This might seem like a silly question, but

[Steve Antonucci]

why wasn't the 409 ever offered in a Corvette? I never really followed the
409 story much as it is pre-Mark IV.

Someone here must have the definitive answer......

Steve

[Robert S.]

Re: This might seem like a silly question, but

I've had two 409's i full size chebies, I would guess they were just too wide and weighted almost as much as the rest of the car

[Clem Z.]

a friend put a 425 HP 409 in a 57 corvette

with the carbs stuck out thru the hood. it went like hell in a straight line once the tires stopped spinning.

[Clem Z.]

i also had a friend who put a supercharged

312 ford in a 57corvette. he bought the corvette new because he liked the looks BUT he was a ford guy so he installed the ford engine.

[Mike M.]

Re: a friend put a 425 HP 409 in a 57 corvette

the 57 250 fi powerglide i've got under resto currently was my daily driver in the early 70's. put a 66 427/425 with l-88 cam and muncie about a month after i drug the old 57 home. with 4.56 gears and 11" wide mickey thompsons on the back, it was a rip in a straight line but katy bare the door at high speeds goin thru corners.hot rod black primer from '69 till recently--ugliest and meanest looking 57 god could have created . of course, the "original" 283/250 engine has been collecting cob webs under successive work benches since 1969- you can trust ole mikie.i sleep at the foot of the cross.

[john daly]

Re: a friend put a 425 HP 409 in a 57 corvette

I remember reading someplace Zora was the main reason..apparently he was not a fan of big blocks in the Corvette due to the negative effect of the extra weight on handling.

[Joe L.]

Re: This might seem like a silly question, but

Steve-----

One possible reason: the Mark I big block (348/409) was sort of an "oddball" piece. I believe that it was designed and rushed to production to provide a competitive engine to the Ford FE series engine which first appeared in 1958 (the same year that the Mark I was released in 348 cid form; GM must have had some spies within the Ford organization).

The 348 lasted only 4 model years (1958-61) and the 409 lasted 5 model years (1961-65). So, the engine series went from "an exciting new engine" in 1958 to complete extinction in 1965. Virtually nothing of it was carried over into its successor (the Mark IV) or any other engine (except for the small block internal pieces which it "borrowed" and which lived on in small blocks thereafter).

The 8 year life for an engine family had to be a record for brevity in the history of American automobile manufacturers. However, I think that early on Chevrolet engineers recognized the "limitations" and "deficiencies" inherent in this engine design. By contrast, the Mark IV engine, which succeeded the Mark I, lived on for 26 model years and its successors, which borrow HEAVILY from the Mark IV design, live on to this very day.

In its day, the 409 was revered but I think that's only because it was a Chevrolet. For many years I never even rode in a car with a 409. However, about 15 years ago I had a chance to go for a ride in a 1963 Impala SS with the 425 hp 2 X 4 engine (this engine, available for 1963 only, was the epitome of 409 power). To say that I was unimpressed is an understatement.

The 409 is a very interesting part of Chevrolet history, though. Also, it has one "claim to fame" that was never surpassed by any other GM PRODUCTION engine installed in a passenger car or light truck. That was its bore size of 4.3125". Only 1 other GM engine installed in a passenger car or light truck ever had a bore size that large and that was the 455 Buick.

[Terry F.]

Re: This might seem like a silly question, but

I think there was a real limit regarding the amount of performance you could get out of one. Though, I must say I liked the sound of one that I heard a long time ago. Heavy engine. I heard it was a poor design. Terry

[Clem Z.]

the big problem with the "W" engines like the

409 was part of the combustion chamber was in the cylinder causing a problem with cooling that area and when used in racing other than drag racing they were a SOB to try and keep from overheating.

[Terry R.]

Re: This might seem like a silly question, but

How about the unusual combustion chamber on a 348/409? Terry Robertson

[Dick W.]

Re: a friend put a 425 HP 409 in a 57 corvette

Gotcha lightnin' rods on the farm thoroughly grounded Rev Mikie?

[Verle R.]

Re: This might seem like a silly question, but

"It was only installed in the very early 63 split window aluminum bodied Corvettes. My uncle bought one new and it was faster than everything in town."

Surely you have heard that story before.

Verle