Today is 4/09 and that means it is time to recognize one of the great Chevy mills of high performance lore. Of all the engines that have risen to legendary status long after their production run ended, the Chevy 409 stands in rare air. This engine, which was the lead in to the traditional big block Chevy was a dominant piece on the drag strip, on the high banks of NASCAR, and even served yeoman’s duty in medium and heavy duty trucks. The Beach Boys sung about it, the guys at Chrysler and Ford cried about it, and drag racers like Dave Strickler, Malcolm Durhman, and even guys like Dyno Don and Ronnie Sox p0unded geard in Z-11 Impalas with an ultra high performance version of the 409 which was actually 427ci.

The engine’s cool W-shaped valve covers always draw a crowd, no matter their home. If you see a W-motor, be it s 348 or a 409 you’re going to stop and look just because they’re neat. Heck, one of the coolest cars here in the BangShift universe is the ’55 Chevy of Thom Nolan which is powered by a dual quad topped 409 that makes nearly 700hp. Check it out here. 

The best part about these vintage lumps of iron and aluminum is that they can really churn out some killer numbers, even 50 years after first hitting the scene. Cylinder heads are available from Edelbrock and guys like Lamar Walden and a small cadre of others continue to push and prod development and horsepower gains from these old power plants.

Below we have two videos featuring 409 Chevy engines making dyno pulls. One makes 540hp and they other isn’t detailed in that regard. They both sound great at full throat working their hardest with all eight barrels open and gulping air!

Press play….TWICE BELOW!