Authenticating a 409

[montesheltonjaguar]

Hey folks. I am looking at a '64 Impala (non-SS) 2-door 409/340hp Automatic to buy. This car is assumed to not have the original engine because the engine stamp pad has no partial VIN on it. It is a correct "X" block with the stamping
T0213QG.

Questions: shouldn't all 1964 models have the VIN on the engine pad? Are there exceptions? When did this practice begin? Other than that, I have gone through the checklist of 409 "features" that the car should have which is listed elsewhere on this site. Since the car in question has all the appropriate items (except that the housing for the factory tach has an aftermarket unit inserted into it), and the items seem easy to add (or subtract) if one were going to "fake" a car, this list isn't very helpful. Is there any other way to authenticate that this was an original 409 car?

[Astro409]

Mine HAD the VIN on the engine pad but is not there anymore. NOT BY CHOICE, I didn't tell the people that machined the block to avoid erasing it. When they rebuilt my engine and cut the block to resurface it for the heads, the number was erased. That might have been the case here too.:dunno The tach would not be a sign of a FAKE 409 car since my car is original and didn't come with the tach so i'm thinking many 409 cars didn't come with a tach. I never did understand putting a tach on an automatic car unless you want to know at what RPM it changes gears by it self.:doh :takethat :rofl