[markjohnson]

I'm pretty sure you're correct in the assumption that Feburary 1965 was the changeover month from the 409 to the 396 in full size cars. Back to my old Z-16 engine, I was street racing pretty heavy at the time and was not worried too much about the "IX" suffix on the block. I was more interested in the fact that it was a fresh four bolt main, steel crank Rat motor that would handle some serious spray. I don't remember the VIN of the car but I do know that it was punched out to 427 cubic inches which was possible on those 1965 four-bolt 396 blocks. I ran it for about a year, then sold it to a collector on the east coast. What's funny is, when he asked me what state I'm in, I told him Missouri. He tells he recently purchased an engineless Z-16 Chevelle body from a town called Imperial, Mo. I then tell him that I live in the town next to Imperial about two miles away, and I think he went into cardiac arrest over the telephone. It turns out though that it wasn't his original engine, but from a different car. I was actually shocked that I did not know about the car he had bought from Imperial that had been so close to me for years.