a black interior. He was a very conservative guy, and my mother couldn't understand how he used up a set of tires in less than a year! So I'll go with the 409.
Good deal, get some rest.Just put it behind you keep it moving and get back out there. All these companies are cooking with the same grease , best thing is to get ur own authority
Well, you finally got me! I only knew about the 348 and 409 "W" engines and not heard of a 427 "W". Looking at the valve covers on the 427 "W", I would have assumed that it was a MK IV. I have never seen a "W" engine in a truck. Most were inline 6's or 283 V8's. It was ever rare to find a 327 in one.From 1969, most V8's in Chevy pick-ups were 350's. Maybe around 1971 or 2 you could get a 396. In the early-80's, I worked for an ag chem and agricultural field service company. I remember a couple of big Chevy trucks(C60 and larger) which had 427's in them. They were MK IV engines, but they had different heads and pistons, for low compression and were way different than the passenger car 427. From what I have seen, the 396(actually 402) if in a Corvette, had aluminum cylinder heads. Because of the aluminum heads on the cast iron block, these had headgasket problems. Also, from working in a machine shop, and seeing those heads for the first time, they told me that almost every one they got in was cracked.When I was there, they had no good heads in stock. That was the mid-80's and 396 aluminum heads were as rare as hen's teeth. Today, no problem, there are new aftermarket replacements. Yep. In 1965, the 396 MK IV engine was introduced mid-year and replaced the 409. In the full-size cars, the TH400 automatic was paired with the 396. If you had a 409 with an automatic, you got a PowerGlide. Just like in the Corvette, from day one through the 1967 model year, if you wanted an automatic you could only get a PowerGlide. They also introduced the Caprice in 1965, probably mid-year, but it was about the only Chevy you could get with a TH400 with a 327. A friend of my father's had a 1965 Impala 396 and a standard 3-on-the-tree manual transmission! I had see a few others with 4-speeds. I mean, who would want an SS396 or 427 and 4-speed to take grandma to church? lol
You couldn't get a 348/409 in a pickup or 1 ton truck, not sure why...but they were available in heavy duty trucks, maybe some medium duties, not sure what the "cutoff" series on the trucks were for the engine...the trucks from around 61 through 65 could be had with either 348's or 409's, even after the 348 had been discontinued for car use in '62...I think the W engine would have made good useful torque for a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck..I always wondered why they didn't offer a 366 in a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck as well, seems like it would have been a good match for a work truck...
@@dyer2cycle Well, GM did stuff in their big commercial trucks that they didn't do in their light duty trucks. The GMC division put their V6's in the light duty trucks which were larger and more powerful than the V8's in the Chevy trucks. They reserved their monster V6's for their heavy duty big commercial truck lines. This included GM's first inhouse 4-stroke diesel, the Toro Flow. Yep. Chevy did use some carryover engines in their big commercial truck lines, even after similar versions were no longer available in passenger cars. Although these carryover engines looked similar and might have fit in a passenger car, they were drastically different and were made from different parts. The Chevy 366 V8 may have been been a MK IV design, they were different from any other MK IV engine. The 427 engine was available in HD trucks long after that size had been replaced by the 454 V8 in passenger vehicles and light trucks. Anyway, you couldn't get a Holley 4 Bbl., governor-controlled carb on a passenger car engine. It's also kinda funny that after chevy light trucks stopped using the Hydramatic automatic in the late-50's(GMC continued using it into the early 1960's), if you wanted an automatic, all you could get was a 2-speed Powerglide until 1965. Almost nobody wanted an automatic in a truck until the late-60's. But, in the MD and HD trucks, you could always get an Allison automatic in GM trucks, even today. Oh, the Allison automatics available in GM light trucks today has nothing in common but the name to the ones used in big trucks. The Allison 540 series was basically an oversized TH400.
....thanks for the vid, excellent as usual....the '62-'64 full size Chevys were the #1 selling car each year and there is plenty of parts around, but prices for all old cars, like new cars, has just gotten insane.....for the Druthers, I'd prefer the '64 and the 396.....
Yes, for engine episode Wednesday. Looking forward to Fords "Hemi", Chevys "Iron Duke" (God Help us) and when horsepower went from Net ratings to SAE around 1971. One year its 360 hp and the next it was 200 hp. Today again this 1980s Ford guy learned again. (I am going to save my pennies and save my dimes, giddy up 409.)
You did a very good job reporting on this engine. A lot of the information available is confusing and some is incorrect. This engine is making quite a comeback. Consequently used blocks and heads are rising in price. I have a 1961 chevrolet bel air with a 348 bored .060 over and a 4 inch stroke crankshaft for a total of 440 cubic inches. 690 409 cylinder heads hydraulic roller cam headers 800 cfm edelbrock avs2 carb for a total of a little over 500 hp I hqve a tremec 5 speed moser 9 inch rearend all work done by Lamar Walden automotive. They are the most knowledgeable about the w engine. It was lamars favorite design they have built some with 1000 plus horsepower turning over 9000 rpm.
I had a '63 SS Impala Convertible, Metallic Root Beer Brown w/ saddle tan interion and a white top. I wish it had a 409, but it had a "Power Pac" 283 with the Power Glide. Sold it in 1988 for $3,000, two years later it would have sold for $23,000 when the classic car market just exploded.
Aw man.. life is all about timing. I was born to late I wish I was around when these cars were cheap. I have a road and track magazine from 1964 (mustang edition) in the classifieds 1935 Bugatti type 35 for $5,500 which was a lot of money but no where near the millions it’s worth now
From WYR I would choose any of those 3 Impalas (I have all 3 years of those impalas but all are 283 and 6 cylinder cars and none running). And I would definitely choose the 409 over the other engine
Cool to see what these look like with the heads off. When I build these engines for the plastic model kits, they are basically just "shapes", if you know what I mean. - Interesting to know why the W-series engine disappeared. Interesting that they didn't show up in the Corvettes of those years.
@@What.its.like. The truck version ran gear to gear timing set, and as you got to the shift rpm point in had the same sounding timing gear roar as an International gas V-8. The W series truck engines were powerful long lasting gas engines.
I grew up with these cars and motors, My first car was 63 Impla SS with the 327 powerglide, still have it in storage! also had a 70 SS Chevelle, I should have kept that one. Here on the farm ,we still run BB motors in the trucks, After all the Big Block was designed for trucks first! One 64 C60 tilt cab here has the late version 348. The others built in the late 70s have 366 and 427, brutes for work, but really like their fuel. One thing I've noticed with these trucks, there really isn't a real noticeable difference in power between the 3 versions in pulling power. These trucks do haul some serious weight , and do it well.
Actually the 348/409s were avalible in the heavy Chevrolet mediums for the 1965 model year.The 409 was available in early 65s full-size Chevy,than replaced with the 396 midyear 65
I wanted to add a couple of things,being the gas bag I can be. The 348/409,was replaced by the 366 Mark 4 engine in 66 Chevrolet medium heavys,and was joined by the 427 Chevrolet medium duty truck engine in 68.
I liked the '62 for looks. It was clean and it handled well. I went to the drags a lot in 60s and saw a lot of "W" blocks blow up; they didn't seem to be all that fond of high rpm launches. Good looking motor 'tho. The 396/425 motor was a monster! My cousin had one in a Sting Ray. With those skinny little tires it was damn near impossible to let out the clutch without lighting them up. So...for me... the'62 with the 396. It would be a lot of fun!
Yes, I like a 62 for those reasons as well...but I'd rather have a '61..same body shell as '62, even the doors are interchangeable...just as the '63-'64 share a common body shell..doors interchangeable on those 2 years, also....
@@dyer2cycle I agree. I really liked the 61s, especially the bubble tops. I liked just about all the 61s, that seemed to be a year when everyone was doing good work. It was a real creative time.
Boy this is a tough choice jay but since wishes do sometimes come true id like a 63 with the mystery motor 427 but more realistically i love the looks of the 62 and it would definitely have to be the 425 horse 409 and id drive around playing The Beach Boys little 409, how can you beat a beautiful car with a engine so famous it has its own song, yes sir 62 impala SS 409 for me
Well You did not mention the late production of the 1st Impala SS; Which was in 1961; So it was not on the list, But that's what I'd take with a 409. & The last year for the 409 was in the early 65 full size line up. That would be my runner up. Thanks for the video.
I've been a fan of the W series for a long time. My Brother had a 61 Impala Convertible with the 348 and PG. It was a excellent running car, had a lot of torque and while heavy overall, it presented itself well. The engine's design appeared to be a revver although the opposite is true, It was a solid torquer. I always wondered how well it would have run in a much lighter Biscayne body and with a later Turbo 350 transmission. I owned a 1960 Biscayne and while it originally had a 235 six, it was raced by a notable team and took several awards including a Class win at the 1964 NHRA Summer Nationals. The engine was a 348 Tri-power with 4 speed manual and they ran in the Stock class. I believe the times were in the low to mid 13's. Very presentable for a large car, 3650 lbs w/ the Six. I rebuilt the car mechanically, put a 396 in the car w/ 4 speed, interesting change of events. Great video, really enjoy your hard work! keep it up.
Oh, I would prefer the 1964 Chevy. Of the similar 1961-1963 body styles, the 1964 is when they perfected it. That series of car went out with a bang. 1965 was a whole new world.
Of your choices, I would prefer the 1962 Impala with the 409. In the family for many years was a 1961 slab top 4-door Impala, a great car. My dream car would be a 1961 bubble top coupe with the 348 cu in 3 x 2 bbl and a 4-speed manual with Positraction.
1:48 mill out making combustion chamber bigger increasing compression?? Dyno Don vs Hayden Proffit Fontana Vogue tires Z-11 427 chevys it doe not get better than this The cars actually had to be driven off the line before opening the dual quad
My favorite engine, the 409. I would take the 63 Impala SS with a 409. I favor it as I had a 63 SS 409. Could you have missed one 409? They also made a 340 hp 409 , 63 - 65. Great engine. There is a road test, not sure what magazine, on a 65 SS with the 340 hp 409 and a Power Glide doing 0 - 60 in 6.6 seconds. Not fast in today standards but pretty good back then. A change in rear gears would get you better performance. Mine had 3.70 rear gears with a Turbo 400 transmission. Never lost to a 396. Fun times.
I didn’t talk about all of the different power outputs from different gears just gave a generalization of where it started and where it ended otherwise some of these episodes especially the engine ones could go on for days..
64 and 396 Why is the song audio so terrible? Sounds like a transistor radio turned wide open in a dryer. It makes it harder to identify. Is that the goal?
I never have driven a Chevy with the 409 which they claim if you redline them they blow, but I did trade my 348 for a 65 Impala with a 396 with 375 horsepower and that car was quick, wish I kept the 61 Impala though , today more collectable.
What a stellar color for that car the 348 in my humble opinion is a drastically underrated engine for what it is it’s overshadowed by the other two the 409 and the 427, but make no mistake. It’s a stellar engine
Definitely the 62 with the 396ci, I just prefer the styling of the 62, but all three are gonna be thirsty and any of the older big blocks are going to be high single digit fuel economy at best
@@What.its.like.Definitely gallery. A galley is a type of boat, or a kitchen on a ship or aircraft. It says oil gallery on those old Chevrolet diagrams in your video.
I own a 63 SS Impala 409 425 hp manual steering manual brakes, at car shows it's a very popular year, model and engine set up. especially from people who had drivers license's and cars in the 60's. Also own a 65 409 Belair 400 hp. Love those 409's
Would like to se an episode on the Willys 230 OHC six. You’ll have to dive deep and follow it through its production in Argentina… where it was used in Ramblers! And of course it was replaced in Jeeps by AMC sixes!
I'd like to see the GMC Big Block lineup -V6 ,V8 , V12 , probably one the toughest and most reliable lineups ever made.The valve covers resemble 348 chevy lineups .
yes, they do...I remember seeing one as a teenager on a garage floor, and exclaimed excitedly,"Is that a 409??"...until I saw it was 6 cylinders, not 8...
if you're willing to really get down into the weeds, consider doing something on the Plymouth/Dodge Poly engines. They're real oddballs but were commonplace in my youth. I worked on a few of them, don't see them often
For sure i’m going to make a poll on the front running engine choices to feature for Wednesday and let you vote on it =) I want to cover the engine families that don’t get talked about and show where and when popular ones like small block Chevy started
..Impala?..I'd rather have a '61(if 62,63,64 were choices, why not '61?...same basic body shell as a '62)..engine, a 409 hands down...my dream car, '61 Impala SS 409, black w/white trim,red/white interior, 4 speed(yes, I know they are rare as hen's teeth...I'd settle for a clone IF it was properly done, faithful to the original)...
Wow! That's quiet a jump in power from the '55-'57 small block V-8 engine, which in and of itself was a big leap in both power and performance from the old Chevy Stovebolt or Blue Flame 6 cylinder engine, not to mention body style. The '55 Chevy engine had only 160 hp.
1962 Impala. If you are referring to an L78 396, I would take one of those all day long over any 409, especially if it had the L89 aluminum heads. I don't think I realized that the Z-11 engine was a W-block. This all happened a long time ago!
Tones of conflicting information but Chevy essentially made three 427 engines in the 60s is 11 was completely different than a mystery engine Mark II and both designs are totally different than the 427 that came out in 1966
Awesome =) I got the privilege of driving a 409 in a Belair last year for speed Posi-traction dual quads it was the same exact car the beach boys thing about.. I was impressed but after I drove to 396 that engine could do so much more with less.. it was kind of one of those things one of those days that you got to drive a hero but then found out that the predecessor was better in a lot of ways it’s like that.. hard to explain
@@What.its.like. Watched that episode. That Chevy 409 seemed like a handful when you was driving it. Don' t forget the GMC truck engines. Watched a couple of youtubes with rat rods with the 702 V-12's. I think those are longer than the Pierce and Seagrave firetruck V-12's
One of my friends had a '62 409 in the 1960s and wasn't happy with how it ran. He replaced it with a 327 and liked it much more. The car was named "Hanky Panky".
That they were able to extract all kind of power out of what they were given is a matter of record, but the question is, considering they were starting with a clean sheet of paper, what they must have been mandated to create must have been quite different than the performance engine everyone remembers today.
This is where I got the information when you click on the link go to Mark one scroll down until you get to 348 the segment is right above it, I saw the same exact thing written on the Chevy website dealing with the W series engines I just can’t think of the website off the top of my head en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_big-block_engine
@@What.its.like. Hi mate, just had a look as you suggested, apparently two milled cutouts in the head gave 7.5:1 compression ratio and one cutout gave 9,5:1 ratio so increasing volume reduces compression ratio. Great channel by the way.
Great video. Until It Sleeps, Metallica.
Yeah buddy congratulations man you got it =)
@@What.its.like. Love your channel. You've got great taste, especially for someone from your generation. Keep up the good work.
Thank you it means a lot I was born way too late.
The 409 just as in the Beach Boys song except I would want it in a 1963 Chevrolet Impala. That was my favorite car.
My 58 Bel Air has a 348. It's a cool engine, and I'm liking it for nostalgic reasons.
That’s awesome that you could get that engine in that car.. =) probably brought it to life a little bit more
Manual transmission behind it
62 chevy, and the 409 always loved the W motors.
409, please. It just gives me something to sing about. Love the idea of Engine Wednesday! Cool
Awesome =) going to make a poll on which engine
Never forget - SS 396 by Paul Revere and the Raiders - - -
When we were in the showroom buying the 1960 Chevrolet, my older brother tried to talk Dad into getting one with the 348. Dad didn't want to spend the extra money for the larger engine, so he bought one with the 283/Powerglide combo.
The 283 was OK, but the Powerglide left something to be desired.
Thanks for the info never knew the combustion chamber was pushed into the block on these motors
You bet I’m finding out information such as that I didn’t know about the combustion chambers as well I think I talked about it one other time but I didn’t go into detail as much as I did this go around..
I didn't know the combustion chamber was in the block. Neat to know that. Always loved the w motors.
Volkswagen VR-6 has the same type of chamber
Combustion chamber in block similar to Ford MEL. Thanks for the video.
Great video, many great comments and stories on this engine. In 1964 I bought a 1959 Impala Sport Coup, Greacian Gray with beautiful red and gray interiour. The killer was, it had the rare 348 engine, 335 horse tri power, with factory 4-speed. It was such a beautiful car for the time. With that 348 engine, it sure made a believer out of me, along with many early muscle cars of the day. We had a popular Burger Chef drive in where I met a guy with a 1958 Plymouth that had 2 -4 - barrel carbs and auto. We raced, that 348 engine beat that plymouth, we remained good friends after that. What a great era to grow up in.
Thank you so much glad you dig this video thank you so much for sharing those stories I never got to drive a 348 but got to drive a 409 with dual quads in a 62 bel air
The 62 with the new 327, 300hp.small -block, with Muncie 4spd.
Well done! Choices - 1964 Chevy, and the 396. Really looking forward to Wednesdays now. Thank you as always ~ Chuck
Glad you dig this episode =) Wednesday’s are going to be great
Great video . Gives younger audience an engine they probably never heard of.
Yes we have to keep the information available and out there for younger generations =)
Loved my grandfather’s 64 Impala. Thank you for sharing 😊👋🐿
hi enjoyed your "dissertation" on the "W's" very much. Someone else might have addressed this, but: in positively I D-ing the "09" you didn't mention the small cast on"X" on the front of the block, above the water pump inlet(drivers side)? Best wishes
Thank you so much for the inclusion of that information greatly appreciate it
Glad you dig this episode =)
Interesting and well done.
Thank you glad you dig this video =)
I had the 62 Impala in black with a silver interior. It was a beautiful car. It only had the 283 engine but I always wished it had the 409. The 283 was married to a 2 speed automatic transmission. If you accelerated hard, it went 0-55 mph in 1st gear and 55 to 110 mph (top speed) in 2nd. Excellent video that cleared up information about this engine for me! Glad you are doing an engine series. I would like to see one on the Ford 260 - 289 that was in the 63 Fords like the 63 Falcon Sprint.
Great story =) ford FE family will get covered one day as well as Chevy small block (those ones will be long lots of block sizes) but definitely one day
Ford thunderbird 4.6 v8 was best. I ever owned. 28 mpg and hiway power. Where did it go away
Hi Jay!: GREAT video! Wasn't aware that Chevy popped the 409 out to 427 for NASCAR, but it makes sense. By 1964 Ford had their Side Oiler up to 427 Cubes, and the more cubes, the better! As nice as the 1963 Chevy is (probably one of their best looking cars of the 1960's) I have a thing for the 1962. My grandmother had a '63, though. WAY back when I was in high-school, one of my best friends and myself stopped at a gas station somewhere in Indiana, and parked right out front of the garage was a 1962 Impala, black with red interior. It had the hood up and in there was the dual quad 409, and it had a 4-speed. of course! That thing was CHERRY! Enough to make this Ford guy lust for a Chevy! So WYR#1 1962 Impala. WYR#2 As good as the mark IV was, and it REALLY was GREAT! I still have a thing for that Dual-Quad 409! Giddy-UP!
Awesome glad you dig this episode =) thank you so much for sharing that information and insight =)
Old guy here and I am reliving some of my youth through RUclips. 1st car 60 Electra sedan 2nd&3rd 63 2 & 4 door sedans, my family also had a 63 Biscayne wagon. So I am partial to those although a classmate's sister had a 64SS Impala. What strikes me is how attractive these designs remain 60 years on and the fact they immediately followed the era of the most hideous designs. Some of this can be attributed to Harley Earl and more to Virgil Exner but a whole lot of people besides them all had to pretend that the Emperor wasn't buck a$$ nekkid to get those monstrosities in to the showrooms. I am consequently increasingly impressed with the Independent producers. The Rambler designs compare very favorably with later Mercedes and I think the Studabaker Hawk is still beautiful Of you look at my old 59 Willys Wagon you know where the design for the new Wrangler came from.
62 Impala and the 396
Love engine Wednesdays
How about doing the Mopar Polysphere series engines. A really solid motor that just got completely overshadowed by hemis, the later series LA small blocks, and the Mopar wedge engines.
I’m lucky enough to have had a ride in a 62 Impala 409 4speed with 411 gears white and green car what a great ride very seriously fast car had another friend with a tricked out 348 in a 63. I underestimated these cars as a kid.
I got to drive a 4 speed 409 last year it was a great experience but after 50 mph that car turns into a Lincoln Mark v with a crazy engine floaty ride..
A 1964 with a 409 and a Poweglide for me. You forgot to mention the 340hp 409 made available in 1963 that allowed the engine use with automatic transmission. Previous 409 cars were all 4 speeds.
The 62 impala by a Longshot
Sweet choice =)
Carry on my wayward soooooon
I've owned a 348 great torque.....
Put it in a 1972 Chevelle 😉👍
409 and 427 w were long gone on the streets pretty heavy hording 😢😞..
I did get my hands on a 1968 Chevy Caprice Station wagon with a HP 427 automatic 😉👍 she ran strong ❤️👏👏 put it in a 65 Malibu 4 door I bought for a 175 dollars 😂 I blew 6 rear ends before my uncle told me to get a 1957 Oldsmobile rear axle 😊 great fun ...
1962 Impala is my styling 👍 just too big.... I'm a mid size car man ....
Great episode 😉👏👏 enjoy your day ✌️
I drove a 1966 Impala SS Coupe that had a 396 and Automatic and it ran great! My Neighbor had a 1969 Chevelle SS that had a 396 and it would really go in the smaller car. I saw a few Novas that had them.
A 396 Nova with 375 horse power and a 4 speed was a real contender.
You found my wheelhouse! I'll be breif. The 1965 Corvette could be had with the 396, but for only that year. In 1966, the 427 was the big block choice. I liked the photo with "Smokey Yunick" who was the Chevy guru who knew how to squeeze every bit of power out of a Chevy! I owned a 67 Chevelle SS with a 396 and a 4 speed. I was able to get it to a best time of 11.93/107 in the quarter. I'd take a 396 over the 409, and I love the 64 Chevy's.
Also loved the break down of the evolution of the engines. Good stuff. 👏👏
1962 Impala sport coupe with 409. I still remember reading Tim McCahill’s Mechanix Illustrated review.
Awesome Tom mcCahill was Jeremy clarkson of the day
1:55, doesn't increasing the combustion chamber size *decreases* compression relative to displacement
Interesting video, good research.
Glad you dig this episode
I was really proud of myself aside from the research putting this episode together was one of the quickest.. generally takes eight hours between research and putting it together this one took four hours to put together
@@What.its.like. The evolution of engines is interesting (I have a Mechanical Engineering degree) and the effects on sales are interesting. If I remember correctly, although The Beach Boys sang about the Chevy 409, there was a Ford 390 tri-power or dual quads that was more powerful, but as was often the case Chevy sold more 409’s. Keep up the good work
My brother had a 1964 Impala SS 283 Powerglide while we were in college, then much more recently a 1963 Impala SS 327-300 with 4-speed. Though the 1963 was much nicer and faster, I like the 1964 better. Our father had an early 1965 Impala Sport Coupe with a 409 automatic 4-barrel Carter AFB. It was a hot car; especially with no A/C and a black interior. He was a very conservative guy, and my mother couldn't understand how he used up a set of tires in less than a year! So I'll go with the 409.
Ha! Great story!
Great story thank you for sharing those memories
Another really great summary, Jay. I learned a few new things. Well done.
Glad you dig this episode =)
Bought a 1967 camper special. Engine was identified as 401. Sold to a corvette in. Hollywood. Florida
I had a 62 and want another now! Great show!
=)
I just bought me that '62 Impala with that same 409!! Man I love just staring at it and listening to the engine idle!!
=) great sounding engine that’s for sure
1962 Impala in red just like the photo and the 409 .
The 1963 is my favorite body style. Of course, I go for the 396 porcupine head motor.
1961 bubble top impala
Something I'm not clear about from the video... Did *ALL* 409 and especially 427 W-series engines have the scalloped valve covers?
I believe all three are scalloped..
63 Impala with a 425hp 409.
1:54 Making the combustion chamber bigger does NOT increase combustion.
Thank you for that correction
Hmmm how about a 1963 Biscayne 2dr post with a 425 Hp 409?
64 is my favorite year for sure. Never knew chevy made a 427 in the original big block style
Yeah it’s a weird and rare engine definitely rarer than the other two
63 Impala and thank you for the W engine video. I'm a diehard GM owner, I'm on GM vehicle number 36, a 2022.5 Silverado.
Nice glad you did this episode. Great choice.
Good deal, get some rest.Just put it behind you keep it moving and get back out there. All these companies are cooking with the same grease , best thing is to get ur own authority
Well, you finally got me! I only knew about the 348 and 409 "W" engines and not heard of a 427 "W". Looking at the valve covers on the 427 "W", I would have assumed that it was a MK IV. I have never seen a "W" engine in a truck. Most were inline 6's or 283 V8's. It was ever rare to find a 327 in one.From 1969, most V8's in Chevy pick-ups were 350's. Maybe around 1971 or 2 you could get a 396.
In the early-80's, I worked for an ag chem and agricultural field service company. I remember a couple of big Chevy trucks(C60 and larger) which had 427's in them. They were MK IV engines, but they had different heads and pistons, for low compression and were way different than the passenger car 427.
From what I have seen, the 396(actually 402) if in a Corvette, had aluminum cylinder heads. Because of the aluminum heads on the cast iron block, these had headgasket problems. Also, from working in a machine shop, and seeing those heads for the first time, they told me that almost every one they got in was cracked.When I was there, they had no good heads in stock. That was the mid-80's and 396 aluminum heads were as rare as hen's teeth. Today, no problem, there are new aftermarket replacements.
Yep. In 1965, the 396 MK IV engine was introduced mid-year and replaced the 409. In the full-size cars, the TH400 automatic was paired with the 396. If you had a 409 with an automatic, you got a PowerGlide. Just like in the Corvette, from day one through the 1967 model year, if you wanted an automatic you could only get a PowerGlide.
They also introduced the Caprice in 1965, probably mid-year, but it was about the only Chevy you could get with a TH400 with a 327. A friend of my father's had a 1965 Impala 396 and a standard 3-on-the-tree manual transmission! I had see a few others with 4-speeds. I mean, who would want an SS396 or 427 and 4-speed to take grandma to church? lol
Tb am you so much for taking the time and sharing all of this information =)
You couldn't get a 348/409 in a pickup or 1 ton truck, not sure why...but they were available in heavy duty trucks, maybe some medium duties, not sure what the "cutoff" series on the trucks were for the engine...the trucks from around 61 through 65 could be had with either 348's or 409's, even after the 348 had been discontinued for car use in '62...I think the W engine would have made good useful torque for a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck..I always wondered why they didn't offer a 366 in a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck as well, seems like it would have been a good match for a work truck...
@@dyer2cycle Well, GM did stuff in their big commercial trucks that they didn't do in their light duty trucks.
The GMC division put their V6's in the light duty trucks which were larger and more powerful than the V8's in the Chevy trucks. They reserved their monster V6's for their heavy duty big commercial truck lines. This included GM's first inhouse 4-stroke diesel, the Toro Flow.
Yep. Chevy did use some carryover engines in their big commercial truck lines, even after similar versions were no longer available in passenger cars.
Although these carryover engines looked similar and might have fit in a passenger car, they were drastically different and were made from different parts.
The Chevy 366 V8 may have been been a MK IV design, they were different from any other MK IV engine. The 427 engine was available in HD trucks long after that size had been replaced by the 454 V8 in passenger vehicles and light trucks. Anyway, you couldn't get a Holley 4 Bbl., governor-controlled carb on a passenger car engine.
It's also kinda funny that after chevy light trucks stopped using the Hydramatic automatic in the late-50's(GMC continued using it into the early 1960's), if you wanted an automatic, all you could get was a 2-speed Powerglide until 1965. Almost nobody wanted an automatic in a truck until the late-60's.
But, in the MD and HD trucks, you could always get an Allison automatic in GM trucks, even today. Oh, the Allison automatics available in GM light trucks today has nothing in common but the name to the ones used in big trucks. The Allison 540 series was basically an oversized TH400.
Those medium duty 427s were tall deck at least the Mark 4s were
....thanks for the vid, excellent as usual....the '62-'64 full size Chevys were the #1 selling car each year and there is plenty of parts around, but prices for all old cars, like new cars, has just gotten insane.....for the Druthers, I'd prefer the '64 and the 396.....
Yes, for engine episode Wednesday. Looking forward to Fords "Hemi", Chevys "Iron Duke" (God Help us) and when horsepower went from Net ratings to SAE around 1971. One year its 360 hp and the next it was 200 hp. Today again this 1980s Ford guy learned again. (I am going to save my pennies and save my dimes, giddy up 409.)
You did a very good job reporting on this engine. A lot of the information available is confusing and some is incorrect. This engine is making quite a comeback. Consequently used blocks and heads are rising in price. I have a 1961 chevrolet bel air with a 348 bored .060 over and a 4 inch stroke crankshaft for a total of 440 cubic inches. 690 409 cylinder heads hydraulic roller cam headers 800 cfm edelbrock avs2 carb for a total of a little over 500 hp I hqve a tremec 5 speed moser 9 inch rearend all work done by Lamar Walden automotive. They are the most knowledgeable about the w engine. It was lamars favorite design they have built some with 1000 plus horsepower turning over 9000 rpm.
I had a '63 SS Impala Convertible, Metallic Root Beer Brown w/ saddle tan interion and a white top. I wish it had a 409, but it had a "Power Pac" 283 with the Power Glide. Sold it in 1988 for $3,000, two years later it would have sold for $23,000 when the classic car market just exploded.
Aw man.. life is all about timing. I was born to late I wish I was around when these cars were cheap. I have a road and track magazine from 1964 (mustang edition) in the classifieds 1935 Bugatti type 35 for $5,500 which was a lot of money but no where near the millions it’s worth now
The 64. My stepdad had one that I drove to prom in 1999.. I didn't need a limo
From WYR I would choose any of those 3 Impalas (I have all 3 years of those impalas but all are 283 and 6 cylinder cars and none running). And I would definitely choose the 409 over the other engine
Cool to see what these look like with the heads off. When I build these engines for the plastic model kits, they are basically just "shapes", if you know what I mean. - Interesting to know why the W-series engine disappeared. Interesting that they didn't show up in the Corvettes of those years.
Yeah I always wondered why they didn’t put this engine in corvette.. 409 is a great engine. Sounds epic when driving one
@@What.its.like. The truck version ran gear to gear timing set, and as you got to the shift rpm point in had the same sounding timing gear roar as an International gas V-8.
The W series truck engines were powerful long lasting gas engines.
I grew up with these cars and motors, My first car was 63 Impla SS with the 327 powerglide, still have it in storage! also had a 70 SS Chevelle, I should have kept that one. Here on the farm ,we still run BB motors in the trucks, After all the Big Block was designed for trucks first! One 64 C60 tilt cab here has the late version 348. The others built in the late 70s have 366 and 427, brutes for work, but really like their fuel. One thing I've noticed with these trucks, there really isn't a real noticeable difference in power between the 3 versions in pulling power. These trucks do haul some serious weight , and do it well.
Awesome =)
Actually the 348/409s were avalible in the heavy Chevrolet mediums for the 1965 model year.The 409 was available in early 65s full-size Chevy,than replaced with the 396 midyear 65
I wanted to add a couple of things,being the gas bag I can be.
The 348/409,was replaced by the 366 Mark 4 engine in 66 Chevrolet medium heavys,and was joined by the 427 Chevrolet medium duty truck engine in 68.
1962 instruments include a temp gage which following years do not.
'62 instrument panel is almost exactly like the '61...
@@dyer2cycle that’s right!
I liked the '62 for looks. It was clean and it handled well. I went to the drags a lot in 60s and saw a lot of "W" blocks blow up; they didn't seem to be all that fond of high rpm launches. Good looking motor 'tho. The 396/425 motor was a monster! My cousin had one in a Sting Ray. With those skinny little tires it was damn near impossible to let out the clutch without lighting them up. So...for me... the'62 with the 396. It would be a lot of fun!
Awesome stories thank you so much for sharing all those memories =)
Yes, I like a 62 for those reasons as well...but I'd rather have a '61..same body shell as '62, even the doors are interchangeable...just as the '63-'64 share a common body shell..doors interchangeable on those 2 years, also....
@@dyer2cycle I agree. I really liked the 61s, especially the bubble tops. I liked just about all the 61s, that seemed to be a year when everyone was doing good work. It was a real creative time.
Boy this is a tough choice jay but since wishes do sometimes come true id like a 63 with the mystery motor 427 but more realistically i love the looks of the 62 and it would definitely have to be the 425 horse 409 and id drive around playing The Beach Boys little 409, how can you beat a beautiful car with a engine so famous it has its own song, yes sir 62 impala SS 409 for me
Awesome =)
Well You did not mention the late production of the 1st Impala SS; Which was in 1961; So it was not on the list, But that's what I'd take with a 409. & The last year for the 409 was in the early 65 full size line up. That would be my runner up. Thanks for the video.
I've been a fan of the W series for a long time. My Brother had a 61 Impala Convertible with the 348 and PG. It was a excellent running car, had a lot of torque and while heavy overall, it presented itself well. The engine's design appeared to be a revver although the opposite is true, It was a solid torquer. I always wondered how well it would have run in a much lighter Biscayne body and with a later Turbo 350 transmission. I owned a 1960 Biscayne and while it originally had a 235 six, it was raced by a notable team and took several awards including a Class win at the 1964 NHRA Summer Nationals. The engine was a 348 Tri-power with 4 speed manual and they ran in the Stock class. I believe the times were in the low to mid 13's. Very presentable for a large car, 3650 lbs w/ the Six. I rebuilt the car mechanically, put a 396 in the car w/ 4 speed, interesting change of events. Great video, really enjoy your hard work! keep it up.
1963 for sure 😁
Oh, I would prefer the 1964 Chevy. Of the similar 1961-1963 body styles, the 1964 is when they perfected it. That series of car went out with a bang. 1965 was a whole new world.
Of your choices, I would prefer the 1962 Impala with the 409. In the family for many years was a 1961 slab top 4-door Impala, a great car. My dream car would be a 1961 bubble top coupe with the 348 cu in 3 x 2 bbl and a 4-speed manual with Positraction.
Sweet choices =)
Yeah, not sure why he omitted the '61, since it is in the same "family" as the '62-'64....
Great video! I got a 348 manual 59 Impala 2 door hard top. 🤙🏼
Awesome thank you so much for sharing your car with us. Glad you dig this video
@@What.its.like. I will have video soon on my channel. Be sure to check it out. I build airplanes but gonna be different for my channel. 😂🤙🏼
When you get the video share the link to the video and will check it out
@@What.its.like.will do 😁🤙🏼
1:48 mill out making combustion chamber bigger increasing compression??
Dyno Don vs Hayden Proffit Fontana Vogue tires Z-11 427 chevys it doe not get better than this
The cars actually had to be driven off the line before opening the dual quad
if you havnt done so already i would like to see a episode on the chrysler golden lion engine
I’ll add that to the list
My favorite engine, the 409. I would take the 63 Impala SS with a 409. I favor it as I had a 63 SS 409. Could you have missed one 409? They also made a 340 hp 409 , 63 - 65. Great engine. There is a road test, not sure what magazine, on a 65 SS with the 340 hp 409 and a Power Glide doing 0 - 60 in 6.6 seconds. Not fast in today standards but pretty good back then. A change in rear gears would get you better performance. Mine had 3.70 rear gears with a Turbo 400 transmission. Never lost to a 396. Fun times.
I didn’t talk about all of the different power outputs from different gears just gave a generalization of where it started and where it ended otherwise some of these episodes especially the engine ones could go on for days..
@@What.its.like. Then I should look at all of your videos as "partially what its like". I see.
64 and 396
Why is the song audio so terrible? Sounds like a transistor radio turned wide open in a dryer. It makes it harder to identify. Is that the goal?
Idk why it does that totally clear before uploading to youtube.. I wish I could show that..
Back in the day I had a 1961 Chevy Impala with a 348 and a 3 speed on the column and thought the car was pretty fast for its time.
I want to drive a car with 348 just curious what it feels like to the 409
I never have driven a Chevy with the 409 which they claim if you redline them they blow, but I did trade my 348 for a 65 Impala with a 396 with 375 horsepower and that car was quick, wish I kept the 61 Impala though , today more collectable.
1962 Impala with the 396 cid 😊
Neighbor had ‘58 348 3x nomad, in a lavender color, fab vehicle…
What a stellar color for that car the 348 in my humble opinion is a drastically underrated engine for what it is it’s overshadowed by the other two the 409 and the 427, but make no mistake. It’s a stellar engine
Opening up the combustion chamber will lower compression not raise it
Thank you so much for the correction I got that backwards
I have a 348 change to a Eagle 430 ! Being used in a 1956 Club Cupe 2 Door Post.
I like all those Chevys. Motors, don't know.
1962 bubble top!!!
Sweet choice
Definitely the 62 with the 396ci, I just prefer the styling of the 62, but all three are gonna be thirsty and any of the older big blocks are going to be high single digit fuel economy at best
Super thirsty
Hi Justin, with all due respect, it's oil galley, not oil gallery. But if I am incorrect, I will eat my words. Please reply. Dave...
I thought it was galley as well that may have been a mistake on my part I have to get better at articulating something that needs improving..
@@What.its.like.Definitely gallery. A galley is a type of boat, or a kitchen on a ship or aircraft. It says oil gallery on those old Chevrolet diagrams in your video.
I own a 63 SS Impala 409 425 hp manual steering manual brakes, at car shows it's a very popular year, model and engine set up. especially from people who had drivers license's and cars in the 60's. Also own a 65 409 Belair 400 hp. Love those 409's
Awesome thank you so much for sharing your car with us
I'll go for the '62 Chevy, with the 409. My sister once owned a '62...nice-looking car, though the Poweglide transmission died on her.
409 with a two speed power glide =D
Would like to se an episode on the Willys 230 OHC six. You’ll have to dive deep and follow it through its production in Argentina… where it was used in Ramblers! And of course it was replaced in Jeeps by AMC sixes!
Sweet I’ll add that to the list
I'd like to see the GMC Big Block lineup -V6 ,V8 , V12 , probably one the toughest and most reliable lineups ever made.The valve covers resemble 348 chevy lineups .
Awesome =)
yes, they do...I remember seeing one as a teenager on a garage floor, and exclaimed excitedly,"Is that a 409??"...until I saw it was 6 cylinders, not 8...
My pick is a 62 "bubble top" with a 409.
Sweet choice
if you're willing to really get down into the weeds, consider doing something on the Plymouth/Dodge Poly engines. They're real oddballs but were commonplace in my youth. I worked on a few of them, don't see them often
For sure i’m going to make a poll on the front running engine choices to feature for Wednesday and let you vote on it =) I want to cover the engine families that don’t get talked about and show where and when popular ones like small block Chevy started
@@What.its.like. Whatever you come up with, I will watch it.
=)
..Impala?..I'd rather have a '61(if 62,63,64 were choices, why not '61?...same basic body shell as a '62)..engine, a 409 hands down...my dream car, '61 Impala SS 409, black w/white trim,red/white interior, 4 speed(yes, I know they are rare as hen's teeth...I'd settle for a clone IF it was properly done, faithful to the original)...
Sweet choices =)
Wow! That's quiet a jump in power from the '55-'57 small block V-8 engine, which in and of itself was a big leap in both power and performance from the old Chevy Stovebolt or Blue Flame 6 cylinder engine, not to mention body style. The '55 Chevy engine had only 160 hp.
Yeah it was Chevy showed up to the party and brought the goods
62 for sure
1962 Impala. If you are referring to an L78 396, I would take one of those all day long over any 409, especially if it had the L89 aluminum heads. I don't think I realized that the Z-11 engine was a W-block. This all happened a long time ago!
Tones of conflicting information but Chevy essentially made three 427 engines in the 60s is 11 was completely different than a mystery engine Mark II and both designs are totally different than the 427 that came out in 1966
I'll take the 64 Impala SS trim, had one back in my younger day with a 327 & powerglide. 2nd scenario the 396 4 speed- positraction.
Awesome =) I got the privilege of driving a 409 in a Belair last year for speed Posi-traction dual quads it was the same exact car the beach boys thing about.. I was impressed but after I drove to 396 that engine could do so much more with less.. it was kind of one of those things one of those days that you got to drive a hero but then found out that the predecessor was better in a lot of ways it’s like that.. hard to explain
@@What.its.like. Watched that episode. That Chevy 409 seemed like a handful when you was driving it. Don' t forget the GMC truck engines. Watched a couple of youtubes with rat rods with the 702 V-12's. I think those are longer than the Pierce and Seagrave firetruck V-12's
It was a handful I ran out of gas twice in that car lol not sure if that car got sold or what happened to it. Low mile car that one was.
If you mill out combustion chamber you drop compression not increase
Yep I got that backwards
30 year auto tech good video
My favorite impala is the 61, but I'd gladly take a 63 or 64 with 425 horsepower. ❤
Ford MEL Big Block 430 and 462ci V,8s had the same flat cylinder heads and combustion chamber in block design as 348/409/427 chev .
Great information
Good engines, but the valve train was "suspect". I had first hand experience with a dropped valve, resulting in a cracked block.
1962, 409
1962 with small block, (327)
Sweet =)
One of my friends had a '62 409 in the 1960s and wasn't happy with how it ran. He replaced it with a 327 and liked it much more. The car was named "Hanky Panky".
64 Impala
My favorite is the 65 Impala but I also like the 64 model but I would want a 396 over a 409.
I want 63 , with the 427 engine ..
That they were able to extract all kind of power out of what they were given is a matter of record, but the question is, considering they were starting with a clean sheet of paper, what they must have been mandated to create must have been quite different than the performance engine everyone remembers today.
396 in less than a Heartbeat. As for the Cars, 1965 would be the 1st yr I would choose a Chevy
1963 409 425 hp
Sweet =)
62 chevy, and the 409 always loved the W motors.
I have to ask: if you enlargen the combustion chamber how does that increase compression?
This is where I got the information when you click on the link go to Mark one scroll down until you get to 348 the segment is right above it, I saw the same exact thing written on the Chevy website dealing with the W series engines I just can’t think of the website off the top of my head
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_big-block_engine
@@What.its.like. Hi mate, just had a look as you suggested, apparently two milled cutouts in the head gave 7.5:1 compression ratio and one cutout gave 9,5:1 ratio so increasing volume reduces compression ratio. Great channel by the way.
Thank you so much I’m dyslexic sometimes I get things backwards.. glad you dig the channel