Newbie

[Jim Curnane]

Hi guys my name is Jim Curnane I am from Orange CT . I am 52 now and when I was 16 my first cars were impalas I had a 63 and 2 62s . I have wanted another 62 for years and have had my eye out for the right one. One of my first 62s was a 62 ss Nassue blue 283 with a 4speed that I swaped someone for a 65 Falcon do you beleive it . There were sevral attempts to steal the car from this guy so he got rid of it. I wish I had that car now. I would buy it if anyone thinks its out there.
Well last year a nassue blue Impala sport coupe came up for sale it was in Jersey
52 k origanal miles (true ) Beautiful car so I bought it . I have slowley been collecting 409 parts for it and have almost everything (almost) I have a complete
64 truck motor that runs and just picked up a set of 62 690 heads does any one know what I can use from that motor and should I ? I am trying to get the most Horse Power out of it. What could I expect? I know I can use the crank and rods not sure about pistons and what about the notch on the top of the cylinder? I did just locate a 62 QB Block not sure if I want to spend a couple more grand. Thanks Jim

 

[Ronnie Russell]

Jim, First, take your truck block to the machine shop and have it vatted and magged , to ensure you have a healthy block to work with. If it checks good, order pistons ( aftermarket forged) . Order pistons for 6.135 rods and use aftermarket rods. Rule-of-thumb, with truck block , order 1 point more c.r. pistons to achieve your wanted net c.r. Of course machine shop will have to tell you what oversize to order. That will get your project started. Many threads available here on the subject. Just use search feature.

 

[cuzineddy]

Nassau Blue '62

Welcome--Love the Nassau Blue Sport Coupes! That should make a nice 409. Keep us updated on the progress.

 

[Dick MacKenzie]

Jim,

Beautiful car!! Ronnie knows what he is talking about and has built many quick, reliable engines. You can't go wrong listening to what he advises.

Also, read this thread about building truck engines for performance by another Jim, it has a ton of good info in it. It's about four pages long and comes from one of the best (there are many very knowledgeable guys here)!
http://www.348-409.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12281&highlight=building+truck

 

[Dick MacKenzie]

Hey Bob,
Would you consider making the 409 truck engine thread (above) and maybe the "building a 348 engine" thread stickies?

 

[petepedlar]

Hey Dick, how do you guys find old posts that easy..... the only way I know of is using the search button..... but I have to read pages & pages to find the post I'm looking for......... is there a way to flag a post??? or put it on a favorite list or something??

Dave

 

[petepedlar]

.... and Jim what Ronnie says and the posts by Jim will walk you through the engine build. 450 to 500 HP isn't hard to do with a good block & a set of 690's. If you want more you could put a 4" crank from Eagle or Scat in there...... Jim's posts will give you lots of info.

Dave

 

[tripower]

Jim, Welcome aboard.... The fun has only just begun....

 

[Jim Curnane]

Truck Block

Thanks guys for all the info most of the info refered to 333 heads I do have a set of 690s coming. it does not sound like I am going to use much from this motor other then the block I might be able to get close to what I could pay for a 62 QB block
for this complete engine makes sence my car would not be numbers matching but would be correct date codes and casting numbers Thanks Jim

 

[Dick MacKenzie]

Hey Dick, how do you guys find old posts that easy..... the only way I know of is using the search button..... but I have to read pages & pages to find the post I'm looking for......... is there a way to flag a post??? or put it on a favorite list or something??

Dave

Probably dumb luck Dave. I searched for 'building' & 'truck' but I did remember Jim Carniato started the thread. It was on the second page of the search results.

 

[jim_ss409]

Nice car Jim!bang

Aside from the notch in the cylinder the truck blocks are pretty much identical to the car blocks. So from a performance standpoint the truck block is fine but you bring up a good point, if you can sell the truck engine for enough to cover most of the cost of the QB block, that might be a good way to go.
62 QB blocks are fairly scarce and there's no doubt that having a QB block would enhance the value of the car. You said you want lots of power so a stroker kit would be the nicest way to get it. If you went that way you don't need the truck crank either. Also, like Ronnie said the stock 409 rods aren't all that strong so most guys go for new rods. So if you want to make fairly big power the only things you'll use from the truck engine are the block, oil pan and and front cover. So in your case the QB block might be the smart way to go.:?
With your 690 heads and a stroker kit, (about 474 ci) you can make a nice streetable engine that will run on pump gas and make more than 500 hp.

 

[k9hotrodder409]

Welcome to the site Jim. Lots of knowledgeable guys here,and some of them are even smart !Lots of pictures of your project please.

 

[skipxt4]

That's a VERY nice 62, Jim.

 

[Jim Curnane]

409

Thanks Jim Iam glad you agree with me a better investment for close to the same amount. I am working on buying the QB block I,ll let you all know when I get it might be a couple of weeks. I paid $1700 for the complete truck motor I was told it was rebuilt and it runs would be good for a low budget project maybe just drop it in with minor work. I will post it here for sale first just incase someone here wants to make an offer.