FFDawson's 1962 Impala Build

[Ffdawson]

Might as well start a thread. I have a habit of waiting until I have "something worth showing" but by th time I feel the build is worthy there's always wayyyyy too much to go back and make a thread about.

The car: 1962 Impala Sport Coupe. Originally Ermine white with red interior. 327 v8 and Powerglide.

I bought the car in 2014 after responding to a Craigslist ad. The car was a 2 owner, 1 family car. The seller's father had bought the car new, drove it on and off for 20 years then parked it in a hangar. The seller pulled it out a few years prior and went through it in hopes of building it back up for his dad. They replaced the drivetrain with a crate 350/TH350 with Rochester quad, headers, exhaust was re-routed to dump in front of the rear wheels, added power steering, basically gutted the interior (seats were included, but not installed) and shot the car in grey primer over the 15 year old maroon repaint. They also added the Torque-Thrust D wheels in 14x7 and 15x8.5.

Other than the modifications listed, the car was stock, and intact. 90% of the trim is there, in varying shape. The car is a runner, after buying it I promptly drove it home nearly 200 miles without issue, other than the fact that I forgot to bring earplugs, and with no interior and the exhaust it's loud AF on the freeway! Since then I have done minor work, such as installing seat belts front and rear, replacing the starter with a high torque model, and replacing the pittman arm seals in the power steering, and a few oil changes. I drive it a few times a month, and it runs well, but basically "needs" everything to be a true solid car.

This is my first build, and I'm a novice mechanic with basic tools and limited budget. However I have lofty goals, and plan to use this site and all of its member's combined wisdom to help me along the way in building it.

I love the pro-touring genre of cars. While I can appreciate the work and dedication involved in correct restorations, as well as high buck high bling show cars, they generally leave me flat. I am drawn to cars that PERFORM, and not just in a single element. While drag racing is perhaps the birthplace and lifeblood of hot rodding, it leaves out the other 2/3 of a vehicles performance, turning and stopping!

I plan to build a car that will be able to do all 3, and well enough to leave a big goofy smile plastered all over my face in the process.

My my inspiration for the build is sourced from early 60's NASCAR, Trans-Am racing and AutoX cars such as the ridetech '62 Impala that aren't afraid to hustle a big ol hunk of steel around a few corners. I know full well that there are many platforms better suited for pro-touring than the X-frame Chevys, but I've always been a fan of the big b-bodies.

Anyways, here's my build, or at least the start of it. It's going to be a long slow process, and remember it's my first, so go easy on me




pics and more to follow






Current Pic

Untitled by awesome_adawson, on Flickr