- The base model 2-door sedan Biscayne was a real “sleeper”
- 409s were growing in popularity
- A great deal of detail work and all the various parts and pieces were collected
The goal was to be king of the hill
It’s been called “The Muscle Car World’s First Rock Star!” and for those that have been around the drag strip know the legendary 409 Chevrolet made quite an impact on the quarter-mile.
The 409-cid Chevrolet engine, when equipped with the Regular Production Option 587 2x4 intake system which cost an additional $484.00 over the base price and this engine package included a pair of Carter AFB carbs atop an aluminum manifold. RPO 587 delivered 409-horsepower, which was 29 more ponies than the standard single four-barrel version. It was money well spent if the goal was to be king of the hill in terms of performance, street or strip.
The owner was a “Chevy Guy” from the word “go”, thanks in part to all the publicity of these 409s. He bought a used 1962 Chevrolet as a first car, and his was a 283-cid version. After selling that car he graduated to a ’64 Impala Super Sport with 327/4-speed, then really stepped up to purchase a 1965 Biscayne 2-door sedan, complete with the 427 “Rat” big block!
A ground-up restoration
In the early 1990s, he managed to re-kindle his automotive “love affair” with high-performance Chevrolets, finding a 1967 Corvette that he gave a ground-up restoration. Then another 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air was obtained, this time around a Super Sport model with 327-cubes for power, which he gave a complete rotisserie restoration.
The base model 2-door sedan Biscayne was a real “sleeper” back in the day and he felt the car was the perfect candidate to be converted over to 409 power, and so began the search for a suitable engine and running gear. In early 1998, this Biscayne was purchased, a low-mileage (57K) one-owner, six-cylinder engine car purchased new by the preverbal “little old lady!” The car had only two options, a heater and a radio, and was in near-mint condition.
A complete 409 transformation
A 409 HP engine was found and it had a “correct” date code for the car, in this case, the block casting date was “B-26-2” which translates in factory code to February 26, 1962. The block ID pad has "T0313QB" markings, which translates to Tonawanda, March 13th, 409 HP and the cylinder heads have “3814690” which also coincides with an engine built in this time frame. The 2 x 4 intake manifold has a casting of "3814881", also accurate for early 1962 production. It wasn’t the original engine for the body, of course, but it was an engine that had been built in the same era.
The engine work, rebuilding, balancing, and assembly with a Borg-Warner 4-speed transmission plus 3.70:1 posi-traction rear axle was purchased, completing the items needed for a full, accurate and complete 409 transformation.
Assemble it as a factory car
This guy leans towards the perfectionist side of things and even though the car’s body was in great shape already, he wanted to really go through it and make it as flawless as possible. The original color was Twilight Turquoise and it was removed, along with the sealers and primers until it was down to bare metal. Great care was done to achieve panel straightness without the use of plastic body filler, and when it became time to apply paint, all products came from Sikkens.
The underside of the structure was painted Red Oxide, in the spirit of how the factory applied it back in ’62, and everywhere a great effort was put forth to assemble it as a factory 409/409 car, which had become known to enthusiasts as “four-by-four” cars, that would have rolled off the assembly line back in the day.
This is what the bottom side of a 409 Chevrolet looked like from the factory, right down to the green color swatch inspection mark on the pumpkin.
All original interior with the exception of the headliner and came without carpeting, just a bare-bones rubber mat. Tach and 4-speed shows it means business!
The attention to detail on the car brought a very high mark in judging 994 points out of a possible 1000 at the Classic Chevy CCI/WCA Western Nats in Temecula, California, an event that is well known for its extreme accurate judging criteria
It took a total of 15 months, start-to-finish for restoration. The owner is a dedicated 409 collector and besides this fantastic Biscayne he also has a 1962 409/409 Bel Air 2-Door Sedan which came from the factory so equipped, plus another ’62 “Bubble Top” version that is currently in the restoration process. This guy is overflowing with quality vehicles that feature the legendary 409 engine.
