1963 Chevrolet Bel Air 409

Thanks to brand new body lines, a new look was created for the full-sized 1963 Chevrolet Bel Air. The Chevrolet Bel Air and other models enjoyed a face-lift, with bodyside contours to look like major changes had taken place.  Now, Chevrolet was rolling, topping production charts in 1963.

Comfort wasn't the only thing on Chevrolet's mind . Chevrolet produced a new 427-cubic-inch competition V-8 that outran everything early in the season at Daytona. Chevy also offered dealer installed aluminum front bumpers and front sheetmetal. Of course, "real fine" was the famous 409, offered in three versions including a 340-hp 4 barrel, the "Unchained" 409 hp and the new solid-lifter-high-compression power house offering 425hp. The base V8 remained the 283 CID, which was upgraded to produce 195 hp . The small block 327 V8 continued with options of 250 and 300 horsepower. Quite a few buyers skipped the V-8, making do with the 140-horse Turbo-Thrift six. (Borrr-iiinng !!)

The Bel Air continued to be Chevrolet's mid range model , but now consisted of only two car models- the 2-door sedan and the 4-door sedan. (There were also 6 and 9-passenger Bel Air station wagons offered.)

Chevrolet Bel Air's for 1963 had a curb weight of 3,215 to 3,810 lbs., and ranged in price from a base $2,454 to a pricey $ 3,028.  Approximately 354,100 1963 Chevrolet Bel Airs built....of which 16,902 were Bel Air 409's. How many are around today is anyone's guess....but any collector will tell you if they don't have one, it's definately on their "dream list." All it takes is perseverance....and a decent amount of cash!