Jukebox Hero: 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air 409

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America lost something when the car song went out of style. I’m not talking about songs that mention that you drove your “Chevy to the levee” or that you got “a Chrysler that seats about twenty”; I’m talking about songs like “409” and “Shut Down.” Songs that mention that your pressure plate is burning; in fact, maybe we lost something when the average person with a nickel for the jukebox ceased to know what a pressure plate is. Just like a Corvair owner will never stop hearing Nader jokes, owners of the most famous of the “W” engines will never escape that revving sound at the beginning of the Beach Boys’ B-Side. While the 409 was available in just about any model, this ’62 Bel Air Sport Coupe “Bubble Top” is the one that many of us think about when we hear those numbers. Mitchell G. found it on eBay for $69,750 in San Jose, California. (Do you know the way? Never mind.)

Although the exterior styling of the ’62 Sport Coupe is frankly gorgeous, most onlookers with more than a teaspoon of gasoline in their veins will quickly pivot to the engine compartment, where they’ll find the dual-quad, 11:1-compression, solid-lifter, 409-horsepower version of the fabled 409. It is one of those rare powerplants that looks as good as the rest of the car, with those unique silver valve covers complementing all that Chevy Orange. The 409’s fairly unique valvetrain setup is the reason for its good looks; with its in-block combustion chamber (like Ford’s MEL V8), there’s room for some decent-sized valves, too.

It wouldn’t be the same without a four speed, either. Oddly enough, the three-speed manual was standard with the 409/409, and I’ll never get used to that, just as I’ll never get used to the fact that you could have bought a fuel-injected Split Window with a three-speed Saginaw and no synchromesh on first gear. It’s a crazy world. In case you’re interested in specifications, the standard rear end ratio for the three speed and close-ratio four speed was 3.36:1, but the seller doesn’t mention what gear this pretty Ermine White coupe has. (You could get any number of ratios from the factory back then.) By the way, isn’t the color combination striking?

This car is listed by the selling dealer as an “older restoration” that is holding up well, and that certainly looks true in pictures. Perhaps it’s not as perfect as a fresh restoration, but that just means you won’t be afraid to open up those Carter AFBs up front every once in a while. Who cares if the exhaust manifolds start to discolor?

Sadly, the Bubble Top disappeared for 1963, which is interesting, because it was a strong seller (323,427, according to my materials). The 409 was not too far behind, replaced by the 396 in the middle of the 1965 model year. It’s almost impossible to argue that the 396 wasn’t a better engine than the 409, but the 409 still had a little bit of magic. Maybe it’s the sound of the numbers when you say them in order, maybe it’s the look of those valve covers. But this car’s got it.

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Comments

  1. Howard A Howard AMember

    Ha! Careful what you say on this here site( see ’62 Sport Coupe post) Here was exactly what we DIDN’T see. Oh, they bellowed out of our folks
    “Sonomatic”, but never saw’r one. I read, the 409, dual quad option added a whopping $494 bucks, almost 1/5th again the cost . Then the 4 speed, positraction, well into the $3s, and for what? Heralding some song by long haired beatnik surfers? You bet, those songs didn’t hurt sales, but for most of us at the North Pole, the small block, Powerglide did just fine. This car was Cheys moment in the sun at the drag strip. They don’t write songs about Pintos, and dominated most race tracks, even NASCAR, for a while.
    I read this car would do mid 14s at almost 98mph in the 1/4 mile, traction, I’m sure, it’s biggest problem. 409 HP.,,,pfft, this motor put out 450hp easy, they just couldn’t says that. Iconic car gonna cost ya’, and will future generations even know who those great singers were?

    Like 20
  2. bobhess bobhessMember

    Impressive car. Howard, you weren’t a car salesman in another life were you?
    My memory bank thinks Chuck Berry’s hot rod Lincoln song started this whole car song thing. Lot of that going on then.

    Like 13
    • bowmade

      Beep, beep, beep, beep
      His horn went beep, beep, beep
      I probably wore out at least one record player needle listening to that song when I was a kid.

      Like 5
  3. misterlouMember

    By looking at the photos, it’s 3 1/2 Priuses long

    Like 8
  4. Rumpledoorskin

    Looks real fine…

    I’ll show myself out.

    Tip your server.

    Like 8
    • James Mulcare

      🤣🤣🤣🤣

      Like 1
  5. doug

    It doesn’t say it was a 409 car from new does it? Or that is the original engine? Or did I miss that?

    Like 1
  6. hat of pork

    Burn down that quarter mile! I had a ’61 283 4 door hardtop version (35 bucks).

    Like 2
  7. OIL SLICK

    Just tuned my car man she really peels looking real tough in chrome reverse wheels

    Like 6
  8. DARAL

    I want this car 😁

    Like 7
  9. erik Johnston

    Man what a car! I answered a ad for a 62 impala for sale in my area. Ment the old guy(orignal owner) at a store parking lot around mid 80s. It was tired but drove fine so i gave him what he wanted,$125. I felt a little bad as i drove it away i could see him missing the car. It was a bubble top like the the one shown. After driving it i fell in love with the feeling of all that open glass. Only had it 6 months or so. Love to have another but there not $125 anymore.

    Like 10
  10. Nelson C

    The juke box hero took me a sec while I scrolled through the other entries. Good one. True that Commander Cody entertained us with the Hot Rod Lincoln but that was years after we listened to audio stories of 409s, GTOs and Super Stock Dodges. This is a sweet car from every angle and specification. Not one bit of hate can be had.

    Like 5
    • bobhess bobhessMember

      Got the hot rod Lincoln singer wrong above. Berry did have a similar song but in was Cody, as you said, that put out the song. Way too many old songs out there to remember all of them.

      Like 0
  11. Jason V.Member

    If I ever woke up to THAT in garage one day, I sure wouldn’t be kicking it out…

    Like 2
  12. ACZ

    A legend.

    Like 5
  13. Zio Jimi

    “She’s real fine…my 409…”

    Like 0
  14. CarbobMember

    There sure were a lot of neat car songs back in “the good old days”. Hot Rod Lincoln ( one of my favorites) was indeed performed by Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen in several versions. Quite a few other artists performed the song too: Asleep at the Wheel and George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers to name just two. It was originally written by Charlie Ryan in 1955 and that might be the best one of all. Along with The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean, Chuck Berry and others; a young gearhead with a radio could drive the car and groove to the music to their hearts content. This is a nice looking Chevy but it is out of my budget. So I guess I have another candidate for my fantasy garage. GLWTS.

    Like 2
    • bobhess bobhessMember

      Great memory Carbob!

      Like 1
  15. Angel_Cadillac_Diva Angel Cadillac Queen DivaMember

    “Beep beep,” “Lil GTO,” “Pink Cadillac,” “hotrod Lincoln” & so many other great car songs.
    Those were songs when cars were cars. America had a love affair with automobiles. Now they are just transportation to get you from point A to point B.

    Like 4
  16. CB

    I’m more of the generation, “Two in a row, everbody knows at the green light you rev it on the red line”. I probably drive my wife crazy in the am making coffee replying it on alexa in the kitchen at least once a week. She dances to Donna Summers and disco over and over at happy hour so it works lol

    Like 1
  17. CCFisher

    323,427 is the number of full-sized “Sport Coupe” models made. That includes both Impala and Bel Air, despite the differing roof styles. Estimates for 1962 “bubble top” Bel Airs are around 6000 units.

    Like 1
  18. Somer

    Bel Air “Bubble backs” were being phased out by 62. They were popular for drag racing due to the aerodynamics of the body. May have been a bit lighter than the Impala square roof? I cam close to buying one , one time with the 409/4speed. Seller was a jerk and managed to pull defeat out of the jaws of a successful sale.

    Like 0
  19. Ron

    My favorite year and body style of full sized Chevy’s, no complaints with the running gear either. Wha a beautiful car!

    Like 0
  20. Brian Hilbert

    Would love to show up at Cars & Coffee in that baby.

    Like 0
  21. Brian Hilbert

    Would love to show up at Cars & Coffee in that baby.

    Like 0
  22. David Ulrey

    Yes and no. Honestly it depends on the type of car and type of owner. 20ish years and newer Mustangs and Camaros and Chargers and Challengers and quite a few Japanese and some BMWs in my area, my entire state for that matter have large amounts of followers and lovers. But I definitely can’t argue your main point much.

    Like 0

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