The indecent proposal - 65 wagon trade offer

For about 2-3 years now I've had a little vinyl lettering at the top passenger corner of my windshield of my 1965 Biscayne Wagon that reads as follows:

WILL TRADE
For something big and old
that's NOT your wife

I put it there on a whim before a show but at this point I leave it there for my own amusement of watching people's faces as they read it. It's been fun, but the only real offers I've gotten from it is from older dudes that come up and say things like, "Hey I know what it says, but all kidding aside man - my big old lady is a REAL good cook!" and so forth.

So today I got back from a walk and my friends reported that there was a dude who stopped and actually had a serious offer for once. Here's the replay.

my buddy
Me

Hey a guy was just here who wants to trade you cars.
C'mon. You're kidding me.
Nope. Legit.
What's he got?
He said he's got a 1962 Belair 4 door
[me making a stinky cheese face and going ] Eh.
Yea, I know - but, John, it's a factory 409/4-speed car.
[so then I was all --> ] OH????
Yea, he said he wants to catch up with you tomorrow to talk about it.

Now at this point, I've still not even spoken with the guy or seen his car - but I have to admit that I'm definitely going to lose sleep.

So while I understand that we're a bunch of wagon kooks, I also get that we wouldn't be here if we weren't "car guys" first.

My car is a 1965 Biscayne Wagon. It's a NO options car that runs a warmed up 350 with a 4 speed Saginaw and 4 wheel disc brakes.

At this point, I'm more worried about resolving the quandry of - Which car is cooler - a 350/4speed 65 Biscayne Wagon, or a 409/4speed 62 Belair sedan? (and no, I don't know if the sedan is a hardtop. If it's a hard top, that'd obviously seal the deal.)

So anyway - what say you?

I'm on the fence. For real guys - I'm at a 3 day show with over 5,000 pre-1980 cars there and there's only ONE other 65 biscayne wagon there - and not only do I like my car decently enough - even on the days that I DON'T like it, I still REALLY like that it's not as generic as a [yawn] red 1972 Chevelle. But on the udder hand, that Belair seems to be the FIGURATIVE equivalent of a butterface chick with a huge rack. I definitely want to meet her to check out the body, and I already know that even if I think she's too ugly to marry when we first meet - I'd still want to ROMP on her for a long weekend, you know - to see if her performance would win me over.

Please, share your thoughts, opinions, things to think about, etc.

Thanks,
John

If the car is factory 4 spd, that,d be pretty rare,. W motors can be turned up considerably,.wagons do have more room,.
I,d take either car,.............. your dilemma

nick

I'd make the trade even if it wasn't a factory installed 409. Make sure it isn't a 348 or a truck block.

Thats what my buddy said.

How do we tell?

I made my vote on your poll. It's the only vote so far which means 100% of the voters all agree with me that you should....

(wait for it)

...stayed tuned for the end of the poll.

(yes ... I already know I'm a freakin' moron!)

Bewber wrote:

Thats what my buddy said.

How do we tell?

Q: What's the easiest way to tell the difference between a 348 and a 409?

A: The first thing that comes to mind and the most obvious is the dipstick location. 409 engines had the dipstick on the passenger side and 348's had it on the driver side. This isn't a fool proof method however as the oil pans are interchangable.

The best way is by checking numbers. There is a block casting number on the back of the block. Use the casting number page to decode these. A more accurate way is by decoding the suffix code from the front of the block. These can be decoded by using the list on the suffix codes page.

If the engine is out and you can see the rear crank bolt flange, this can be a good way to tell the difference. If it is round, it is a 348 and if it is "D" or bell shaped, it is a 409.


nick

Good stuff man - THANK YOU a TON!

Keep your car. Everytime you switch cars, you inherit all the broken stuff and hassles that you DON'T know about. At least your car, you know it. Fred told me this, and it's been true just about every time.

John, The choice is ultimately up to you, and it depends GREATLY on what your plans/ vision is for either car.

I had to refresh my memory on the '62 Bel Air and found these pics......

While the 2 door has potential to just plain be SEXY if done right...



The 4 door, on the other hand, just isn't proportioned right for sexy.....



But the wagon...........

Does the sedan come with everything including the kitchen sink????

I dunno Bewb, both are cool cars but I'm thinking in our group the poll will lean to the wagon side of things....that said I like the early 60s Belairs too.

Have to agree with Joel on the inheriting unknown issues too that's a big point, but you know cars and I'm sure you can tell if there are any major issues. the little stuff on a car that old is easy to fix.

Do you have any idea what a 409 by itself is worth?

Wagon - no question in my mind. 4 door performance car? Wagons are at least useful.

409's are cool though.

Mike

You guys aren't hearing me. Trade for the ENGINE. Who cares what it comes wrapped in? You can find something cool to put it in, or sell it for waaaaaay more than a 65 Bis wag.

Why is that? Explain. <_<

It's pretty simple, sting. 409s are worth major bank.

409 on ebay

If the 409/4spd is correct to the car, keep it in there, of course.

John, get the complete cowl tag info and post it up.

Why are they worth so much though? That's what I don't get. Because they were only used for four years? Easy to modify?

Well the dude never did come back, and I never did find a 62 belair today at the show.

Ah well - We had a great time, and I DID bump into a guy with a big block he doesn't want - and is looking hard for a bone stock 283 - which I happen to have on a stand. So who knows, mebby the 65 wagon will get big blocked at some point.

If it were a documented 4 door 409 car I would trade it in a heartbeat. If it's real it is super rare and worth a lot. I'm not 100% sure you could get a 409 in a 4 door though.

You know where I stand, brother man.

GN1220 wrote:

I'm not 100% sure you could get a 409 in a 4 door though.

You could.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy_aV1moevw

I guess Jay is right. I knew they brought a fair amount of cash, but I was not aware of how much.
This may be a bit much though.
http://rochester.craigslist.org/pts/1951354696.html

200OZ wrote:

I guess Jay is right. I knew they brought a fair amount of cash, but I was not aware of how much.
This may be a bit much though.
http://rochester.craigslist.org/pts/1951354696.html

Now I have been in the 86/87 Buick GN market since 86 and haven't kept up on the "old" stuff BUT that does seem a tad high !!

200OZ wrote:

I guess Jay is right. I knew they brought a fair amount of cash, but I was not aware of how much.
This may be a bit much though.
http://rochester.craigslist.org/pts/1951354696.html

Hmmm old 409 or LS7 let me think a litlle.....lol