Mystery 409

[junkman]

Hey guys, it's my first post on this forum. I just bought a 409 today and when I got home NONE of the codes came up in the 348/409 archives on this sight. I haven't pulled the heads yet but the block casting, intake, and exaust manifold codes don't appear. The block casting # is 3857655 with a cfd near it and a GM4 with 236 on the other side. I read that there was a strike at Towanda and for brief time they made the blocks elsewhere? There's no date code with suffix on the little shelf. I don't mean it has been ground off as it is totally smooth. I mean it looks like it was never there. there is also an X cast into the block witch I guess means late 62. In the middle of the back of the block it reads

814
W 01
0962
H3
Z

As for the intake it reads 3844472 GM2. The Manifold #'s are LH 3732183? hard to read, and RH 374330? last # illegible for now. I was told it came out of a 63 Impala. It looks like it's never been apart. It has chrome valve covers that look original.

That's all I can think of for now. I bought it to put in a hot rod, but I got curious.
Can you guys please help solve this mystery for me.

Thanks, Tom.

 

[petepedlar]

Hey Junkman,
I'm sure you will get more responses and I hate to be the one to tell you. The casting number 3857655 is not a 409 it's a 1962 - 1965 348 probably a truck engine with that intake on it. The intake is a truck number. I think 1961 was the last year for the 348 in cars. If you want to check www.Mortec.com it's listed there. It's also on the www.show-cars.com site in their numbers list. The truck engine casting numbers are hard to find sometimes.

Your 348 is still a very good engine & the 655 blocks from what I've been told are one of the best of the 348's. If you do some searching on here you will find discussions about being able to bore the 655 to the same as a 409. Have it sonic tested first though to make sure. Find a 409 crank, get the right pistons, take a rubber hammer to the oil pan near the front and you'll have the 409 cubic inches.

If you're not concerned about the actual number of cubes and want more power, just stroke it with the 409 crank and the right pistons and I think you end up with a 377 Cu. In. and it's a torque monster.

And no suffix code means it's been decked at one time which will remove the numbers or it was bought as a replacement engine over the counter.

Dave