In the ole daze, there was this “sleeper” concept that I’m positive most of you can remember. You take a real ordinary looking, budget trim level car and shove in a huge engine with the appropriate drive train. Once that’s done, you hit the street for a little traffic light to traffic light competition. The neatest aspect of the concept was that you could actually have the marque of your choice build the car for you. And today, for your review, we have just such a stead in the form of a 1963 Chevrolet Biscayne two-door sedan that might be considered overpowered. Let’s look it over and you can decide. This anchorman-level Chevy is located in Maplewood, Minnesota and is available, here on craigslist for $49,900. Gunther K gets the nod for this tip!
So, Chevy’s lineup in ’63 was pretty simple, Impala on top, BelAir in the middle, and Biscayne bringing up the markers – it was the budget-conscious trim level often associated with fleets and maybe the elderly who were interested in solid, no-frills simplicity. And yes they were popular with 135K constructed. Body styles were two and four-door sedans along with a four-door station wagon. That two-door Biscayne was also popular with hot rodders too, it was the lightest and least expensive body style available and the sedan aspect of it provided rigidity. Mechanically speaking, it could be outfitted with the same go-fast parts as found in a top-drawer Impala SS.
The seller tells us that this Biscayne was originally outfitted with a 340 HP, 409 CI V8 engine and while it is still so equipped, it’s not the original motor but it is essentially correct for this car. The original orderer could have pushed the envelope and gone for a 400 or a 425 HP version of the famous W-Series engine but decided, for whatever reason, to dial it back a bit. A four-speed manual transmission was specified, however, and it’s still on the job. The seller claims that the 409 engine is “very nice running“. He also mentions that it leaks antifreeze in the winter and that may or may not be a problem – the problematic part being if it’s a freeze plug. Regardless, I appreciate his honesty in bringing that matter to light. Oh, some good news, with all of that go, this Chevy has front disc brakes to help slough off rapidly generated speed.
The exterior is fantastic looking and has been refinished in the original silver-blue hue. I invite you to review all of the listing images as they show this Biscayne going through its full restoration which included replacing the floor pans. The doggie-bowl hubcaps are standard fare for a car trying to portray the “nothing goin’ on here” vibe. One non-sleeper giveaway is obvious and that’s the crossed flag fender emblem proudly displaying “409”.
We’re told that this Chevy is a heater-delete car and that’s true as a heater/defroster was standard equipment but there was an actual delete option in ’63 known as RPO C48 – how unusual. Keen observers of this generation of Chevrolet sedan will note the “BelAir” interior. The seller adds, “Biscayne’s in 1963 with Silver Blue paint only came with code 860 Fawn colored interior, I didn’t like the tan color so when I restored it I opted to upgrade the interior to a 1963 Belair color in blue (it turned out fantastic)“. I would agree, it looks great and it’s always a nice discovery to find a factory tachometer in place, though based on the included window sticker, it’s not original to this car. It was available as a factory option and it was known as RPO U16 – reproductions are available today.
There you have it, and yes, it’s a very cool ride! As stated, it’s not the top of the heap power-wise but you have to wonder how many Biscaynes were actually built with a true RPO L80, dual-quad, 425 HP, 409 CI engine. There are probably more in existence now than there were back in ’63! Expensive? Yes, but I’m not surprised considering all the effort that went into making this car what it is today. I like it, how about you?
I like it very much. It’s really cool. I’m a little puzzled over the C48 heater/defrost delete. I don’t think that would have made it much quicker, and you will turn into a popsicle during an October evening drive, or not be able to see if it happens to rain. But it’s so weird and rare, you would kind of want to keep it as is. Just keep that weather app on your phone dialed up!
I was wondering Bick or Jim, is there must no defroster w heater delete ? Fair weather driver only for sure. Good news the 340hp version had all but 5ft/lb of torque at a healthy 420.
Yes, it removes the entire unit. I noticed that the three vertical control levers (fan, temp. and defrost), which would be positioned at the bottom edge of the dash, to the right of the steering column, are missing. And, no heater core, no heat for the defroster.
There was a time when a heater was an option, my father once showed me an invoice for a ’47 Ford that he purchased new, and the heater was an option. Somewhere in around ’66, they were required as standard equipment by regulatory law. I’m not sure what not specifying the heater/defroster would do for a car such as this Biscayne, other than, as Bick stated, making for a miserable ride at certain times.
JO
You don’t need ac in California although I wouldn’t live there but that’s the only possibility for that car
Plenty of very hot areas in CA, some just a few miles inland. Redding, Red Bluff north all the way down through the central valley to the deserts. We always had air in our CA cars (and earlier on, the water bag over the front bumper and the tube with ice hung on the drip rail…..didn’t work).
I LOVE it! I much prefer post cars over hard tops. Back in the late 1970’s, a co-worker bought an old car for commuting to work. It was a ’63 Chevy Biscayne 4 door in dark green. I rode along a few times to weekend beer parties in and around Sioux Falls. He wasn’t thrilled with the gas mileage, he said. Then, I pointed out the ‘409’ on the front fenders, and asked, what did you expect? He paid $300 for it with no body damage or rust. He wasn’t a ‘go fast’ kind of guy. Had I been using my noggin, I should have begged to buy it! I wonder where it ended up, sigh.
I wonder if your friends car was an ex detective car or some kind of govt. vehicle. I saw one in a magazine that was a detectives car which he got to order. It was a 2dr Biscayne with a 409, they wouldn’t let him get a standard shift, so he had to order it with a powerglide.
The 409s were not nearly as fast as the 413/426 wedges. And despite what Brian Wilson said in Shut Down, a fuelie 327 couldn’t take them either. The numbers do not lie.
Good tune, good times man, and a great analogy! Gotta admit, this is one sweet ride, I prefer riding with the windows down in hot weather anyway, and this beauty wouldn’t be rolling around WNC in cold nasty weather, so the lack of a heater is not an issue… I have a buddy who drives a ridiculous ’66 Chevy II, and when I asked him why it had no windshield wipers, he stopped, locked the lines, and produced a smoke show from h-e-double hockey sticks, and simply said ‘I don’t drive her in the rain’… Ahhh, ya gotta love those gearheads!
As nice as it is, it’s got a case of the no no’s. No numbers no doc’s no high prices.
Let’s get real here .. LEAKING FLUIDS .. and wants$50000 … Let that sink in.
Go to any dealer and see 💩 leaking… I bet 50k you will you’d laugh at them right?
Sweating horsepower!
A small, but significant detail noticed: The taillamp lenses are Impala units. Bel Air & Biscaynes didn’t have the chrome trim, but Impalas did.
They are not Impala units. Impala had three lights with the center being the backup light. The chrome rings were not part of the plastic lens – they snapped on with a sticky back to hold them on permanently. So, it would be easy enough to find some at a yard – or order them and put them on your Biscayne. They may have been available from the factory that way too – as back then car companies had endless ways to custom order your car – and the chrome on the taillights would be part of a “bright package” that spruced the car up with more chrome than standard for the model.
To Al Dee, I am sorry to tell you this, but you are not correct about the tail light trim, Will Fox is correct. The chrome trim piece was attached over the plastic tail light lens with the same 2 screws that held on the plastic lens. The chrome trim was an Impala or Impala SS piece only. They were on all six tail light lens on every Impala. They were not included on the Biscayne or the Bel Air from the assembly line.
When I was a kid in the ’50’s scanning the newspaper classifieds for used cars I couldn’t afford the notation “R&H” was common to see in many adds. That meant the car was equipped with radio & heater–two options that were not always present. Interesting that once heaters became standard they could still be deleted to save a few bucks, perhaps poplar in Florida.
Maybe some wider steelies otherwise that’s a perfect car in my opinion……..
Your right Tom. I remember that too. Side view mirrors were optional as well. My how times have changed. I always wanted one of these base models with the go fast (in a straight line) goodies. But like many others I don’t have 50K for a play toy. I can’t help but wonder how much longer cars like this will fetch this kind of money. As we older boomers age out of the hobby; the price to acquire these may come down considerably. I wonder if I will be able to “ catch rubber in all four gears” when I’m in my 90’s? GLWTS.
I’d say you probably could in this car, bob, all stripped down of the unnecessary stuff, only two doors and their windows to add weight… I’m just tickled to think that you’d want to at that age, you, like myself, must appreciate a good smoke show, hee hee! I love the smell of burning rubber in the morning, or any old time for that matter!
I just turned 72, boy what a beautiful ❤️ birthday gift that would be. I would have to build a strong garage to house it with a heater.
Your car is a work of art !
A friend’s father bought a ‘62 Biscayne 409, 4-speed, dual quads brand new, and let his high-school age son drive it. That thing would get squirrelly on every up shift. It was so much fun!
I bet these were heck on tires of the era. Also, the handling was probably like driving a box. Straight line was ok with the curves had to be powered through. Nice ride and like everything else these days way over priced.
Worked with a guy whose father set out to buy a new car in ’63. Came back with a 2-door Biscayne, 3-speed trans. Cheapest car on the lot. Mike said it was ugly. As he walked around the car sizing it up he realized that he thought he saw an exhaust pipe on the other side, too. Sure enough there’s an 0-9 under the hood. When his dad took it back to the dealership for premature wear of the right rear tire at 3000 miles the service advisor asked if he was the only driver. “Well, no. I have a 16-year-old son at home…”
Grant what big tree did you fall out of? I’m 75 and been a gear head since I can remember. Yes the 413s and 426 wedges long stoke motors were fast but they had their work cut out for them and always seemed to come up shy against the dual quad 409s short stoke mills let alone the same blocked 427s. I’m talking street cars. If you want to talk about track cars look up dyno Don Nickelson and what Jr. Johnson was doing at Daytona before blowing up. Didn’t say they were the most robust engines just saying they were the monsters of the midway. Not even a street hemi could touch them
In 61, 62, The 409s won most of their NHRA drag race competitions. In 1963 the 409-Zll cars Beat out the 413s and super duty Pontiac’s at the NHRA Winter Nationals, Pamona, drag race titles. etc.
End of February 1963 GM dropped out of racing support and by 1964 most drag racers were running 426 hemi’s
I had a 64 Biscayne two door. 230 inline 3 on the tree.. I learned to drive in it. Then dad took me out of town and I learned how to drive fast. He taught the art of the double clutch and power through turns. It was light , Ridgid, and predicable. I always imagined if I could have tweaked that six some and stuck the battery on the trunk well. Just one.of many I drove back then. It was infinitely better built than the Ford. All brakes were inadequate back then. Even the sacred 71 gto I drove once. Over 90 mph you had one shot at brakes. They got so hot so fast. Most folks back then had sixes. My friends dad had a 67 ford two door. Rather inocuous except for the 7 litre badge. 60’s American cars were dangerous. You had to know your stuff because the cars had little if any feel. Ibut people love em now. Drove a 71 cuda with a 440 shoe horned in it over the mountains at night in the rain coming back from Vegas high as a kite.Ndver mind.