A friend of mine has a 60 el camino for sale. It has the orignal 348 in it. Is this a 350? I thought the 350 didn't come out until 67 in the camaro? What is it worth ? It's all there and solid.

The 348 was Chevy's first "big block". It first appeared in 1958 and continued through 1961. It was the engine the 409 was based on and was not related to the 350 or any small block. The 409 continued this basic engine from 1961 to mid 1965, when it was replaced by the 396. It also did not share many parts with the "modern" big block ( MkIV, V, VI) beginning with the 396 in 1965. The rare 1963 Z-11 427 drag race engine was based on the 409. The 1963 427 Daytona "Mystery Motor" was closer to the MkIV 396-427 than the others. von

68,
The 348 was the predecessor to the "famous" 409 engine. It originally was designed for truck use. It is a totally different engine family than the small blocks or big blocks as you probably know them. They are distinguihed by thier unusual valve covers for one thing. They are ok motors and parts are still pretty easy to get for them.

------------------
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md

Check out my site for information on 348's and 409's.

Bob's 409 Chevy Page
http://silverstone.fortunecity.com/tvr/246/bob_s_409_chevy_page_index.html

My big brother had one in a 61 Chevy many years ago. The base engine I believe was a 250 HP. His was a HiPo factory engine with 315 HP as I remember. This was the first decent car that I drove and sure did impress a 16 year old. Really push you back in the seat. These engines seemed super dependable. Only one guy that I can remember blowing up one, and this guy blew up three of them. Mostly the engines outlasted the cars. I think they were normally called the W engine or W block due to the head shape. Be a real neat setup in a 60 Elky. tom

The 348 was sometimes refered to as the "Boat Anchor."

One other thought on this. These cars had really poor brakes considering the engine power and weight. I went past our driveway many times running about 40 with absolutely no brakes left. I'd guess this car, if straight and no major rust would go for 4 to 8,000 dollars depending on condition and originality. Totally original and perfect, say 10,000. Be a fairly unusual car. tom