stuart@ssc-vax.UUCP (Stuart Lewis) (06/11/84)
Silly me, I didn't save the article or the posters' name, but a very valid question was raised about "if the 409 was such a great motor, why was it re- placed by the Big Blocks which would make them seem really anemic" or words to that affect. Well.... That is a very true statement. The '09s WERE pretty under powered compared to *some* of the Big Blocks. In the late '50s, Chevrolet was aware of the fact that the 283 didn't lend itself very well for trucks and the 2+ tonner Impalas they were planning. Ergo : 348. Then, near the turn of the decade they decid- ed even these weren't enough to compete with the big Fords, Mopars and Pontiacs.On the other hand the corporate heads would not give the motor division the im- mediate $$$ to start full scale development of a new engine (not yet anyway). That's how the '09 was born. It was simply a bored and stroked 348. However, There were many features on this engine which would be considered 'hi-po' by todays standards and in fact were very instrumental in the design of the Mark IV big blocks. Angled spark plug mounting for better flame travel and combus- tion, canted valves for improved breathing, larger bore than stroke for gobs of low end torque, and the largest intake ports of anything out of Detroit. All of which ended up in the Mark IV, except the angled plugs which ended up on the LT-1 small blocks. These engines were basically worthless beyond 6500 rpm, but with the torque they meted out up to those revs was comparable and even better than many of the Mark IV's. Remember, most of the killer Mark IV's best h.p. and torque rat-ings were measured in the high 6000's (and were capable of running well in to the 7000's for short spurts, whereas most '09s that saw 7000 were soon in *many*pieces). The '09 Impalas of Grumpy Jenkins, Haydin Proffit and a score of otherlesser knowns, dominated NHRA stock high pt. championships from '61 thru '63, taking those title for those 3 years. The Hemi Mopars ended the reign in '64 with the lighter Belvederes'. The term 'boat anchor' is pretty accurate as these monsters weighed over 65#'s more than the Mark IV's, and soon became wrecking yard dinosaurs. It has only been within the last 4-5 years that they have begun to be resurrected as a true collector motor - with the same classy appeal as the older hemis and flatheads, but with twice the power. And while they were sometimes a weak sister to the 427's and 396's, they'll still haul ass and blow darn near anything off the roadeven today. Mine runs high 13's with a single 4 barrel on skinny street tires. I should pull it down to low 13's or high 12's if/when I ever put my dual-quad manifold on and add some wider tires (and unbolt the exhaust). __________ | | ------- --------- /Stuart Lewis / / ssc-vax!stuart/ --------- ------- | | ----------