Jake Dykstra's 1962 409/409 Impala!

[Xplantdad]

Cousin Eddie’s 1962 Chevy Impala
Nassau Blue with a blue bench seat interior, 409/409, 4 speed.
VIN# 21847J18XXXX

<u>In the beginning:</u>

My father's cousin Edward Nydam (Cousin Eddie) ordered this car brand new in 1962. His father worked in a steel foundry and Eddie complained that his Dad’s work car was always too dirty on the inside from his work clothes to take be able take girls out on a date. So they ordered up this 1962 Chevy with all of the go fast goodies.

Cousin Eddie ordered the car at Brigance Chevrolet in Oak Park, IL which is now long gone. When ordering the car only options that would make the car faster were checked on the option sheet. When asked if he wanted a particular option like an FM radio, Eddie’s response was, “will that make it faster?” Ironically then - when Eddie ordered the car they were not aware that they had a choice of rear axle ratios so by default the car came with a 3.08 ratio. After realizing the mistake he promptly went to Nickey Chevrolet and purchased 3 entire rear pumpkin assemblies - a 3.55 ratio, 4.11 ratio, and a 4.56 ratio. Money was not an object for Eddie as he lived at home and had lots of money to spend on cars. The 4.11 was the fastest combination evidently.

Mostly all of the speed parts that were installed on the car back in the day were purchased over the counter from Nickey Chevrolet. He got to know the parts guy (Dan) very well.

They (my dad and Eddie) also tried several different cam and intake/carb combinations in an effort to go faster. They tried the mysterious Z-11 cam and it did not run as good as the factory cam, so back in went the factory cam. They tried a larger single four barrel setup and it did not run as good as the factory 2x4 setup so back on it went. The final set-up was a .030 over “X” block, stock original camshaft, 13:1 forged pistons, single steel head gasket, stock valve springs, 3852583 heads with Ford sodium filled 2.19 &amp; 1.72 valves, stock 2X4 intake with ½”phenolic resin spacers stacked 4 high, velocity stacks on the AFB’s, stock distributor, stock coil, Delco-Packard solid core wires, Jardine headers, 4:11 posi rear gears, with a home made pinion snubber. Preloaded right rear spring, and 80/20 drag shocks up front. They ran Sunoco 260 fuel, and a “cool can” with a 3/8” aluminum coil in an ice bucket. All this and the stock original shifter! Evidently they swapped so many cam and intake combinations that they kept about a dozen gasket sets in the garage to facilitate making a change on whim if necessary.

Eddie drag raced the car around the Chicago area on the weekends and his parents drove the car during the week as their everyday car.

Eddie literally had a houseful of trophies he won from racing at Union Grove, Oswego, and US30.



<u>Stories:</u>

One of my favorite drag racing stories is:

Eddie was not a morning person and his lifestyle was such that he stayed out very late at the local taverns doing what people do at taverns. When they raced on Sunday mornings they had to leave pretty early as they usually had an hours drive to get to the track and you wanted to get there plenty early to assure a good pit spot. Being that Eddie lived with his parents my Dad did not want to have to wake them up in order to get Eddie out of bed to go to the races. So their solution was to have Eddie tie a rope on his foot before he went to bed (how he remembered after coming home from the tavern is anyone’s guess) and hang it out the window (his bedroom was on the second floor facing the alley). My Dad then came by early in the morning and gave a tug on the string and Eddie got up and they were off to the track.

<u>The story about the blown engine goes like this:</u>

When racing one 100 degree weekend they were in a round robin, hot lap type competition, meaning if you won your race you got right back in line and kept racing, which was not kind to the drive train from an overheating standpoint. In the 4th round of the races when he was going down the track the heat was so intense it melted the solder in the generator windings and froze up the generator, which in turn broke the generator/water pump drive belt, which in turn stopped the water pump from working, and ultimately the engine overheated and froze up. Eddie had removed the idler pulley, along with the inner front bumper brace, in the interest of saving weight.

When Eddie blew up the original 409 it was replaced with a 283. The original engine was rebuilt, and put in a black ’61 bubble top Impala, along with all the “race parts,” including a new 4:88 posi rear gear, and an E&amp;R rubber drive clutch! The blue ’62 then became the tow car, and he continued to race the ’61 for many years. The ’61 was sold in 1969, however the original engine from the ’62 was removed from the ‘61, and taken apart, and some of the parts were damaged so badly, that a new engine was needed. The camshaft was broken in 7 pieces, and 2 connecting rods had penetrated the block. It seems Eddie was accustomed to shifting the 409 at 7 grand!

<u>Uncle Sy and Aunt Lil Vacation story:</u>

Since Eddie’s parents used this car as their everyday driver, they had planned a trip to drive around Lake Michigan one summer. Eddie’s father (Uncle Sy) told Eddie, “your mother and I will be taking that car on a trip around Lake Michigan so take all of that drag racing stuff off of it and make it so we can take it on the trip”. Out came the big gears, racing exhaust, etc. One thing that did not come off was the carburetor spacers though. On one portion of the trip Uncle Sy was attempting to pass a slower car on a 2 lane road and laid into the 409, the secondary’s opened up and around the slower car they went with ease, however when Uncle Sy went to let off the gas pedal the car kept going and going. Turns out with the carb spacers the throttle sometimes stuck wide open due to being over centered and you’d have to reach down and pull the pedal back to un-stick the linkage. I guess it was quite a sight seeing Uncle Sy under the dash, trying to pull up the gas pedal, not to mention the look on Aunt Lil’s face when they raced through Manistique, Michigan at over 100 MPH!

<u>History and time line of the car:</u>

As noted above Eddie ordered the car in 1962 at Brigance Chevrolet in Oak Park, IL.

The car was raced extensively through sometime around 1969 when the engine was blown up per the above story. At this point in time Eddie was attending college to become a lawyer, and he no longer had time to race cars. The ’62 then sat until 1979 when my father's uncle wanted to get rid of the car. My family is a "car family" and at the time my father knew the significance of the car, both from a historical and personal perspective.

My father bought the car and partially restored the car over the period of a year or so. As part of this restoration he found a 1965 dated replacement 409 and the related missing parts from over the years for a complete engine. When he put in the replacement engine the oil pan, exhaust manifolds, intake manifold, and carburetors were the ones original to the car, the block and heads were what was replaced. The original exhaust manifolds were taken off the car by Eddie (for a set of Jardine headers) with only about 50 miles on the car and stayed with the car over the years so when my dad assembled the new engine the manifolds were virtually brand new. The car had approximately 21,000 miles in 1981. He had a good friend re-paint the car in our garage. His friend had been to the Carlisle swap meet, and bought 2 new NOS ’62 Impala fenders for the restoration. My father also bought a ’62 Impala “parts car” and used many little, hard to find parts to complete the restoration. When complete, he drove the car with a 4.56 rear gear in it from Chicago to Indianapolis to the Car Craft Magazine Street Machine Nationals in 1980.

One other story that sYc member Bill Stephenson (olredalert) recalls well is a night coming back from Duke’s Drive-In, located in southwest suburban Chicago. There was a 71 LS6 Corvette that a mutual friend was driving, the 409, and Bill in a 63 Fuel Injected Corvette. The group was coming up Rte 83 and the 409 and LS6 caught a light. The dual was on and the 409 and LS6 went at it. The 409 came out on top while the 63 fuel car was back in the distance.

In order to raise money to buy a brand new 1981 Corvette for my mother, my father sold the car to a specialty car dealer in Southern Illinois around 1980 or 1981. That dealer then turned around and sold it to sYc member Carl Bolander. I have recently been in contact with Carl and he sent me several pictures showing the car with his “Day 2” modifications to it.

Ever since the car was sold we wondered where it landed. We always knew that Carl Bolander owned the car shortly after we did but did not know anything beyond that. In the spring of 2009 I began to do some searching for the car. During this search I was able to locate and talk to Carl Bolander (We are both in the commercial construction business and our companies had actually done business together over the years – what a small world.) Carl gave me some additional history and photographs of the car when he owned it but did not know anything about the ownership history after the guy he sold it to. Carl did not do much to the car and sold it around 1993-94. Carl wanted to restore the car because it wasn’t being driven. He and his wife just had a baby at the time, and figured it was best to sell the car rather than restore it. The next owner supposedly restored the car and gave to his 16 year old son, realized it was not the right thing to do and bought the son a Mustang and sold the 409 sometime around 1998.

Carl called the guy he sold it to a few years ago looking for information on who the subsequent owners were as Carl wanted to buy the car back but there was no information as to who bought the car. Once I knew that Carl no longer owned the car I had to try and figure out how to find it.

I then ran across the sYc website and quickly figured out that the members there were the type of people that would potentially know the whereabouts of a car like this. In May of 2009 I started a thread asking if anyone knew of the car based on a description and VIN #. (Ironically I did not know at the time Carl Bolander was a sYc member as well). On June 27th 2009 I received a private message from a sYc member that has access to a VIN# database and gave me some information as to the current owner in Los Angeles, California. I googled the name of the person and turns out he is a tax attorney in LA. So via his company’s website I sent him an e-mail the same day asking him if he in fact was the current owner of the car. That evening Bob Nagata responded indicating that yes he still did own the car. Over the next couple of weeks we exchanged numerous e-mails and I recounted the above stories to him. When Bob purchased the car in 2005 (from a dealer that was 3 miles from the house I grew up in, and where the car was restored during my Dad’s previous ownership) it had already been converted to an SS including the change to bucket seats in lieu of the standard bench seat the car was delivered with. In addition Bob had added aftermarket power front disc brakes, power steering, and an electronic ignition system. In one of my e-mails I indicated that if he should ever decide to sell the car we would be interested in buying it back. Given the significance of the car to our family it is only fitting that on August 8th 2009 we received his offer to sell (via e-mail on a Blackberry phone) while on an annual family boating trip on the Chain O’ Lakes in Northern Illinois, another place steeped in Dykstra family history over the years. Bob made us an offer we could not refuse and we were ecstatic about this wonderful opportunity.

From there we proceeded to finalize the deal and organize the logistics of purchasing and transporting a collector car some 1,700 miles away. Given the family significance and history of this car it was important to my Dad that my brother Dave, my 9 year old son, and I accompanied him to LA to consummate the deal. This was not something he wanted to do over the phone or internet. My brother Dave and I were my son’s age when my Dad had this car originally and we remembered him taking us for a ride in the car late at night when he got it running again for the first time – no mufflers, no back seat, no hood, no seat belts, etc. What a ride it was! Dave and I distinctly remember the smell of burning tires and smoke coming through the area where the rear seat should be while my Dad enjoyed the power of the 409 brought back to life. We were 7 and 10 years old at the time. It was great and the start of our own car fascination that we still enjoy as a family to this day.

On September 12th 2009 we flew to Los Angeles to complete the transaction and take delivery of the car. The entire process went very smoothly and Bob Nagata was a gentleman and first class guy throughout this process. The car was better than we expected and Bob made sure that he included all of the original parts he took off the car with the exception of the original brake system which was long gone. Reliable Transportation got there early and did an excellent job of loading the car and getting it ready for its 1,700 mile journey back home. The car arrived safe and sound on Tuesday afternoon 9/15/09. The car will need a thorough cleaning and detailing. Right now the plan is to re-install the original components that came with the car, new tires, different exhaust system, and correct some details/fasteners/etc. throughout the car.

Thanks,

Jake





<u>Vintage pics</u>

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/1.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/2.jpg

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<u>Some restoration photos</u>

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/6.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/7.jpg

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http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/13.jpg





<u> Car Craft Street Machine Nationals-name the guy by the car!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/16.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/17.jpg








<u>[b]The Carl Bolander years</u>

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/15Bolander.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/14bolander.jpg

[Xplantdad]

Reuniting dad (Jake) with his old car...Key exchange!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/18.jpg

He can't believe it's his again!!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/19.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/20.jpg

Jake asking Grandpa Jake for the keys http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/21.jpg



Some outside shots...


http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/24.jpg

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http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/35.jpg

[Xplantdad]

Getting ready to put it on the transporter for it's ride "Home"!



http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/22.jpg


http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/23.jpg


Arriving "home"...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/36.jpg


http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/37.jpg


Out in familiar surroundings again!! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/38.jpg



And finally at a show... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/39.jpg

[Xplantdad]

Here is a video that I hosted on Youtube for Jake...with his dad's car in it!

It seems that Photobucket recognized the Beach Boys song as a copyright infringment.... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Check it out!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXpL5S8H4UU

[mockingbird812]

Wow Jake! Congratulations on getting back the one that got away. Just terrific to see it come full circle. I have a '62 Plymouth that was a regular at Union Grove, Oswego, and US30 (Cordova too). Maybe you remember it. It was a medium blue Savoy with a 413 Max Wedge package. The fellow that owned it in '62 was Gordy Carlson (He and his son still run Biel Upholstery @ 6200 block of North Clark St.) and the link to its story is here! (http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&amp;Board=rides&amp;Number=302789&amp;page= 0&amp;fpart=1) Jerry Zielinski was the second owner from '63 to '70. They both still live in Chicago.


Terrific story - thanks for sharing! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[CC Rider]

Great story and a great feature! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

[Tenney]

Great history and great car, Jake. Recall it well when it was with Carl - no dog, for sure! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif Congrats to you and family! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

[olredalert]

------Boy!!! Does this bring back good memories. Jake (seniors) trip to the Car Craft Nationals was alongside my white 69 454 re-powered El Camino (definitly a day 2 car). What a great time we all had that weekend. Especially Jake as the car had just recently been finished and there were so many great memories for him.........Bill S

[RPOLS3]

Sam-

I forwarded your response to my dad and this is how he replied:

I don't remember that particular car, but as I remember, the Mopars were lighter, and consequently in a different class. When we ran the 409, I think we were in the C/S class. Most of the Mopars we raced on the street were automatics. Eddy raced on the street, and he always chose to race weird cars, like a '55 Chevy with a 401 Buick, and an early 4 sp. Hydramatic. He knew the combination he had worked, and could figure out in his head the power to weight ratio of the cars he raced against. Sometimes it was very close, but he always won. I do remember the Pie Pan restaurant. We raced a 421 Pontiac on Eden's expressway one foggy night, and Eddy had the 409 sideways at about 100 mph. It seemed perfectly natural, and he never lifted! Later when we returned to the restaurant, we saw the Pontiac driver, and he said Eddy was crazy! There were many "Hot" cars there, and they would test their tune-ups on the Eden's Expressway on Friday and Saturday nights, prior to going up to the Drag Strip on Sunday. After being beaten on the Eden's, they would ask Eddy where he was going to race on Sunday, and they would go to another strip! Usually on Fridays, we would go to Skips in Melrose Park, and race on North Ave. When the Police stopped the racing on North Ave, we would go to a side street next to Amlings, and race there. Saturday's were usually spent preparing the car for Sunday at the drag strip. If the car felt really strong, we would go to the Pie Pan, and embarrass the "Big Boys" on Saturday night.


Ah, the memories! I feel like I'm 20 again!

Thanks -

Jake

[RPOLS3]

Thank you Bruce for posting this, great job as usual.

As I look at some of the pictures again I have to laugh - anyone diggin' the period correct Farrah Fawcett poster in the back wall of the garage in the picture of the car being painted?

That's Bob Zimmerman "Stretch" who painted the car in our attached 2 stall garage with the big door open and a old Craftsman compressor back in 1980. It turned out amazingly well for the conditions back then. I am the one at the very right edge of the picture looking on - I was 10 years old at the time.

Funny thing about the tire/hubcap picture. My dad installed those Sears tires in 1980 as part of his restoration back then and they were still on the car when we picked it up in LA - almost 30 years later. They were the first thing to be replaced when he got it back.

Jake

[mockingbird812]

Good stuff Jake - thanks for relaying my comments to your Dad! In 1962 when the Max Wedges were released, my Plymouth was in the Super Super Stock (SS/S, one year only) class due, as you stated, to its power to weight ratio. My Plymouth is a 3 speed HD T85 BW manual trans. Second owner, Jerry Zielinski, lived closer to the Pie Pan and made a habit of hangin out there too. He has some good Eden's Expressway stories to. Little doubt these two cars probably crossed paths at one time. Thanks! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[markjohnson]

Great stuff here! I've been following this story and photos(old &amp; new!) here and on the 348-409 site. Thanks for taking the time to share everything with us. I've been around these '62-'63 409 cars for my entire life and they'll always hold a special place in my heart! It seems like EVERYONE has a great 409 story about a particularly fast one in Anytown, USA. It's mind-boggling to see a list of the famous racers that started out with a 409. They have become legends, tearing up dragstrips from coast-to-coast, but this use and abuse has made them scarce and REAL ONES have become VERY few and far between. You have a great one there and it's neat to see it with somebody that has known the car for its' entire life. Take care of that beast!

[dykstra]

A great story indeed!!

[x Baldwin Motion]

"....Eddie drag raced the car around the Chicago area on the weekends and his parents drove the car during the week as their everyday car...."

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gifhow freakin' cool is THAT !!??

great story, glad you got her back home http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/headbang.gif

[olredalert]

------Hey Dave,,,Glad to see you on here. Hows that Fountain (beak boat) doing??? No doubt winterized by now like mine. I see you on OSO or Serious every now and then and keep meaning to message you. For the rest of you,,, Dave is Jakes younger brother and another one of the great Dykstra family......Bill S

[Xplantdad]

Welcome Dave!
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif
BTW, Jake...thanks so much for sharing this unbelieveably cool story with all of us! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/headbang.gif

[RPOLS3]

That video was when the 409 raced at what is now Byron Dragway just south of Rockford. The shots are from the grand opening day of the track in 1964.

[COPO 70 RS/Z28]

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

[Frank Mc]

Hey Dave Dykstra, sent you a pm!

[dykstra]

Frank Mc sent u a pm!

[Steven J]

Neat car, I'm glad you were able to bring it back home.

[dykstra]

Hey Bill, thanks for the kind words! This whole experience with this car has been amazing!! Take care and I 'll talk to ya later. Dave[ QUOTE ]
------Hey Dave,,,Glad to see you on here. Hows that Fountain (beak boat) doing??? No doubt winterized by now like mine. I see you on OSO or Serious every now and then and keep meaning to message you. For the rest of you,,, Dave is Jakes younger brother and another one of the great Dykstra family......Bill S

[/ QUOTE ]

[gb70]

Great story with a happy ending.

[gb70]

So what ever happened to Uncle Eddie? Did he get to see and drive the car again as well?

[Bill Pritchard]

Yet another incredible story and outstanding car...thanks so much for sharing!

I was a participant at every Car Craft Street Machine Nationals in Indianapolis (and Springfield IL) from 1978 - 1982, so I undoubtedly saw this car there in 1980.

[Verne_Frantz]

Jake, Nice car with a known history. Very cool http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Verne

[RPOLS3]

Cousin Eddie saw the car and drove it after my Dad did the mini restoration in 1980, was quite the smile on his face after that drive as I remember. Unfortunately Cousin Eddie died several years ago.

Jake

[Xplantdad]

Bill Stephenson wanted me to post these...

He will be commenting on them. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/tn_bill1.jpg


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http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Jake%20Dykstra%20409/tn_Jakeseni.jpg

[olredalert]

-------Thanks so much for your help, Bruce Its much appreciated!!! Thought everyone might like to see the big guy (Jake senior) back in the day, as well as his car, or the corner of it at least. The two shots with Jake were taken at the motel in Indy for the Car Craft Nationals. Jan took them of my parts chaser but both Jake and his pretty freshly finished 409 got in as well. We used to call Jake the "Cookie Monster" as he worked one heck of a long time for Nabisco and used to bring us all kinds of goodies at Classic Motors almost year around. As well, you can see from the pictures that Jake is not height challanged. Our favorites were the Mystic Mint cookies. We ate 'em along with a beer chaser after a long day. Mmmmm,,,Yummy!!!
-------Wish I had that El Camino back as it came out nice. The picture of it alone is across the street from my house in Hinsdale, two blocks from the old "Jack Douglass Chevrolet" which by that time had become the infamous "Classic Motors". As you can see I hadnt gotten to the bottom side of the hood yet as it was pretty fresh too. I swapped in an oval port 454 with 69 Corvette tri-power and transistor ign that I had laying around. As a sidebar, Terry Carney found the El-C for me down around Bluffton Ind. I miss Terry alot but I bet hes up there with some little fu-fu dog stuffed inside his jacket......Bill S


-----Oh, by the way,,, Thats a caterpiller crawling across my upper lip.

[bigjake]

Hey Bill--Nice shot of me in those "pants"! We were both a lot thinner then!

[Xplantdad]

Welcome to the Elder Jake! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[RPOLS3]

Dad is famous for his jokes and stories that he tells. I thought I'd share another true story about this car when Eddie owned it as it was told by Dad over at the 348-409 site. Anyone that has had the good fortune to be at a social gathering or swap meet where Dad starts telling jokes or stories can appreciate his "delivery" of a story like this in person (I'm sure Bill S. can attest to this)


Eddy liked to party, and some times he would party too much. On one occasion, when he was a lifeguard for the Chicago Park District, he would hang around after his shift was over to drink some beers with his buddies. His assigned place to work on this day was North Ave. beach. He worked his shift, and hung around afterwards with some girls he met while working. The conversation got around to what kind of car do you drive, and Eddy responded with, " I drive a '62 Chevy Impala". The girls thought that it was a nice car, but nothing special. He said, "it's really fast, and it has a 409 engine". They had no idea how fast it was, and never heard of a "409" engine. Eddy had enough fortification in the form of 6 or 7 cans of beer, so he said, "I'll take you all for a ride in my car, and you'll see how fast it is"! So he piles 4 girls in the car and proceeds to race down the sidewalk on North Ave. Beach. All the noise, and the sound of tires screaching, not to mention all the screams from the girls, catches the attention of one of the Police three wheeled motorcycle cops, who was patrolling the beach area. Well, the cop could not catch Eddy, and he calls in some reinforcements. By this time Eddy has turned around and proceeds to run back south towards the Fieldhouse at full throttle! When he gets to the Fieldhouse, and comes to a sliding stop because of all the sand on the sidewalk, he stops just short of one of the three squad cars waiting for him! Needless to say, all the girls were shaking and scared, and Eddy was laughing so hard he couldn't talk. The police impounded the car, and arrested Eddy for reckless driving.


Jake

[Norm reynolds]

Great story I love how the car after all these years came back home http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[ORIGLS6]

Jake,
Thanks for stopping and introducing yourselves Saturday. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flag.gif

[RPOLS3]

Thank you for taking the time to show us your fabulous car. I enjoyed meeting many of the members at the show. Like you said - the cars are only a reason for us all to get together.

Jake

[RPOLS3]

Update on the '09.

Dad's been enjoying this as a winter project in anticipation of the warmer weather cruising season. As nice as this car was when we got it back he has been pretty busy "fixing" things. New tires, cleaning up and detailing the wheels as long as the tires were off, replacing the entire exhaust system, installing the correct exhaust manifolds (found a great guy for tough cast iron repairs), lot's of misc. details under the hood, lots of adjustments on the interior (door arm rests were on backwards, gas gauge did not work, squeaks and rattles), installed a 3.36 gear for road trips (kept the 4.56 for outings to the strip), rebuilt the carbs, lots of tweaks and adjustments throughout. He's having a blast and meeting some great new people along the way. Some of you here have been following his thread over at the 348/409 site where he is re-telling many of the war stories of the car and his cousin. It is amazing the impact that these cars can have on us.

I'll post some pics when we can get it outside in some better light.

Jake

[Xplantdad]

How about posting the link to the 409 site (unless you already have)...

Neat stuff Jake!

[markjohnson]

http://www.348-409.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17507
Here 'ya go, Bruce. It's at 5 pages so far over there and makes for some great reading!

[Xplantdad]

Thanks Mark! I'm gonna have to check it out after dinner...

[Xplantdad]

Those are some great stories on the 409 site Jake! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[RPOLS3]

Yes they are - and all true!

Jake

[bigjake]

As we drive this car, it brings back a boatload of memories! I gave some friends a ride in it over the weekend, and as we got back to the garage, they said, &quot;Oh don't put it away, we want to go for a long ride!&quot; So we went down to the next town on the back roads, and I zapped it a few times. They both remarked that you just don't hear those muscle car sounds anymore. I love to listen to the mechanical sounds this car makes. The whine of the T-10 going through the gears, the howl of the two AFB'S at 6500 rpm. Just listening to the engine idle is pure music to my ears. Even my wife smiles whenever we take it into town to run errands. She remembers the car being out of control most of the time, so a nice slow ride is a pleasant experience now.

[Belair62]

This is one of the coolest threads I have ever seen. I hope to see meet you guys at one of the local cruise nites here ! I can't believe I missed this on BOTH of the sites..SYC and 348-409. Jeez !!

[RPOLS3]

You will see them somewhere I'm sure as they will be out this summer at Downer's Grove, Plainfield, Lemont, etc. He and my mom try and take a drive somewhere at least once or twice a week in either the 62 or their 96 LT4 Corvette. He took out the 4:56 and put in a 3:36 so the miles will be racking up. I think he has already driven it several hundred miles this spring sorting it out.

Jake

[ORIGLS6]

I love those cars. The first 4 speed I ever drove belonged to one of my Dad's coworkers. It was a brand new triple Black '62 SS convert with the '09/'09 combo. We were at the lake water skiing and decided to run into town and grab some burgers at the local 'Burger Chef'. Dave threw me the keys to the '09 and told us to 'have fun'. My cousin and I were scared to death so we babied it all the way in town and back.
Now what are the chances a 16 year old kid would have kept his foot out of a dual quad 409????? I figured with my luck I'd break something and my Dad would hang me by my thumbs 'til I was 21. (Plus, .... if I didn't tear it up the first time, maybe he'd let me drive it again!!!! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif) Definitely one of the highlights of my early years.
I still see Dave every year at out Dragstrip Reunion. The '62 is long gone but he still has the '55 BelAir Convert he bought new.

[markjohnson]

Hey Dennis, are you talking about the fellow that had the Dusk colored/white '55 BelAir convertible that was at last years' White Hall Reunion. That's a neat car and an even neater owner. I spent a long time talking to him as I just couldn't believe he was the original owner of that '55!

[ORIGLS6]

That's him. David Graham. Cool guy.

[RPOLS3]

Well I finaly got the chance to drive the 409 yesterday. What a ride. Never drove one of these old Chevy's before - it was much nicer than I anticipated. Smooth &amp; quiet. That steering wheel is a monster though. I suspect it was so nice because Dad really has done a good job of sorting this car out over the winter. Everything works on the car, horns, radio, warning lights, clock, etc. and there isn't a vibration, squeek, or rattle in it. My 10 year old son enjoyed the experience at least as much as I did - but I think Dad enjoyed it more than both of us!

http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy219/RPOLS3/409/YoungJake409003.jpg

http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy219/RPOLS3/409/YoungJake409004.jpg

http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy219/RPOLS3/409/YoungJake409005.jpg

http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy219/RPOLS3/409/YoungJake409009.jpg

[Xplantdad]

How cool...3 generations of Jakes...enjoying the same car! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/cool.gif <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/cool.gif <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/cool.gif

[Belair62]

And they are all cool people too !

[Bill Pritchard]

Priceless!

[mockingbird812]

Sweet - GREAT stuff!

[bigjake]

The smile says it all!!!

[Xplantdad]

Great shot!

[RPOLS3]

Here is the pic so you don't have to click on it - it is my 10 year old son as we are taking off for his 1st ride (and my 1st drive) in the 409. As he hopped in the back seat and fastened the seat belt he picked up and put on Grandpa Jake's &quot;Ozark hat&quot; for the ride.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&amp;Number=25053&amp;filename= Young%20Jake%20409%20007.JPG

He still talks about the trip to LA to pick up the car and what a great time it was.

Jake

[markjohnson]

Man, I remember being that young age and riding in my father's 409's! Be careful......that addiction bug will bite.....and bite hard! I know that better and much faster cars emerged just a few years later in the Sixties but there's something really special about a dual quad, 4-speed, positraction 409. The Beach Boys had it right! I can remember when nobody wanted those &quot;boat anchors&quot; and my dad's buddies giving him trouble about still messing with those engines while they were drving SS 396 Chevelles and Z/28 Camaros. They would GIVE my father their left-over 409 parts for free! Maybe that's why he like them so much!

[RPOLS3]

Mom and Dad took a ride over to Mt. Carroll (about a 200 mile round trip) for a little car show this past Saturday and to his surprise the 409 won Best of Show.

http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy219/RPOLS3/409/MrCarrollCarShow1.jpg

You can see the full story here:

http://www.348-409.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17507&amp;page=9

[fasteddiesonjohn]

This is so amazing you guys discovered this car's whereabouts. I would love to see it some time if you guys show it. I heard all the stories about my father racing this car down North Ave beach. I drive too fast myself, but no fast toys for me yet. I'm 29, maybe soon I will indulge myself.

[bigjake]

John--Please reply to this thread! This is incredible that you found this site! We are anxious to talk to you. We would love to get together and you can see/drive the car.

[fasteddiesonjohn]

That would be so great. I would love to reconnect with family who knows such great stories. I will private message you with some of my contact info and we can start a dialogue.

Thanks!

John

[olredalert]

----John,,,I can assume that you are Eddies son (hope Im right), and that is something very special. I have heard Cousin Eddie stories from the day I met the Dykstras, and he had to be quite a guy. Big Jake and Eddie had some real adventures together. Its very cool that you all are reconnecting......Just an old Dykstra bud......Bill S

[bigjake]

We have contacted John, and are making plans to meet somewhere in the near future! The story of this car becomes more interesting every day!! John is eager to hear all the stories of his fathers escapades &quot;back in the day.&quot; What a wonderful trip down memory lane this has been! Only in America could this have happened!

[RPOLS3]

Update on this thread - hard to believe we've had the car for 10 years already.


It's no secret this car led a rough life and the original drivetrain was long gone. Over the years, Dad has sourced and installed correctly dated rear end and transmission assemblies and has been enjoying driving the car to many local car shows every summer - putting several thousand miles on the car in the last 10 years. Thanks to a member here we recently were able to acquire a date code correct long block assembly. Over the winter this will be our project. As part of this process Dad removed the transmission this week in preparation to be delivered to Eric (Crash) for some service work. The replacement engine assembly has just been put on an engine stand to begin the inspection process. We will post updates as we make progress. Looking forward to more memories.


Sorry for the crooked pictures - not having any luck correcting them

[Xplantdad]

here you go

[RPOLS3]

Thanks Bruce!

[L_e_e]

Wow, Great thread!!!

[markjohnson]

One of my favorite threads EVER on this site!!

[napa68]

Awesome!

[RPOLS3]

Dad's been swapping parts off the existing engine still in the car to the new date code correct long block in anticipation of a dyno session on December 13th. We decided to run on a dyno to break in cam and make sure everything is in order before completing the swap in the car. Here he is making sure the engine will fit in the back of the Suburban for the trip down to Peoria. Hopefully all goes well and we can keep making progress after the 13th. Ran into Crash at MCACN and the trans should be ready this weekend too. More updates after the 13th.

[napa68]

Sweet!

[NorCam]

Cool. Make sure you strap that down somehow?

[RPOLS3]

Cool. Make sure you strap that down somehow?

Yep - thanks. Test fitting today to make sure I didn't need to grab a pickup from work to get it down and back. Will definitely have it tied down.

[RPOLS3]

UPDATE:


Engine was delivered to machine shop last week without incident in anticipation of our dyno session this Friday 12/13. After machine shop took a look inside he wanted to spend some additional time cleaning up old dried up assembly lube from internals prior to firing up. The engine was assembled several years ago and assumingly never fired. So our dyno session is postponed a few weeks until he can do his double checking. Glad we are doping this to make sure everything is OK.


Dad is on his way up to pick up the rebuilt trans from Crash this morning as we speak. It should be like new after talking with Crash at MCACN about what it needed.


Will post more updates as we find out additional information.

[L_e_e]

Dyno an engine on Friday the 13th.....:eek2:

[RPOLS3]

Making progress...……

Dad picked up the trans from Crash as planned on the 11th. Machine shop called on the 23rd and most everything looked good after the teardown and re-assemble. One small clearance issue resolved, glad we took the time to take a look. All buttoned up and ready to move forward. We have a new date for the dyno session- Friday 1/10. Will update as we know more.

Happy New Year!

[nova67]

Jake .....great story and thread . Many great cars came out of Brigance . I know in my old neighborhood thegre was a COPO 69 Camaro some Z28 375 chevelles and some big block Vettes from Brigance. My late uncle and another guy were the sole New Car prep guys there from 1960 till the doors closed. So most likely he did the new car prep on your 409. Tom

[RPOLS3]

Engine is getting prepped on stand for this Friday's session......will post more after Friday.

[RPOLS3]

A little teaser as we get ready for tomorrow. Engine is all prepped and ready to rip. No leaks, good oil pressure, water temp, idles down good etc. So far so good.


https://youtu.be/fMLQyaWPzXs (https://youtu.be/fMLQyaWPzXs)


This is a bone stock rebuild from 10-15 years ago that was never fired - with no modern technology so we don't have pie in the sky expectations.

[RPOLS3]

Dyno day was a success from the standpoint of sorting out the new engine and having it ready to install. A little disappointed in the HP numbers obviously but otherwise a great day...……...And I can't get the picture to post upright, sorry.

Engine made the most power with factory timing settings. As far as we can tell, it is a stock rebuild with the exception of lower compression (we think 10:1 pistons) Cam specs out as stock 409/409 solid lifter grind installed straight up. Block is a 1961 dated 068 casting with .030 over pistons = 415 cubic inches. Heads are stock 690's. Intake is a stock 881, with stock dual AFB's that Eric went through several years ago. With those torque numbers it should be a nice cruiser with a 2.54 first gear T-10 and a 3:36 rear end.

Now we are on to the next step of the project - getting the old engine out and the new one installed.

[dykstra]

We had a blast!!

[cook_dw]

I don’t think those number are bad at all. Hell look at the torque curve. Pretty solid if you ask me for a stock build.

[olredalert]

----One point lower compression would drop the horsies about 30 to 40 with all else being the same. Puts your 409 right in the correct area. Should be a great all around driver, better as the engine gets more broken in!...….Bill S

[NorCam]

Those aren't bad numbers at all for a pump gas friendly 409. I think someone's going to have a lot of fun rowing gears in the near future. Enjoy that, and thanks for sharing so much of this.

Fun to follow.

[napa68]

I agree with the others Jake. That torque curve is really nice! That is going to make a great street engine to pull that car with a 3.36 gear. I think the power numbers are spot on for an all stock combo with pump gas type compression.

Keep a skinny tire on it......................otherwise your Dad will get good at changing axles;)

[bigjake]

Back in the day, when we raced it, that was a common occurrence! We even made a tool out of a coat hanger to retrieve the stub from the rear end. It was always the right axle. Whenever any of the club members went to the junk yard, the first thing they looked for and bought was a right side axle. I think it was the same axle from '59-'64. We always had 6-7 axles hanging around. Since I have had the car, no problems with any axles!

[markjohnson]

Re-create that coat hanger axle stub retriever tool for a car show display in the trunk! These early 8.2 rear axles have caused me (& decades of others) much grief. These cars should have been built with the Big Olds/Pontiac rear axles!

[A12pilot]

This is freakin’ AWWWESOME!!!!!!! Best thread out there!!!!!!!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[RPOLS3]

Some more progress yesterday in anticipation of the transplant. Got the engine on a regular stand and freshened up the Chevrolet orange. The existing engine is also ready to come out with everything removed and literally just shored up sitting loose in the chassis waiting to be lifted out.

Next Saturday the 1st we will move the car off the lift to remove the existing engine (not enough clearance for the engine hoist while on the lift). Dad will then take 2 weeks to clean up and get ready for the new engine which we plan on installing on the 15th. Then back on the lift and he can finish up installing the trans and accessories.

[RPOLS3]

Made short work of the old engine extraction this morning. Dave and I arrived around 8 AM - Mom made breakfast for us all and by 10:30 the old engine was out. We spent more time moving the cars around in the garage then we did pulling the engine...…...but it was all ready to go when we got there.

Some clean up work over the next couple of weeks and hopefully the new lump goes back in on the 15th as easy as this one came out.

[Postsedan]

Love it!

All you need is some of your Mom`s Awesome Home Made Chocolate Chip Cookies :)

Thanks for sharing.

Dan

[olredalert]

Love it!

All you need is some of your Mom`s Awesome Home Made Chocolate Chip Cookies :)

Thanks for sharing.

Dan

----Got that right, Dan!!!…...Bill S

[Verne_Frantz]

Jake,
Keep up the good work and keep us posted.


I think we're almost twins!:shocked:


157542


Verne

[napa68]

Man that car is clean!

[RPOLS3]

Engine went back in with no issues on Saturday. Thanks to Enoch here for sourcing some original hardware to replace the hardware store stuff we found upon disassembly. It's back on the lift and ready for the final phase of reassembly.


158713

158714

158715

158716

158717

158718

158719

158720

158721

[A12pilot]

That’s awesome!!!!!! It’ll be ready in time for nice photo weather!:headbang::naughty:

Looking good!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[olredalert]

----I miss those days with the Dykstra's. A lot of good times in Big Jakes garage!!!......Bill S

[mockingbird812]

Gorgeous “9er”!!!!! Keep us posted guys!!!:headbang:

[RPOLS3]

----I miss those days with the Dykstra's. A lot of good times in Big Jakes garage!!!......Bill S



Bill - we were talking on Saturday that it is so much nicer now that we have the space and proper tools/equipment to do this. Back in the day it was outside or inside with no heat and limited/no access to the right equipment.

[RPOLS3]

Update - no pictures but Dad's been working diligently on getting the bottom buttoned up so he can move to the top and begin re-installing the engine accessories. Trans is installed. I hope to have the hood hinges and latch complete soon as well...….will post pics when we have more to show.

[RPOLS3]

Moving along...........


Mom just sent a quick picture update. Things are buttoned up on the bottom end mostly and started on the engine compartment late this morning.


Interesting historical side note......second picture shows a drift punch made by Cousin Eddie's (Dad's cousin, the original owner of our 409) father to line up the flywheel bolt holes. Eddie's Father Sy worked in a foundry and made the tool sometime back in the 50's probably.....

[RPOLS3]

Great day today. Got everything back together and running. Even took for a couple of shake downs runs.

A few things to button up like installing the correct fan (Thanks Verne - need to clean up and re-paint), adjust the hood, adjust the driver's side exhaust system.

Very pleased with how things turned out. Corrected a few more things under the hood with this project like heater hoses, battery topper, hood hinges and springs, hood latch, and many fasteners.

Shout out to this site and the sYc community for your support and help with the car from the beginning back in 2009. Thank you all.

Here is a video of the start up. No drama - started on the first try.
https://youtu.be/niFZ2zg9jcc

[RPOLS3]

Got the car cleaned up and went down to the lake for some photos

[RPOLS3]

Here is some more video from behind.......

https://youtu.be/AXwzjOnaUJk

[A12pilot]

Fantastic, Jake!!

“No drama - started on the first try.”

....sniff, sniff......that’s what I’m talkin’ bout’!!!:scholar::haha:

PM sent......:drool:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[RPOLS3]

Fantastic, Jake!!

“No drama - started on the first try.”

....sniff, sniff......that’s what I’m talkin’ bout’!!!:scholar::haha:

PM sent......:drool:

Cheers:beers:
Dave



Doing the initial run-in on the dyno took most of the variables out of the equation and turned out to be a real time saver with the install. We were able to leave the carbs on and in the distributor in. Literally hooked everything up and I don't think it turned 3 teeth on the flywheel before it was running - the choke even worked as it should. Sometimes we'd rather be lucky than good LOL.

[dykstra]

Great times! This whole process has been a blast!! Thanks to everyone who has helped along the way!

[RPOLS3]

Forgot to mention yesterday - but need to send another shout out to Eric (Crash). The trans rebuild made a huge difference in the drivability and fun factor on this car. It's like a different car now - thank you!

[olredalert]

----Can't wait to see some more video. Good job, Dykstra's!!!!!......Bill S

[mockingbird812]

Smokin' fellas!! Looks great!! Love it when a plan comes together!! :smile:

[ORIGLS6]

What a fantastic car, and it couldn't possibly be in better hands. CONGRATS! :beers::beers:

[RPOLS3]

Back in late March of this year Bill Wente (67since67) reached out to us after seeing this thread and offered up some original (as delivered from GM) hubcap bags that he saved from a 1962 Impala that he once owned that still had the bags with it. Bill sent them to us at no charge - a real class act. I've never seen these before. Sorry for not acknowledging this publicly sooner Bill - but thank you very much!

[olredalert]

----Jake,,,Take one out for a pic when you get a chance......Bill S

[Xplantdad]

Wow...I say it all the time...the folks on this site are the best!

[RPOLS3]

----Jake,,,Take one out for a pic when you get a chance......Bill S

Just the bags Bill - no caps........

[67since67]

Thanks Jake!!

I had been saving these for years, just couldn't toss them. After reading the thread on your Dad's car I knew that was a proper home for them.

When I bought that '62 SS from the OO he gave me the original SS caps, still in these shipping bags, 2 each. He had never installed the caps because he didn't want to scratch the rims. He had removed the seats to cover the carpet with matching seat vinyl, the carpet was spectacular and still smelled new!

Last I knew, that car was in the Chicago area, White/blue int, 300hp 4 speed.

Bill W

[RPOLS3]

Couple of updates on the 409......

Like most old cars there is always something to work on. Last fall when we put it away for the winter we were having an issue with the generator light staying on - usually a 5k RPM blast would clear it up though...

This spring when we took it out for the the first time we decided to address the problem. We had the generator re-built (was not charging at all) and installed a working voltage regulator (the one on the car was not functioning correctly) and also installed a new AC Delco battery to replace the dead 11 year battery in the car. Installed some correct GM hardware (Thanks Rich!) for the generator to replace the hardware store stuff that was on there and some new correct Quanta belts as well. Generator light no longer stays lit. We also took out the clock to have it repaired as it stopped working over the winter. We will continue to improve things as we find them and enjoy the ride in the meantime.

We have been fortunate to have enjoyed a few rides already this spring - and yesterday was one of them. We have burned enough fuel this year to need to top off the tank.

[67since67]

Love this car!! :biggthumpup:

[Xplantdad]

Beautiful!!:headbang:

[60sStuff]

Sometimes the stories of such cars are almost as cool as the car itself.

This one is a toss-up.

Great read and Awesome 409.

Thanks for sharing.

Chris.

[RPOLS3]

Sometimes the stories of such cars are almost as cool as the car itself.

This one is a toss-up.

Great read and Awesome 409.

Thanks for sharing.

Chris.

Chris - not sure where you got that picture but I am certain it was taken of our car's fender back when we owned it in the early 80's.

[60sStuff]

First page of this thread, photo #13.

[RPOLS3]

First page of this thread, photo #13.

Got it - forgot I posted them here originally LOL.

[olredalert]

----Jake,,,Did Bob Nagata give you those California plates with the car? Cali plates "My 409", how cool is that!.....Bill S

[dykstra]

Bill, the plates were not offered to us. I believe Bob wanted to keep them. Agreed though, it would be cool to have them.

[napa68]

How's that new motor running?

Nice pics guys!!!!

Tim

[RPOLS3]

How's that new motor running?

Nice pics guys!!!!

Tim

Thank Tim - only have about 250 miles on it so far but it is definitely loosening up.

[RPOLS3]

Enjoying all the months but really love August. Thanks Dave for putting this together.

We’ve been taking the car to local cruise nights this summer and enjoying driving it.

[dykstra]

:beers:

[Too Many Projects]

Finally flipped mine over today and marveled at this beauty too.:biggthumpup:

[olredalert]

----What a history this 409 has had. The stories are never ending and almost hard to believe, yet all true!.....Bill S

[dykstra]

----What a history this 409 has had. The stories are never ending and almost hard to believe, yet all true!.....Bill S

I was 7 years old in 1980 and will never forget my Dad dropping the clutch around 4 grand and doing a big smoky burnout going through the gears with open headers and 4:88’s.
Glorious amounts of tire smoke bellowing out of the rear quarter panels.
I was in the back and my brother Jake was riding shot gun, you couldn’t wipe the grin off our faces for days.
I remember it like it was yesterday.:3gears:

[RPOLS3]

Thought I'd post some updates as we continue to enjoy the 409. Most everything is now sorted out on the car, this spring we rebuilt the generator, installed a new voltage regulator, battery, and had the clock rebuilt. It is really nice to be able to hop in an almost 60 year old car and have it start right up and be able to take it for a ride with everything working correctly. We now have about 400 miles on the new driveline and it is breaking in nicely :naughty:.

There is a hot dog/ice cream stand local to my parents (Johnny K's on Rte. 34) and in the warmer months they host a cruise every other Tuesday evening. Last night was the final one for the season and the weather cooperated nicely (mid 70's during the day and lots of sunshine). My brother and I met up with our parents and took their cars over to enjoy the evening together. The turnout was pretty good for so late in the season here. Enjoyed rowing through the gears with my Dad riding shotgun on the way home.

[dykstra]

It was a gorgeous night!

[Xplantdad]

Looks great. Congrats :)

[Tenney]

A few from CC Nats Springfield '83 when Carl was looking after the car ...

[bbbentley]

Does it get any better? I think not!

[dykstra]

Tenney, those are great pics! I have never seen those and I bet my brother and Dad haven't seen those pics either?

[RPOLS3]

Tenney, those are great pics! I have never seen those and I bet my brother and Dad haven't seen those pics either?

Yes great pics - thanks for sharing. Carl did send one or two of those when we got the car back, but the engine shots are new to me.

If that car could talk..........

[olredalert]

----I must sound like a broken record, but the Dykstra's are my favorite family on earth! From almost the day I moved to Hinsdale to work at Classic Motors all of them became as close as family. I would be remiss if I didn't say that Bob Zimmerman (AKA Stretch) is include in this extended august group! Love you guys!!!!!!!.......Bill S

[dykstra]

----I must sound like a broken record, but the Dykstra's are my favorite family on earth! From almost the day I moved to Hinsdale to work at Classic Motors all of them became as close as family. I would be remiss if I didn't say that Bob Zimmerman (AKA Stretch) is include in this extended august group! Love you guys!!!!!!!.......Bill S

Right back at ya Bill. You and Stretch are like our James Dean and Steve McQueen!

[dykstra]

Can’t wait to see everybody at MCACN! First round is on me!!

[touspude]

Everything about the Impala is lovely. Even the wheels and tires (https://4wheelonline.com/wheel-and-tire-packages.283376).

[Tenney]

Tenney, those are great pics! I have never seen those and I bet my brother and Dad haven't seen those pics either?

Great car! As you may know Carl scored it from Jim, near Carbondale. He also had a cool black '64 340 horse 4spd. time-capsule 409 - also from Jim - who I think may've acquired both cars via Bill & Richard Buxbaum?

That '62 flew on Carl's watch, too!

btw ... ace photog, Dave Newhardt, was busy sorting classic 'Vettes and other cool stuff in Jim's So. Illinois shop around this time ...

[RPOLS3]

Great car! As you may know Carl scored it from Jim, near Carbondale. He also had a cool black '64 340 horse 4spd. time-capsule 409 - also from Jim - who I think may've acquired both cars via Bill & Richard Buxbaum?

That '62 flew on Carl's watch, too!

btw ... ace photog, Dave Newhardt, was busy sorting classic 'Vettes and other cool stuff in Jim's So. Illinois shop around this time ...

Our Dad sold the 62 to Jim in order to purchase a new 1981 Corvette 4 speed for our Mom at the time (he also sold an L78 Nova he owned with Bill S. but not to Jim). Jim is still around but living in Chicago suburbs now. I saw him this spring at a swap meet in Sandwich. Funny thing is even with the proceeds from the 62 and the Nova they had to come up with a bunch of money to purchase a new Corvette even back in 1981. While we got the 62 back we completely lost track of the Nova - as I recall it was an original drivetrain bench seat 4 speed car, gold with black guts. Supposedly sold to a kid in the Joliet area who repainted it black.

[NorCam]

Can’t wait to see everybody at MCACN! First round is on me!!

Glad to see it's all going ahead this year. Enjoy the show and maybe we'll see you next year. :beers:

[napa68]

Can’t wait to see everybody at MCACN! First round is on me!!

Sweet!:beers:

[RPOLS3]

Since I can't get one project finished properly - in true car guy form I am going to start another one. This one hopefully more fun and not as complicated. Just ordered (5) 8.00 x 14 Goodyear Super Cushion 1" whitewalls from Rusty to replace the 13 year old radials on the 409. While we are at it we learned that factory full wheel cover cars (which this is) should have semi gloss black and not body color wheels (which it has now) no matter what the body color was - so the wheels will get repainted while they are off. Updates to follow - hopefully no scope creep on this one.

[napa68]

hopefully no scope creep on this one.

LOL......good luck with that
:haha:

[msclassiccars]

What beautiful car with an awesome history behind it!

The drag racing stories from the muscle car era are priceless.

[RPOLS3]

Phase 1 of Operation Bias Ply was completed today.

Went down and took the wheels off and ran them to the local tire guy and had the tires dismounted. Thanks to Rusty we've got 5 new reproduction bias ply Goodyear 8.00 x 14 - 1" whitewalls ready to go back on.

Brought the wheels back and cleaned them up and blew some black paint on them as they should have been from the factory. Letting the paint cure a bit and will go back down in another week or two to get the new tires mounted.

Had a chance to get a warranty replacement battery taken care of as well and started up the car and let it run a bit.

[dykstra]

Looking good!!!

[Too Many Projects]

I don't know, I would've had a hard time painting over the beautiful paint on those wheels.

The end result will be nice..:biggthumpup:

[67since67]

- hopefully no scope creep on this one.

Scope creep is the pure definition of what goes on in my shop....

[olredalert]

----Love the new donuts, Jake!....Bill S

[RPOLS3]

I don't know, I would've had a hard time painting over the beautiful paint on those wheels.

The end result will be nice..:biggthumpup:

Thanks - The picture of the black wheels are the "after". The blue paint we painted over was nice but not correct for this application so we decided to make the change.

[Too Many Projects]

Yep, it was the Blue paint I referred too.

[RPOLS3]

Mom and Dad ran over and got the tires mounted today, I will get down there to get them on the car and back on the ground.

[SPEEDYB]

I notice disc brakes in one of the photos, will these wheels fit with those brakes?

[dykstra]

I notice disc brakes in one of the photos, will these wheels fit with those brakes?

Yes, these are the wheels that came off the car. My bro painted them black as that is correct for the type of hub caps on this 409.

[RPOLS3]

Finally got the new Goodyear's back on the car yesterday. Did not get a chance to drive it as it started raining as we were finishing up. We love the look though.

[scuncio]

Looks great!

[67since67]

I love this car!!

[Tommy Nolen]

Looks great!!!

[SPEEDYB]

Those tires look great.

[RPOLS3]

Finally got to take Dad for a ride with the new tires on Sunday. Definitely a different feel than the radials - but we love the look.

[dykstra]

The ol niner ran great!!!

[mockingbird812]

Yep, THAT is a handsome steed!!! :biggthumpup::3gears::biggthumpup::3gears:

[napa68]

Much better look IMO

An old friend of mine once told me........

"radial tires are like sex with a rubber........the experience just ain't the same!"

[RPOLS3]

Spent some time behind the wheel of the 409 on Saturday and took some better shots of the car with the new tires. Great day.

Finally got a chance to teach my son how a clutch works..........if he can get comfortable with this he'll be able to drive anything.

[dykstra]

Super cool! I wish i could of been there with the 3 Jakes!!

[Xplantdad]

Awesome!!:biggthumpup:

[dykstra]

We had the ol “Niner” out this weekend and it was definitely a family affair! As usual good times were had by all.:3gears:
As you may note, my daughter has a heavy right foot. Wonder where she gets that from?:dunno:

[dykstra]

My brother Jake drove his Chevelle down to our folks house.
He has it all sorted and it looks/sounds killer!
Hope everyone had a great Fathers Day weekend.

[olredalert]

----It appears you all had a great time. Say Hi to Jake No.1 for me please. Stretch says he is doing better....Bill S

[Xplantdad]

Awesome, thanks for sharing all of the great pics!:cool2::3gears:

[RPOLS3]

Spent the day yesterday doing some fluid maintenance on the 409. Our son surprised us with a last minute weekend home from the Big City and he helped with the tasks. My wife and mom had to go to a baby shower in the suburbs so we spent the day working in Dad's garage doing routine stuff. Anti-freeze drain and fill, oil and filter change (taught him about canister type filters), suction out and refill the brake fluid in the master cylinder, drain and fill the trans and diff too which had not been done since the new engine install 3 years ago. Adjusted the parking brake a bit and removed an aftermarket sway bar installed a few years back. Also installed a new fan clutch in an attempt to help hot weather engine temperature management.

We were able to run the car over for a visit with Dad and brought him out to see it as well. For those that may not know - earlier this year we had to admit him to a nursing facility as his health continues to decline - a tough but necessary decision. Enjoy every minute with your loved ones while you can.

Here are some random under car pictures - the car was body off restored back in the 2000-ish time frame and has held up pretty well.

[olredalert]

----Great car, great grandson, and a great man!!! Please say hi when you are with him next....Bill S

[Xplantdad]

----Great car, great grandson, and a great man!!! Please say hi when you are with him next....Bill S


Ditto...please give him a hug from all of us. :beers:

[napa68]

Our best to all of your family Jake!

[PeteLeathersac]

‘

Great postings also Amen to all above!:worship:
Family first, love everyone while you can also hang on tight for what’s to come.:biggthumpup:
:beers:
~ Pete

.

[RPOLS3]

Interesting photo surfaced last week in this cars history.........if you read back to the beginning of this thread and recall the original owner "Cousin Eddie". His son John reached out to our Mom and forwarded this picture. It is a picture of Eddie after being pulled over by a Chicago Police Officer for driving on the sidewalk along North Avenue Beach (one of the many stories we remember Dad telling about Eddie's exploits back in the day). John found this photo in some sort of online archive for Chicago history. Not sure why they are looking under the hood - maybe the officer was curious what was making all the noise? The chain remained after several years for security reasons.

[RPOLS3]

Took advantage of a cold winter day and headed down to Mom's place for a work day today on the 409 to correct a few things -

First up was replacing the generic starter that was on the car. I was able to source a correctly dated and rebuilt unit and made the swap. After spending some some time investigating I decided it was easier to tackle this by removing the RH exhaust manifold rather than fight the wiring blindly and wrestle the starter out - was much easier this way. No rust issues to contend with so removing the 7 bolts and sliding the manifold out of the way didn't take too long. Found a loose lower control arm cross shaft bolt while looking around so took care of that too.

[RPOLS3]

Second on the list was removing an old electric fuel pump that was installed when the car was restored for the 2nd time and a monster W motor was in between the frame rails. Since the electric pump is no longer necessary and had been bypassed since we got the car back a long time ago, I wanted to clean things up a bit and removed it.

[RPOLS3]

Lastly - when I bought the correct starter for it I also bought a correctly (or more correctly) dated water pump. We've been having issues with rusty anti-freeze/water mix even after draining and refilling the radiator 2x yearly since we installed the new motor 4 years ago. While I had the radiator drained to install the new water pump I thought it a good time to replace the thermostat (I should have known that Dad had a spare AC Delco one in his stash) and drain the block (easy to do on the starter side when the exhaust manifold and starter are removed - not so much on the driver's side) to try and get most of the rusty stuff out of the system. Last summer I also installed a new fan clutch on a correct fan sourced from Verne Frantz a few years back (I miss Verne). Ran out of time this afternoon and didn't get the belts adjusted or the system re-filled or tested today but will get to that in couple weeks - all the hard stuff is done.

[olredalert]

----How is Mom doing, Jake?....Bill S

[RPOLS3]

----How is Mom doing, Jake?....Bill S

Real good Bill - thanks for asking. She is getting used to her new routine.

[RPOLS3]

Yesterday I was able to finish things up and take it for an 8 mile test drive - happy to report that all is good and no issues. Successful project completed - on to the next.....

[RPOLS3]

I spent some time earlier this week down at Mom's to assist with driving to routine medical appointments. It also allowed me to tackle some tasks on the 409.

First up was to clean up and organize all of the misc. information and paperwork Dad had collected over the years and piled up in the trunk. Many of it was duplicate information and got tossed but the rest was organized in a couple of 3 ring binders we started when we re-acquired the car in 2009. Dad had spares for lots of things, more cleaning supplies than we will ever need for car shows, and tools for dealing with almost any roadside emergency.

[RPOLS3]

Next up was to remove the Gabriel Hi Jacker air shocks he installed and re-install the shocks he took off - I know they are not correct/accurate - but they are much better than the air shocks and will do just fine for now.

[RPOLS3]

Lastly I touched up the engine paint on the water pump bolts and gaskets from the water pump install a few weeks ago and installed a new rubber fuel line and more correct clamps from when we removed the electric pump. No pics of those things.

Once that was all done I scrubbed the whitewalls and took it for another test run and to get some fresh gas in it. Enjoyed the 20 mile drive - radio works, clock works, heater/defroster works. Slowly getting it even more sorted out than it was. Next project is to tackle the windshield washer pump. The wipers work but not the pump. Since the car is never driven in the rain it's not really a big deal - but want it right, just like Dad would of. :3gears::3gears::3gears:

[napa68]

All of the little tasks and victories are oh so satisfying. Looks great Jake!

[67since67]

Jake, I can only imagine the feelings of working on and driving your Dad's prized automobile. We all should be so lucky to have a younger generation to carry on.
Kudos to you and Dave!! :youguysrock:

[olredalert]

Jake, I can only imagine the feelings of working on and driving your Dad's prized automobile. We all should be so lucky to have a younger generation to carry on.
Kudos to you and Dave!! :youguysrock:

----Jake and Dave are the best care takers a guy could find. They were trained by the best,,,Jake senior!!!....Bill S

[RPOLS3]

All of the little tasks and victories are oh so satisfying. Looks great Jake!

The victories keep you motivated.....

[RPOLS3]

Jake, I can only imagine the feelings of working on and driving your Dad's prized automobile. We all should be so lucky to have a younger generation to carry on.
Kudos to you and Dave!! :youguysrock:

Thanks Bill - we spent a lot of time together on this car over the years so there are a ton of great memories. We are truly fortunate to keep the car(s) in the family and are blessed to be able to keep improving them as caretakers.

[dykstra]

Jake, I can only imagine the feelings of working on and driving your Dad's prized automobile. We all should be so lucky to have a younger generation to carry on.
Kudos to you and Dave!! :youguysrock:

Thanks Bill W. That means a lot coming from a guy like you!:beers:

[dykstra]

----Jake and Dave are the best care takers a guy could find. They were trained by the best,,,Jake senior!!!....Bill S

Thanks a lot Bill S. That means a lot coming from a guy like you too!:beers: