'69 396 2-barrel
 

Going through the "recycler's" yard today and I found this underneath a pile of small-block manifolds. The casting number decodes to a 1969 396! Has anyone ever run this combination?

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

That was a one year only and only came in the big cars. There was a yellow wagon in div 1 early 80's that ran one don't remember his name. I have intake, carb. air cleaner of off a wagon I had many years ago.

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

Since I run a 396/325 combo I assumed the 69 2 barrel motor is the same except with the carb/intake, but i looked at the specs , same cam, pistons but different head plus only one head listed:

3933148 1969 366/396 Open 2V/427 265 122.1cc car & truck

I wonder if this is a "peanut port" oval port truck head . Also shows as a open chamber w/ 109.14 chambers. NHRA HP is only 265-

Might be a good motor if the heads are the regular oval port-

Will Lamprecht 396/325 I/SA 65 Impala in progress

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

I saw the yellow wagon on the F.B. page "wagon masters". I had chatted on F.B.with the guy who drove it and was curious about that combination The head listed in the guide looks to be a scarce one, as I didnt see it on the other 396's, the 2 bbl was only listed in 69 and rated at (I think 265hp). Don Jackson

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

3933148 1969 366/396 Open 122cc 2V/427 265 car & truck . Found this head info on the web.

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

it came on pickups,too.

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

The yellow "Super Stock Engineering" Q/SA 69 Kingswood is in New Brunswick Canada. Hasn't been to the track in years but last time out it was still running under the index, and hasnt been touched since it came up from new england. Always liked the old car but something about a 4500lb race car just doesn't seem right lol.

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

Those were around in rather copious quantities at one time.It was a one year combo,like the 427/335 engine. Quite a few people ran the 2 barrel cars at one time, they were not real far under, but they did seem to work. One thing for sure-those cars sure left hard. Short block was the same as the 325, but those heads are one off. They were large plug as I remember, with rather large combustion chambers. Those manifolds and carbs were common,as the big cars only had the 265 horse engine for a 396, or a 4 barrel 427. Kind of a mystery to me why they ever bothered to make that engine.

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

Heads are a regular oval port, but they don't have your typical 396 closed chamber, thus giving the 265hp a lower compression as well. They were likely the first of the open/semi open style. I saw a pair once and the chamber resembles that of the 71-72 820 and 292 heads, unshrouded a bunch around the exhaust valve. 14.92 weight break for a 2 door biscayne means you could get one of these up as far M-N/S lol

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

1969 396 with 2 Barrel Carb
Max Brake Horsepower - 265 @ 4800 rpm
Max Torque - 400 @ 2800 rpm
Stroke - 3.76
Bore - 4.094
Compression - 9.00
I found this info on the web. Don't look like this combo would like a very loose converter.
I asume the 2GC on these would flow in the 450cfm range?? Anyone know what the RPM range would be for this kind of engine? Don Jackson

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

I have one of these engines I used to run in a old pickup truck I had. Gobs of low rpm torque. I swear the engine would run at 200 rpm. You couldn't lug it down. I used to drive it up the driveway in high gear at 10 mph and it wouldn't jump or anything. It.s the same shortblock as a 325 with a 109cc head to lower the compression. Still have it for future use. I think it would be a good combo in stock as long as you had something big enough to haul it and the big car that goes with it around.

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

I'm playing Paramedic with the vampires this month, rotate a month of 12 hr days then a month of 12 hour nights. It kinda slow so I got time to kill on the web. I was looking at the 69 Chevy 2 bbl combos and it looks like the 396 got a smaller carb than the 350. If the numbers I found on the web (along with my elementary fraction skills) are correct it looks like the 350 got a 435cfm carb, and the 396 got a 423cfm piece. Don Jackson

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

My dad bought one of those engines many years ago for $50. Not sure if he still has the heads but the cast crank was not drilled for a pilot bushing and was 4lbs lighter than any other 396/427 cast crank

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

Correct, and not a very good combo..
Look at the 77 400 4 bbl Pontiac @ 260 hp ,and tell me which you'd rather have in a big car,... station wagon.

You'd be better off with a 427/335 in a big 69 Chevy

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

If anybody in the Northwest felt the urge to build such a combo, I was at the Monroe Swap Meet in Monroe WA yesterday, and I saw a 69 396 2 barrel intake, carb and air cleaner assembly there for 50 bucks. It may still be there today.

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

I am in the middle of a full restoration of my 1969 Impala.
Raced for decades the chassis needed a lot of repair and updated the frame. Got it all powder coated. Body has been rebuilt removing rust.
Just need a new hood. May have to sell it.

The 396/265 2v is doable combination.
Car works well with the 350/255/275 combo.
Natural L car and move up to K or with weight to M.
The 350/250/245 2v is a better combo than the 396.
That combo is a N,O,P depending on weight.

D

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

It's 230, not 245 ...with a bigger carb.. on a smaller engine

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

230HP WOW thanks ..that makes it a better combination.
WA Lee made it famous in the 70's and 80's..

D

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

This talk brings back memories...My Dad was shopping for a new car at the local Chevy
dealer back in '69 and the salesman suggested a 265hp wagon which we looked at...
(he didn't buy it).

In the mid '70's...I saw a 427/335hp wagon at Indy in Stock...D3 car I believe...don't
remember class...(or the times it ran)....

I saw the yellow '69 wagon run...was the guy's name Curtis?

Think W.A. Lee tried the 350/250 2bbl in a big wagon once...Remember him running
a gray-primered car....

'69 350/250 now at 230hp? That should be the one to consider!

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

1970 combo is better...


Ed Curtis....


The big wagon was Ray Litty's....Now Bob Bender's...

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

Thanks! Didn't know that car ended up with Mr. Bender....

(btw....Dad waited another year and bought a new '70 big wagon with the 350/250
and th-350....car is long-gone now....)

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

The 1969 350 used the 441 Heads on both 2v and 4v models.

FWIW the QJet was worth almost a full second over the 2V.
I saw 8 tenths..

Dan

Re: '69 396 2-barrel
 

Just thinking out of the box, but I would think to find out the true potential of the 2bbl. vs the 4 bbl. 350, different converters and stocker cam profiles would need to be tested. I would think the torque curve and rpm range would be pretty different and most cams and converters are optimized for the higher RPM Q-jet motors. The dirt track guys up north have to run the Rochester 2G's in some classes. Several articles were on the web discussing these engines and the differences from the 4bbl cars and cam profile is a huge factor on the restricted engines. They mostly recommend cams with much less duration than the 4bbl cars run, especially on the exhaust side. Don Jackson