1965 409 Impala 2 Door

[Postsedan]

Originally Posted by Lee Stewart

Cool yes - but probably a money losing situation.

In My Opinion . . . I would sell it as is for whatever you could get for it and call it a day. Projects like the one you are suggesting take lots of money and LOTS of time to complete. I would think you would want to at least break even on the money and frankly I just don't see how. You car needs so much because it has so little to start with.

Lee - Gets it.

Hi Lawrence, the last time you asked for advice (for your own car) you ran away and hid under a rock....now it's a friend you are asking for....so I assume you will not run this time.

I first saw, this thread....but I waiting until someone else replied.....so you would not think I was saying the same old song and dance. This car needs a lot of love....and money. Hope she gets saved....but will need someone with a deep love and deep pockets.

Best of luck to your friend, and don't run away Lawrence

Dan

[BowtieGent]

He has found someone willing to trade another vehicle for it, so now the project is in someone else's hands. I offered to post about the car for him here to see what others would say, not for my benefit, but for his. I suggested he register here and start a thread, but he was unable to post for some reason. This was so he could read the replies. Other than costs to restore the car, which he wasn't planning on doing, he was hoping to just learn more about the car being a 409 than anything else to help him figure out a respectable price to list it for.

[BowtieGent]

Originally Posted by Postsedan

Lee - Gets it.

Hi Lawrence, the last time you asked for advice (for your own car) you ran away and hid under a rock....now it's a friend you are asking for....so I assume you will not run this time.

I first saw, this thread....but I waiting until someone else replied.....so you would not think I was saying the same old song and dance. This car needs a lot of love....and money. Hope she gets saved....but will need someone with a deep love and deep pockets.

Best of luck to your friend, and don't run away Lawrence

Dan

Dan, It wasn't about MY car, but you already know that and that isn't relative to this thread.
I could say more, but this thread wasn't started for YOU to throw jabs, but for someone else who was/is looking for solid advice.

But, with that said, Thank you for solidifying my reason for leaving TDP, and keeping many other registered members from wanting to actually contribute there. I and others walked and not ran, and no rocks were involved.

[BowtieGent]

Originally Posted by Lee Stewart

Cool yes - but probably a money losing situation.

In My Opinion . . . I would sell it as is for whatever you could get for it and call it a day. Projects like the one you are suggesting take lots of money and LOTS of time to complete. I would think you would want to at least break even on the money and frankly I just don't see how. You car needs so much because it has so little to start with.

Lee, I agree, and said the same to my buddy about the car. He bought it as a parts car, mainly for the 12-bolt, but wanted to know more about it being a 409 car than anything else. He was never going to restore it since he already has a project in the works, and the diff turned out to be a non posi, so he was just looking for more info about the car itself.

I suggested he run a thread here in case someone here had an interest in it, seeing as so many here are well versed in the more sought after cars and projects that MAY be worth investing the time and money into such a project.

Who knows, someone here may even have the 409 that came out of this...Ya never know.

[Mr70]

Always loved the look of the '65 Impala,both front & back.
I see the dilemma your friend has about it.How cool if it's engine was still out there.
Thanks for posting about it.
Good luck to him whatever he decides.

[BowtieGent]

I'm also partial to the look of the '65, and own a '70 Malibu too.

Seems this particular Impala was pretty basic aside from the fact that someone wanted it with a 409. Based on reactions, or lack there of, there's nothing particularly "special" about it. Which is fine, and good to know that not everything with a 409 is/was desirable.

[Lee Stewart]

In 1965 there were two versions of the 409: The 340 HP hydraulic cam and the 400 HP solid cam. Both had a single 4 BBL carb.

Both were replaced mid year with the 396 325 HP and 425 HP engines.

[RPOLS3]

Verne Frantz is the resident 409 expert here - his opinion would be worthwhile for your friend to consider.

For some reason the 65 409's don't seem to get much love even though they are rare.

[BowtieGent]

Thanks Jake.

[Lee Stewart]

Originally Posted by RPOLS3

For some reason the 65 409's don't seem to get much love even though they are rare.

Probably because Chevrolet emasculated the 409, by limiting it to a single 4 BBL carb, before replacing the whole W series with the Mark IV.

It had great beginnings as what many feel was Chevrolet's first real muscle car - the 1961 409 Impala Super Sport. From there it became Chevy's first competitive NASCAR engine and drag strip terror - the Z11 427. It was imortalized by the Beach Boys' "409" song.

And once again . . . rare does not automatically mean valuable. Such is the case for the 1965 409 Chevrolet Full Size cars.