Poor boys 409 project

benchseat4speed

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 7
I just picked up my first 409 today!:happy

It was a friend of a friend deal. My high school buddy's Dad is in the VCCA, and he invited me to go see the collection of another VCCA member friend of his. He has A LOT of Chevy stuff and pretty much all of it is for sale. He's 79, Marine Corps Vet of the Korean War, and looking to downsize his empire. So I go over there with my buddy's Dad 2 weeks ago today, and the first thing I see is this '60 C70 tractor. Immediately I'm thinking W engine, but if it still has one, it's only a 348. So I ask the guy, 'do you wanna sell that C70?' 'Everythings for sale' he says, 'and that truck has a 409 in it.' What!??

So I bee-line it over to the truck and open the hood. Valve covers are covered in crud but they're chrome! Sweeeeeet!! I can just barely get to the pad by the water pump (it's covered by a big ol' 2 stage air compressor) to scrape it clean....I shine a flashlight down there.......QC!! 'How much do you want for the whole truck?' I asked. '$2000. Engine ran great when I parked it there, I drove it to where it's sitting.' So I told him I'd buy it if I could come up with the cash, and if I could find a way to haul it home. Fast forward 2 weeks, my Dad just came home from TX with an empty lowboy trailer yesterday. Am I lucky or what...Call the guy up, he still has the truck, I have the money, 'Come get it' he says. Someone is smiling on me today.

We get to his place, throw a battery and a gas can on this thing and it fires right up!! Hadn't been started since he parked it there in 1997. Air tank pressurizes, and the thing drives itself outta there, and right up onto the trailer! It has some lifter noise, but thats it. No smoke, idles smooth, and doesn't seem to have any blowby. I'll change the oil and drive it a little bit tomorrow, and do a compression test. I'll keep you guys posted!
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BSL409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 6
Welcome aboard,
Kevin what a great find!! :dancethat old truck is cool:clapWe need to see some photos of your 63
 

Ronnie Russell

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Kevin, What a find. There is no way that engine should have started. You are one lucky guy. And to have a Dad that shows up with the equipment to haul that truck ? Yes sir, you are one lucky guy. The hard part now is to decide what to do next. That truck is in such good condition that there has to be a way to sell it and recover a lot of your investment. Congratulations . A lot of effort by you and your Dad, but it sure will pay off in the future.
 

Tom Kochtanek

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 12
Kevin: Glad to hear that you scored Big Time and that you are excited to have your first "W". Welcome to the club!

The cab is pretty cool, someone will want that once you remove the engine. Even if you scrapped it, it will bring some dollars.

We anxiously await your further discovery on this QC build. Pop those valve covers off, tell us which heads you have. That and more pictures as you conduct the "extraction".

Cheers!
TomK
 

Dick MacKenzie

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 9
Great Find! :brow Great story! :dance Congrats Kevin! Loved the movie, certainly wasn't a "waste of 4 minutes"! :clap
 

409newby

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
Great find I think I would restore the truck and leave that motor in it!!! Pat :clap
 

oldskydog

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
Great score and a great truck, too. :dance
I'm just trying to imagine what the Canadian Super Whirlwind Restoration team of Jim and Jim could do with that rare big back window rig.:rub
 

tripower

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Great Score Kevin. That is a 61' hood so you might check the vin to see if it is a 61'. Also the Custom Cab is worth quite a bit and it looks like instrument panel has the factory tach. The 1960-62 all had the torsion bar front suspension.
 

Dewman

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 1
Congrats on the 09 find!!!:danceProves they are still out there! :beer I found a QG a while back in a 65 truck in a backyard in Englewood CO, I'll never forget it, I can relate to your excitement, like winning the Lotto.

Keep us posted. :coffee
 

DonSSDD

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Great find and great story. Aubrey, maybe you need to upgrade from that 1 ton?

Don
 

benchseat4speed

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 7
Thanks a lot for all the words! I drove it a few miles today and got it hot, and did a compression test, #3's kinda weak

1, 3, 5, 7 : 120, 100, 120, 140
2, 4, 6, 8 : 120, 120, 125, 130

If you've got another 4 mins to burn......
 

oldskydog

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
That lifter tic could be an exhaust leak.
Engine sounds good and at that altitude, I'd say your cranking compression numbers are pretty good. BWDIK
 

benchseat4speed

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 7
Heres the '63. Bought this car last summer for 700 bucks, been sitting since '96. Nothin special at all. Van Nuys built, 283, 3-speed, 3.36 open. Has a pushbutton radio and thats it.
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