Quote:
Originally posted by mikep
How well does that 409 run? Ive never been in a car with one. Ive seen a few 348 motors torn down and was intrigued by the for lack of a better word "weird" combustion chamber and piston top design. Can they be built for decent power ? Any modern cam designs available?
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They scream. Mine was stock, and one of the fastest street cars around. And a 64 Impala SS is close to 2 tons. I ran a 7.04 in the 1/8 mile. When I say stock, I mean stock. It still had the manifolds on it. The car had a gear, a posi, two upper control arms in the back, and NMW ladder bars. I did have a Lakewood blow proof, a Mr. Gasket V Gate, a 3400# Borg and Beck paddle clutch setup, and the clutch linkage had heim joints and a stop bolt under the pedal. I put a turnbuckle on the firewall to stop the flex. The last Muncie was pro shifted.
You can get forged pistons from Arias and Ross. Several cam grinders make cams for them. You can buy most anything for them if you look around. The best heads and intaks are hard to find. They say my old 409-425HP is worth at least $10K now, and I gave $250 for it around 1980. Complete. They also say a 409-425HP actually made about 500HP stock. Offy makes intakes but I don't think they make any that fit the really good heads. You really need light aftermarket pistons and ARP bolts, because around 6800 they come apart quick. I turned mine 6500 for a year. Sold it to my brother and he missed 2nd gear and it went well over 6500. It broke a rod, and split a cylinder. Didn't hurt anything else. It would have been easily fixed in 1982 for $100 or so, but he sold it instead. I should have bought it back.
Longhorn 4x4