Cecil that was the stamp I was thinking of didn't know when that started.All of this got me motivated to go out and look at the 348 blocks I have and surprise surprise 2 of the 3 didn't have a stamp,the 1 that did looks to be a 60 250 horse pass car and neither of the truck blocks had stamps,did they not always stamp truck blocks or does that mean they've been decked?I don't have any history on the truck blocks bought them from the guy already removed and disassembled so I guess they could be service blocks just didn't seem probable both being from the same guy.
409 Block stamps
- Thread starter killerB59
- Start date
Speaking of the G stamped block,I bought it along with a tripower intake and some exhaust manifolds from the guy that bought the American Graffiti 58 Impala from Lucas Films back in 1974-75.He also had a 1958 chevy 4 door cop car and a convertible also,along with a decent pile of 348 stuff.I guess he finally sold the car for a decent pile of money a couple or 3 years ago to a Nascar team owner.
All of the truck,marine,and industrial 348 blocks ,except the "service blocks" from Chevrolet had a stamping on them of some kind,even though they were internally the same.Your unstamped blocks are either service blocks or they have been decked.Hopefully the block that you're planning on building is the car block,since you're looking for at least some kind of performance[compression].
Not if you put a 409 crank or bigger in it. 
They are when dealing with the 655 and 962 blocks.I was thinking of the 58-61 double notch blocks.Of the two,655 and 5011,the 655 is a stronger block with thicker webs,arma steel caps.For the mild build that you've proposed for your 64 K pick up,the 5011 will be more than adaquate.
Ray Evernham. He hosts Velocity tv networks "Americarna" show. He did an episode with the restoration of the car. He put a 327 with multiple carb setup in it because in the movie that is what the character Toad says is in it.
John,I was just thinking that you had posted that you're leaning toward the 0951 cam for your engine.Too small for a 4 inch stroke engine.The long stroke will eat up your lope,and will be out of breath by 4500 or so.I only recommend that cam for engines with a 3.5 inch stroke,or for a "hot" 3.25 stroke engine.As far as of the shelf,easy to obtain cams,Show Cars pn 0954 or o955 will give you the idle quality you want,and still peak at below 6,000.It's a hyd.flat tappet cam.They are Comp Extreme Energy grinds on a W blank,110 seperation,106 lobe center cams like the 0950.Experiancce has taught me that if a baseline cam that runs well ,and meets your critera in an engine with a 3.25 stroke,you need to go up about 6 degrees at .050 for each 1/4 inch of stroke to maintain the same power/rpm band.
Oh my god,I had heard something like that,and had heard he described the car as trashed or extremely rough or something like that,when I saw the car a few years ago it wasn't a show car but was definitely presentable.Movie cars are known for having less than stellar body and paint work,they just need to be a 20 footer.It was just as the car appeared in the movie with the exception of having an auto trans.The car was a 348 stick car still had the clutch pedal.It would seem me that 1 of the star cars of 1 of the iconic movies of that era would have more value being preserved as it was.I could see doing what he did if the car had been sitting abandoned out in a field rusting away for 40 years,but that definitely was not the case.There is the old saying that they're only original once.
Thanks Don,which would you buy the 0954 or 0955 and what valvesprings would you go with?
I would try to build the one notch but that's just me. 