BURIED '55 Chevy Drag Car + Barn Find 409 Engine!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- We tried to DIG UP a 1955 Chevy gasser out of the ground! This car was buried by its owner after a bad crash in the 1960's, and we just had to find it! After some searching, we discovered the buried car near a creek and started digging to see what was left. Also in this episode of Hot Rod Hoarders, you'll learn about the 409 W motor that once powered this underground 1955 Chevy. This is undoubtedly one of our craziest ideas, but it's a memory that will last a lifetime. Be sure to check out more episodes of Hot Rod Hoarders to see some of our other projects, rare finds and crazy ideas. This car and engine was abandoned for 50 years!
#hotrodhoarders #buried #abandoned
When my son was 8 years old I came home to find that he had put an 8hp motor on our snowblower that was designed for a 5hp, I knew right then that he was following in his old man's footsteps and from then on whenever I was in the shop he was right beside me learning from me what I had learned from my dad and grandfather. I'll always remember the look of fear mixed with pride on my son's face when he showed me the Franken blower, fear because he didn't know if he was in trouble and pride because he did it all by himself. There was nothing to fear, I was equally proud of my son. We used that snowblower for another 10 years and worked flawlessly.
Big.deal.stupid.story
@@kelvinwebber90What a miserable old pile of flesh you've become. I can tell you're an old man consumed by hate just from the way you type.
Quick! Call AMD! Call Danchuck! Order one of EVERYTHING! Overnight it ALL! We got a cowl with a tag on it, yeah boy!
Awesome effort. Those early big blocks are really nice engines.
A friend of mine and I pulled a 1957 Chev convertible out of a river, was there for 22 yrs. When we pulled it out the quarters fell off but we brought it home anyway. I then sold 400.00 of stuff from it,. Any way, a fellow I met at a swapmeet bought what was left and put that car back together and you can't tell that it's ever been in the shape that it was. True story.
@Crimson Idol When a person ends with "True Story" you know that they are full of shit. A car is not going to last in a river with moving water for 22 years.
@@mmill6505 "out of a river" is a very loose phrase, it's not impossible
Real glad you saved the 409 engine at least and got a piece of the 55 Chevy a real good vedio
Back about 1963 a farmer who also ran a gas station here in my little town wrecked his truck and was killed in it. His wife had his truck brought back to their farm and had it buried there.
It wasn't that long ago in my memory about 1993 Keith Horn a friend of mine killed his girlfriend and 2 other people with his 55 Chevy. The families had the car buried on one of their properties. I went the night they buried it had to have been 100 degrees out that evening. It was another sobering reminder of why my old man stepped on my back every time I spun my tires leaving our driveway he would always tell me after the physical confrontation real men do it on the race track not on the street. Five championships later I can't remember the last time I intentionally spun my tires. Not many people around the area realize that grave and monument you can see from the high way is the grave of a 55 Chevy drag car. It's over 25 years now since that happened and people still remember the road being closed until early the next morning they finally reopened Rt329. I used the graves of these people and others I knew that died street racing as an example to all 4 of my kids and I used to tell em you get out of anyones car that wants to do that shit on the street. I told em it never ends well. 60 years later I still hear myself saying my fathers words in my own voice.
@@thekingsilverado9004 So true man! Well written, took me until my early 30's to learn that.
@@Toxic2T Freakin wow... The article does not mention Kims death his girlfriend and assume that is because she died in like August a few months later but the article does not mention her. The Rotenebergers were in another car not a passenger as the article leads me to believe they were a couple in early 20's because I came on the accident leaving Eberhardt Chrysler Plymouth after buying some parts I was going to stop at Keiths house and drop some stuff when I saw the car in heap down the road. Rt329 aka Old Post road is pretty straight flat stretch of road. at first I did not think it was his car... What saw literally affects me to this day.. I can't believe ya found that. I believe the car is buried on the Kulp property of Keiths moms property. I got the invite to the cars funeral thru our car club called the Blue Mountain Classics Assoc. Can't believe ya nailed that piece of evidence dude... You must be some researcher...
@@thekingsilverado9004 First of all sorry for your loss and bringing all those memories back. Just pierced together the bits you provided and searched them as "keith horn 1993 crash" and these old news articles came on search. Here is a previous one: www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1990-09-10-2753925-story.html Have a great week man
@@thekingsilverado9004 another one too www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1990-10-03-2777998-story.html too bad no article says anything about that 55 Chevy
That is the neatest story, glad you listened to your dad.
So cool. Thanks for sharing this. 👍👍 🇨🇦
Just like me and my dad I have the best memories of doing things like this with him, thank you for sharing a wonderful time with us ! 👍
Is that a '62 Nova?
@@beezertwelvewashingbeard8703 it's a 64
That's a heck of a story that will be in your family forever
I remember when i was a teenager in the 70’s. I saw about 50 salvage cars in an old sand pit. They where just burying them. So sad.
I grew up in Southwest Va. We were constantly in the woods, roaming the mountains looking for different things. It was nothing to be out there where no houses were or an old house was and find old cars. We would find them on the sides of mountains where somebody had just flipped them over and watched them roll down or see them half hanging off cliffs or even laying on a river bank where floods had washed them away from homes and planted them there. Those mountains were riddled with old cars.
It's the same way here in Eastern Tennessee. There are tons of cars in the woods, rotting away.
That was awesome thank you for sharing your experience
I have a old mechanic that lives in a small town where I’m at and he has a 55 Chevy two door post car that was sent over the hill next to a creek to help build up the wall so he can pull Dirt in the level his yard out and it’s still there and it makes me cry every time I stand on the dirt where it’s at and I’ll never get to see it… and down in Kentucky along all the creeks back where my families from I see SS Nova’s, all kinds of super nice cars back in the day stacked on top of each other to hold the banks until the creeks wouldnt wash them out and 57 Chevys 55 Fords all that good stuff Mercury’s just put in the banks
The W block 348 & 409 were some of the best engines that 60's had to offer. I'd trade most anything I have, for one of those engines. Great story. Thank you for putting it out there.
They should of used the factory valve covers. That bow tie on them is just what that motor needs and I would of milled the Edlebrock off the heads and painted them so it appears to be a factory type engine.
Again.. And awesome story. Glad to see people like yourself trying to preserve our racing history. This is very neat. May you and your team be blessed with many more finds. You have defiantly captured our attention my friend. Well be eagerly awaiting the next find.
Here in Northeast Pa we had the Agnus flood of 1972...my understanding is that a whole bunch of cars damaged by the flood were buried were a high school sits now...heard it from many longtime residents so I tend to believe it. It is also (so "they" say) the reason you just don't find a whole lot of old cars sitting around to scrounge up. Interesting story and you tell it really well.
A shoebox and a 409. Great adventure. I got a ride in a '65 Impala with a 409/4-speed. My goodness, that engine pulled like a locomotive endlessly. A lot of people bad-mouthed that engine and called it truck motor. Well, if you raced a 409 and abused it, it would likely show some weaknesses, but for street use it was the hot ticket. The 409 had character, and a cool song as a bonus.
It's called a truck motor cause it was originally used in trucks! A unique design that used the top part of the cylinder as the combustion chamber. Interesting plant for sure!
I live in east Tennessee love tri5s and 409s I had no idea when I started watching this video it was local to me story loved every second of this
Thanks for watching Andy!
It's still a great story. Glad you saved what was left of the dash.
Sean harding I agree glad they got that dash
@@garrettrocks9888 👍
As a kid I remember one of the museums in downtown Detroit having a display of an old Model T that some people dug out of the ground. That was in the 60s. They showed a lot of pictures of them digging it up with backhoe, kind of like this. It was complete but one big pile of rusty metal.
Also remember back in 90s at a neighbors house one of his friends came by that was scrapping. He had a stake truck or a dump truck but the whole bed was full of W motor head castings. Hundreds of them. We were asking where he got them. From what I remember they looked unused
Great video Thank you!!..I have a 55 hardtop that has a track car history..still has fenderwell headers and a super t 10...love the vintage / historic rides...thanks for helping preserve it! Love the 409!!
That's awesome! I love any car with racing history, and '55s have always been a favorite.
I love this stuff i remember back in the 70's when i was little about 6 .7 or 8 my dad had an old truck i think it was something like a 35 it was cool i used to sit in it pretend i was driving and working on it till one day dad and me came home from an auction and my mom said the truck and a couple of other things was stolen from the machine shed my dad past away December 2nd 1980 at age of 56 in va hospital in stlouis Missouri those was good memories
Back in '72 I gave away a good running '58 Chevy Impala that had a great running 409 from a later year Chevy. Wish I still had it. Heck.. I would settle for just having the engine back!
Doorguru. In 1969 i boughta 62 impala with a blown 283 for $300.00 and bought a 348 out of a 59 chevy that was hit in the butt for $85.00 put them together. Best car i put a borg warner 4 speed trans for $140.00 a possy for $100.00 out of a 69 chevelle. Best car i ever had i miss that car.
When Jonny Cash sang I got it one piece at a time I don't think he meant digging it up out of the ground...
No... He was shoplifting... From his employer.
It’s amazing how many guys burried their cars at the end. They took what they could to piece some stuff out but it’s almost like they didn’t want anyone to have their baby’s either. I’m the son of one such person. I totally get it.
I don’t care what brand your loyal to...this is an amazing story! Great save on the engine and fantastic try to dig up the old 55 from her dirt nap! At least you got a super cool dash out of it and memories you’ll never forget!
That Dash would be on the wall in my shop!!!👍😎
Thanks for the walk down memory lane. My father campaigned a 60 impala with a 348 tripower and it got wrecked. He took the engine and put it in a orange 55 and used it as a daily until an old woman pulled out in front of him. Only memories I have are the color, the 4-speed and sitting on moms lap in the car while my father and uncle worked on it while running and I remember the noise when they revved it. My mother had a baby blue 260 powered 65 mustang at the time but my uncle bought her a new 66 ss impala insisting that fords were junk. I love them all but I prefer mopars because her father bled mopar. Wished I could take one last ride in any of them.
They should call you guys the hotrod rescuers!!
I wish this one had been a little more presentable, but still a fun experience! And at least we got the 409...we can find a '55 and hopefully build a tribute car.
This was actually really cool, thank you for sharing your experience with us. and even though you didn't get the car you wanted, you got the motor, and you got to see a very valuable piece of local drag racing history.
Great work guys!!
The 409 is awesome. Mine not as cool but good for me. I was driving, saw an old fellow pulling a Chevelle to the end of his drive, it had some rust and dents, but driveable. I stopped and asked if he was fixing to sell it. He said he'd take $ 150 for it just to be rid of it. I was so excited ipaid, signed papers, got my wife to drive my truck and drove off with no tag, not looking it over beyond the V.I.N. and lights and brakes. Got home, looked under the hood, had a factory 402, which at the time I didn't realize they'd put out. I thought they were all bored 396's ppl did after the factory. But .. not as cool as the 409, but a damn good price !
Wow, what a deal!
what a great story!!! if you don't try, you'd never find out....very cool!!
Ya know just seeing that car reminded me of how even much of the stuff we see nowadays is not all that far off right , BUT, on the same coin , look at what its “been”saved from, sureal and almost amazing I’d say !
Keep doing what u do brother. Thanks for sharing
Thank you!
COOL AS HELL BROTHER, ALL ABOUT THE LOVE OF OLD CARS, I HAVE TWO MYSELF
Thanks man, enjoy those old cars!
Yes as the saying goes " she's real fine my 409".
Learned to drive a stick in a 13 year old '55 Chevy and my Mom had '56, 2 door Bel Aire until 1959. Always a fondness for 'em.
I watched you dig up the 55 but then I noticed the dragster and has to watch. I tell you I enjoy listening and watching hear stories, puts a smile on my face and in this day and age, we all could use a good smile! Thanks for sharing, I'm a subscriber now 👍
Thank you Jay!
Love these videos. 55 chevy and 57 my faves
Thank you for watching!
I think that dash is sweet. Nice piece
In high school (1968) I had a Red '62 Impala SS "409" 4spd with dual 4s, HP heads, dual exhaust and factory exhaust "dump tubes" on it. It came factory with standard brakes, standard steering and a heavy-duty and very stiff clutch. It passed everything on the road except a gas station....and it drank high octane Chevron Custom Supreme gas (gold label) which was a "horrible" 45c per gallon back then. ;-)
Awesome man 💯💯💯👍👍👍👍
Hey…how many people can say they performed an archaeological dig on a 55 Chevy 👍🇺🇸
Not many people are dumb enough to try haha. Will always go down as one of my favorite memories with my dad and Kyle.
@@HotRodHoarder That’s what it’s all about. Family, Friends, and memories 👍🇺🇸
Aw heck ,That will buff right out !
Interesting story. There is an old dirt track here that ran from the 50's into the 70's and in one of the races a driver was killed so they buried his car in the middle of the race track as a memorial. Still there to this day. I wouldn't dare dig it up, to the family that would be like digging up his actual grave.
Wow, that's pretty crazy. Thanks for sharing!
Car's and engines and transmission.... great land fill.....many burried in the hills of Virginia....Been guilty myself..... AIN'T IT JUST AIN'T IT 😎 lols
That old owner is going to come back to haunt you lol
A day of digging with not a whole lot in your hand but a lifetime of memories with your father. Can't ask for a better day than that. I lost my father 1 1/2 yrs ago and with us being such car nuts the way we are, I know my father would have enjoyed something like this just the same as ya'll did.
Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that John. I'm very fortunate to have my dad and we've definitely made some great memories together over the years.
It’s so sad,,,, in Kentucky they would set cars on top of each other in the banks of the creeks to keep from washing their dirt away ..... all make and models were game . I think the safest one the hurt the most was a superbird or roadrunner, I have a picture of it but don’t remember which it was but do remember the nose. Just think what others?🥺😥😭
did that to the creek in my hometown in ohio back in the day as well, one car they used was a 67 camaro according to my grandpa. still buried there somewhere
I remember once driving around down in Kentucky, Tennessee, where we saw river banks with old 40s, 50s cars sticking out.
Did the same thing in my state/town. Its dangerous to swim in some places cuz the cars are just pieces and big ass knifes under the water
New to the channel and Love the video. I could watch stuff like this all day long. Keep up the great work!!
Thanks Bennie! I plan to do more of these videos that cover some of our old car adventures.
Almost the undead gasser. Here from Clinton, and UTG.
She's real fine my 409"...
Save your nickels and save your dimes...
Oops! Save your pennies and save your dimes. Sorry, I'm a little rusty on the song.
Liked it thanks
Hey Man! I'm quite thankful TH-cam recommended this video to me! I watch a lot on here to get ideas for my own channel! I'm inspired and you have gained another faithful follower!
There's one I've never heard of, before... wreck your Gasser, so you give it a funeral... LOL
A proper burial...definitely out of the ordinary. I kinda feel bad for disturbing the grave.
Thanks for the video, Man, I bet you'll had a blast digging up that Urban legend of a streetcar.. we have those to in Louisville KY and I love to do what you guy's are doing...409w.. WOW! Onto the next one.
We love this stuff in northern ky too! :)
@@joeestes8114 damn right we do
Would love to have a 409 to put in my 65 C10
I've read and watched tons of articles about aviation archeology, but this is a first timer for me. "Gasser Archeology!" 😁👍✌️🖖🤘🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I remember I remember this 55’ bel air crashed on a field next to my grandparents house it had no suspension no wheels no roof no headlight grill windshield nothing just the chassis no interior nothing
My dad told me stories about what a bad ass engine the 409 was, he had a friend that had a impala with a 409 that would pull the wheels off the ground
I wish I was there 🇨🇷🐺🇨🇷🇨🇷🙏
def a cool story
Some guys collect stamps, some guys fly drones and RC airplanes, some guys dig up cars that have been buried in the earth for a generation. Hobbies are great. Great vid....again...
Haha yes! Thank you!
I’ll bet Earl Scheib could make that ‘55 look brand new...
Just a little bit of TLC and it'll be NICE.
I'm still wiping tears from my eyes
It's almost as if the pain of seeing it wrecked was too much for the owner, so he buried it to keep it out of sight-out of mind. Why else would he have buried it rather than scrap it or see it go to someone else?
We had a 402 police interseptor motor out of a 65 4 door Chevelle cop car put it in a 68 Camaro SS fast ass car
Cool story & great job on the engine! Too bad the car was so far gone but that's the way it goes when they have been under the dirt for so long!
Thats a really cool video and a great experience im sure. I love seeing old race car motors come back to life. Bummer about the car though.
Yeah we were pretty bummed that the car was so far gone, but the engine lives on!
@@HotRodHoarder A friend of mine bought a 402 from someone years back that was a mystery motor. No idea what anything was when they got, just paid the money nd dropped it in a 74 nova. It ran 6.90s and 7.0s all day in that car and they never turned a wrench on it. After a freshen up they found out it was a 402 and have trw domes in it. A big solid lift cam and a few other things. They stuck it back in the car and it scattered on the break in. I always kinda thought it had some bad juju on it after they took it apart.
Interesting classic motor build, but I would have kept the 348 parts, etc. and came away with a period motor.
I like when someone just speaks in a normal tone of voice, doesn't make it anymore than is was. A great answer to questions unanswered for years. It was there what was left of it and you found a signature piece, no doubt remains. Earth got this baby and a it was returned to her resting spot to be bothered no more. Just as its owner intended, no more wrecks for this one. I twisted a 57 twe dr., in a river up by Rockport Wa., and it was long down the river before a tow truck could make any attempt to save. I knew it would never drive again... Good story told well
I had a 327 that didn't have anything on the front identification pad and always wondered why. After seeing what you said about the 409 being an over the counter block I bet that's what my 327 was.
Next time put the blade of the trackhoe in front of you. It will give you added stability and extra control when digging.
Thanks for the tip! We're definitely not experts at this haha.
it's called an excavator
I buried my 66 corvette 2 yrs.ago but i forgot where.
What a find...
Sounds like a real HOT rod !
COOL STORY👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
That was great! Sad that it got buried, too bad he didn’t just shove it in that barn with the engine. Janesville built! Same plant as my 56.
Look at the main cap stud ground off at 2:30 lol
There was an old truck close to my house in a field and someone built a road where it was so they just punched it aside and buried it halfway
Great video! Great story too! Thanks for sharing too!
giddy up, giddy up, my 409... lalala
Everybody has a story about a lost or abandoned car lol, Me too, when I was a kid there's was a creek at the bottom of a deep bluff. I would cut through the woods to go to a friends house. One summer leaves were dead and visibility was good. I found 2 wide rims with white rubber tires, never seen white tires so probably sun bleached. The car couldn't be seen but after a big rain storm you could see the car. It was a GM I couldn't tell but it was from the 50s. Probably a Malibu, Olds 44 or even a GTO. But it's still there
Historybuff Driver natural rubber is white in Color, find a old tire and scape with a shape object your find white
@@claytammaro7060 yeah I knew natural rubber was white but I never knew if tires where made in natural white. The 2 tires that are at the bottom of the holler more than a bluff have 4 or 5 grooves like a front tractor tire and we're about 8 to 10 inches wide.
I'm just going to have to go back down there and look. When I first came across it I was like 14 and didn't care much. Next thing you know it's 25 years later and something that only enters your mind ever once in awhile. The roof of that car was about the only part above ground besides what I thought was a piece of rollcage. But in hind sight since the 2 racing tires and wheels were loose. They had VW style large bolt pattern and more than likely the piece I called rollcage was probably a piece of a old race car trailer that had a tire wrack.
Historybuff Driver I live in a large city, no exploring around here. Ya if you find more info let me know , thx
Oh man you gotta go look again. That sounds awesome.
It crazy to think that looking at what was left of that car that one day a long time ago it sat on a dealership lot brand new and shinny! Was the top technology back then with the best ideas from the manufacturer and someone drove it home with that new car smell I bet! If that car could talk I bet it would be pissed off first, then have some pretty cool stories to tell. LoL
That was fun!
I'm new to your channel , ( via Uncle Tony), i enjoyed the dig. Will be back for more. Thank you.
Wow, so cool, even just the dash & steering wheel! The engine is a neat piece, only I’d rather see it with the iron heads as it ran originally... I actually dug up a ‘29 Model A & it’s complete enough I’m building it back into a car. I give you a sub, I really enjoyed this.
grave diggin :)
Awesome video. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for watching!
You tell a good story. Well done
It's possible that block was decked that's why no numbers on the deck. My 406 has no numbers for that reason.
Very cool. Did you ask him why he buried it? Great save on the engine. Ron
Ron Stewart...he killed it right...lol..
He had a funeral for it..
The car was probably involved in a serious crime.
I’m going with insurance fraud.
Dui?
@@lobmin Back then, if no one was hurt, they'd have let a DUI go with a warning, and considered the wrecked car to be a lesson learned, I bet.
Worth the Expieriance .. And yes you have the proof that this car and engine did assist.. if u can find another 55 body to put the engine back inside a body when it last ran the streets..
A buddy in high school had a 56 with a 409
Though pulling wheelies would be fun so he added a truck axle to the front
Had it painted a Purple mist and before the paint was dried he hit a tree head on at 90 mph
This guy had 9 lives because he only chipped a tooth in this wreck. Later that year he hit the same tree again at 90 on a motorcycle!!
He's still around as I met him at our 50 HS reunion.
I have pictures but can't upload here.
Wow that was a very nice story!
Very fun video,it’s was like treasure hunting,you all ever see The American Pickers Video of them diggin up an old Indian motorcycle? Guess it’s just something that turns car guys on..loved watching thanks
It was definitely a treasure hunt....we were hoping to find more, but had a great time digging around.
Wow ! I admire your passion. Really enjoy the videos !
Omg so cool
great to see the like minded! thank you