How much is a '62 392 Hemi worth?

Yer down there in the 'southern' end of the state. You ever hear 'this' story in the late '70's? I've heard it a couple of times up here, then fianlly at Y2-K MoPar Carlisle.

3 or 4 differnt people from Charleston, Prinston, Beckley, Bluefield, you know, down in there, all told the same story. So, there has to be 'some' truth if that many differnt people at differnt times related the same story.

There were these guys who worked in a sawmill up in,,,,, some place,,,,,, was telling 'this' one guy about this wild ass motor that had gigantic valve covers and two carbs powering this mill that would cut through ANY hard wood log like it was pine, but it sure would suck the gas! The mill owners stated they wanted some other kind of power plant that wasn't so hard on gas.

'This' guy, was telling a buddy of mine and 'another guy' at one of the Rod shows down there. My buddy told me at the time, he thought it was some crazy story like the hidden _____________ (fill in whatever exiotic car name) in some forgotten garage with a 3' diameter tree growing up in front of the garage doors, and promtly forgot about it.

Year or so (?) later, the buddy of mine, saw the 'another guy' with a 426 B-body, ( I can't remember which make of B-body. Too long ago, and me too with serious doubts with the truthfulness of this 'yarn.') at one of the Rod shows. Asked his where did he get a 426 car at. This 'another guy' was well known for not having much $$. (no way he could afford to buy ANY Hemi)

He bought the B-body from, 'someone' without a motor. Now, this is what my buddy told me, this 'another guy' said, and several other people have related the same story!

After 'this guy' related his story at the Rod Run, the 'another guy' remembered something about a mill with an unusual power plant that could really cut the timber! Said it took him several months, but he finally found it. HONEST to GOODNESS 426 Hemi power plant on a sawmill of all things!

Owners said they would like to get a 350 Chevy motor that would be easier on gas.

The 'another guy' went to Tag Gallion Chevy, stole a brand new Chevy PU off his lot, took it someplace, stripped the motor, took that brand new 350 and traded it even up for the Hemi!

Put the Hemi in the motorless B-body. That B-body was sold out into Ohio. This was all before Galen Goviear. After the B-body changed hands several times it was discovered it wasn't a legit 426 Car. Duh!

The motor then changed hands (?'s) then finally went into a '69 Road Runner HT. Black, all white interior. (the RR was an orginal legit Hemi car. The sawmill motor was correct date coded for the RR, but not matching #'s.)

In Y2-K, I was waking along the car show at MoPar Carlisle, and suddenly overheard a person mention a West Virginia 'sawmill hemi.' I turned around, a guy was telling other guys about the hemi motor in that RR. I blurted out, "It must be true!"

I related them the sotry I mentioned above, about in the late '70s, a guy stole a new Chevy PU from Tag Gallion and traded the motor for that Hemi.

So where the black RR and the sawmill 426 is at now,,,,,,,,,,,, who knows.

I was just courious if you heard anything like that, since that is down there in yer 'neck of the woods'

There was another wild ass story from Charleston, that was floating around up here that turned out to be true.

A medical doctor walked into a Charlston Chrysler Dealer and ordered a 60 something 300 Letter Car painted a special non MoPar Gold color!

No way would a factory pull a already limited production vehicle off the line and paint it a non corporation color!

Sure enough in '03-'04 someone found a rusty high mileage genuine 300 Letter Car up some holler in (Roan County ?) with a bright gold color underneath peeling black paint. The gold was NOT a MoPar color. Some wealthy guy in the 300 club got the car and did a trace, and here it was the one of one built for Dr. Golden!

So, I beleive there 'was' a 426 Hemi powering a sawmill down there! Weird.

 

If you are into Mopars or not and want to know if the car had a Hemi in it back in the day, take a Road Runner for example. We will make it a 68 and a 70. These two years have different codes for the 426 Hemi engine.

Check the vin tag and fender tag to make sure they match.

1968 Road Runner -
RM21H8J256826 The J in the code is the Hemi option and it would be for 67-69

1970 Road Runner
RM21H8R256826 The R in the code is the Hemi option and it was from 70-71

The code in 1966 would be an H code for a 426 Hemi.

 

Sorry...didn't want to clog up the page with your complete quote....

Anyway, your username is interesting...whereabouts in West Virginia are you located? All of my family originated from Lincoln and Kanawha counties.

 

I'm in the south western end of the state (Cabell county) but have always been too poor to pay attention ... the story seems familiar though.

I've got a friend whose family has been in it for years so I'll run the question by him and see what he has to say about it. If anybody around here knows of it, it'll be him.

 

Yeah I figured Andy had heard of it, here's the way he described it to me

...
the guy that told me the story lives in grayson KY. i have told it to many. he went to the sawmill but they had traded the motor off for some barb wire, nails, and misc crap. sawmill guy said the carbs were a hassle couldn't get em to work right. idiots that got it scrapped it supposedly. grayson boy asked about the car the motor came out of. the old guy said it was a barracuda that had a big hole in the hood. it was scrapped because it was in rough shape.

 

Hey man, thanks for the good read anyways. Maybe the next chase will hit gold, ya never know 'til ya check 'em.

 

413's reallly diggin' in...The Beach Boys....even at free to rebuild a 413 is gone to cost at least $2-$3K and that is you doing a lot of the work. Call Mopar Performance and check the cost of crate engine, an informed desicsion. NO HEMIS IN a '62

 

I'm up in Mon County right along the PA border, just outside of Morgantown.

In the '50's I would ride my bicycle up and down the roads picking up pop bottles and getting the 3 cent deposit. It was quite a treat to me to pedal that bicycle 10 miles to the next town and go swimming (75 cents) in the city pool, instead of the creek, where Farmer Spit 'erbaccy's cows were shitting and pissin in up around the bend.

I saved and mashed 2 and a 1/4 tons of aluminum cans there for 8 years and bought a Harley with them.

That's what the 'alumcan' signifies. The 'tandt' means tits and tailfins. The 'hd' is Harley-Davidson.