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- Thread starter Trentsquare
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Trentsquare
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I’m not sure about that 64, ask an ai about 409 and it will tell you all about household cleaners. That’s a neat manifold James. I had one that on a 327 a long time ago. The Rochester 4 jet even worked good, probably because I never took it apart. Ha. Hey 64, I figured you would dig the intake on the 55. I think this might be an early m/t because it doesn have any bosses for linkage and the right carb flange is machined lower than the left. I just stuck a few spacers under the low one. This thing won’t let me post a clear picture
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James jones
Well Known Member
Trent, I bought a set of 690 heads complete with that intake for 100.00 in 1972. They had been locked up since 1968. The guy I bought them from had a nice 63 ss like mine with the 409-340 hp option like mine. He told me he put these on his car and it actually ran worse. I’m sure he needed a proper camshaft with it and some compression issues. I was going to put them on my 63 or my 60 chev half ton pickup but I never did due to career obligations. I sold my pickup and a 64 ss with the 409-340 hp option with 4 speeds in 1980. I was working elsewhere at the time and daddy told me he had 75 calls wanting to buy that car. It was pure stock and I believe I let it go for 800 dollars. For your info. James jones.
James jones
Well Known Member
I have not been able to get on my home page for some time. I mentioned a ways back about the chevelle I bought in may 1973. Earlier that month I had totaled my 63 ss while street racing. That was the last time I ever street raced. After I got out of the hospital I knew I had to get something sensible. I went to carpenters Chevrolet in Durham and bought a new 73 chevelle ss. This was more of a touring car. It was a 350 with 2 barrel with automatic transmission. It had a houndstooth interior with an 8 track. No air. I drove it for 6 years without any problems. The car was 3600.00 dollars. I put 700 dollars down on it and my payments were 98 dollars a month. I had about 48 thousand miles on it when I traded it in on a new trans am in April 1979. He is a picture;
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James jones
Well Known Member
The payments were 98 dollars a month for 36 months. For your info.
James. Good to see are here again.James jones
Well Known Member
Thanks 327. Hope you are ok along with your beautiful 62.
James jones
Well Known Member
Some Chevrolet cars popular now were not so much back in the day. When I was in high school (1963-1966) most of the guys wanted or drove 1955-57 Chevrolets. You could not give away a 1958. Now it is just the opposite. I think the body style change really turned every one off. I had several friends driving 55’s thru 57’s but I did not know anyone driving a 58 cruising the drive ins. I knew one girl who had a 63 ss with a 409 4 speed who raced it regularly. She was a school legend. I knew one guy who had a 64 ss with a 327 automatic. Nobody else drove 58-64 impala that I knew of. Same with the 63 corvette sting ray. From the 1970’s thru mid 1990’s you could not give this car away. I used to see these cars advertised for sale priced much lower than other vetted of same year’s type models. Now they are very sought after. When the 66 chevelles came out a lot of guys were buying these cars new. The 66 396-360 hp chevelle was the one guys wanted. There were a couple of guys at school that had these and raced them regularly at nite. Of course when the 64 gto came out this was the car everyone wanted. Not too many at school as they were new and expensive. I did not know anybody driving a 409 other than the one girl at school. Chevrolet had come out with the 396 style of motor and this is what every one wanted. The magazines stopped running articles about this style of motor. I bought a 63 and 64 ss with 409 4 speed but they were 5 years apart. 1971 and 1976 and I constantly was scanning newspapers and magazines for to find any for sale. I was checking out papers in California for any info. The 396 style of motor basically killed the 409’s. I used to pull into a station for gas, this is when a guy would come out and fill your gas etc. I would always ask the fellow to check my oil even though I knew it didn’t need any. The expression one those fellows when they popped the hood and looked at those beautiful chrome valve covers was worth it. I had a good number of guys telling me they had never seen a motor like that. Most didn’t even know what it was until I told them. Now today it is a different story with websites like this with hundreds of guys using it. Just some random thoughts from back in the day. James jones.
James jones
Well Known Member
I’m glad you liked it. There is so much stuff I’ve done like this that probably doesn’t much interest in todays world.
James jones
Well Known Member
That’s great! You don’t find many people who latch on to a special car like yours and keep it. My hat is off to you.
James jones
Well Known Member
One thing I remember from that time period. One day my buddy and me were doing stuff to our cars behind our apartment building. I think I was checking the plug endings on my 63 409 ss. I had chromed reverses on that car and I always tried to keep them shined up. While doing this plug work I looked down at the right front chromed rim. I saw some fluid at the bottom of that rim. I stooped down and the fluid was sort of dark yellowish coler. I thought I might have a wheel cylinder leaking. I put my fingers in it and I knew it was some kind of leak. I put my fingers up to my nose smelling it but I still couldn’t figure out what it was. I called over to my buddy and asked him to come over and see what it was. He walks over and takes a look and says “man, that’s cat piss”. I went inside and washed my hands seven or eight times as I was really rattled. The point of this story is if you ever find some yellow fluid at the bottom of one of your chromed reverse rims don’t stick your hands down in it. James jones.
Cat piss will eat the chrome off, if left unattended. 
I sprayed Fabreze, all over the tires, and wheels. They stayed away after that. I guess they didn't like the smell.James jones
Well Known Member
Skip, I wish you had told me this before I put my hands in that cat piss. Would have saved me a lot of grief. Now I know what not to do the next time I find cat piss on the bottom of my right front chromed reverse rim. You are a life saver!
All 4 of my Keystone Klassic wheels, had yellow stains in the chrome, from the yard cats.