I have sat for the past 2 hours reading threads on the 348.409 forum and have come to realize what talent, knowledge and memories so many of you seem to have. I have the memories, but I was too young to really be involved with the 409’s, with the exception of being a tag along to a family friend that raced a 375 HP, 396 SS Chevelle almost every weekend at the Hallsville, Texas Drag Strip in the summer of 1966. My job was to re-install the drive shaft at the drag strip after towing the car behind a red 1956 Ford pick-up truck from Shreveport, La. to Hallsville. I was the only one stupid enough to get on the ground with the fire ants to hook it all up. We won almost every weekend, but we always had to get by a stunning black 1960 Impala with a 409, 2/4 set-up. I fell in love with the chrome valve covers, and promised myself that I would have one before I died. That time has come (the car, that is)
I looked for 2 years before I found the car that I now have. With a second family and two young kids, I felt that I would have to find a car that already had the big jobs done. I am somewhat of a purist, and I wanted the car to be original and I would add a few shiny things and just drive the car.
The car looked great – sounded good – all nice and shiny. – 47,000 original miles
(at least on the last title) and hadn’t been registered for years. - It was to be my car.
I sold my collection of documented WW1 Marine and Naval documented aviation groups as well as some rare Navy Corpsman items from WW1 to purchase the car and do some of the things the car needed after sitting in 2 collections for years.
Long story shorter, the engine was problematic. – Would run properly for more than an outing – dead misses – fix one - then another. – Loose bolts everywhere - Intake manifold, timing chain cover, carbs. – Damn near everything I touched was loose. My question was, that if all this was loose, what did the rotating assembly look like?
I thought that I would have the time to retrain myself in what little I knew about Chevy motors. I had ’69 Camaros (Z-28, and 2 BB SS Camaros) as well as some mid sixties vettes and worked on them myself. The last one I worked on was in 1979. I was embarrassed about my ability to really evaluate this car before I purchased it and I led with my heart and not with my head. So, I yanked the numbers matching 425 HP motor to rebuild it as an original later. What started out as a “beautiful” original car will now be personalized to what I believe that I would have done back in the day. I also realized that one thing leads to another, and would require selling more of my collection. – This forum have given me the inspiration to get’er done and with the help of some great guys, this is how the project is shaping up.
What I thought I Bought:
I looked for 2 years before I found the car that I now have. With a second family and two young kids, I felt that I would have to find a car that already had the big jobs done. I am somewhat of a purist, and I wanted the car to be original and I would add a few shiny things and just drive the car.
The car looked great – sounded good – all nice and shiny. – 47,000 original miles
(at least on the last title) and hadn’t been registered for years. - It was to be my car.
I sold my collection of documented WW1 Marine and Naval documented aviation groups as well as some rare Navy Corpsman items from WW1 to purchase the car and do some of the things the car needed after sitting in 2 collections for years.
Long story shorter, the engine was problematic. – Would run properly for more than an outing – dead misses – fix one - then another. – Loose bolts everywhere - Intake manifold, timing chain cover, carbs. – Damn near everything I touched was loose. My question was, that if all this was loose, what did the rotating assembly look like?
I thought that I would have the time to retrain myself in what little I knew about Chevy motors. I had ’69 Camaros (Z-28, and 2 BB SS Camaros) as well as some mid sixties vettes and worked on them myself. The last one I worked on was in 1979. I was embarrassed about my ability to really evaluate this car before I purchased it and I led with my heart and not with my head. So, I yanked the numbers matching 425 HP motor to rebuild it as an original later. What started out as a “beautiful” original car will now be personalized to what I believe that I would have done back in the day. I also realized that one thing leads to another, and would require selling more of my collection. – This forum have given me the inspiration to get’er done and with the help of some great guys, this is how the project is shaping up.
What I thought I Bought: