Technical 409

I remember reading a article in one of the "car' magazine ( I can't remember if it was Hot Rod or Car Craft or even Popular Hot Rodding) Anyways, the article was about building a 348 (if you couldn't afford a 409) and punching it out to 5-something C.I. ( I can't remember if it was 510 C.I., somewhere around there) I wish I had bought the magazine because it was a great "how-to" write-up.

 

You can not get any 500 CI out of a 348. and yes you can build a nice stroked 348 to have more HP then a stock 409

 

I didnt think 500 plus inches was possible out of a 348 either Brian.

 

409's can be found hiding in big trucks. The one I have in my 38 Chevy Coupe came out of a '65 wench truck. 348 intakes fit the low performance heads so I put a set of 348 3-2's on it.


Here it is in its original state right out of the truck.

 

Sure looks kool but it's the "General's" MEL motor in a way. You can build a 355 SBC to beat one really bad. Mark IVs even more. A MEL can look the part but takes excess dedication to make it run stout, not to mention excess $$$$, just like a 'W'. Even knowing that they're still bitchin.

 

The only 409 car I ever had was the go fast from the factory 409 car. It was not fast even by the standards of the time that I had it but it was fun to drive and like owning an early hemi it had wow factor. Now if you got mortgage-able assets you can build on brand new and without the original design flaws. of course if you were going to do that you could also buy a gold chain and leave your shirt open to you belly.

I would own one if I really wanted one, but my budget says play in the kiddy pool so I do.

 

I have been lucky enough to have a good friend that lets my play with his stash.

 

There are 4" stroker kits out there that will get you way past 409 cubes from a 348.

 

I have six 409s stashed in the garage... Im lying, I just wanted to talk about 409s

 

LMAO. Made my day.

 

All I know is that I remember reading the article but I didn't buy it but the one thing that stood out was that the builder of the engine claimed he got over 500 cubes out of the 348. It was even on the cover about the 500 cubes.

 

It could have been this article and my memory just got things mixed up.
http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/hrdp-0911-chevy-w-series-engine-build/

 

We finally had time to finish up our testing on our HP Intake Manifold versus the factory 2x4bbl aluminum intake on a very mild 409 CI street build. While we had tested our manifold on many larger engines and have seen 60- 70HP improvement, we had never tested it on a mild street engine. Many people have speculated that the manifold was too big to work well on a mild street engine. We were pleasantly surprised at the results.

Engine Specs:
Compression: 9:1
Cylinder Heads: Stock 690
Camshaft: 224/230 @ .050" --- .570/.589 Lift --- 110 LSA +3
Carburetors: Stock Carters (same used on both manifolds)


- Rob McQuillen

 

I am drooling

 

I got this unrestored 409 truck engine for my latest project.

 

She runs great (´64 409cid) in my 5w henry deuce. Updated valvecovers + aircleaner before I bought engine 9y ago.
Now I updated ignition. Orig distributor out and machined SBC/BBC Vertex to fit there.

A

 

While elusive, 348 and 409 engines can be found, just got to look in weird places. Over the last 3 years I've sold one of each, in running condition (after a little work). Found them in back road "salvage" yards. For the doubters, check youtu.be for videos.

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