She’s so fine, my 409. This is NOT what the Beach Boys had in mind. This rare 409-powered 1963 Chevy Impala wagon is a mix of plain black wrapper, Big Block sleeper, luxo-barge, and family truckster.
The exterior of the Chevy Impala wagon is finished in a glossy black that looks wet. It must have taken considerable effort to get the body that smooth, as there aren’t any discernable waves or flaws in the finish. Panel gaps appear to be consistent, and all the body lines are straight and true. Satin Black painted steel wheels wear period-style bias-ply rubber, and are topped by dog dish hubcaps. The bumper chrome looks new, brilliant, shiny. Stainless trim is highly polished with no dings or dents anywhere. A 409 emblem graces both front fenders. The roof is adorned with a polished luggage rack.
The nine-passenger interior of the Chevy Impala wagon is done in a gorgeous and complementary bright red. Bench seats are covered in a bright red vinyl/patterned cloth material that shows no wear, but some slight wrinkling on the seat bottom. The steering wheel and dash present as showroom new. The wagon is well equipped with factory air conditioning, power steering, power brakes, power windows, power bench seat, rear-facing cargo area bench seat, power back window, AM/FM radio, padded dash, day/night mirror, Autronic Eye, and emergency flashers.
Beneath the hood of the Chevy Impala wagon is the legendary 409 cubic-inch W-head Big Block, accented with chrome. Topped with a single four-barrel carb, the matching-numbers 409 produces 340 horsepower. Transmitting that power to the 3.50 ratio GM55 rear differential is a Powerglide two-speed automatic transmission. The engine bay is clean and correct, with proper finishes throughout, and a correct GM glass windshield washer bottle mounted on the driver’s side inner fender. The power brake booster is mounted on the driver’s side firewall, and a correct Frigidaire air conditioning compressor keeps the cabin cool.
This unique 409-powered 1963 Chevy Impala Wagon is offered by Fast Lane Classic Cars for $69,999.
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Comments
Would love to drive this wagon to see how the Powerglide shifts. Had several cars with that trans. Cool.
The nice thing about those old Powerglides (2 speed, but effectively 3 with the Torque Converter adding extra reduction), is how RELIABLE they were….
Too bad modern GM automatics cannot match the simplicity of the old Designs… I’m assuming they had a different models for a small 6 to this large v-8.
The fun thing was that powerglides (I’m assuming they all had this) had rear pumps, meaning if you pushed the car fast enough it could crank-start the engine with a dead battery.
sweet
My Dad had a friend in Des Moines, Iowa that had a 1964 Chevy Wagon with a dual quad 409 with a 4 speed trans. He started with the same combination in 1962, and changed each year until 1964. Have no idea what ever happened to them.
A blast from the past. Sitting facing rearward in back as a kid. Then a 409 too? Someone needed some power when they ordered this car. Must have had a trailer? Never know. But their loss our gain. Nice ride. Sure looks nice, inside and out.
Sounds like a dealership owner’s car or some GM corporate man’s car for the family.
Wow, back in the day all I’d see is these wagons equipped with was a 283 or maybe a 327. Options would be power steering, powerglide and am radio. All these other items make this wagon a real find!
Growing up in my home, all of our chevy wagons had either 283 or a 327.
The 327 was in the 1965 Impala wagon.
My dad had the Impala sedan with the 283 ( 1964 ).
We were big GM fans, as my dad made more money, he upgraded to Buicks.
Needed the extra cubes to drive that AC over the sweltering Grapevine
Am I the only commentor who actually had a 409 4 speed wagon? As a teenager at the time, I’m surprised my parents let me build and drive it. It would sure go, but stopping and turning was another story. I wrecked it during Senior finals.
I roll weekends in a 63 409 4 speed impala wagon and its 9 passenger
I just picked up a 63 Biscayne # matching 409 four speed 36,000 original miles
Power train aside it’s a pleasure to see a vintage Impala wagon well equipped, even AC, power windows and a third seat! Memory lane for me!