Photos postedThe GL Classic Cars website won't open for me (times out for some reason), so can someone please post the photos of the cowl tag and stamp pad here so I can decode them. Thanks.
I thought so too- not clear and legibleJust saying ... that trim tag does not look right.
Wow… thanks so much!! A nice bit of detective work. Some in the forum were suspicious that the car wasn’t an original matching numbers 409 Impala, but you certainly confirmed it! Thanks again.Thanks JohnS, the cowl tag decodes as an azure aqua SS Impala sport coupe built 2nd week Feb 63 at St Louis with aqua bucket seat interior, white vinyl top, tinted glass, padded dash, long centre console (which means it was built with either a powerglide or 4-speed) and rear seat speaker.
The engine stamp pad has the suffix code T1013QB (October 13th) and looks to be original. It also looks like it has the partial VIN F 167087, and when I compare this VIN sequence # to other VINs from Flint-built cars, it means that this engine went into a car built at Flint MI in about mid December 1962. It's obviously not the original engine to this car.
Include the engine stamp pictures, not sure I know how to post them for CarlThe GL Classic Cars website won't open for me (times out for some reason), so can someone please post the photos of the cowl tag and stamp pad here so I can decode them. Thanks.
Carl saw them and has determined that the engine is not original to the carInclude the engine stamp pictures, not sure I know how to post them for Carl
It was pretty amazing how he was able to find out that the engine wasn’t original to the car. There were enough red flags up to that point where I decided not to go through with the trade but he certainly confirmed my decisionI missed his comments just posted I sent the original dealer link to him in the first 2 days that he could not open.
so he could provide his valuable input.
Paul
I think the VIN tag isn’t original to the carAfter reading Carl’s post about the engine not being original but the vin and date code stamp on the pad looking to be correct.What does that say about the vin tag that matches the engine stamp?
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Unfortunately I’m not in that position. But even if I was, I’d want the original drivetrain that came in the car.Just my 2-cents. This was one was certainly covered head to toe. It is a nice car, and cash is KING so if your in the position, keep what you have and make a final offer...you never know.
I emailed the salesperson to tell him I was no longer interested and how the car wasn’t as advertised. We’ll see if they’re reputable enough to change the listing.I understand. The dealers price should reflect that, and not pass it as 100% original (many dealers don't know all the ins-outs of the 409's). Then again, many 409 cars have had replacement blocks right from the dealer. Good luck on your search......
Thanks for posting the VIN tag because this required a bit more detective work. The VIN 31847S197087 is correct for a St Louis car built in the 2nd week of February 1963, but the fact that the engine stamp pad has the same sequence number required closer examination.After reading Carl’s post about the engine not being original but the vin and date code stamp on the pad looking to be correct. What does that say about the vin tag that matches the engine stamp?