original 409?

[tatt2jim]

new member here guys ...just have a ? i just inherited a 64 ss 409 -425 from my father passing away , im not sure if its the original motor , is there a way to tell if the car originally came with a 409 -425 all i can come up is that it is a reall ss and it came with a v8.....,not sure if it was the 409 in there but it does have a qb code and all casting numbers are for a 64 so any help would be appreciated ...

 

[bobs409]

Glad you found us Jim!

To tell if it's the original engine to the car, look on the front stamping pad next to the "QB". There should be a group of numbers that match the last part of the cars VIN. If it does, it's the original engine and if not, then it's from another car.

If that doesn't match, let us know and we'll try to figure out what engine the car did come with by using the cars other equipment as a guide as 409 cars had some special things that others didn't have.

 

[tatt2jim]

ok i looked at the numbers on the block and this is what i came up with:
L171089 TO407 QB
VIN # 41447J104608
COWL TAG :
STYLE:64-1447 BODY JA 215
TRIM 878 PAINT 922
ACC : W M C

I KNOW THAT TWO OF THE ACC CODES ARE FOR A PADDED DASH AND A TINTED WINSHIELD ,THE OTHER I CANT FIND WHAT ITS FOR . THANX FOR THE HELP SO FAR , EVENTUALLY I AM GOING TO START TO TAKE THE CAR APART AND GO THROUGH THE WHOLE THING , MAYBE EVEN A STROKER MOTOR IF ITS NOT ORIGINAL BUT IF IT IS I THINK I WILL RESTORE IT THE BEST I CAN ... SO FAR I HAVE A SET OF BALLENGER HEADERS WAITING TO GO ON ...

 

[bobs409]

Jim,

Going by those numbers, it's not the original engine. Now you have to figure out what engine it had.

Here's few things:

Ballast resistor on firewall and appropriate wiring for it for all 409 cars.

What transmission? If powerglide, it would have to be 340hp 409 or smaller as the 400 or 425hp were only available with manual trans.

You can tell an original 64 409 car by looking at the frame where the rear end upper control arm attaches. Sometime in the late 63 model run, the factory added an extra reenforcing brackets in that area.

The 409 cars and 327s also had the 3/8th fuel line.

327/300HP and ALL 409 cars came with the dash tachs in 63 and 64. The 327 and 340hp 409 would have had the 6,000 RPM tach and the solid lifter 400/425hp 409's would have had the 7,000 RPM tach.



That's a few things to look for. Maybe someone else can think of more...

 

[tatt2jim]

THANX BOB
SO FAR THE CAR DOES HAVE A 4 SPEED , IT HAD THE TACH ,DAD TOOK THAT OUT YEARS AGO BECAUSE IT DIDNT WORK , IT HAS A 3/8 FUEL LINE , AS FOR THE BALLAST RESISTOR NOT SURE ON THAT ONE CAUSE IT HAS AN AFTERMARKET ONE IN IT AND NOT SURE IF DAD REWIRED IT OR NOT , BUT NOW THAT I KNOW ITS NOT 100 % ORIGINAL I WILL JUST GO AHEAD AND PUT SOME GOODIES ON IT ...MAYBE THAT STROKER MOTOR WILL BE ORDERED SHORTLY ....

 

[SteveD409]

If you ordered a Powerglide then the tach was an option; only came standard if you ordered a 4 speed.

SteveD

 

[mpris]

Bob, I have a 64/425 which I bought new in '63 and it does not have the vin stamped on the block. Car was built in Atlanta, Ga. I know for a fact that the engine has never been touched other than have the oil pan replaced for a leak right after I got the car. So what do you figure?

 

[bobs409]

I figure the guy doing the stamping that day stepped out for a smoke. LOL

There are exceptions to every rule. Anything was possible but most High performance engines starting in 1962 have the VIN.