From Tom – My story begins in 1970. A fellow from Cincinnati purchased this ’62 Impala from his boss at the time. He drove the car to school, went to the prom, and used it as any typical teenager would. He knew this car was special though and didn’t abuse it much. In 1990, he purchased a high horsepower 409, 4-speed, Engel cam, Fenderwell headers, etc. In 1994 it was rebuilt, but since 1997 it has just sat unused.
It still has its original Honduras Maroon paint, bumpers, etc. I ended up with the car last year because the gentleman has health problems and can no longer drive. He decided it would be better to let someone else have some fun with it.
The car has a late ’61 409 block and the car was built in ’61! That wasn’t done on purpose though, it just ended up that way. This is not an original 409 car. It was originally a 6-cylinder/3-speed 2-door Impala.
Here are all the pertinent numbers:
VIN# 21747F154023
Engine block 3788068 (62 409)
Engine date k0461 (10/04/61)
Heads 3814690 (62-64 high perf.)
Date left head 10/5/61 (278)
Date right head 5/29/62 (e2962)
Intake manifold 3814881 (62-64 409 date unreadable)
Carbs 3270s both(1961)
Distributor 1110919 (61-62 409 dual point centrifugal advance)
The first photos show how it looked when I found it and this is after a wash job only! I have cleaned the tank, put in a new battery, replaced fuel hoses, etc. It did not have the correct carbs, they were ’61 carbs, so I have replaced them with 2 600 Edelbrocks. The engine is like NEW inside. I have started the car, but only ran it for a few seconds because the oil pressure didn’t go up immediately.
The car is for sale and the price is firm at $20,000. It’s located in Hamilton, Ohio and you can contact Tom at 513-839-1241 or email him here for more pictures or information. It still needs some work, but this could be a fun one. Real 409s are rare and valuable, but you could really romp on this one without feeling bad!
Nothing can catch her
Nothing can touch my 409
(409 409 409 409)
Giddy up 409
(409 409 409 409)
Giddy up 409
(409 409 409 409)
my 454 ls6 in my 1970 el camino with blow the doors off the 409
i have ported and polished head polished to the max. has a 3
2 barrel cabs with progressive linkage ran it down english town
did 10.730 down 1/4 mile that is fast for a street car i drive to work in .
Here are 2 409 street cars that your LS 6 will not beat. We have 409s running 6 in a rail.
65 Chevy II /FX , 409, 4 spd. gasser, 9.64 @ 137
62 Belair HT. 409, 4 spd. 10.41 @ 128 (retired from racing). Street car
Never seen trips on a 454. That has to be cool. Post pictures. Had a 67 Vette 425-435 that had trips. They were garbage. Pulled them off and stuffed a 950 3 barrel, Holly. WOW, that engine woke up.
See and feel the rush!! 1962 street 409 WOW!!!!
https://youtu.be/PHyIqrDxW6M
Here is another 10 sec 09
12 years ago basically a stock 409-380 single carb.
Great day for the AHRA Reunion race. First pass was a 1.542 60′, 6.911 eighth mile et, and 10.929 at 121.58! Second pass was 1.537 60′, 6.903 eighth, and 10.932 at 121.39. Third was 1.554 60′, 6.929 eighth, and 10.957 at 121.55. Then came the bad. First round was called and I waited patiently. Phil and Candy walked up and said “Hi”. My turn comes to race and we pull into the bleach box. They shut us off and back us up because of some technical difficulty. They signal us to fire up again and I got nuthin’. My good ol’ WalMart battery quit. So I was towed back to the trailer. I charged it back up and made a time run. 1.556 60′, 6.923 eighth, and 10.936 at 121.85. Not bad for a 380hp 409!
9 sec. 62 Bel Air
8 sec. 61 Impala
My Dads ,1963 ,SS409 ,ran 10:34 in the 1/4. On street tires thorugh the mufflers brand new in 1963 @ 124 mph.I still have pictures and time tickets somewhere it was ember? Red with black interior
I was very young, but I remember him drag racing. He loved that car.
Im not hating on the 454 I have fond memories myself of a 1970 chevelle ss 4 speed car what an animal . but the 409 was crazy bad for the times . Dad said that day it was cool and dry that morning and that the car just came alive he said it ran like a raped ape ,what ever that means.
Bill Bob Thunderbird. Your dad’s car was a great car and thanks for sharing.
Now the bad news.
Your dad’s car did not run no 10s through the mauflers on street nylon tires by an amuture driver.And especially through the mauflers and and resonators. With that system, the motor I’d rob of about 75 HP. Only time a 09 turned a 10 in 63 was with a Z11 with the car having major modifications and also by a professional driver. Your dad’s car would be lucky to have gotten into the 14s on a good day.
11.70s with this car in 63. About 150 more HP and 400 lbs lighter with a professional driver
.http://www.streetmusclemag.com/news/muscle-cars-you-should-know-63-chevrolet-z11-impala-427/
This car only ran in the 12s in 63.
I think I will save my pennies and I will save my dimes, giddyup giddyup 409
My 62 409-409-4 speed with 4:11 posi. This car looked worse than the one for sale.
Side shot Friday
one of the best looking V8s and
with 2-4s.
I love it, but I can’t afford it.
This is something we would do back then, in HS(’65-’67). My HS buddy had a ’60 Chebby 6cyl. 3-speed. We transplanted a 409 4V. It was awesome. Instant hot rod. I had a ’56 Chebby 6cyl. 3-speed that we transplanted a .030 283ci 4V with a Duntov 098 solid lifter cam. Instant hot rod.
Oh, those were the days.
My 1st 409 car when I was 16 in 1968. It was a 65 Impala SS 409-400 4 speed convertible.
That’s a dream car to me……..best of the best…….
Good Lord in Heaven, the cars some of us were privileged to own back when they were affordable… if only we’d kept one or two of them we could sell them now for 100 times what we got back then.
In 1974 I bought a rust-free Alabama 66 Impala convert 327 4bbl, parked it at a friend’s business til he said it had to be moved. Couldn’t bring it home, already had two cars in the driveway and my old man would have killed me. Sold it for $100.
I paid 400.00 for the 65 Impala with 20,000, the black 65 convertible shown above. Kid was 20 and lost his driving privilege. Mom said car had to go. I even got a payment plan of 50 a month. I was making a 1.00 an hour part time. This was in 68 and I was 16. Then in 70, I bought the 62 shown above with my brothers profiling with 2000 miles for 200.00. I was a drag car all its life.
The 409 was a pretty tough motor. But if you really want to wake it up put a set of 348 heads on it and it will be even better. KEEP THE 62 CHEVYS ALIVE MAN THEY ARE SWEET LOOKING CARS. Me and my dad have searched for all my life for him another one because he had to sell his when he was younger. And now we have 1 all original 71000 mile car and a red as parts car and I’m going to pick up my golden anniversary one after the ice clears off the road and warms up a little.
One of my many 409 books.
Rare 1961 Pontiac (Canadian) 409. Yes! Factory
Total Pontiac R&D cost for ‘their’ 409: about half a buck for ‘P O N T I A C’ stencil.
Russ,
It looks like the intake is different(cast iron?) than the cebby intake. Check out the thermostat housing and oil filler tube. That would increase R&D cost.
In 1981, I cloned Hayden Proffits car. A 62 bubble top. We stuffed a rear Z11 engine.
I’m thinkin’ Dave M is right on top of these things……..
From 1968 to 94, built, raced and showed about 30 409 cars. Bought this in 1970 as a drag car all its life. Had 2000 miles and paid 200 with no drivetrain.
Bought the white car in 1970, then when I came out of the service, painted it red and stuffed a 63 09 425 with a 4 speed. the car ran 12s. You’ll see the win stickers on the rear side glass from Detroit Dragway.
Single carb 1962 409. Dual carb was 409 HP
Nice car but looks like the passenger side has had a tussle with something leaving damage just ahead of the rear wheel. I had a 62 Impala back in the late 70’s, same model, sold it as a rolling chassis for a couple of hundred. I’d probably get a bit more for it today.
I had and actually still have a 409 that I was considering installing in the car but at that time it was difficult to find parts and oversize pistons were not available so I stored the motor in a relatives garage where it is still to this day, as far as I know!
You can have anything made for the 409. Here is a 6 second 409.
Love the torque!!!!
She’s real fine!!! One of the best ever..
My office
my first hot car was built out of a 64 409 car but in 1975 we weren’t really thinking to much – the motor was gone and we put a 396 and super t-10 in it….it was a factory tach with 4 speed console car….it went down the road to a new owner think about 1979…..then my buddie in the 80’s decided to build a clone 62 with a z-11 crank he had rounded up….it was a terror in the street races even into the 90’s for a big car…
The holy of holys. Legendary, what a cool story. Needs a 4-speed though.
Was it just yesterday that I was reminiscing about the summer of ’62 and “409”?
Absolutely had no idea what a 409 was or who the Beach Boys were. I mean I had just spent 3 years in England and my favorite band was Cliff Richards and the Shadows.
Anyone remember “Apache”?
I never had a 409 car but I did buy a ’62 Impala 2 door HT that ran and drove for $15.00 once (Yes Fifteen dollars). It was around 1973~1974 and it was a 283/PG. It needed both motor mounts. Once I replaced them I sold it a few weeks later for 3~4 hundred. Nice car.
I knew a guy who bought a 1964 Chevy wagon with a 409 and 4 speed from the factory, and the factory hood tach. I don’t know if it was one of two wagons with the 409 and 4 speed or one of two with those plus the hood tach but it was very unusual. Forget what he paid but it wasn’t more than $200 and might have $50. He drove it as a beater but with bald snow tires on it I seem to recall he turned a 15-something running it just for fun at the strip once.
They only had tachs above the steering wheel on the dash
Here is a 62 wagon 409-409 possible 3 speed on the column.
Back in the day I routinely beat 409s with my 1960 270HP Corvette.
YA! OK!
1960 Corvette (MT)
283/270hp, 4spd, 0-60 – 8.4, 1/4 mile – 16.1
1962 Chevrolet Impala SS (MT)
409ci/409hp, 4spd, 4.11, 0-60 – 6.3, 1/4 mile – 14.9 @ 98mph
1962 Chevrolet Impala SS (CL)
409ci/380hp, 4spd, 3.70, 0-60 – 7.3, 1/4 mile – 14.9 @ 94mph
Never had a small block get me on the street in the late 60s with my 65 09 unless it was built to the hilt. Even beat the Z28s. Cars that I would have problems with was the 454s,396-375-425, L88s, 440-6pak, 340-6pak. Had a 60s something Fairlane with a 289 HiPo that was put together that blew my doors off. Later on saw him run at the strip running 11s. He had NOS that was rare for that time. Good Times Back Then. I grew up in the best time and area for the street racing time. Woodward Ave in the 60s.
Don’t want to start a flame war but I think the magic of the 409 came mostly from being the first Chevy V8 with a 4 in the front of the displacement. Not that they couldn’t be very strong but there were weak points of the design. 409’s all had two bolt mains and apparently also suffered from weak connecting rods which harmed the engines reputation. Seems a weak bottom end sealed its fate.
57 Chev with the 283 was the 1st year for the 4 speed in the Vette after April of 57.
No factory four speeds in ’57 except Vettes and trucks. As far as I know, there would be none leaving the factory installed in trunks either. The plants probably wouldn’t even have had a four speed in the building since they didn’t assemble the Vettes or trucks in the same plants.
I had no problem with the 409s with the bottom end if kept under 6800 rpm. Push rods was another story. Read all the other post. Ran a 409 with a 2 barrel for 3 seasons and never opened a valve cover. It was a 12:70 Bracket car. More than a thousand runs. Even ran with the 2 part drive shaft.
David M,
I think Russ is referring to the 4 in 409, not the 4 in 4-speed.
Feel the urge!!! This could be that car for sale.
https://youtu.be/ajePpPS1gjY
Here is a 6 sec 409 rush!!
62 4 dr 409-409 3 speed on the column. Only floor shift was the 4 speeds till 63. 63 had the optional floor shift Power Glide mostly on the SS.
62 4 dr 409
13 years ago
Well gang, I can finally can say that I have a 12 second street car. Went to test and tune today. Excellent conditions for making some serious horsepower. Low 50’s for temp, a 30.02 barometer, and humidity at 47%. Density of altitude just 3 feet. And man did she pull hard at the top end. I did the same as last time. Drove to the track, unloaded unneeded stuff. checked tire pressure and went to the line. Three 13.0 runs later. I let the car cool real good this time. Hit the line at 140 water temp, and the rest is history. Remember this is through the mufflers on street tires. No trick stuff. It’s tough to see but it says 12.767 @ 107.88. The 60 foot is 1.938. Eigth mile et 8.218 @ 87.74. So can you tell that I’m happy?
Here is a cool 409 story from 1964:
A 57 Chevy with a 283 4 barrel.
Anyway, everybody in school knew it had a 283 in it all those months….
There was this Guy who was the School Bully…you know…with the Vitalis oily hair in a D/A..(for the younger readers :ducks ***) hair do..
He was a senior with a ’63 Max Wedge.. 413 or a 426..? Don’t remember what they had for that year….[LD…Max wedge was a 426 in 63] He was the King of the hill back then….
Well anyway, This friend of mine (Bill) worked at a Sunoco station then…..
He had a ’62 409 Chevy…that this kid got killed in when it rolled….
We were talking one night when this guys name came up..he mentioned wouldn’t it be great to stick that 409 in my ’57….We laughed for a while then got to serious talking…We started on our project that same night.
Well, it sure took some doing with the Cast Iron headers an the steering an all..but working on it at night we had it done in a week.
You should have seen my eyes the first night we started it UP..! My 4-speed, Dual Quad, ’57 – 409…..!
Well, any ways…we didn’t want to go to the expense of an exhaust system..so we tried to figure out how to get it to our favorite spot ..so we could challenge this grease ball for a race against a 283 – 4-barrel….Tee Heeeeee!
We made the date…Took the ’57 out to Morgan Johnston Road, after school
on a flat bed…
Then we all went to Lums Restaurant, A&W, The DrumStick, McDonalds serving only 250,000 people then.Ha! Ha! & Burger Queen back then….A proceeded to tell everybody about the Race on Friday night….
Well, this Guy got drift of the race he never knew about, from all the Kids at these Hangouts….BOY..! That’s all he had to hear about his bad *** wedge running a 283 4-barrel…..He Was HOT….! We saw him at the A&W…he comes up to us an says he’s never been beaten…an especially by a so-called ‘Chevy’…..An would we like to put $100.00 bucks on it….
Well between the 4 of us we had enough to buy a cherry coke…..So (Bill) my friend from the Sunoco station steps in an says how bout $200.00…? He even got Hotter….How dare you, you bunch of punks..an took the bet…..
So we set a time, a told him the Place….Bill an all of us, plus 1/2 the school, hang outs..proceeded to the spot….
When he got there…Hey, where’s that ‘Bad *** Chevy’…? I said I had to go down an get it out of the Garage, be right back.
Bill an I went down to where the ’57 was parked…We looked at each other for a second..an just burst out Laughing. Ha! Ha! HA! HA!
Then I preceded to fire this 283 4-barrel up. Now you have to imagine this..it’s 10:00 o’clock at night 1964…Out in the Boonies, Cow Pastures…And all of a sudden the SOUND of a 425hp 409 Open Exhaust breaks up the Dead Silence of the night…..WOW!
Here we come up the road with this beast…never drove it for a test ride, or even around the block to see if our welds held up.
The Guy says No Big Deal, so you undid our Dumps….I’ll still run Ya….
We lined up the cars…A guy with a White shirt got us ready…I brought up the ‘R’s..let the clutch have a load on it…And then down came the white shirt……HOLY **** JUST BROKE LOOSE….This Frigggg’n ’09 put 4 cars on him in 2nd gear..Thanks to the Bu’Crons Tires.
Here we GO..3rd Gear another car length ….I remember looking out the window to see if he was coming up on me…
An all I remember was Laughing so hard at all the ‘COW’s’ I was scaring the Hell out of running for Dear Life, away from that Road.
Needless to say, we collected our $200.00 bucks an was the Hit ,& Talk of the School for many years after……
I Wish I Still Had That ’57…’The Good Ole Days.When Sex Was Safe & Drag Race’s Was Dangerous….!
I LOVE IT!!!! Great story.
Had a couple of times similar to that in HS, with my ’56 chebby. Then when I got out of the service in ’69, I had a few more with my ’65 289ci Mustang.
“The Good Ole Days.When Sex Was Safe & Drag Race’s Was Dangerous….!”
You are so right.
i have a true 62 impala story to share. in about 1968 a few of us was hanging out in bowling alley parking lot in carrollton,ky. during this time we done as much street racing in carrollton as anywhere in the state. a friend of mine had his 68 z-28 there that had 2 4’s, 456 gears and much more. a red 62 impala showed up crusing through town and several times doing a burnout taking off at red light. he did get one ticker from police in doing this. we had never seen this car before, but we all could tell it was bad to the bone. the two guys in car pulled in next to us and started talking with us. the discussion soon was the z and impala to run’em. impala driver wanted to run for 100 bucks but z-28 driver did not want to run for money for good reason. they agreed to run for nothing and z-28 driver went across the street to his dads chevolet dealership and put on his slicks and impala was just street tires. we had the best place in the world to run..the new interstate was complete here but was not opened to traffic yet as some of it was still being worked further south. first run the z won about 2 cars as the impala could not get off line as he burnt his tires up. well, the next two runs were totally different as he come off the line with the z and beat him both times 3-4 cars.never knew who he was or what he was running only knew it had bath county plates. several years later a friend of mine who was from bath county and after telling him off this race said to me, well bill don’t you know who that was and of course i did not. he said it was DARRELL ALDERMAN. he had a red 62 impala at this time ,done a lot of street racing and it was BAD TO THE BONE
Great stories! Brings a tear to the eye and a lump in your throat.Ground pounders.not the safest cars but who cared? If the call out was 327,409,406,426,427,or none at all the real love was cars! Thank you for the trip back to yesteryear I can even see the “may pops”
Boy how many times do we hear, Boy I wish I didn’t sell it!! or I wrecked one just like that back in?
Had 409s almost all my years, had them in 1956-1957 -lots of 61 62 63 cars best time was 12.01 118 mph , still have a 1962 409-409 hp with the T10 complete, may could sell it cause I am 76 and no more cares for me.
10s
6s
10s O YA!!
11s
12.70s small heads with 2 barrel. Ran in bracket for 3 years and took 2nd in the nationals in 87.
Checking the valves and jetting the carbs getting ready for tomorrow. 9.70’s or bust!
I wish i had that 65 ss 409 right now my dream car