I heard at the top of this motor build 409 and that Beach Boy song just rang in my head, and as I know nothing about the motor I watch to learn thank you for the education and memory both are beautiful.
I really liked the build and video. when I was a kid, the neighbor bought a brand new 63 impala convertible with a 409 in it. He took me for a ride in it and was I jumping for joy. He floored the old girl, and we went flying down the highway; to a kid that was awesome.
I had a 1963 SS 409 convertible, black on black with a black top. That jeweled chrome trim and console with an m21 4 speed with 411 gears was a street racing monster. I tried 456 gears for that wheel standing hole shot but I'd run out of rpm before the finish line at New York National Speedway back in the late 60's. I never took any big wins after the 427's took center stage, and rightfully so. But out on the street it was both gorgeous and a very successful street light to street light racer with a very unique sound. 8" M&H Racemaster slicks at about 14 lbs. with rigid welded NMW Ladder bars got the power to the ground. God those were fine days.
Its really great to see engines being built outside of the small block & LS masses. Those engines are great in their own right, but uniqueness has it meritts too.
The guy probably already had five, ten, or thirty cars with regular motors with lots of horsepower, he wanted something different. It will be able to easily smoke the tires on any vehicle he puts it in, what else do you need?
Great build. I have a 1962 409 with a 64 409 425hp z 11 cam with the two 650 carbs 411 positraction, since 1991. It will get rubber in all 4 gears. Love to drive it to cruises.
I had a 409/425 4 spd. in a '63 Chevy Super Sport and I miss it, I have missed it since I was 18 years old. Just to say, I was especially interested and impressed with everything about this engine build and the testing on the Dynomometer. The 409 I mentioned was my first true musclecar and I impressed a lot of fellow students in High School, myself included so, I'm sure this 509 you two built would make me a little more impressed. Thanks for sharing a snapshot of your works with all of us.
Thanks. Back in the day I put a 400/409 in my 63 Chevy SS convertible. 5 T-10's later I had a Muncie installed. Then Driveshaft twisting and rear end housing bending etc. The reputation was beyond Star Status. Service Station Attendants (remember them?) would beg to check the oil. Suitable chrome under the hood.
I really like the oval intake port on Throttle Body. It is lower than a standard round intake of similar TB. Looks pretty cool also. All the shiny parts really helps show off this beautiful build.
Great video even though it wasn't the most horsepower of all Chevy big blocks the 409 has always been my favorite, Nice to see them do a modern spin on it
I’ll always immediately recognize this engine series from the valve covers alone since completing a scale model of a 1964 Impala SS with a 409. Good times.
I had a 55 Chevy 210 with a tri-power 348 back in the early sixties. I did alot of street racing with it and beat quite a few small blocks. I knew that the 348 couldn’t rev like a small block and I drove it accordingly. It had enough torque that it didn’t need high rpm’s. I guess I was lucky because I ran it hard but never had any serious issues. Sold the car in a few years later and bought a ‘63 Impala SS with the dual quad 409. Unfortunately, I only had it for about a year before it got stolen.
Had a short ride in 1987 in a just completed, immaculately restored bubble top with a brand new, freshly assembled for the first time, from NOS parts, 409 with those Carter dual quads. It’s new owner was just starting the break-in process and didn’t go over 3,500 RPM. But having said that, it was still a bucket list experience with that unruly beast of an engine! I have always wondered where that car is now. Rumor had it that the gentleman who built the 409 had sufficient NOS to build several, and would do so every now and then for buyers he considered very special.
I was a partsman in 1962 at a Chevrolet dealership. The parents of a person that I knew bought him a new car and it was a 1962 impala 409 with a four-speed. To shorten this story one morning his mother came into the service department with him in tow. Remember now, we were about 18 years old at the time. His mother said to the people in the service department, Ronnie’s car won’t go. There were a few questions asked and Ronnie kept looking at me sheepishly. You see, the night before he was drag racing with the car and he missed a shift and knocked the four-speed out of it. At the time General Motors, Chevrolet motor division would pay for the transmission to be rebuilt or replaced. His mother nor his father understood what they bought for him, they just bought him the car that he wanted. Pretty funny to witness this and see him the next day.
You might consider talking about the experimental 427 W block that GM considered making but because of inherent problems of the W block they dropped it in favor of the 396. This information comes from an old engine book out of the eighties.
personal I think 1 of the most beautiful designed engines, even with all of its short comings This sparked the fuse for all of Chevys big blocks. I wish I was alive to see the reaction on street and strip racers faces when the hood opened and the gasp because no one had seen a design like it. Fantastic story brother and great video, Thank you for the ride, everyone keep yourselves and love ones safe and healthy.
I absolutely love the little 283. Long ago, when I was just a kid, I horse traded for a '67 Chevelle 2-dr, with a 283, duel exhaust, and the ole Power Glide. Had my uncle rebuild the engine because it had 158,000 miles on it, and nearly every oil ring on the pistons were collapsed. Before the rebuild, the engine still had decent power, but coasting down any mountain or hill, it smoked so bad ( oil rings ), you couldn't see anything behind the car, lol. But it ran great afterwards. Car didn't have power steering, but barely rolling, you could turn the steering wheel with 1 finger. That little rebuilt 283 with power pact heads was zippy enough, and for highway cruising, it had the best fuel economy of any V-8 I ever owned. Sure wish I still had it today.
@@howabouthetruth2157 That was something cool about the old cars with manual steering. I had a 283 PG 65 Impala that didn’t have AC PB or PS. It was my first car that I got from my Dad. A 4 dr HT with. No pillar, I have never seen another one like it. It had that pearly white with Red interior. But the plain Jane accessories, lol
One of the best vids i have seen for a long time, and definitely the best on a beach boys special. The narrator has a clean, clear and rather pleasant voice that tops off this great vid.... Thank you so much . Eddie C4 Australia.
That Heron head design saw success in a lot of applications, the Ford MEL(not to be confused with the FE design) was a Heron head engine as well. These types of engine cylinder head designs were more for torque production than outright horsepower as the pistons used in these Heron head designs were heavier in comparison to a wedge or hemi style head where the combustion chamber is in the cylinder head. While admirable, spending $30,000 for 500 or so horsepower in a 65 year old engine design seems illogical, but I know there's a nostalgia to certain applications and the people who demand that aspect.
they may suffer from suffocation from there own bad design but they still sound amazing with the right exhaust . even If it's for a show car I would love to see what this would do with a turbo to help the old big block breath. still it's a beautiful engine .
well it's begin for a diesel fuel swap as the heads are flat and compression can be raised with a different piston as a try it and what happens thing wouldn't surprise me if cheeky Chevy engineers had that in mindset from the start aka duel mode salesman wise with some different parts and seting's ect.
I love this video and this build; it brings back so many memories. I had a '60 Bel Air with the 409's little brother, the 348 with a factory 6-pack of what, back in the day, we always called "fishbowl" Rochesters. With the weight of the Bel Air, it was by no means a performance car, but I do remember that it somehow had enough torque to break the welds on the rear axle spring mounting plates. Fun stuff; good times! 😁
Always loved the 348-409 design as far as the looks, definitely an unusual build in the late 50s, they were gas hogs and the torque was unreal, knew a guy that had a 55 Chevy with a 409 fuel injection that he strictly ran on the local drag strip, the name of the car, Formula 409, Try me as the commercial said. Thanks for the video, wiil look great in that 63 Impala.
In the future, I strongly intend to restore a 1970 Chevelle SS here in Europe. I would love to retain the 454 engine, but for convenience I would like to install fuel injection, and for fun reach something around 500BHP on 98 octane. Nothing too crazy. Which parts would you recommend for fuel injection and which parts for bumping up the power towards 500. (Definitely no turbos, and if at all possible no supercharger). Thank you very much in advance for your input!
My buddy had a ‘58 with a 348 and a 3 speed and Fenton shift linkage. About this time The Beach Boys sang about the 409. Grew up in the 60’s when cars had muscle and the girls had class.
Can You say Old Reliable ? 1963 Chevrolet tearing up the drag strips ! & everything else in 63 ! Thanks for the video on a awesome build ! & those welds are awesome.
As I remember in 1958 the small town police department where I lived bought cars with the 348 in them . I never heard of a problem with the engines being 11 years old then but I did here something about the transmissions being a problem.
4.804 bore spacing is exactly the same as the Porsche M28 V8 engine from the 928; That means that with some drilling and welding, you can bolt 32 valve DOHC Porsche heads to a 409 block. Arias in California has done this to 454 big blocks, though the spacing is slightly different, but close enough. A Chrysler 426/440 will also accept Porsche heads, but I don't think that has ever been done.
..yeah, but if you put Porsche heads on it, it ceases to look like a W series engine...which really is one of it's greatest qualities of said engine...might as well use a 454 block or something else less rare if you are gonna do that...
@@dyer2cycle Arias has built several and they were all based on a 502 cubic inch block. I don't think anyone has done it with a 409, it wouldn't be worth it, it would ruin the value.
@@manyamile410 Yes, but the point is that the rare W motor 409 is so cool that you'd not want to to it to this. Do it to a generic 502 or 454. In any case, the Porsche heads will make way more power while still passing emissions inspections in most states.
Another top quality video and build. A gen 1 BBC W motor is a dream engine for me and my 58 fleetside Apache. 3, 4, or 6 moonjection Two barrels, 2 fours, or a big roots. Lots of fins and chrome 🤩 a man can dream right.
@@TheHorsepowerMonster please tell me your building some sort of 70s street freak corvette. It’s gotta have a tunnel ram or a roots with side pipes, 10” or 12” wide deep dish rears, wild paint.
My first car when I got out of the Navy was a 1960 Chevy Impala w/348 Tri Power. I wrenched on that motor many hours. But it had its limitations. The car was pretty heavy, but I loved it.
One of a kind monster motor. Honestly…this is WAY more power than the average guy will ever need cruising around, on the street. Would love to see the same treatment done to my ‘64 394 Olds motor. Tony at Ross Racing wrings out a ton of horses, from those. But not to this level. Thanks for sharing. JT: Orlando Florida
WOW! What an amazing build 😎 I have been fascinated with the W motor ever since I saw my first one, sitting in between deuce rails, at a hotrod show. It great the re-pop block uses BBC parts. But the most impressive part of this video is your problem solving, regarding the welding on the rocker stands. Well done, thank you for showing us this build. Cheers Aaron
Great video. I love learning about these rare engines like this. I had never seen this type of block/head/combustion chamber design until I pulled the heads of a Ford MEL 462. I had no idea Chevy had made one also.
It would be great, if that company who casts those aluminum 409s would cast an aluminum MEL block. They wouldn't need to increase the original casting thickness, given that the MELs were all heavy-casted. In fact, so unnecessarilly heavy that NASCAR drivers complained about how difficult it was to handle that winning 1958 Thunderbird which had a 430 MEL dropped into it. Because, the 430 was available as an option in the Thunderbird, NASCAR couldn't find grounds for disqualifying it. In fact, a 400 horsepower Tri-Power Marauder set-up for the 430 MEL was available in Lincolns, Mercurys, Edsels and Thunderbirds, as a one year for 1958 only option
@@al_dente4777 you obviously know more about the MEL than j fo, but one thing I do know is the aftermarket does not exist. Couldn't even find a 4 barrel intake fir the engine. Yes. That's right, that big 462 had a cast iron 2 barrel intake. That's one thing this company is doing great is opening up options for the 409 by making it use mark iv parts in some places
(9.1 Compression ratio means it works fine on pump gas too. My Engine described above worked best on Sunoco 260, actually 280 (Avgas) better yet when you could sneak into an airport, lol. BTW, Being a former GM employee, I worked right next door to the engine plant on Van Slyke rd. in Flint, Michigan. I worked in the Fisher Body #2, now called Chevy Trucks. Some of the guys from the engine plant could sneak over to our side, I'll leave it at that for now. If you want to know more get in touch with me. Love your show.
I remember when I went through the 409 in my 1962 Chevy.(something that I wish I'd kept). I had done plenty of work on small blocks in my 55 chevy but when I got the he heads off of the 409, I couldn't believe it. It had enough torque to do itself justice in any tire burning contests.
I had a 57 BelAir with a 352 (283 bored 1/8" w/ CT auto 1/2" chrome stroker crank) engle cam, 2-4 barrels, Jahns pistons 12.5 comp, 4 speed muncie. Headers out the wheel wells. On Van Nuys blvd and SF Raceway and Lions. Great time for cars.
I remember when the 348 first came out back in 58. They were originally built to be used in Chevy trucks, but small block Chevys couldn't keep up with the Ford Y-blocks, so Chevrolet decided to put them in their passenger cars. The rest is history.
Great video, thanks! Surprised a blower or turbo wasn't part of the build, to deal with the low compression ratio and the 409's inherent breathing limitations.
@@BobbyTucker THIS IS AN AFTERMARKET BLOCK, I BELIEVE I READ IS STABLE OVER 2000 HP, I KNOW SHAFFAIROF (SP?) RACING OFFERS A N/A VVERSION AROUND 625 HP, ALSO LAMAR WALDENS SON RUNS A 33 WILLS COUPE IN S.E. GASSERS A /G AS I RECALL THAT IS BRUTALLY QUICK AND IS CLAIMED TO BE W [OWERED, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORW ODD BALL INLINES 292 CHEVY 300 FORD 302 GMC,AND V8'S POLY MOPAR, W CHEVY, F E FORD AND AMC, OR EVEN PACKARD STUFF, CHEERS
My dad used to drag race at a local air strip here in Maryville Tennessee back in 1967, 68, 69. He had a 65 Chevelle SS 327 Turbo Fire, Muncie 4SPD, 3.73 posi.. "It was a pretty stout car",...he said. But,.....he exclaimed that the baddest dude on the block was a 66 Chevy 2 Nova with a 409 rat motor. He said no Mopars Hemi's or Pontiacs, or ANYBODY could touch that car. NOBODY. From what he knew,.....it was a swap from a Impala. Either way,...it was a monster.
The W series engine has the save valve locations as the Pro Stock Dodge/Ford hemi head with out the splay. Rotating the chamber from in line to opposed moves peak torque production later in the rpm band. So the W valve layout would be the best compromise
Ball bearing trick on head studs is brilliant: keeps bottom threads from binding, and helps save on that beautiful aluminum block down the road. Odd choice for a build, but that's the challenge: there are no chamber mods to reach for, only piston mods. Respect that valve clearance...
Very cool to see a different build . The short runner intake manifold and shorty headers are killing a lot of power . It could easily exceed 600hp with right intake and exhaust manifold.
I agree, just with some decent headers it'd hit 550hp easily! But as it is with well over 500ftlb's of torque,well getting close to 600ftlb's we're talking tire smoke for day's at a low rpm! It'll definitely get that big ol '63 rolling in a hurry! I absolutely love it myself! Would like to see a few changes on it such as a bigger solid roller, different intake as you said. Take that back, yeah a different intake for sure, in the way of an 8-71 on top! That would be nasty!
Ancient technology that was designed to only hold about one horsepower per cubic inch Max and he calls it weak!!! There was a reason we stopped using the 409s and went to the 454s even with its weak crank... If you're into 409 this is a cool build.
Looks great and sounds great to but not for everybody . You have to have deep pockets to duplicate . Love the build ! Thank You keep up the excellent work ! 🇺🇲🇵🇷👍
Great video. Concerns about the rocker geometry though. Looks like the rockers are parallel to the head at valve closed position. This would mean the roller on top of the valve would roll to the inside edge of the valve. Rocker should be parallel at 1/2 of the lift. This would also decrease the true amount of lift the cam is capable of making due to rocker overthrow. Nice build though! Always loved the 409!
In 1971, I had a 67 Chevelle SS 396 with Factory High Performance everything. It was putting out as much horse power as the 427, but only had a 2 bolt main. People used to call it the poor man's 427. Hey, I was just a kid, at time had no clue what 2 or 4 bolt main was. Only problem I ever had with engine was a broken screw in rocker stud. I missed a power shift, over rev'd engine and 'pop... clink.. misfire... some oil smoke out the back' - crap. Thought I blew engine. Nah, intake valve stuck shut on #4, high vacuum in cylinder sucking some oil past piston rings. $10.00 part, $5.00 valve cover gasket, back in business of terrify neighbors and myself again.
Great video. I watched another youtube video on a '64 Impala 409 convertible with the dual quad 409 rebuilt to factory specs. Then it was dynoed and found to produce 432 Horsepower, which was 7 more than the rated 425. And if it had power steering, it would've been 427 HP. And I saw another vid on a '62 409 dual quad rebuilt the same exact way and managed to produce up to 406 HP on the dyno, 3 short of 409. BUT I'll bet I'm gonna get corrected with no more like 370 or something like that. So, no not #1 in horsepower but low-end torque is where it had it. That's how it did so well off the line. I heard Jay leno say that he remembered torque being what won races. But it could only be a short distance car for these obvious reasons while Mopar Hemis and lots of others were known for having "top speed unlimited". I saw one view reply to someone who put down the 409, by saying "the 409 was a dud, really?!" And that individual was around to see them win races. Never can know what all exactly to believe at the end of the day.
In fact, another happy thought is taking a motor exactly like this one, all competed and put it into a '64 Impala coupe. Dang shame how that big racing ban for GM had to take place. Chevy could've done a bit more in '64, some therefore I guess '64 just wasn't a very good year for the full-size Chevys perfomancewise. All they could do is offer stuff for the streets and roads and that's it. Yeah, Ford's FE may've been able to outclass the 409 with its high-rise motors that could rev up to 7000 RPMs and require bubble top hoods for the motors to fit, stuff that Chevy couldn't make. But any of the stuff right out of the dealership with all factory spec's I've come across too many reliable sources who say that they were all always very close. So if the 409s were SO overrated then they were all overrated, not just the Chevys only. I've seen too many who drove 406 FE tri-power Fords admit to getting beat by 409 Chevys.
I took note of the original 409 as a teenager and always wanted one (but never came to fruition). The beauty of this engine is the reliability and updated design for replacement parts for the museum-quality show car that sees occasional street miles. Paired with the right trans and rear gear, this would make said show car a lot of fun. I say “show car” because this motor is obviously going to cost $40-50k and not suitable for racing. Thanks for talking us through all the design improvements over the original 409. Would be great to drop this into a ‘59 Impala or ‘61 SS.
Against my Dad's wishes in 1969 I purchased a 1/2 ton Chevy Pick up that had a "W" head Big Block in it. The Farmer I purchased it from said the Original Engine had blown up hauling irrigation pipe a few years back and his Son who had only just recently bought a 59 Chevy 4 Door Car and had taken the Engine out of that car, rebuilt it with a bunch of very expensive parts (he didn't know what it all was but he had all the sales slips from a local machine shop in town who had done a bunch of machine work on the Engine and that was also where 90% of the parts came from. The son had that shop assemble the short block and he brought it home to their own shop and finished putting it all together and put it in the Truck. He thought it was a 348 but couldn't be sure because he never paid attention to that just that it was REALLY POWERFULL, HAD THEM DAMNED HEADER PIPES, he called them and was way more truck than they really needed just to pull trailers with ! And after his son passed from Cancer he decided to sell it and just buy a 3/4 Ton new Chevy Pickup for the farm. This was as I say 1969. Long story short I drove it and fell in love instantly....didn't even go 2 miles and went back and paid him cash $950.00 for it. Got all the paper work took care of and drove it home. Later that night I started reading thru the stack of sales slips from the Machine Shop and discovered it was indeed a 409 Engine and they did a bunch of work to it. Custom high compression pistons that came from California from some Race Shop, a High Performance custom grind cam from Ed Iskendarian when Ed was actually grinding the cams, a Aluminum Intake from some place but there was no name on it just a #number ( # 105 was engraved into the intake by hand) a single Holley 750 Standard old Double Pumper and fancy finned aluminum valve covers with no identification on them at all. The build sheets had the head work ported and hand polished plus port matching to the intake, a valve job, and other machine work but really that was it. This Engine had a sound I will never forget....and if it hadnt been in a 1/2 ton Pickup with the original 4 speed that you never used 1st gear except if you were trying to get a really heavy load moving....but if that Engine had been in a light small car like a 67 Camaro or a Chevy II Nova....I most likely wouldnt be sitting here today.. I would have most likely street raced it and either blown it to bits or wrecked it and .....well it could have got ugly. I sold it to a friend about 4 years later for $1500.00 because I had done alot of work to the Truck itself and it looked like new and the guy had no problem paying 1500.00 for it. What happened to it after that I have no idea because I moved away. That was the Engine though that got me Hooked on Big Block Chevys and have owned at least 1 ever since right up to the 468 and 565 I built and Drag Race today.
I built a custom fuel injection system and intake manifold that looked very similar to the one shown in this video using components from both LT1 and TPI systems back in 1995. Ran good when installed into a beautiful black 1959 El Camino.
409 cu in/425 hp, torq monster, dual quad, scalloped head, positraction, could run real fine, but miss a shift and detonates at 6500 rpm. I remember them well as I worked on a few of them. They pulled like a freight train when all was right.
I had a street race against a '63 Impala 409 with dual quads (4 spd.) and me driving a '65 Biscayne 283 with a 2 bbl. (3 spd.). I got him out of the hole, but when the quads lit up, he went past me. When it got towards top end, my revs took over and I had him by 5-6 car lengths before we got to the RR tracks. A fun race and a thumbs-up to each other at the end. Those were the good old days. JMO.
Interesting engine. Great crank choices too. This engine with its distinctive "W" valve cover will make for a great resto-mod Chevy. It's reasonably priced as well, it probably doesn't cost much more than an LS swap. I love it.
Two of my friends use to run those.one was in an impala .the other was in a 57 chevy.they both ran really good .the guy with the 57 name was Jimmy greybill .he had a hole garage full of those motors.intakes and you name it.he allso put one with a four speed in a Studebaker lark .it was really fast ...
I like to watch Kieth build engines. He makes it look so easy. I guess after building 100s of engines it kinda is for him. $5700 block to start. Man what an expensive engine. But all worth it as it's home is a show and drive vehicle. I wish I could afford that for my GM project. 1962 Big Back Window Fleetside Shortbed C10. Well, I guess I'll settle for a 400 sbc or 350 sbc. Loved the content. Thanks for sharing. Truck Driver Ray ✝️
If I ever win the lottery, I’ll be ordering up a 409 for some four door sleeper! Perhaps we go ahead and update it again with super or turbo charging to put the dodge and ford boys in their place! lol Love it boys, great work!👍🏽✊🏽👊🏾
Apparently you didn't include the Chrysler 426 Wedge and Hemi as well as the 427 or 429 Fords. The 427 Chev blocks split in half when worked hard. Ask me and thousands of others who dealt with it
You know really be interesting build the big black V6 out of the old 70s gmc pickups I worked in a junkyard for a brief period when I was younger and I remember seeing a few of them and everybody's like oh they're not even worth touching but the thing was they had low horsepower numbers but huge torque ratings which would be awesome and a newer day car
The thing is is everybody always thinks you need tons of horsepower to go fast but torque is what gets you moving so if you got a decent transmission 6-speed but you got lots of torque now you got the gearing for the high speed but you got the torque to get it moving yeah I remember seeing a couple of those B12 everybody doing a small 4.3 l v6s can you imagine building one of these and putting it into a Grand national a big old turbo on it
![Pushing Vortech's New Blower Kit to the Max with Our Built 427 Small Block [Fixing Old Problems]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qsgZj719IV0/mqdefault.jpg)
![Pushing Vortech's New Blower Kit to the Max with Our Built 427 Small Block [Fixing Old Problems]](/img/tr.png)
I heard at the top of this motor build 409 and that Beach Boy song just rang in my head, and as I know nothing about the motor I watch to learn thank you for the education and memory both are beautiful.
I really liked the build and video. when I was a kid, the neighbor bought a brand new 63 impala convertible with a 409 in it. He took me for a ride in it and was I jumping for joy. He floored the old girl, and we went flying down the highway; to a kid that was awesome.
I had a 1963 SS 409 convertible, black on black with a black top. That jeweled chrome trim and console with an m21 4 speed with 411 gears was a street racing monster. I tried 456 gears for that wheel standing hole shot but I'd run out of rpm before the finish line at New York National Speedway back in the late 60's. I never took any big wins after the 427's took center stage, and rightfully so. But out on the street it was both gorgeous and a very successful street light to street light racer with a very unique sound. 8" M&H Racemaster slicks at about 14 lbs. with rigid welded NMW Ladder bars got the power to the ground. God those were fine days.
Its really great to see engines being built outside of the small block & LS masses. Those engines are great in their own right, but uniqueness has it meritts too.
I also like seeing odd engines being built, even though they cost a lot to produce a little horsepower. To me, me hot rodding involves odd creations.
When I saw the block it made me do a double take. It’s an interesting design. I’ve never seen a 70degree block.
Also takes arm & a leg, to find a core. The money you spend on this, you can build a LS, with double the horsepower, for half the price.
@@rexaroco Touchés, good sir, Touchés.
The guy probably already had five, ten, or thirty cars with regular motors with lots of horsepower, he wanted something different.
It will be able to easily smoke the tires on any vehicle he puts it in, what else do you need?
Rocker and head setup was interesting. I think welding the stands was right choice and that extra mile great builders do.
Great build. I have a 1962 409 with a 64 409 425hp z 11 cam with the two 650 carbs 411 positraction, since 1991. It will get rubber in all 4 gears. Love to drive it to cruises.
I had a 409/425 4 spd. in a '63 Chevy Super Sport and I miss it, I have missed it since I was 18 years old. Just to say, I was especially interested and impressed with everything about this engine build and the testing on the Dynomometer. The 409 I mentioned was my first true musclecar and I impressed a lot of fellow students in High School, myself included so, I'm sure this 509 you two built would make me a little more impressed. Thanks for sharing a snapshot of your works with all of us.
My favorite car as well.
@@jameswinter6125 Mine too.
"BRAVO the welder, These are "work's of Art" I wish I could weld this well.
Thanks. Back in the day I put a 400/409 in my 63 Chevy SS convertible. 5 T-10's later I had a Muncie installed. Then Driveshaft twisting and rear end housing bending etc.
The reputation was beyond Star Status. Service Station Attendants (remember them?) would beg to check the oil. Suitable chrome under the hood.
Gotta say, that's a _gorgeous_ engine!
I haven't even seen a W409 in maybe 30 years.
I really like the oval intake port on Throttle Body. It is lower than a standard round intake of similar TB. Looks pretty cool also. All the shiny parts really helps show off this beautiful build.
Great video even though it wasn't the most horsepower of all Chevy big blocks the 409 has always been my favorite, Nice to see them do a modern spin on it
I beg to differ, the 409-427 is or was a record holder
I’ll always immediately recognize this engine series from the valve covers alone since completing a scale model of a 1964 Impala SS with a 409. Good times.
530hp in a street car should be a pretty wild machine!
I had a 55 Chevy 210 with a tri-power 348 back in the early sixties. I did alot of street racing with it and beat quite a few small blocks. I knew that the 348 couldn’t rev like a small block and I drove it accordingly. It had enough torque that it didn’t need high rpm’s. I guess I was lucky because I ran it hard but never had any serious issues. Sold the car in a few years later and bought a ‘63 Impala SS with the dual quad 409. Unfortunately, I only had it for about a year before it got stolen.
Had a short ride in 1987 in a just completed, immaculately restored bubble top with a brand new, freshly assembled for the first time, from NOS parts, 409 with those Carter dual quads. It’s new owner was just starting the break-in process and didn’t go over 3,500 RPM. But having said that, it was still a bucket list experience with that unruly beast of an engine! I have always wondered where that car is now. Rumor had it that the gentleman who built the 409 had sufficient NOS to build several, and would do so every now and then for buyers he considered very special.
I was a partsman in 1962 at a Chevrolet dealership. The parents of a person that I knew bought him a new car and it was a 1962 impala 409 with a four-speed. To shorten this story one morning his mother came into the service department with him in tow. Remember now, we were about 18 years old at the time. His mother said to the people in the service department, Ronnie’s car won’t go. There were a few questions asked and Ronnie kept looking at me sheepishly. You see, the night before he was drag racing with the car and he missed a shift and knocked the four-speed out of it. At the time General Motors, Chevrolet motor division would pay for the transmission to be rebuilt or replaced. His mother nor his father understood what they bought for him, they just bought him the car that he wanted. Pretty funny to witness this and see him the next day.
Here's to the memory of the RPOZ-11 427 cubic inch W engines.Ultra Rare of course.
Yeah, didn't they only make 50 Z-11s?
You might consider talking about the experimental 427 W block that GM considered making but because of inherent problems of the W block they dropped it in favor of the 396. This information comes from an old engine book out of the eighties.
80s 'old'!?! Blast you!
@@KrisKringle2😂
personal I think 1 of the most beautiful designed engines, even with all of its short comings This sparked the fuse for all of Chevys big blocks. I wish I was alive to see the reaction on street and strip racers faces when the hood opened and the gasp because no one had seen a design like it. Fantastic story brother and great video, Thank you for the ride, everyone keep yourselves and love ones safe and healthy.
Another of my favorite kind of videos: Engine builds that aren't run of the mill. Thank you. And good luck with that Corvette of yours...
My buddy dropped a 348 in his 56 Chevy back in 67. He was so proud of that thing when he came by my house to show it off! Sounded awesome!
JUST LOVE WATCHING PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING BUILD AN ENGINE.
Thanks for teaching us car guys so much about the 409. This would look so sweet in my 63! Thought of doing something similar to my 283
I absolutely love the little 283. Long ago, when I was just a kid, I horse traded for a '67 Chevelle 2-dr, with a 283, duel exhaust, and the ole Power Glide. Had my uncle rebuild the engine because it had 158,000 miles on it, and nearly every oil ring on the pistons were collapsed. Before the rebuild, the engine still had decent power, but coasting down any mountain or hill, it smoked so bad ( oil rings ), you couldn't see anything behind the car, lol. But it ran great afterwards. Car didn't have power steering, but barely rolling, you could turn the steering wheel with 1 finger. That little rebuilt 283 with power pact heads was zippy enough, and for highway cruising, it had the best fuel economy of any V-8 I ever owned. Sure wish I still had it today.
@@howabouthetruth2157 That was something cool about the old cars with manual steering. I had a 283 PG 65 Impala that didn’t have AC PB or PS. It was my first car that I got from my Dad. A 4 dr HT with. No pillar, I have never seen another one like it. It had that pearly white with Red interior. But the plain Jane accessories, lol
@@fenatic7484 You were a lucky young man to have a dad like that.
One of the best vids i have seen for a long time, and definitely the best on a beach boys special. The narrator has a clean, clear and rather pleasant voice that tops off this great vid.... Thank you so much .
Eddie C4 Australia.
Thank you!
That Heron head design saw success in a lot of applications, the Ford MEL(not to be confused with the FE design) was a Heron head engine as well. These types of engine cylinder head designs were more for torque production than outright horsepower as the pistons used in these Heron head designs were heavier in comparison to a wedge or hemi style head where the combustion chamber is in the cylinder head.
While admirable, spending $30,000 for 500 or so horsepower in a 65 year old engine design seems illogical, but I know there's a nostalgia to certain applications and the people who demand that aspect.
they may suffer from suffocation from there own bad design but they still sound amazing with the right exhaust . even If it's for a show car I would love to see what this would do with a turbo to help the old big block breath. still it's a beautiful engine .
well it's begin for a diesel fuel swap as the heads are flat and compression can be raised with a different piston as a try it and what happens thing wouldn't surprise me if cheeky Chevy engineers had that in mindset from the start aka duel mode salesman wise with some different parts and seting's ect.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! SOMETHING TO CONSIDER FOR ANY HOT ROD.
I love this video and this build; it brings back so many memories. I had a '60 Bel Air with the 409's little brother, the 348 with a factory 6-pack of what, back in the day, we always called "fishbowl" Rochesters. With the weight of the Bel Air, it was by no means a performance car, but I do remember that it somehow had enough torque to break the welds on the rear axle spring mounting plates. Fun stuff; good times! 😁
Always loved the 348-409 design as far as the looks, definitely an unusual build in the late 50s, they were gas hogs and the torque was unreal, knew a guy that had a 55 Chevy with a 409 fuel injection that he strictly ran on the local drag strip, the name of the car, Formula 409, Try me as the commercial said. Thanks for the video, wiil look great in that 63 Impala.
Thanks!
In the future, I strongly intend to restore a 1970 Chevelle SS here in Europe.
I would love to retain the 454 engine, but for convenience I would like to install fuel injection, and for fun reach something around 500BHP on 98 octane. Nothing too crazy.
Which parts would you recommend for fuel injection and which parts for bumping up the power towards 500. (Definitely no turbos, and if at all possible no supercharger).
Thank you very much in advance for your input!
@@leoa4c The audience is waiting for an answer!
Mooseblock
Those will run rings around a stock LS. And who better to build it than Kieth. Saw him build a beast for Horse Power TV guys. Really knows his stuff.
My buddy had a ‘58 with a 348 and a 3 speed and Fenton shift linkage. About this time The Beach Boys sang about the 409. Grew up in the 60’s when cars had muscle and the girls had class.
And no tattoos.
Always a great commentary on a unique engine build. Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺 👍
Can You say Old Reliable ? 1963 Chevrolet tearing up the drag strips ! & everything else in 63 ! Thanks for the video on a awesome build ! & those welds are awesome.
Love the attention to all the details , torque monster.
As long as I have been following Mr. Dorton he is a great engine builder and very clever man.
That head/ block combustion chamber is one of the craziest things i have seen. Very interesting design !
There is a more modern engine that was similar. It was the 12V Volkswagen VR6.
As I remember in 1958 the small town police department where I lived bought cars with the 348 in them . I never heard of a problem with the engines being 11 years old then but I did here something about the transmissions being a problem.
when i was a kid i had a 1960 chevy with a 348,3duces,4spd.and positraction rear end.
i dominated the drag strip,
but it kept cracking pistons!
4.804 bore spacing is exactly the same as the Porsche M28 V8 engine from the 928; That means that with some drilling and welding, you can bolt 32 valve DOHC Porsche heads to a 409 block. Arias in California has done this to 454 big blocks, though the spacing is slightly different, but close enough. A Chrysler 426/440 will also accept Porsche heads, but I don't think that has ever been done.
..yeah, but if you put Porsche heads on it, it ceases to look like a W series engine...which really is one of it's greatest qualities of said engine...might as well use a 454 block or something else less rare if you are gonna do that...
@@dyer2cycle Arias has built several and they were all based on a 502 cubic inch block. I don't think anyone has done it with a 409, it wouldn't be worth it, it would ruin the value.
4.840", same on W-motor as 454.
@@manyamile410 Yes, but the point is that the rare W motor 409 is so cool that you'd not want to to it to this. Do it to a generic 502 or 454. In any case, the Porsche heads will make way more power while still passing emissions inspections in most states.
@@manyamile410 and 4.80 on Mopar B/RB blocks. 4.9 on Ford 385 blocks.
Another top quality video and build. A gen 1 BBC W motor is a dream engine for me and my 58 fleetside Apache. 3, 4, or 6 moonjection Two barrels, 2 fours, or a big roots. Lots of fins and chrome 🤩 a man can dream right.
Thanks!
@@TheHorsepowerMonster please tell me your building some sort of 70s street freak corvette. It’s gotta have a tunnel ram or a roots with side pipes, 10” or 12” wide deep dish rears, wild paint.
My first car when I got out of the Navy was a 1960 Chevy Impala w/348 Tri Power. I wrenched on that motor many hours. But it had its limitations. The car was pretty heavy, but I loved it.
The peak numbers are not crazy, but the curves are! That is going to be perfect for a rather heavy show & street car. 👌
One of a kind monster motor. Honestly…this is WAY more power than the average guy will ever need cruising around, on the street.
Would love to see the same treatment done to my ‘64 394 Olds motor.
Tony at Ross Racing wrings out a ton of horses, from those. But not to this level. Thanks for sharing.
JT: Orlando Florida
As a kid, my mom owned a 1960 convertible with the 348. Sweet, fast, and fun car!
Small block fan myself, but this build I found quite interesting. Thanks for posting!
WOW! What an amazing build 😎
I have been fascinated with the W motor ever since I saw my first one, sitting in between deuce rails, at a hotrod show.
It great the re-pop block uses BBC parts.
But the most impressive part of this video is your problem solving, regarding the welding on the rocker stands.
Well done, thank you for showing us this build.
Cheers Aaron
Cool stuff, my dad had a 1946 chevy truck with a 348, 4 speed. As a kid I thought it was badass. It was cool. Nice video👍👍
Great video. I love learning about these rare engines like this. I had never seen this type of block/head/combustion chamber design until I pulled the heads of a Ford MEL 462. I had no idea Chevy had made one also.
It would be great, if that company who casts those aluminum 409s would cast an aluminum MEL block. They wouldn't need to increase the original casting thickness, given that the MELs were all heavy-casted. In fact, so unnecessarilly heavy that NASCAR drivers complained about how difficult it was to handle that winning 1958 Thunderbird which had a 430 MEL dropped into it. Because, the 430 was available as an option in the Thunderbird, NASCAR couldn't find grounds for disqualifying it. In fact, a 400 horsepower Tri-Power Marauder set-up for the 430 MEL was available in Lincolns, Mercurys, Edsels and Thunderbirds, as a one year for 1958 only option
@@al_dente4777 you obviously know more about the MEL than j fo, but one thing I do know is the aftermarket does not exist. Couldn't even find a 4 barrel intake fir the engine. Yes. That's right, that big 462 had a cast iron 2 barrel intake. That's one thing this company is doing great is opening up options for the 409 by making it use mark iv parts in some places
(9.1 Compression ratio means it works fine on pump gas too. My Engine described above worked best on Sunoco 260, actually 280 (Avgas) better yet when you could sneak into an airport, lol. BTW, Being a former GM employee, I worked right next door to the engine plant on Van Slyke rd. in Flint, Michigan. I worked in the Fisher Body #2, now called Chevy Trucks. Some of the guys from the engine plant could sneak over to our side, I'll leave it at that for now. If you want to know more get in touch with me. Love your show.
I remember when I went through the 409 in my 1962 Chevy.(something that I wish I'd kept). I had done plenty of work on small blocks in my 55 chevy but when I got the
he heads off of the 409, I couldn't believe it. It had enough torque to do itself justice in any tire burning contests.
Loved seeing this. I had a 55 210 with a Scat blueprinted 409. Very fun cruising Van Nuys Blvd back in the day!
I had a 57 BelAir with a 352 (283 bored 1/8" w/ CT auto 1/2" chrome stroker crank) engle cam, 2-4 barrels, Jahns pistons 12.5 comp, 4 speed muncie. Headers out the wheel wells. On Van Nuys blvd and SF Raceway and Lions. Great time for cars.
That's a beautiful bead on those welds for that fuel injection unit
was thinking the same pure art
"Gapping fools at the drag strip" has to be the best line I've heard on this show 🤣
I remember when the 348 first came out back in 58. They were originally built to be used in Chevy trucks, but small block Chevys couldn't keep up with the Ford Y-blocks, so Chevrolet decided to put them in their passenger cars. The rest is history.
Great video, thanks! Surprised a blower or turbo wasn't part of the build, to deal with the low compression ratio and the 409's inherent breathing limitations.
The W blocks were not built to hold up well above 6500 rpms, weak lower ends contributed to that.
@@BobbyTucker THIS IS AN AFTERMARKET BLOCK, I BELIEVE I READ IS STABLE OVER 2000 HP, I KNOW SHAFFAIROF (SP?) RACING OFFERS A N/A VVERSION AROUND 625 HP, ALSO LAMAR WALDENS SON RUNS A 33 WILLS COUPE IN S.E. GASSERS A /G AS I RECALL THAT IS BRUTALLY QUICK AND IS CLAIMED TO BE W [OWERED, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORW ODD BALL INLINES 292 CHEVY 300 FORD 302 GMC,AND V8'S POLY MOPAR, W CHEVY, F E FORD AND AMC, OR EVEN PACKARD STUFF, CHEERS
My dad used to drag race at a local air strip here in Maryville Tennessee back in 1967, 68, 69. He had a 65 Chevelle SS 327 Turbo Fire, Muncie 4SPD, 3.73 posi.. "It was a pretty stout car",...he said. But,.....he exclaimed that the baddest dude on the block was a 66 Chevy 2 Nova with a 409 rat motor. He said no Mopars Hemi's or Pontiacs, or ANYBODY could touch that car. NOBODY. From what he knew,.....it was a swap from a Impala. Either way,...it was a monster.
The W series engine has the save valve locations as the Pro Stock Dodge/Ford hemi head with out the splay. Rotating the chamber from in line to opposed moves peak torque production later in the rpm band. So the W valve layout would be the best compromise
Ball bearing trick on head studs is brilliant: keeps bottom threads from binding, and helps save on that beautiful aluminum block down the road. Odd choice for a build, but that's the challenge: there are no chamber mods to reach for, only piston mods. Respect that valve clearance...
Seen a few 348s never a 409, this build is through the roof awesome, owner definitely tossed some bank at this build.
Very cool to see a different build . The short runner intake manifold and shorty headers are killing a lot of power . It could easily exceed 600hp with right intake and exhaust manifold.
I agree, just with some decent headers it'd hit 550hp easily! But as it is with well over 500ftlb's of torque,well getting close to 600ftlb's we're talking tire smoke for day's at a low rpm! It'll definitely get that big ol '63 rolling in a hurry! I absolutely love it myself! Would like to see a few changes on it such as a bigger solid roller, different intake as you said. Take that back, yeah a different intake for sure, in the way of an 8-71 on top! That would be nasty!
@@docsmallblock6584 ,
Supercharger would be great for someone with deep pockets.
Ancient technology that was designed to only hold about one horsepower per cubic inch Max and he calls it weak!!!
There was a reason we stopped using the 409s and went to the 454s even with its weak crank...
If you're into 409 this is a cool build.
Looks great and sounds great to but not for everybody . You have to have deep pockets to duplicate . Love the build ! Thank You keep up the excellent work ! 🇺🇲🇵🇷👍
Great video. Concerns about the rocker geometry though. Looks like the rockers are parallel to the head at valve closed position. This would mean the roller on top of the valve would roll to the inside edge of the valve. Rocker should be parallel at 1/2 of the lift. This would also decrease the true amount of lift the cam is capable of making due to rocker overthrow.
Nice build though! Always loved the 409!
True on conventional heads but not true at W engines different heads angle...
That would be a work of art in my ‘59 Impala
Love seeing older engine designs modernised :)
... and still outdated
Awesome video guys! Would like to see someone improve on the inadequacies that limited horsepower on these motors.
In 1971, I had a 67 Chevelle SS 396 with Factory High Performance everything. It was putting out as much horse power as the 427, but only had a 2 bolt main. People used to call it the poor man's 427. Hey, I was just a kid, at time had no clue what 2 or 4 bolt main was. Only problem I ever had with engine was a broken screw in rocker stud. I missed a power shift, over rev'd engine and 'pop... clink.. misfire... some oil smoke out the back' - crap. Thought I blew engine. Nah, intake valve stuck shut on #4, high vacuum in cylinder sucking some oil past piston rings. $10.00 part, $5.00 valve cover gasket, back in business of terrify neighbors and myself again.
lol!
@@chrisjeffries2322 I miss my chevy
i see nuttin wrong with a 2 main
with that low compression it woud be perfect for a turbo or period correct supercharger like 8.71
Great video. I watched another youtube video on a '64 Impala 409 convertible with the dual quad 409 rebuilt to factory specs. Then it was dynoed and found to produce 432 Horsepower, which was 7 more than the rated 425. And if it had power steering, it would've been 427 HP. And I saw another vid on a '62 409 dual quad rebuilt the same exact way and managed to produce up to 406 HP on the dyno, 3 short of 409. BUT I'll bet I'm gonna get corrected with no more like 370 or something like that. So, no not #1 in horsepower but low-end torque is where it had it. That's how it did so well off the line. I heard Jay leno say that he remembered torque being what won races. But it could only be a short distance car for these obvious reasons while Mopar Hemis and lots of others were known for having "top speed unlimited". I saw one view reply to someone who put down the 409, by saying "the 409 was a dud, really?!" And that individual was around to see them win races. Never can know what all exactly to believe at the end of the day.
In fact, another happy thought is taking a motor exactly like this one, all competed and put it into a '64 Impala coupe. Dang shame how that big racing ban for GM had to take place. Chevy could've done a bit more in '64, some therefore I guess '64 just wasn't a very good year for the full-size Chevys perfomancewise. All they could do is offer stuff for the streets and roads and that's it. Yeah, Ford's FE may've been able to outclass the 409 with its high-rise motors that could rev up to 7000 RPMs and require bubble top hoods for the motors to fit, stuff that Chevy couldn't make. But any of the stuff right out of the dealership with all factory spec's I've come across too many reliable sources who say that they were all always very close. So if the 409s were SO overrated then they were all overrated, not just the Chevys only. I've seen too many who drove 406 FE tri-power Fords admit to getting beat by 409 Chevys.
There was a Old dump truck on Marketplace for 500 bucks. I didn't realize the 409 was so rare I should have bought that damn thing!!!!
Yup, you blew it! 😂
I took note of the original 409 as a teenager and always wanted one (but never came to fruition). The beauty of this engine is the reliability and updated design for replacement parts for the museum-quality show car that sees occasional street miles. Paired with the right trans and rear gear, this would make said show car a lot of fun. I say “show car” because this motor is obviously going to cost $40-50k and not suitable for racing. Thanks for talking us through all the design improvements over the original 409. Would be great to drop this into a ‘59 Impala or ‘61 SS.
I always enjoy seeing the old 409.
You guy's are fun to watch.....Thanks very much.....Shoe🇺🇸
Thanks for watching!
Against my Dad's wishes in 1969 I purchased a 1/2 ton Chevy Pick up that had a "W" head Big Block in it. The Farmer I purchased it from said the Original Engine had blown up hauling irrigation pipe a few years back and his Son who had only just recently bought a 59 Chevy 4 Door Car and had taken the Engine out of that car, rebuilt it with a bunch of very expensive parts (he didn't know what it all was but he had all the sales slips from a local machine shop in town who had done a bunch of machine work on the Engine and that was also where 90% of the parts came from. The son had that shop assemble the short block and he brought it home to their own shop and finished putting it all together and put it in the Truck. He thought it was a 348 but couldn't be sure because he never paid attention to that just that it was REALLY POWERFULL, HAD THEM DAMNED HEADER PIPES, he called them and was way more truck than they really needed just to pull trailers with !
And after his son passed from Cancer he decided to sell it and just buy a 3/4 Ton new Chevy Pickup for the farm. This was as I say 1969.
Long story short I drove it and fell in love instantly....didn't even go 2 miles and went back and paid him cash $950.00 for it.
Got all the paper work took care of and drove it home. Later that night I started reading thru the stack of sales slips from the Machine Shop and discovered it was indeed a 409 Engine and they did a bunch of work to it. Custom high compression pistons that came from California from some Race Shop, a High Performance custom grind cam from Ed Iskendarian when Ed was actually grinding the cams, a Aluminum Intake from some place but there was no name on it just a #number ( # 105 was engraved into the intake by hand) a single Holley 750 Standard old Double Pumper and fancy finned aluminum valve covers with no identification on them at all. The build sheets had the head work ported and hand polished plus port matching to the intake, a valve job, and other machine work but really that was it. This Engine had a sound I will never forget....and if it hadnt been in a 1/2 ton Pickup with the original 4 speed that you never used 1st gear except if you were trying to get a really heavy load moving....but if that Engine had been in a light small car like a 67 Camaro or a Chevy II Nova....I most likely wouldnt be sitting here today..
I would have most likely street raced it and either blown it to bits or wrecked it and .....well it could have got ugly. I sold it to a friend about 4 years later for $1500.00 because I had done alot of work to the Truck itself and it looked like new and the guy had no problem paying 1500.00 for it. What happened to it after that I have no idea because I moved away.
That was the Engine though that got me Hooked on Big Block Chevys and have owned at least 1 ever since right up to the 468 and 565 I built and Drag Race today.
Those are respectable numbers considering the header limitations and having the complete accessory drive in tow during the pulls.
having had 2 409's over the years , I found this to be very ,very interesting. What a beautiful engine to boot. Thanks very much.
Thanks! And thanks for watching!
I built a custom fuel injection system and intake manifold that looked very similar to the one shown in this video using components from both LT1 and TPI systems back in 1995. Ran good when installed into a beautiful black 1959 El Camino.
Someone has a lot of cash, and a love affair with nostalgia, but what a neat build, I learned a lot. Thanks
409 cu in/425 hp, torq monster, dual quad, scalloped head, positraction, could run real fine, but miss a shift and detonates at 6500 rpm. I remember them well as I worked on a few of them. They pulled like a freight train when all was right.
This was very well done being narrated. Thanks rob
Thank you very much! And thanks for watching
I always look forward to your videos! Awesome content
Thanks very much! It's always nice to hear something positive instead of all the keyboard warriors griping about something silly.
I had a street race against a '63 Impala 409 with dual quads (4 spd.) and me driving a '65 Biscayne 283 with a 2 bbl. (3 spd.). I got him out of the hole, but when the quads lit up, he went past me. When it got towards top end, my revs took over and I had him by 5-6 car lengths before we got to the RR tracks. A fun race and a thumbs-up to each other at the end. Those were the good old days. JMO.
Biggest mistake I ever made was selling my 348 for $100 way back when.
Did the buyer use it as a boat anchor?
@@jimrobcoylefucking priceless😂😂😂
Interesting engine. Great crank choices too. This engine with its distinctive "W" valve cover will make for a great resto-mod Chevy. It's reasonably priced as well, it probably doesn't cost much more than an LS swap. I love it.
The motor in this video is probably the cost of 10 LS swaps.
😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
These run real smooth.
Thanks for the trick of the trade with the Ball bearing and it’s got AC.😎💪
Gotta love the shape!!!
These guys are top notch builders
It’s always a good time when the channel post a vid 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thanks!
Two of my friends use to run those.one was in an impala .the other was in a 57 chevy.they both ran really good .the guy with the 57 name was Jimmy greybill .he had a hole garage full of those motors.intakes and you name it.he allso put one with a four speed in a Studebaker lark .it was really fast
...
I like to watch Kieth build engines. He makes it look so easy. I guess after building 100s of engines it kinda is for him. $5700 block to start. Man what an expensive engine. But all worth it as it's home is a show and drive vehicle. I wish I could afford that for my GM project. 1962 Big Back Window Fleetside Shortbed C10. Well, I guess I'll settle for a 400 sbc or 350 sbc. Loved the content. Thanks for sharing. Truck Driver Ray ✝️
After all these years I’m now aware of the wired combustion chamber design. 🎼she’s real fine- my 509!
If I ever win the lottery, I’ll be ordering up a 409 for some four door sleeper! Perhaps we go ahead and update it again with super or turbo charging to put the dodge and ford boys in their place! lol
Love it boys, great work!👍🏽✊🏽👊🏾
A 62, 63, or 64 WAGON would be awesome!
The 1961 348 c.i. SHP generated 350 HP. It had a solid lifter cam and three deuces.
Let’s not forget, this is the block that was used for the original NASCAR Z-11 427 Impala, one of or the most powerful engine ever mass produced
Apparently you didn't include the Chrysler 426 Wedge and Hemi as well as the 427 or 429 Fords. The 427 Chev blocks split in half when worked hard. Ask me and thousands of others who dealt with it
Holy cow that timing!
348 Big block in my car hauler got lousy mileage but hauled me across the US all over.
You know really be interesting build the big black V6 out of the old 70s gmc pickups I worked in a junkyard for a brief period when I was younger and I remember seeing a few of them and everybody's like oh they're not even worth touching but the thing was they had low horsepower numbers but huge torque ratings which would be awesome and a newer day car
GM built a V12 with that architecture and 4 heads. It’s a super cool looking boat anchor.
Yep, agreed. But the issue is they don't rev without extensive work and they are heavy. But a great truck/pulling motor can be made with one
The thing is is everybody always thinks you need tons of horsepower to go fast but torque is what gets you moving so if you got a decent transmission 6-speed but you got lots of torque now you got the gearing for the high speed but you got the torque to get it moving yeah I remember seeing a couple of those B12 everybody doing a small 4.3 l v6s can you imagine building one of these and putting it into a Grand national a big old turbo on it
That intake manifold is a work of art