I've got a chance to buy a 2 or 2 1/2 ton 65 chev truck which is said to have a 348 in it . I dont know if it is or if it's a 409 or even if its orignial to this truck.Do the w engines have a different block for the big trucks (like the 366 - 427) on later models or will they interchange with car engines. basically what do i need to look for & will this eng be a bolt in for a 59 el camino.
My Tall Block knowledge is zero. However, a 348 has it's dipstick on the driver side and 409 has it on the passenger side of the engine.
I got mine out of a large truck. The blocks are made the same as a car engine but you have to change the water pump and distributor to a car design. Some of the big trucks had two reliefs cut into the cylinders in the block. Mine just had one so some of the trucks blocks are better than others. The truck heads if they are 333 castings will have a slight combustion chamber in them which lowers compression. You can't go by the dipstick position. A truck 348 will have the dipstick on the same side as a passenger car 409. Some truck oil pans are different from the passenger car also with more volume.
I had a '63 Impala 409, 2X4 intake, E series AFBs, Jardine headers, General Kinetics cam, Schieffer alum flywheel. I lost a con rod at Fremont drags, and a bud wanted to 'try out' my intake on his 348. One of the Chev gurus said the width was different between the heads, manifolds NOT interchangeable. Somebody here verify that? (distributors interchanged, as I recall...)
The intake ports on a 409 hipo are a lot taller than a 348. You could probably make it fit but one of the bolt holes wouldn't line up. I have heard of people doing that but it doesn't really fit.
The 348 and the 409 are the same deck height. As was said you can bolt a manifold for a high performance 409 onto a 348 with standard heads, but................... You have to fill the 4 bolt holes at the top of the ports and eliminate the bolt. That's not really a big deal. There is a pretty major port mismatch though. Kinda like bolting an intake for a rectangular port big block on an engine with oval port heads. You can port match the heads for the taller intake but the roof of the ports get real thin.
The crankshaft flywheel flange on a 409 is bell shaped, the 348 is round, other than the fabled "X" on the front of the block, which some 348's even have, is the only sure way I know of to say which one it is. There is no difference in deck height, and all truck blocks have a notch in the cyl bore, and truck blocks have one less hole tapped in the front of the block.(lower driver side frt) And yes, it will bolt into an early 'camino.
The only "sure way" is to check the casting number on the back of the block behind the drivers side head deck. That will also tell you if is a passenger car block or a truck block, assuming it's not a replacement. The crank flange is probably the 2nd best way, since it's unlikely a 348 would have a 409 crank in it unless the engine is from a hot rod of some sort. Dipstick location, intake manifold, heads, and "X" on the front won't tell you squat.
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