Buddy of mine has his eyes on a 59 ElC with a 348, 3 deuces(?) and a 4 speed. Supposed to be excellent shape and all stock. Rare car? 3 deuces...can that even be original? Whats a ballpark price for something like that if it really is perfect and original? Seems iffy to me somehow...but I know nothing about them so I figured I'd ask the HAMB.
I believe tri-power was a factory option in '59, but I could be wrong... if it's as nice as you make it sound, I'd guess it was worth around 8-12k, but that's if it somehow has lived in a climate controlled garage and taken only on Sunday drives, once a month, which I highly doubt! It probably has "some" rust issues, but who knows? Of course, my price guess might be a bit high, I do live in California after all! here's a link to an online price guide thingy: http://www.manheimgold.com/car_lo.html
Yeah, on second-thought, I agree with Lucky. I mean big motor, tri-power, and a 4spd? C'mon!... I low-balled myself hypothetically. Good thing I don't sell cars (too often)!
Had one, let it go for $1650 to buy a shovelhead motor, biggest regret (automotivally speaking) of my life.
1959 did in fact have tripower as an option on the 348, also first year for a 4speed in a (GM) p***enger car. There were some El Caminos ordered exactly that way, but not a lot - if they guy's asking a ton...get some verification using VIN, block numbers, block/****** date codes, etc. Rarer even is the FI sbc in a 59 p***enger car...dunno if ANY ever went into ECs. dj
Thanks guys! My friend was told it was a rare car as optioned! Sounds like that might have been an understatement!!! I only spoke to him for 10 minutes today and he was very excited about the car but really had no info on the rarity or even actual availability of such a combo, other than what the seller has been telling him. If he buys it I imagine he'll keep it stock. A 348 Tri-power is too cool already...not worth messing around with it. I'll make sure to remind him to check the numbers etc. He didn't tell me how much the guy was asking but I figure it must be a bundle. Then again...who knows? My understanding is that the current owner isn't really "into" the Chevy frame of mind and wants something else... I'd say he wants his head examined!!! LoL Any other thoughts or info would be appreciated...
Something like that is hard to set a value on. They were bad *** in their day. I had a 58 Impala with the 348 tri power set up. It had loads of torque. Like everybody said, check out the numbers before you shell out the cash. These cars were bad about frame rust also. Look it over closely. As far as value, it is worth whatever somebody will pay.
well I don't want to start anything here but you could buy a 4 speed in 57 had two friends that had stock 270 horse dual quad 283 ci 4 speed cars 348 came out in 58 also offered 4 speeds. 348 tri-power hydraulic cam 280 horse. solid lifter 348, 315 horse. in 1960 348 bumped up to 335 horse then 350 horse in 61. feb 61 came a 409 horse 409 I'm done now, thank you! there were several variations in all years, really done now
Propwash, You've been fed some incorrect information. 1959 was NOT the first year for factory installed 4 speeds in Chevrolets. They were dealer installed in 1957 (exception being the Corvette which came factory equipted with a 4 speed), ***embly line installed in 1958. Frank
There were no factory 4-speeds in the "big" cars until '59. If you happen to find one, be sure to hold onto it because it's about as rare as hen's teeth.
That was my understanding too. My dad traded a '58 Vette in on a Black '59 Impala Rag with the 4 speed and 283 Fuel injection. My mom (in high school) saw him in it with his winstons and ducktails and said I'm gonna marry him. (she did, 43 years ago) He traded it on a '64 409 4 speed which I grew up in. A 348 3x2 4 speed has to be the Elco holy grail! by far.
OK. They had two 3x2 options in 1959. One was the 280HP version (same internals as a 4bbl 250hp engine) and the other was the 315HP version (bigger heads, cam, and bigger exhaust manifolds). If you're not sure, the HP 315 heads have a casting # ending in 1147. The Exhaust manifolds are 2.5" dumps as opposed to the normal 2" dumps. That's the easiest way to tell. Also make sure the front and back carbs are original end carbs (no idle adjustment screws, and no chokes) 1959 also was the first year that the 4-speeds were optional in the full sized cars. I also heard that they offered them in 1957, but only in Corvettes. Same for 1958. In my book... if someone tells you that they have an original 348 3x2 with a factory 4-speed in a 58 Bel Air... I say they're lying. To find out whether the car is factory original, it's really difficult. But here are some clues to help. All 3x2 engines had the coil mounted on the firewall in the little cove. The fuel line was routed up the frame and around and UNDER the upper A-arm on the p***enger side. It's a clue, not a definite thing. All cars with more than 230HP (4bbl 283's, FI 283's and all 348's) had them routed that way because of the heat emitted from the exhaust manifolds. Also they are the bigger fuel lines (3/8" as opposed to 5/16"). Check for 348-only things, like the fan shroud (2 ridges around the cir***ference, as opposed to 3 that you would find on a 283 shroud) Heavier springs on the front suspension (but I don't know the specifics). A W engine alone weighs 650lbs. Heavy ****er. You can go by date codes but it's not always a sure thing. Typically the 348 will have a 2-3 month build date prior to the other stuff on the car, like the rear end etc. Even the date codes on the engine itself can have up to a month in discrepancies. Check the heads, block, intake etc and see what dates you get, then compare it to the rear end. If the car has a clock, a lot of times the month/date is ink stamped on the back (same for the speedometer, sometimes). As for the 4-speeds... they are a rarity. They were not available all the time because they kept getting into the Corvettes. (Same exact transmission, close-ratio gearing and all) Also production was not geared for both the full-sized cars and the Corvettes hence 1959 was a difficult year to obtain a 4-speed in the big cars. When the Corvette guys messed up their transmissions (as hotrodders are prone to do) they stole the 4-speeds from the big cars. Just to give you an idea... a 1960 Borg Warner will typically run you about $700. Same thing for 1959 runs about $2,500. Price wise... if this car is legit and in original good condition, $25,000. EASY. Most El Caminos are beat up pieces of **** because they were not cushy little Impalas that grandma drove to church. These El Caminos are WORK TRUCKS. They were USED. And thrown away. NICE El Caminos are selling for about $15,000 to $20,000 and these are not 3x2 348 with factory 4-speeds. Anyway. Travis
I tend to agree. And about the 4 speeds. 59 was the first year that they were factory-installed in full-size cars. However, that being said, there are a number of 57s and 58s out there with dealer-installed 4 speeds. As I'm sure some of you guys have seen, a stock borg-warner 4 speed shifter doesn't clear the bench very well on 57s.
Another bit of useless 1959 Chevrolet information: 1959 was the first year you could order a manual 4-speed transmission in the full sized car. 1959 was the LAST year you could order a fuel injected engine in a full sized car. So... 1959 is the ONLY year you could have ordered a 283 fuel injected 4-speed Impala or El Camino or whatever. Since then to this day, you have never been able to purchase one since 1959. Travis
Glad Travis told me about his friends 59 4dr Bel-Air with a 348/4spd combo....4bbl, not 3x2 though. Almost missed the opportunity, but fortunately the guy before me backed out of the deal. Rare combo and a steal at only $3K. It's sanded down to bare metal and looks cool as hell. Maybe I should swap frames and put that setup in my 59 Elky?? -Guider
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