My name is Clyde Waldo. My wife Ellen and I live out in the country mid-way between St. Louis and Columbia Missouri. I have been looking in on this site for a long time but I didn’t become a member because I felt that I couldn’t contribute much - my involvement with 348-409's stopped in the late 1980's. My first car was a used 1958 Chevrolet Impala convertible Red 348 4 barrel powerglide. Fun car - I even got a couple of trophies at the Alton Illinois drags with it. Early in 1962 I traded it in on a new 1962 Chevrolet Impala SS convertible 409 2x4 barrel 4 speed. Had a huge amount of fun with that car too but after a couple of years I found every weak component the car possessed. The first thing to let go was the frame/rear end control arm bracket. The dealer I bought the car from was not pleased at all but fixed it under warranty. Some where along the line the ring & pinion broke. Clutch went out. The most disappointing weak link was the puny BW aluminum case T-10 4 speed transmission. It had a habit of shucking second gear teeth. Through all of the fun I had with that car and the abuse that I put it through the good old 409 engine never faltered (except a couple of bent push rods). When the 1965 Mustangs fastbacks came out I just had to have one. By then the newness/novelty of the 62 Impala had worn off but before I let it go I pulled the 409 engine and put in the corner of the garage. I sometimes wish that I still had the 58 Impala or that I that still had the 62 Impala but I had my fun and hopefully someone else is having fun with them now. Back in the mid 1960's I put my 62 409 engine in my 1955 Thunderbird and had a huge amount of fun with that 409 powered T-Bird until I decided to divorce a nasty wife. During the divorce she stole the T-Bird away from me and somehow locked up the 409. I got the car back as part of the settlement and it has just been sitting in my garage since then. I am now wanting to repair/update the 409 that’s in the T-Bird and get the T-Bird on the road again, but, somehow old age has snuck up on me and I just found out that I have a health problem to deal with. Hope that I can prevail upon you all for guidance on my 409 engine update.
-get well and get the bird back on the road. And welcome to the site
A 409 t-bird? I gotta see that!
I guess you are near I-70?
bang A lot of great history and upcoming projects I find it hard to believe that you woudn't have anything to contribute to this site. I'm hoping that the locked up 409 is salvagable
Are you planning on putting that 09 in the 62
Ken
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