Junior Johnson and his 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS

[@DanEBoyd]

What a treat! Junior and that Impala! That was the origin of the legendary big block Chevy.

[@larryroland1368]

I remember seeing Junior driving this car at North Wilkesboro when I was a teenager. Great memories.

[@gregorygolden1296]

Junior drove a Chivalay.....gotta love Junior's down home style. Sure is missed.

[@jb1765]

They don’t make em like Junior anymore. A good man he was.

[@georgehenry8422]

Thank god some of these stories were documented by the pioneers who drove them. Great stuff.

[@dalegroves1918]

Looking under this car adds a whole new prospective to how serious the need to win was. Another great man and legend gone. R.I.P. Junior.

[@Blue-rw9kj]

"If it lasted, it won the race" Right on, Junior!

[@bodo4202]

I remember as a kid every Saturday watching Wide World of Sports and all the greats running around that oval;Yarborough, Pearson, Elliot, Johnson, Allison and so many more I can't remember....the days of REAL racing.

[@lewisfrazier3506]

Amen, tell it!!! When racing was real

[@johndillard8588]

@@lewisfrazier3506 : Yes it was.

[@bbigjohnson069]

The guy with the biggest stones, certainly the heaviest foot, was Buddy Baker. When his car ran there was nothing or no one keeping him from being up front. The few times his car stayed together he won, much of the time it didn't.

[@marcuscompton3772]

Rest in peace Mr Junior Johnson. You was the real deal.

[@donchonealyotheoneal5456]

That was a real pleasure listening to those two good old boys just talkin about what they love

[@johndillard8588]

Once upon a time Chevrolet built interesting vehicles 🚗.

[@johnkidd1226]

When Junior got finished, the only thing 'Chevrolet' was the fender logo. By changing the block to big bore, short stroke he was able to mount the engine lower in the chassis, making a lower center of gravity and better handling. If they had found a valve train that could have stood up to the strain, they would have won every race that year.

[@paulgrieshop5024]

@@johnkidd1226 push rods were bad Smokey Yunick said to me he would have used titanium and would never have to worry about breaking anymore

[@richardboggs260]

Now they want to build electric junk that is a big joke

[@goneright4715]

It’s not just Chevy , they’re all garbage especially Chrysler products and Ford too . At least they’re all making a descent pickup

[@t.s.racing]

I don't care who it ticks off, but this was the REAL NUMBER 3. THE ONE AND ONLY.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Boosted Twin Cams, WRONG. Lennie Page raced the #3 shortly after NASCAR began.

[@extramile150]

well done RK Motors...take a bow. Junior and Rex White were my heroes growing up.

[@johnnytenjobs]

I enjoyed this on a rainy Monday night in southern UK. Big fan of Mr Johnson.

[@treaverbombard3398]

Junior Johnson is a true legend/Outlaw

[@robertmorris8259]

When you combine hard work a strong set of hands a knowledge you can go win races,ive done everything like that 25 years too late,I would have loved to have worked and raced back then,much respect

[@lolbr3720]

I love this story. Jr. got the best out of it. Cars were evolving. Racing was having a positive influence & it was beginning to show. Great time to be a teenager...

[@Kendell062]

R.I.P. Junior..I loved the Jeff Bridges movie that was loosely based on his life.

[@davy1458]

I'd give anything to sit with junior Johnson for two hours and just talk cars and Motors and listen to him tell story's from his past. Not just racing stories but car building stories as well.

[@orbonds3603]

Maybe when you get to heaven buddy

[@BriansAutoService-wd3oe]

CHEVROLET, THE KING OF NASCAR!

[@ozzymd1]

Back when racing meant something , cars were awesome and the drivers were tough as nails ! Yesteryear ! A BY-Gone Era !

[@jeannorman3057]

D H And it’s all gone away. With all cars equal it’s not the same.

[@dockey6942]

That was one of the best Chevrolet made I had ss impala one of best cars I ever own

[@shamus4427]

Junior Johnson had corporate (non automotive)sponsorship waaaay before anyone else!

[@countryracer69]

God speed Junior Johnson. Such a sad day for the racing world.

[@stevefowler2112]

Tremendous video...I luv hearing Junior talk the specs details of this car...it really was way ahead of its time...the old NASCAR guys were exceptional Engineers even if they weren't degreed.

[@tonymartin4255]

bit o paper don't make the man

[@howabouthetruth2157]

Exactly.......Like Smokey Yunick once said......quote: After the war, when I got into building engines & race cars, I had all those science & engineering books, and I read & studied every one of them because I was fascinated. But the more cars and engines that I designed & built, I discovered that all of those science & engineering books WERE WRONG.

[@jeremythompson9122]

Smokey Yunick and Junior Johnson were the best there ever was

[@MickPsyphon]

I've got to give Junior Johnson his respect! The man has earned it. I wish I could just sit down and jaw with the man for a spell. 🍺😋👍

[@carterlee8344]

Junior was a Superman.

[@rpgct1]

RlP Junior. NASCAR legend!!

[@droldsw31]

A Great American Hero!!!!!!!! Thanks Junior Johnson!

[@JohnW1711stock]

58-64 Impalas all had 3 link arms, coil springs, and a panhard bar. They put truck suspension, and an Eaton "jackpot" truck rear axle under this car. The axles and brakes were machined for 5 lug wheels. Nothing under the rear of this car is stock. JJ was an innovator.

[@joevald3]

I saw Junior Johnson in one of these cars race Richmond, Virginia when it was dirt . He losses breaks in the first the second lap in road around the top of the track is still was out running everybody until something broke . He was a hell driver

[@Impalass409]

If i recall correctly: The 1963 z11 427 al front clip cars... where based on a 409 W block and yes they did have a complete frontend made out of aluminum, but those where made for drag racing. They only made enough aluminum front clip parts to have 2 of everything for each car and you had to show proof of owning one of the z11 drag cars to buy any of those extra aluminum replacement parts (according to the guys i met who were into them when they came out). One of those guys... back in the 80's in my area had collected all the aluminum parts for a 63, but could not get a guy he knew down south to sell him the z11 he had. It was backed into one of those shorter one car garages of the day that an impala was too long for and the front clip was getting hammered by weather... then after years of stopping each trip to try to buy it...they'd had it towed and that bent the whole frontend up... the brackets, fenders, inner, hood hinges, fan shroud... everything was al from windshield forward. It then just vanished. I saw a z11 up close (that ended up in reggie jackson's collection until it sold awhile back), not sure who owned it when I saw it. That was at one of the very first late great chevy car shows in St Charles IL in early 80's. I think that one was a 1962. I was into the 1964 ss impalas and wanted a 425/409 64 so the z11 blew me away and these two z11 guys where older back then and into them when they came out. I then found an article about them in a chevy magazine. I do not think they made them in 1964 but i eventually landed a couple 409 4spd ss impalas, 400/409 hardtop and a 425/409 ragtop. In 1961 they made a very few impala ss cars. Only about 285??? Only a few were 409s. Knew an older guy that ordered one red on red to drag race...came with the 348 so he did not accept it and to get his 409/409 had to take a 62 409/409. That car was still show room perfect in 1982-3 when I was trying to buy it...price kept going up until a pilot for John Deere gave him over 6500... a lot of money then... but a great investment if they still have it.

[@shanew.williams]

What on earth does any of all that have to do with THIS video ?

[@SabapathyCinniah]

GONE are THE GOLDEN YEARS. NOW we all live a ****** - up live! DAMN ITTT!!!

[@johnmoore3882]

Junior Johnson told me in person , while sitting with me on my porch, that Ford Motor Company spent 3 million dollars in 1963 trying to catch that Mystery Motor.

[@larryburton5516]

John, like Junior said. If that motor didn't blow up they couldn't run with it.

[@larryburton5516]

I think there was some kind of rule back then that they had to give competing manufactures an engine to examine.@TNS1089

[@jeffreyjohn2037]

Looks like a big block IV

[@dhart8451]

@Art Vandelay Same thing Richard Petty told me when he stopped by one night.

[@drippinglass]

Larry Burton Yeah well... it blew up.

[@richardwells9738]

That dam two piece drive shaft with center support bracket would break every time I tried to get a hole shot.lol

[@shanew.williams]

So much to love about this. Junior was a mechanical genius but the simplicity with which his mind (still sharp here) framed his reply to Beam's question@3:35..."Did this thing arrive as a "body in white" (new body shell only) ? Junior: "No, it was a car." (Not a plane or train or sheet metal, lol) "It was a car."

[@bbigjohnson069]

One thing Darrell Waltrip said about Junior was that other shops and racers respected Junior and trusted him so much that they would just copy what he was doing causing Junior to lose the edge he had over them. So what Junior would do if he found parts that were no good was call up and order a bunch of them and just put them on the shelf not use them. Then when someone else called to order asking if that part is any good they'd say, " They must be Junior just bought a whole box of them."

[@shanew.williams]

@@bbigjohnson069 Yes, i remember reading that. Clever idea.

[@bbigjohnson069]

@@shanew.williams I found Waltrip's book in a Dollar Tree with a bunch of other books in a pile. It was signed even. There's some funny stories in there. Women weren't allowed in the pits back then. But car owners were. So he made his wife the car owner. In a rather long race at Talladega she thought he might be getting hungry and made him a ham and cheese sandwich. When he came in to pit he sees this sandwich handed to him which he promptly threw out the window leaving the pits. His wife didn't understand because surely she knew he liked ham and cheese. About 10-12 years ago Waltrip was on air with FOX of course with Larry McReynolds. They were at Darlington. I forget the particular driver they were discussing but he had run the truck race and the Busch race the day before and was now running the current race. McReynolds said he's been so busy he didn't even have time for a sandwich. Waltrip piped up with, "Ham and cheese right honey?"

[@milla698]

Glad you got to meet him junior Johnson was always one of my favorites and yes I am that old lol 😂

[@oneforliberty]

Truly a priceless car !! And for so many reasons...The historical significance of this car to NASCAR, and Chevrolet...The biggest part of that is the engine..The Mark II big block 427..Fewer than 50 was ever made before Chevrolet pulled out of racing..The block was basically the same as the Z11 427 "W" motor, but what made this perform was the "porcupine" style heads that later found there way on the modern Mark IV engines.. Some of the Mark II engines are still floating around and are considered priceless..But to have one of these engines in the car that was intended to race it is....Wow..How do you go beyond priceless??

[@davidstinson5095]

1 million dollars car not less

[@tommymitchell2935]

Was that what was called the mystery motor?

[@oneforliberty]

@@tommymitchell2935 Yes sir this is what is referred to as the”mystery motor”. These engines are priceless and impossible to find or find parts for.

[@darrellsomers5427]

Canted valve big advantage

[@bobbrinkerhoff3592]

@one for liberty; you need to study up on 409 and 427 facts some more . The Z11 was a stock 409 block with the special heads and intake . It used the stock 409 bore of 4.3125 inches coupled with a 0.150 longer stroke to make its 427 cubic inches . This was the combination developed for the 1963 drag racing season and installed in 57 Impalas equipped with aluminum front ends and bumpers. The Mark II Nascar 427 was the predecessor of the 396/427/454 Mark 4 engine series . It used a 4.250 bore and 3.760 stroke , the same as the 1966-69 427s used . The cylinder heads will not interchange between a W series engine and a Mark series engine .

[@69634100]

I saw Junior win the 1963 fall race at Charlotte NC in a car like that,i believe it was called The National 400 at that time.

[@davidstinson5095]

I met him at nascar hall of fame and his son got to talk to him about moonshine days what a real nice layed back man smart as a fox brilliantly a einsteins mentor believe it rest in peace jj !

[@paulgrieshop5024]

Yes that is what it was called. He would have won the world 600 a blown tire cost him the race he destroyed the competition that day but that happens just like Dale Earnhardt at Daytona in 1990

[@CAGraphics576]

I've seen this video maybe 5 times. It's just a testament to what it took to win back then!

[@pescitheman]

The Godfather of Nascar.

[@williamboardman9476]

Ray Fox's shop was across one of those drainage ditches in Cocoa, from Smokey's shop...and spies were sent...kids...Ray's sons...Ray Jr. and David. (BOTH brilliant HEMI engine builders.) Met BEAM as I started working for Melling and Bill Elliott, and David Fox, then Ray a couple years later. David told stories at lunch for a couple years.....HATED Talladega...and gave me his VIP tickets to races all over for friends. Only learned this year WHY the Foxes, under DODGE contracts, hated Talladega for the first race (CUP) run there. RIP Ray, Ray Jr. Race In Peace.

[@josephmonaco4503]

Joseph Monaco1 second agoThat motor was a 427 bored over.30. It was a 433 CI Engine with 12 1/2:1 Compression with closed chambered heads with 219 intake and 188 exhaust valves. It had a 376 crank in it, with a holley 780 double pumper in it. It had the original big-port heads in it. The heads had round exhaust ports and had two-cast iron pushrod guides per head. My motor came with forged 12 1/2:1 Compression TRW Dome top Pistons. It had a forged steel cross-drilled crank. It also had the rod journals were carefully radiused. The exhaust studs were extended to use a windage tray to keep the hot oil off of the crank. Chervoret really used their heads when they made their motors. It had the L-88 cam, part number 3925535 with 0.540/0.560 lift and 269 duration at 0.50 at a 110 lobe separation. That motor in reality put out around 600 plus H.P. Not like they advertised in the 1969 Corvette, because back then, your car insurance was based on the H.P. of the car. So, Chevrolet rated the car at around 435 H.P. so the buyer didn't get raped on insurance, but, like I said, those components in a .30 over 427 with 12 1/2:1 compression engine put out about 600 H.P. Respectively. Ask Junior, and see what he has to say about it! I have one of those exact motors only I have the Big Rectangular Open Chambered Heads on mine. It breathes a lot better because the spark plug is angled so it doesn't have to run straight into the intake and exhaust valves. Read up on the head design of the open chambered heads and you will see that they breathe a lot better than the closed chambered heads. Although, the closed chambered heads were Killer also. Either way, It's a winning combination.

[@jeremythompson9895]

I'm a Ford/Mopar man but I agree. That Chevy 427 Mystery Motor was one bad mofo. That was a great era in racing. The Mopar 413 and 426 Max Wedges and the 426 Hemi, Pontiac 421 Super Duty, Chevy 409, and Ford 406 and R-Code 427 were all widely used in NASCAR and Drag Racing. All bad ass machines

[@paladin0654]

Back when stock really meant stock.

[@timbutler7433]

A descent man! Wish I could have seen him race!

[@jaywalker712]

I meet him several times and he was the real deal, never too bust to say hello. Him and Richard Petty two of the best.

[@es7614]

Outstanding. RIP Junior. Legend.

[@ThunderAppeal]

7:58 The look on his face to when he is asked: 'You never took the body of the chassis you just lay there on the floor.' Says: 'No sonny, we didnt take no body off no chassis.'

[@mikeandrews2266]

Wow, what a treat to glean this history of Mr. Johnson.

[@isiahbethel5956]

One of the greatest. Real nascar era.

[@beboboymann3823]

I hated this guy......I was a huge fan of Holman-Moody and Freddie Lorenzon and the other Ford drivers and this guy blew them into the weeds. If you were a Ford fan you wanted to choke Junior as well. In later years I used to look over at his sprawling house off of highway 421 outside of Wilkesboro and wish that I could stop and shake his hand and thank him for what he did for Wilkesboro and North Carolina, and NASCAR. RIP sir. None of them now can hold a candle to you.

[@bmw540dinan]

That mystery motor was bad ass.

[@nerradnosnhoj5122]

7-800 Horse Power in 1963 , If they stayed together they won the race Nothing in 63 would touch that , the suspension was also superior at that time R.I.P. Junior Johnson

[@Ziggy_Moonglow]

I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you. ;-)

[@richardtrent847]

the man and the car ,truly one off

[@btventura9570]

What a sweet car! Seemed like Junior always had the team to beat during the 70s and 80s.

[@caine8217]

Thats an Eaton HO52 rear end. GM used those axles in 3/4 ton trucks from 1947-1972. Its a full floating axle with an option of a no slip diff. Parts are hard to come by anymore but a lot of the 10.5in 14 bolt internals will swap right over to the Eaton.

[@williamcox5216]

AROUND THAT TIME, MOST OF THE DRAG RACERS, NOT NASCAR GUYS RAN 58 OLDS POSITRAC REARS, THOSE REARENDS WERE VIRTUALLY INDESTRUCTABLE

[@extramile150]

@@williamcox5216 Ran an Olds rear in my 1969 Fletcher Chassis Funny Car (former Clyde Morgan Javelin). They were indeed bullet proof.

[@austinmachine6622]

HO 72

[@rnvrnv354]

Thats how you build a hot rod! You dive in and reinforce everything!

[@rickbown6871]

Thank you for this video, this is priceless.

[@aricsnyder5882]

REAL STOCK DRIVERS..

[@robertrockwell7581]

R.I.P. Junior. thank you.

[@davidkennedy1343]

enjoyed talking with Junior

[@koolhub6137]

great racer, and very great engine guy.

[@francescogatto3727]

Ho tanta ma tanta nostalgia di quelle automobili,di quelle gare,di quella gente(i nostri padri e le nostre madri...)di quegli anni felici della nostra giovane vita che non tornerà mai più.....

[@Pushyhog]

I think there was yellow car too. I watched him in 63. Darlington, Charlotte. I seen him lap field like they were sitting still.

[@paulgrieshop5024]

That's the truth once he got going the was no stopping him

[@bbigjohnson069]

You might be thinking of a few years later when he showed up with a car with a chopped roof line and lowered. That was a Ford though.

[@summitdrinker]

Great Upload, car has lots of history.

[@troymattingly3071]

That was, excellent, car building.

[@Mike-og3xb]

I like what Junior told DW, I can't pay you a lot, but you're going to win a lot.

[@davidjones9518]

63 real steel 🚗

[@michaelmcdonald3268]

That's one sweeet ride

[@lonniebarrett4691]

DW has a great story JR told him we will win every race till they catch us

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Even JJ admitted that the Chevy "Mystery 427" engine was not reliable. Another weak point was the X frame.

[@gregmaggielipscomb9246]

So, that diff is an Eaton unit out of a mid sixties Chevrolet 3/4 ton pick up that is fulll floating.

[@markarrivi3818]

What A Great Video Thank You 👍

[@bbigjohnson069]

In 1963 at Daytona 500 Fred Lorenzen won the pole 160.943 mph in a Holman-Moody Ford. The 100 mile qualifying races were both run with no caution flags. Johnny Rutheford won the 2nd one at an avg. speed of 162.969 mph in a car prepared by Smoky Yunich. Junior won the first won with an avg. speed of 164.083 mph. Both races faster than the pole speed. In the 500, Junior's engine didn't last but 26 laps. He led 12. The race was won by Tiny Lund driving for the injured Marvin Panch whose life was saved days earlier by Lund and others in a turn 4 crash. He drove the Wood Bros. car to victory by making one less pit stop and never having to change tires.

[@paulgrieshop5024]

Tiny ran out of gas as soon he crossed the finish line. No victory lap for him just cut across the infield grass

[@bbigjohnson069]

@@paulgrieshop5024 Of all the Daytona 500 wins Glen Wood said that Daytona 500 win meant the most to the team

[@paulgrieshop5024]

@@bbigjohnson069 I know its was the first one for them and Ford. A co worker of my Dad was at the race a ford man he was so happy that's all he talked about for months .

[@bluesharp59]

Heck Yeah, A thumbs up liked. Great Race Man !

[@ozzymd1]

When stock car racing meant stock car racing R.I.P. Junior

[@davidstinson5095]

Yeah a real dam honest goodness well built stock race car

[@kevinhuneycutt9691]

That's an American icon right there.

[@wadelinn3059]

Hey. Junior. Johnson. I. Was. Born. In. 1963. And. My. Name is Charles wade Linn jr. Ok ok 👍👍👍

[@blakman41]

Love it !

[@billdougan4022]

Junior right! My '61 Buick had a 215 ci V-8, the piston cylinders we're about the size of a Coke can.

[@dcarden3031]

good stuff

[@ScoutPL]

Amazing stuff. 3/4 ton Ford truck axle housing. Chevy truck arms. Windshield wipers still work. And yeah, you want her to rev, big bore short stroke which will test that valve train. Wow!

[@dockey6942]

When your around the stuff all your life you loose about half your hearing

[@dockey6942]

Love to hear what the he'll there talking about

[@84PatSch]

very nice, very nice

[@mojesus680]

That's a Real Stock Car❤ dam nascars😂

[@bigalfrombrewster1842]

Best driver for moonshine ever created

[@LITTLE1994]

When Nascar was Nascar.

[@Ziggy_Moonglow]

Sorry, they were not pulling 700-800 HP in 1963. Bill Howell, GM engineer who supervised testing and development of the Mk II mystery motor said it pulled 530-540 HP and never knew of any cars, even the drag cars with dual quads, pulling 600 HP, even if just for 12 seconds. For reference, the Ford 427 was pulling 580-585 HP and the Chrysler 426 Hemi was pulling 585-595, after 6-7 years of development and rule changes, while the Boss 429 was 580 HP out of the box and pulling 610-620 HP with modified heads and Wood Brothers/Holman Moody tuning by 1970. Those numbers come from Chrysler and Ford documents and interviews with Waddell Wilson and Robert Yates. Yep, the windshield wiper motor had to stay, the window operating mechanisms and even the seat had to be stock and of the same make. Shoulder harness became mandatory in mid 1965, making it into the 1966 rule book. And for those that like to claim everyone ran a Ford rear end, please grab a rule book and read it. All parts had to be 'stock' for the make but swapping for "HD" (truck) parts or other model was allowed. As for the HP numbers on the hood, those had to be 'factory stock' numbers, which is why it says "427 HP". As for Junior Johnson's HP numbers.. Add 5 HP a year as the tales get taller and taller, like a fisherman adding an inch to that fish that was caught each time the tale is told. ;-) Have fun!

[@paulgrieshop5024]

It was one of the very best engines ever. Years ahead of time think about this had it been totally polished the wins and records it would have had. It would have been the only engine that could go toe to toe with the hemi. Smokey told me that the push rods would break and he had to do it all over he would have use titanium instead of steel. He said the hemi can be beaten and was beaten and it's not God like these mopar people think. In matter of fact a dirty little secret Junior and Ray switched over to Chrysler in December of 1963 before the 1964 season. They took there Chevrolet to San Angelo Texas and worked with Chrysler on the Goodyear test track they had the track is a 5 mile course. They were like a jackrabbit and the hemis the greyhounds. Even Chrysler officials said that was an excellent car and hated to face it had it been polished and GM was still in racing. The big 3 always borrowed, stole, gave and help one another no matter what people say Detroit is a family.

[@active1508]

Fun fact in drag racing one of the arch nemesis of the N/A Hemi was the SBC back in the day. The Hemi had weaknesses that were easily exploited in the quarter mile that weren't as apparent in NASCAR. I think it's important to note contrary to popular belief Chrysler did NOT invent the Hemi. Ford had the Hemi YEARS before Chrysler and ironically it was a Ford guy (Bob Glidden) that would unlock the true potential or the N/A Hemi.

[@smug8567]

The old saying is if you can't find them grind them !

[@vincentenk4449]

I would bring up what happened in 1964, but I'll be nice!

[@timchilders3535]

Haha, yep, things changed in a big way when that happened, lol.

[@jeremythompson9122]

First the Ford 427 came out mid year 1963 and the Ford Galaxie fastbacks started dominating NASCAR. But then in 1964 the Chrysler 426 Hemi came out and blew everybody away. It's a shame that GM management made Chevy and Pontiac get out of factory backed racing early in 1963. But it was also the reason for the beginning of the muscle car era because Pontiac's was GM's performance division and since they weren't allowed to race anymore they had to put their performance on the street resulting in the 64 Tempest GTO with the 389 cubic inch engine from their full size cars with either a 4bbl or 3x2bbl induction. Soon just about every manufacturer in America started building their own version of the GTO. The Oldsmobile 442 was the next muscle car to come out I believe

[@paulgrieshop5024]

@@jeremythompson9122 they were threatened by the government so they had to find a way to keep them away. Getting out of racing was part of it. Win on Sunday sell on Monday now if GM would have been still racing they would have destroyed everyone. They already had the car market nearly cornered and the government was going to break them up. Sad as it is they did what they had to do to survive

[@paulgrieshop5024]

@Jeremy Thompson Chevrolet 427 ran a bit in funny car and was able to beat the hemis here and there. Malcolm Durham was one of the best at beating Chrysler he was the only black man in the nhra and Chevrolet driver and said I beat big bad Chrysler and when they called me all kind of names I knew I got to them.

[@paulmoss7940]

@@paulgrieshop5024 In 1980 Blake Wiggins had factory pontiac sponsorship and was a champion. He beat sox & Martin every time. Then Gm pulled the plug.

[@jamesgeiger4795]

What did the other chevys run that year? I remember seeing a lot of 63' Impalas/Belairs in that race.

[@paulgrieshop5024]

They ran impalas in nascar belairs in nhra and corvettes in scca

[@jamesgeiger4795]

@@paulgrieshop5024 I was wondering what engine. Did they all have the mystery 427 like Junior Johnson's or did some of them run 409s? Or even the W block 427s, because Chevy did make a few 427s that looked like the 409/348 engines. Where as the Mystery 427 looked more like the later big block Chevy engines (396, 427, 454 etc.) on the outside. I read somewhere that they ere different than the later engines, but they looked similar.

[@slapout9718]

The hood markings say 427 Horse Power not 427 Cubic Inches! That was how NASCAR did it back then.

[@josephmonaco4503]

That motor was a 427 bored over.30. It was a 433 CI Engine with 12 1/2:1 Compression with closed chambered heads with 219 intake and 188 exhaust valves. It had a 376 crank in it, with a holley 780 double pumper in it. It had the original big-port heads in it. The heads had round exhaust ports and had two-cast iron pushrod guides per head. My motor came with forged 12 1/2:1 Compression TRW Dome top Pistons. It had a forged steel cross-drilled crank. It also had the rod journals were carefully radiused. The exhaust studs were extended to use a windage tray to keep the hot oil off of the crank. Chervoret really used their heads when they made their motors. It had the L-88 cam, part number 3925535 with 0.540/0.560 lift and 269 duration at 0.50 at a 110 lobe separation. That motor in reality put out around 600 plus H.P. Not like they advertised in the 1969 Corvette, because back then, your car insurance was based on the H.P. of the car. So, Chevrolet rated the car at around 435 H.P. so the buyer didn't get raped on insurance, but, like I said, those components in a .30 over 427 with 12 1/2:1 compression engine put out about 600 H.P. Respectively. Ask Junior, and see what he has to say about it! I have one of those exact motors only I have the Big Rectangular Open Chambered Heads on mine. It breathes a lot better because the spark plug is angled so it doesn't have to run straight into the intake and exhaust valves. Read up on the head design of the open chambered heads and you will see that they breathe a lot better than the closed chambered heads. Although, the closed chambered heads were Killer also. Either way, It's a winning combination.

[@slapout9718]

***** Thanks for the detailed response.

[@timothylines3867]

a few were 409 cid/430 hp.from the dealership.

[@howabouthetruth2157]

timothy lines........You don't understand.......THIS motor was NEVER available in ANY number made to the public. Watch the video again. Other videos also show Junior saying the same thing, just like this video, quote: IT WAS AN EXOTIC ENGINE DESIGN MADE ONLY FOR NASCAR, AND THEY ONLY MADE ABOUT 20 OF THEM. Junior got 7 of them, Smokey Yunick also got 7, and the few remaining went to teams who didn't even run Chevy's.....such as Chrysler.......because NASCAR mandated that the manufacturer of any race engine HAD to make at least one available to one team running other brands, so they could investigate the BASE engine of their competition. Keep in mind, the other few teams that did NOT race Chevy's, got the BASE engine exactly like this one........and Ray Fox/Junior Johnson and Smokey Yunick did things to these engines once they got them from the factory. But NONE of these exotic "mystery motors" were EVER distributed to dealers to make available to the public.

[@jamesgeiger4795]

@Rusell Shaw He was referring to what was written on the hood. It did say "427 H. P." Steak Man did not say that was the actual horsepower. Richard Petty's 64' Plymouth said 405 H.P. on the hood when it was actually over 750 horsepower.

[@chadshepard3449]

insaine. 700 - 800 horsepower? dayumm.

[@Ziggy_Moonglow]

Nope. That's a fishing story. 530-540 HP

[@matrox]

Chevy was forced/volunteered to pull out of NASCAR because Chevy was selling to many cars and the govt was threatening to break up GM.

[@rogeralsop3479]

I prefer the earlier Impalas - 1957.

[@brandoncarpenter4077]

Jr Johnson was my 4th cousin

[@mikebuzzard2926]

Where can a video of this car or video of junior johnson racing his 63 chevy be found?

[@johnkidd1226]

There are a couple of races on youtube with Junior racing this car.

[@jerryboggs3474]

Just a Chivalay!!👈😂

[@TheStingray1966]

Yes