correct 1965 conv, 396

[Mike D 40870]

I am a new member to the NCRS. This is my first post. My question is ,I am looking at a 1965 conv, Big block ?? . This is not represented as a number matching car. I am trying to determine if this is a made up car, or original. The vin # 194675s106957 (build jan,14, 1965) Body trim std UU 19-467. Engine serial # T0624IV block casting # 3855961 HI PERF. Any info yould be a lot of help.

[Mike M.]

Re: correct 1965 conv, 396

Vin 6957 too early for a genuine 65 big block. Orig 65 vet 396's had casting # 962, not 961 which was a pass car case. pass on its unless cost is reasonable and you gotta have a 65. mike

[David H.]

Re: correct 1965 conv, 396

Dito: Mike, My 65 fuel coupe #9038 is a feb. car and from what I know not any big blocks until March. The dent in the frame (for the harmonic ballancer) was however allready present at the begining of production. David

[Tony Merendino]

Re: correct 1965 conv, 396

You need to decide what kind of car you are looking for. An original 396 convert in good condition will cost you a whole lot more than a car with a Non Original Motor (NOM)and parts.

If you want a fun and fast car a 396 roadster is all you can handle even if the engine is not original. If you want a car you can show and get judged in NCRS look for an original car. Look for documentation that verifies originallity and look for numbers that match. If this is the route you want to go visit the NCRS store and buy a judging guide and several books on mid years before you even look at a car. This will be the best money you spend in this hobby.

There are many cars out there that are being represented as original by people who don't know what original or numbers matching mean. It is not always malicious sometimes just ignorance. Fight ignorance and read or take a knowledgable NCRS member with you before you leap. The search for the car is half the fun but you need to know what you are doing to avoid the traps.

[Loren L.]

Agree with Mike. Just think how much

smarter you are than the guy who paid 125K two years ago at Barrett-Jackson for a '65 that was too early for a 396.

[Mike D 40870]

Re: Agree with Mike. Just think how much

Thanks for the info. This will save me $$$ My Dad would say "If it sounds to good to be true, The chances are it is.

[Tracy C.]

you have a wise ole Dad...the other thing you

now have is a whole lot of new "glass eyed" buddies to seek advice from on this board.

Welcome to the NCRS Mike!!

Even if you never show the car you eventually get, you can rest assured you can seek honest advice from your fellow club members here that will save you a ton of money over the long haul.

Spending bucks for the wrong piece is never fun.

good luck,
tc

[Clem Z.]

only if you are very very lucky will you find

a 1965 corvette with the orignal 396 engine because they broke valve springs like popcorn and if you did not know what happened it dropped a valve and then GM installed a new engine or short block. the reason i know is i picked my 1965 396 at st louis in april and it broke a valve spring on the way home back to PA. it broke a total of 3 springs before my contacts at GM sent me the new springs.

[Mike M.]

Re: only if you are very very lucky will you find

weak valve springs and weak rod bolts accounted for many of the 2100 plus 65 396's being returned to the chevy dealerships for replacement of the original 396 engines, which is evident on the ncrs judgine fields of the past 20 plus years. not many 65 big block equipped vettes have their original cases. half do and half don't in our collection. mike

[Mike M.]

Oil starved rear case also-"Grenade Engines" *NM*

[mike cobine]

only if you are very very lucky will you get pts

This right here is a good case for not having a points difference for original vs correct engine. Having the original engine is more luck than anything. Yet getting extra points for original promotes restamping the block.

Points should be awards for skill of restoration, not sheer luck.

[Mike E.]

Re: only if you are very very lucky will you get p

Sheer luck, or diligence and hard work in searching out and finding exactly what you are looking for and then being willing to step up for it? If the standard remains "as it left the plant", then the original motor deserves greater reward than creative restoration. For 30 years, NCRS judging standards have clearly said "as it left the factory." It would be a major shift to now judge creative restorative work with equal reward.

[mike cobine]

Points for Original and Not so original

It is the "as it left the factory" that is the rub. Most parts no one can say if that is the part a car left with. You can argue paint shades and slide with some leeway on interiors and options.

Is it better to have the original 30 year old interior worn shiny or maybe a split or repaired seam or the new Al Knoch interior? The original 30 year old paint with some dulling or rock chips or the fresh new $6000 paint?

How many win with old original parts over shiny new reproduction or NOS parts?

No one seem to notice (or care) that old original-to-that-car parts are often replaced with new parts or with similar old parts that look better but are not from that car.

But the engine block is the exception. A given block left with this car and this car only. It is not identical to the block in 100 other cars, because of the partial VIN. And you have that by sheer luck. You cannot replace it with an exact duplicate like a seat cover or a radio or a set of bumpers. There is only one - either you have it or you don't, and there is no way to get it if it blew up 30 years ago.

But NCRS does actually reward "creative restoration work" to those that restamp engines very well. Wasn't that called "restoration" by Roy Sinor?

So NCRS points rewards those that are lucky and those highly skilled in deception. Everyone else who simply works hard and loves their car takes the hit.