409 engine?

[ckcjn]

I just purchased a 1964 Chevy tandem axle grain truck. The engine is a big block. I thought it was a 427 but some others had said it may be a 409. I have never heard of a 409 chevy engine. Could someone help me out with some info please? truck is basically junk but was told engine would run just needs battery. I want to make sure I don"t have something super rare and end up scrapping it. Thanks for any help.
Craig2
 

[Kris Golden]

next your going to say you never heard of the Beach Boys! LOL if its a 409 it will have large cutouts on the bottom side of the valve covers [closest to the spark plugs] If its a 427 it will have plain looking rectangular valve covers - yes 409s can be valuable IF they are the same engine as found in the Impala Super Sports
 

[HalWA]

409 valve covers look a bit like a W, and really don't look like any other valve covers, other than their little brother, the 348.

Unfortunately the 409 truck block is quite a bit different than the passenger car block, with large reliefs at the top of the bore to lower compression ratio. I don't know if the truck crank might be the same as the car crank, but I suspect that it is heavier. And the heads would not be the large port high performance car models. Still, you might find someone who really wants it, but I wouldn't expect to make big money on it like you might with a true high performance car 409. Good luck!
 

[ericlb]

hal has it the valve cover tells all, the truck engine is differnt than the car motor, but for your history lesson while the pontiac gto was the first mid size car to have a large [ 389cid] engine stuffed into it, creating the modern muscle car, there was another earlier ride for the factory hot rodder, in the very early '60's you could go down to your local chevy dealer and buy a impalla, if mom's 4dr with the thrifty inline 6 wasnt your style [and for most guys it wasn't] you could order yours with the ss package, and equip it with the 409 big block, 2 4bbl carburetors, close ratio 4speed manuel transmission, and positraction rear axle with 4'11 gears,, needless to say this was a whole different impalla and could hold its own with anything out there at the time , save a nasty vette or 2
 

[Kentb of SWMO]

Shes real fine my 409

Gota love the BB

Kent
 

[Jon Hagen]

Read this, No, the 409 truck engine has little value.
Chevy W motor

 

[HalWA]

The truck engine had modifications for use in medium truck operations which included different measures to lower the compression ratio and using smaller port and valve heads than those that were used in the car 409's. Typically truck engines are used at fairly low RPM's and have to be able to withstand lugging. At least the high performance 409's were set up for running at quite high RPM's and really didn't run that well at low RPM's.

So I agree with you that the truck 409 is probably worth lots less than a complete, running high performance 409 would be.

But on the other hand, the truck 409 might be of interest to someone who wants to build a 409 to put in a street rod, or even an old Chevy car. Chevy did not build all that many 409's, and the car engines I have seen for sale recently have been very high priced. The truck engine might be a good place to start in building a 409 for street use. In the last few years aluminum high performance 409 heads have become available from the aftermarket, and I think intake manifolds are also around, either new or used. It is possible to machine a 454 or other big block crank to fit a 409, in case the truck crank is not suitable for higher RPM use, and the added stroke/displacement would help to raise the compression ratio that was lowered by the extra machining of the truck block. I think such an engine could be built to run very well, and it would have the famous, distinctive 409 look.

While the 409 truck engine is not nearly as valuable as most car 409's would be, I think that it has value and unless it is badly damaged, it would probably be very salable. I would hate to hear that it went to the crusher to be recycled.

409's are neat!
 

[ckcjn]

Yes I have heard of the Beach Boys! LOL! I just wasn't familiar with some of the older engines. Is the truck block the same as the car block? If so someone may want to build one. I just don't want to throw away something that is old and cool. Supposedly it runs I haven't had a chance to try it out. I do know that it is not stuck. Thanks for all your help.

ckcjn
 

[HalWA]

The truck block is similar to the car block, but has some extra machining for a lower compression ratio. As such, it probably is not possible to get as high a compression ratio with a truck block as would be possible with a car block. This might make a huge difference in a race car, but for street use, on today's pump gas, it might be just fine.

I would try to get it running. A running engine is almost always worth more than a non-running similar engine, since you can actually verify that it will hold coolant in the water jackets and has oil pressure.

Someone will probably want the engine. I would be thinking in the $400 to $1000 range, depending on how worn out it is now. To build a street 409 out of it, I would guess that a person would have several thousand more in parts to build a good street engine, depending on what could be scrounged used at swap meets, plus whatever machining that would be required.

If the engine will run, I would be most concerned that it has never cracked anywhere from being frozen or that the water jackets have been allowed to rust away badly. Good luck!
 

[ckcjn]

Thank you all for your help and patience with my questions.
ckcjn