Stock steel wheels on what looks like a narrowed rear axle and hood gauges suggest this 1963 Chevrolet Bel Air might be more than a former school teacher’s ride. The Torrington, Connecticut classic accumulated fewer than 20,000 miles in its 62 years, according to the listing here on eBay. Furthermore, check out that claimed original paint! Not bad. Clearly this bruiser logged its miles in one-quarter increments before 1980 when it vanished for “decades.” Now it comes to market with about 800 miles on a built original 409 making 500 HP. Thanks to Mitchell G. for spotting this highly original beast. An earlier auction ended with the seller’s Reserve not met, and this time it’s listed at $45,000 Buy It Now or best offer.
True to the Beach Boys’ classic “409,” this Chevy wears dual-quad (twin four-barrel) induction, a four-speed manual gearbox, and a 4.56:1 Positraction rear end. Check out that video link to see how a built 409 twists up the big Chevy on a hard launch. At least this one’s comically tiny tires will act as a “clutch” to protect it from the angry mill’s metal-twisting torque.
The Bel Air trim adds some brightwork above the lower levels, but the two-door “post” sedan is all business underneath. The seller shows a trunk full of take-off parts and extras. My Dad had one of these in college, with a 283 V8 if memory serves me. Check out the purportedly original side mirror delete! Who needs that extra wind resistance and weight?
The black interior replaced the original lighter “Fawn” guts. I’d favor the Fawn, but nobody will complain about all-black. You have to love a vinyl bench seat in a floor-shifted full-sized straight-liner. Drag racers praise the consistency of a tight automatic, but that third pedal warms my heart.
it’s hard to fake an undercarriage like this, and despite the Constitution State address, this never-restored Chevy looks honest and well-preserved underneath. This baby “runs drives stops, sounds amazing,” according to the seller. Would you change anything on this high-powered turn-key classic?
Daww, dat’s the cutest air cleaner I’ve ever seen!
Those gauges behind the hood look out of place.
Agreed! I’m an old muscle car guy (hs early-mid 70’s) and remember a few cars in auto-shop having that set-up, the largest was a ’67 Chevelle SS, I had a tach mounted outside on my ’68 Stang FB 390GT, my ’70 Nova SS350 had the sun gauges mounted around my steering column!
This is the 3rd time in the last year this car has been featured, first time the asking price was $57,000, second time was $51,000, now $45,000. Good deals don’t last, there is something keeping potential buyers from acting.
Steve R
Because it is still quadruple what it should cost, esp with the present economic turmoil. When things get like this, speculation on something like this goes in the toilet. When we all get used to eating cat food, maybe by that time, prices will get more realistic.
So far the sellers asking price has been unrealistic, but so is the idea this is an $11,000 car. People out of touch with the market aren’t just on the high side. Just because someone wouldn’t pay more than a certain amount for a given car, that doesn’t set the market value,
Steve R
$25k at best…..
The add states it came with a 3 speed manual which I can see on the steering column in the pictures and i was wondering if the 409 came with a 3 on the tree as this was before my time. i was born in 1972. just wondering and i am sure some people will know the answer to this which can be true. I have heard of 3 speeds behind smaller engines like my 1971 chevelle 307 3-speed. I am sure there will be people out there older than me that know of the correct info. This is still a nice car that will smoke those smaller tires!!
The standard 3-speed was available with a 409, but I would be very surprised if anyone ordered a 2×4, solid lifter 409 with a column 3-speed. My guess is that this car was a factory 6 cylinder and the V-8 was added later.
I’ve heard of new ’63 wagons made with the low-horse 409 for trailer towing. Maybe some of them came with column 3-speeds. That transmission had no syncho for 1st gear in ’63; it was the pits to drive.
what pic shows 3 on tree can’t find it I was 17 in 1963 older sister bought a new 1963 Impala convertible 327 4 speed bench seat great car later i had a 1963 Impala 283 3 on the tree
In one of the Ebay pictures, you can clearly see the stub on the steering column for a column mounted shifter. (But to be fair, while not likely, that could also indicate an automatic.)
Hey Jerry; cat food is expensive too!
He or she is asking original 409 money, and this ain’t even in the same county as “original”. I agree with Todd that it appears to have a narrowed rear end, and the cowl mounted gauges are a little strange. One last observation, while it is not worth anything even approaching 45K, it is also not a 10K car.
Too bad not a Z11 car with 427. Would be worth 10-20 times asking price
If it were an original 409 car, at least it would be worth something approaching the asking price. Unfortunately, not only is it not a Z-11, it is also not an original 409.
your probably right old rodder if in 1963 and I was buying a new 409 just to race which one of my friends did i was 18 years old in 1963 born in 1945 it would have been a Biscayne radio heater delete
Aren’t those what were called “porcupine heads”? I reflected this morning on how rare it is to see this engine family in full on performance guise. It’s much more common to see a 1958 Impala hardtop equipped with the 348 a single quad and maybe an automatic with two-tone paint. I rode to school in a blue/silver ’58 Bel Air with a three on the tree and this engine. At the time a ’57 was “cool” but a ’58 not so much. Amazing how polarizing that ’58 very unique one year body became. It appears that Mr. Mitchell had ironed out the process by 1963.
“Porcupine” heads were those on the Mark engine. 396, 427, 454 etc.
The two things it needs are the correct steering column for a floor shift car and the factory tach.
You know your Chevrolets, ACZ. Thanks
Nice, but not original! That does separate the men from the boys. This beast boasts a nice “old skool” drivetrain, legendary & worth 20k all day! The shell is very presentable, even though it’s the lower Bel Air model. The miles & originality goes out the door with the questionable interior mods, a 35k asking but will take 30k price is fair for this queen, imo!
Not sure, but If I recall correctly any 409/425 came with a factory tach in 63, whether you wanted it or not. The absence of the tach, and the seller’s suggestion in the ad that the original owner didn’t want to pay for a tach, just adds to all the doubts. Cool car, but not that $$ cool.
The tach was optional in ’63, even with the 409. It’s probably a moot point with this car anyway as I pretty seriously doubt that it is a factory 409. Could be wrong but, there’s a lot that says no.
@oldrodder –
I was correct. All 1963 409 cars automatically came with a tach.
See here: https://www.348-409.com/348409identify.html
and here: https://over-drive-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/Chevrolet/1963/1963-03-MT-Impala-SS-Test-1-6.pdf
BTW, all 327 4-speed cars also came with a tach in 63.
Well there is a ton of conflicting information about that. According to Hemmings they were optional and if you Google it the answer is that they were optional. My personal experience is that one of my sister’s boyfriends had a 340 horse with a Super Sun on the column because it didn’t have a factory tach. As such I’m not sure just where the truth lies.