1959 Biscayne 348 4-Barrel

Alec Derrey

Alec Derrey

Well Known Member
Hello everyone, glad to be a new member of 348-409.com. Several years ago I picked up a rough 59 Biscayne that had been sitting out in a field. I got it because it still had it's original motor, which is a 348 4-Barrel that was complete from the carb to the oil pan. The car is without its transmission, but it has three pedals and a column shifter, so I can safely assume it was a three-on-the-tree. I decoded the vin, B59O152560, which told me that it was a V-8 Biscayne that was built in Oakland, CA. The cowl tag has me confused however. I can't find any online resource to help me figure out what the trim code and paint code mean. The cowl tag reads as follows:
STYLE: 59-1221 BODY: OA 405
TRIM: 808 13 PAINT: SPEC
ACC 128
Does anyone know what trim code 808 means? The resource I found has 807 and 809, but there is no 808 listed. And every other paint code I've seen has numbers, where mine just says SPEC... If anyone out there has any insight, or if you need more info, please let me know. Thanks!
-Alec
 
Alec Derrey

Alec Derrey

Well Known Member
That's kind of what I was thinking, but I don't know. I found a Oregon State Police Interceptor 59 Chevy that shares a lot of attributes with my car. It has dark blue original paint, there was a large antenna installed on the driver's side quarter panel at one time, and it looks as if there was once a radio mounted under the dash. The car is pretty beat up so it's tough to say... it would be cool if it was one of those, I guess there were only 40 built and Zora Arkus Duntov was the brains behind them.
 
DonSSDD

DonSSDD

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
SPEC is a special order car, a COPO, which is special paint colour like say a forestry service sedan delivery, or police, fire, ambulance, any non standard colour. In that colour, one would think an unmarked police car.

What are the engine codes- casting behind the driver side head and engine code in front of the passenger side block? Any pics of engine and car?

Don
 
Alec Derrey

Alec Derrey

Well Known Member
The car is a couple hundred miles away at my parents' house, but I'll try to get those numbers soon. And yes, I believe it does have an AFB carb, still has the original service tag on it.
 
Alec Derrey

Alec Derrey

Well Known Member
Okay I got a few numbers, lets see if I got them right. The casting number on the block is 3755011. The code under the cylinder head is T515F. If I got this correct, the T= Tonowanda Plant, 5= May, 15= the 15th day, and F= 58-61 Pass. Car 250HP 348 4BBl, manual trans. I was doing some research on the Police Interceptor package. In 1959 Zora Arkus Duntov was tasked with the job of producing 40 special-order Biscayne's for the Oregon State Police. He used the 250HP engine with a 4bbl carb and an allegedly larger intake manifold, with a custom ground cam and hi compression pistons. The combo was good for something like 305 HP and a top speed of 135mph. I want to tear my engine apart and check out the cam specs and pistons, but that won't happen any time soon. Does anyone know where I could find a list of the original 40 Biscayne Interceptors VIN numbers? I know that's asking a lot, but maybe somebody has some idea where to look.
 
Alec Derrey

Alec Derrey

Well Known Member
Thanks! I'm glad I found a forum about W-motors and full-size Chevys , and I'm sure there's a lot of knowledgeable people here who can help me with my questions. First let me give you some background: My first hot rod came in the form of a 1963 Nova SS, complete with the anemic 194ci inline-six that it came with originally. Well that didn't last long as I pulled the six out and stabbed a worked over 283 small-block between the fenders. I'm a big fan of "what if" scenarios, and I found myself wondering, "What if Chevy had offered a W-motor option for the Chevy II back in 62-63?" When I heard that there was a 59 Chevy in a field with a W-motor under the hood, I had to check it out. Although the car itself is very rough, the engine was still sitting in the engine bay, complete from carb to oil pan! The price was right so me and my old man dragged it home, stuck it out behind our shop, and pulled the 348 out for a future rebuild. So, my intention was to find a way to shoehorn that big W-motor into my little Nova. But once I started doing a little research on the car (59 Biscayne) and its engine, I was left with more questions than answers. What is Trim code 808? How about ACC code 128? My paint code reads SPEC, and the original paint on my 59 is a deep blue... So the new scenario is, "What if my 59 Biscayne is really a rare car, possibly even on of 40 police interceptors built for the Oregon State police?" I live in Washington state, so it's possible that an Oregon car could make its way up here... Well, that's why I signed up for this forum, to try and find answers. I hope you guys can shed some light on these issues, thanks for reading.
 
Alec Derrey

Alec Derrey

Well Known Member
Thanks k9hotrodder409. I'll check and see if I have some photos on my computer, but you guys will have to wait til next week to get some really thorough picture documentation. I have to say I'm impressed with the amount of interest my car is generationg and I'm very excited to find out what it is! I'm waiting to hear back from the DMV at the moment and I'll let you all know if they find something.
 
oldskydog

oldskydog

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
Are you sure about that 808 trim number? I show 808 as a 58 trim code, but not 59. Your 1221 Biscayne Business coupe should have 800 or 801 trim code which, in any case would be medium gray. It also shows as a 3 passenger, 2 door sedan so should not have a back seat Accessory code 128 does not match any listed in RPO/FOA tables and may be a fleet contract number.
The SPEC paint usually means a fleet order, typically government ie, Forest Service, Military, Police, etc.
Definitely an unusual car.
 
Alec Derrey

Alec Derrey

Well Known Member
Thanks Cecil, I'll be sure to double check that trim number. That's interesting, I'll try to find out more about the Accessory code. I know of one other 59 Biscayne with the same Trim, Paint and Accessory codes, but I'm having a hard time getting in contact with the current owner... I enjoy all this automotive sleuthing!
 
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