Probably because the early cars were about style and well balanced performance instead of the later in your face brutal muscle car approach. After the Shelby Cobras came along, stuffing the biggest engine possible in was the style. They are back to being more balanced performance-wise now (and a lot more of it), but they still don't have much cl*** or style like they originally had.
With optional small blocks in the 340-375 HP range in that era, there was really no need for a 409 in a car of this type. Hell, even in a C2 ('63-'67) where big blocks were available from '65 forward, I wouldn't want a non-small block one. I love big blocks and I love Corvettes (I own one) but I just don't think they're a match unless it's a full drag car or something. A Corvette drives like nothing else but a BB just ****s that up, IMO.
We all know those 425hp 409s were underrated in the p***enger cars. The weight distribution of a C2 with a big block is still 51/49 - much better than.. well, almost anything out there! And would have whooped a 375hp fuelie 327 like nobody's business. Seems like Zora and everyone else was "pro-HP" back then, why not shove the biggest baddest engine available in the Vette? Gran Sports got a stroked small block, did they even try the W-motor?
Ask Jimmy )wheel kid) as I recall, his dad had one in a 58 or 59 vette around 60-61--ran hard as I recall
one of my all time favorite early 60's hot rods was a burgandy 55 vette with a 409. ran around southern cal and was bad to the bone
W motors were too heavy and costly. The early cars were more geared towards handling and styling. In 65 they decided to try out the new 425 hp 396 and did not expect it to be such a hit. They do handle better with small blocks but I love the sound of my 69/427 through the sidepipes. There is no replacement for displacement. It would be cool to see a late 50's vette g***er style with a W motor...
You forgot one adjective....they were dump truck motors. Didn't come in a C10 409s are a lot better in the myth than they were in the day. There were very few if any in my area that would step up to the plate on a Friday or Saturday night. Most of them would drive out to watch the racing. I think you can thank the Beach Boys. I don't know what the modern technology can do with one but they were not considered bad *** in their short window of time before the 396 came out which did kick *** in my area.
Yeah that is exactly why I said that. It seems every engine today is turning times that were unheard of back then with the same engine.
Zora fought hard to keep corvette a world cl*** sports car, and that included durable, high revving motors. Unsuccessful attempts to create a durable, high revving W motor resulted in the traditional mark IV big block we know and love. So in a way, yeah, they tried to put a W motor in vettes.
Duntov is on record as saying that he thought the Corvette was "ruined" when the decision was made by corporate to offer the big block (Mark IV, that is) in it in 1965, for marketing reasons. His personal preference would have been to have an aluminum block & heads added to the SBC. The Corvette history is full of these kinds of compromises. The 409 (IMHO) in the performance versions was a compromise in itself, or more accurately, a stopgap, attempting to keep a hand in the game until something better was available. Considering its origins, it did pretty well....though as Tommy said, possibly more in memory than in reality. I think a SBC Corvette is a better driver and performer than a BBC Corvette in almost every way, but there is something unholy about the sound of a '69 427 'Vette with sidepipes.
the target compe***ion was the Jaguar with its overhead cam 6. the early 'vetts were "similar" in that respect.
Back in the day (late 60's & 70's) if somebody had a car with a "W" motor the first thing they did was get rid of the "boat anchor".
"geared towards handling"? You do realize the Vette until 62 used the same p***enger car ch***is that a 54 Chevy 210 sedan had? that said I have had a couple chances to tail an early Vette in the twisties in my 54, they were obviousley not aware of the underpinnings either when they could not drop my faded green 54.
Back in mid 62 an older friend was pretty much the king of the hill for local street racing. It was a black 61 Olds 88 Holiday coupe. 394 3 spd with some rare Nascar internals. He told me that he'd eat 409s for lunch. Then one night a young kid with a newly hopped up 327 Impala asked him for a run just to see where his new ride stood. The Olds narrowly beat the 327 that night but he said the hand writing was on the wall. The rest is history.
<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">And what? You're trying to tell me they were'nt originally truck motors before they were put into full bodied sedans?</TD></TR><TR UNSELECTABLE="on" hb_tag="1"><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 1pt" height=1 UNSELECTABLE="on"> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Well,as usual, I could be wrong but............ I think the engine was originally conceived as a truck engine, but when Chevrolet needed a bigger car engine, the 348 was redesigned to work in cars. It was introduced in both cars and trucks at the same time in 1958, wasn't it?
I bet if you asked the Chevy engineers and race teams trying to make the valvetrain design reliable for NASCAR use back then, they'd have told ya it's a truck motor. Great engine in the same vein that a flathead's a great engine. Yeah, they were both replaced by technology that rapidly obsoleted em, but still great products considering.
My 59 weighed about 3000#, kinda portly for a 2 seat fibergl*** "sports car." A 348/409 lump wouldn't have helped any.
Unless you had to run against one that was in a 62 wagon with a muncie behind it when you were running your 350 69 Olds Cutl*** in G stock. We ran off a 12.69 record and he held the record. Talk about getting your lunch eaten at Little River. Circa Spring 1969. But I will agree that they were way big and heavy to stick in a first series Vette for road driving. The early Corvettes were aimed more at the golf course set than the go fast guys.
There was a 425 hp 409 powered '58 Corvette around here that was drag raced. Jacked up and nicely prepared for just that. On the street it had his *** handed to him regularly by small block Novas and Chevelles. With the dirty pavement and high RPM cam by the time he found some traction it was all over. Frank
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