65 Impala SS

Here we are again… heading out on a road trip to pick up an original 1965 Chevy Impala SS with an original 327ci engine rebuilt, original interior and body, SS VIN number… oh might I add, all the original documents proving OG status, as well as, being in the same family since birth? It’s approximately 8:30pm Saturday night and we have a 8-9 hour drive ahead of us – wheeeww – lets go over our checklist:

1. Red Bull / Monster (for driver) – check
2. 5 Hour energy drink (for passenger) – check
3. Road Map / GPS – check
4. Tunes – iPods – check
5. Petro – check

alright everything’s checked and we’re on the road again! The night flew by and at 6:15 am, we reach our destination. Not much time for sleeping as we had to meet the seller by 10. I can’t lie, I probably got about 2 1/2 hours of sleep due to the fact that 1 1/2 hours was me sitting in bed thinking about this gem we were going to see.

The next morning was exhausting, we had no sleep and knew we had a long ride home ahead of us, but we weren’t going to let the small details get in the way of us buying our 65 Impala SS. It took about 30 minutes to find the sellers house and we introduce ourselves and got all the formalities out of the way…. and frankly got down to business.

“Now that’s CHERRY”

A million thoughts ran through my head – was this car going to be another dud? Was this guy truthful on the phone or did we leave out any details when asking the “right” questions? What is this ride going to look like? I hope he doesn’t say something like… oh, the Impala I described last night was sold earlier this morning, but we have this one in it’s place…. please don’t say anything like that, please.

We walked up the driveway into his garage and there it was, I felt like Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard in American Graffiti – now that’s CHERRY, I can definitely dig this ride.

Let me start by saying; you don’t find this type of SS in this shape, this original and for this price anymore – you just don’t do it. But to our amazement, this 65′ was all original and had all the parts to restore it to make this a real beauty. It had the original 327, interior, body, quarters, fenders, undercarriage, hubcaps, radio, tires, with the Protect-O-Plate and owners manual. ….and to top it off, additional treasure in the trunk; extra parts, documents, emblems, etc…, he then tells us the whole history of the car, Sharing with us, stories of he and his family taking trips in the car, laughing and having a good time. While talking, we could see in his face, he was definitely going to have a hard time letting this heirloom go. I don’t think we could have gotten this 65′ on the trailer fast enough, we wanted this car and we were going to buy it.

To make a long story even longer, we ended up negotiating, and in the end, buying a piece of classic automotive history for a great price and having some great stories to tell in the future. We made some friends along the way, and are currently in the process of restoring this classic back to its originality. What a fantastic and worthwhile 18 hour trip to Georgia to find a real piece of American treasure – thanks again seller for being so honest and upfront, I wish there were more people like you out there.

As we’re getting everything ready for the trip home, he and his daughter say to us “please send us some pictures once you complete the renovation, we would love to see it.”

Now my friends, that right there, is worth the trip alone.

So, this time, my partner and I are sitting in the truck ready to go home with a different checklist:

1. Red Bull / Monster (for driver) – check
2. 5 Hour energy drink  (for passenger) – check
3. Road Map / GPS – check
4. Tunes – iPods – check
5. Petro – check
6. 1965 Chevy Impala SS, 327ci, on the trailer ready for a new home – check

Click here for photos

63 Impala SS 409

Well the Mecum auction has come and gone, and we saw some great cars roll through the auction block. One that caught my eye was a 1963 Silver Cortez, Chevy Impala SS convertible with the original 409 engine that sold for over $70,000. This was a pristine looking car but the fact that it was convertible with a rare original 409 engine is what brought in the big bucks.

There was eight engines available to power the Chevy Impala back in 1963, ranging from four versions of the small-block V-8 and three of the famous high power 409s. Chevrolet also introduced the Z-11. This was a 427 cid V8 based on the existing 409 but featured a smaller bore and a longer stroke. It made close to 500 bhp but was only available to factory approved customers through Chevrolet’s RPO (Regular Production Option).

The 409 was available in a tuned down version with 340 bhp and was also available with an optional Power-glide automatic transmission. But for the enthusiasts, Chevy offered the 409 with solid lifters and a single four barrel carb good for 400 bhp and a solid lifter 409 with two four barrel carbs good for a whooping 425 bhp.

This infamous engines popularity grew and the “hit single” produced by the Beach Boys called “409,” referring to the Chevy’s power engine, became an iconic song for Chevy owners.

There was approximately 153,000 Impala SS made in 63 and 16,900 came with the 409 an even smaller number of those were convertibles.

There is no doubt that the 63 Impala SS convertible is a desirable car but i would have never guessed it would be worth over $70,000. Don’t get me wrong, if I had that type of money I would have one sitting in my driveway right now that I would spend more time with then my wife *just kidding honey*. I guess in all collectible markets if you have that one of a kind item, then anyone with a large checkbook will stop at nothing to call it his or her own.

To learn more about the 409 V-8 engine check out this article at HowStuffWorks.com.
I also have a ton of photos from the Mecum action that you can see here. Mecum Photo Gallery

2010 Impala SS - R.I.P!

2010 marks the end of an era, General Motors has decided to kill off the Chevy Impala SS, and Cobalt SS Sedan. I have to say, it’s kind of better sweet for me. Although the last two generations of the Chevy Impala SS weren’t loved by many, the SS badge has a special place in history and in our hearts.

GM hasn’t officially announced the retirement of either car but because of GM’s online ordering guide it’s being assumed. There are no order codes for either the Chevy Impala SS or Cobalt SS Sedan for the 2010 model year.

Chevy will only offer the Impala in LS, LT and LTZ models. The Impala’s top engine choice now will be a 233 horsepower 3.9 liter V6. and will retain its four-speed automatic transmission.

So my fellow SS lovers, do you think the death of the Impala SS is a good move for Chevy?

96 Impala SS

What does it take for a car to become a classic? Is it the rarity of a vehicle, custom desired modifications, or maybe just a high profile name that can make a car a classic? A classic car should be able to stand the test of time… The same way your favorite movies as a kid could 30 years later bring the same  joy to your son or daughter.  And a large part of what defines a Classic is the  fans who toil and sweat to keep Classic heritage alive. From one generation to the next they play a significant roll in keeping that legacy going.

I believe the second generation Chevy Impala SS can pass that test. With its brute, yet sleek body style, and LT1 V8 engine, what kid 30 years from now wouldn’t love to have one?

Chevy brought back the second generation Impala SS in 1994. This was the first four door ” Impala SS,” and was only available in black (previous Impala SS models were either coupes or convertibles.)

Chevy made sure that it lived up to its heritage with a 5.7 liter LT1 V8 engine that produced 260 Horsepower and ran 0-60 in 7.1 seconds. In the first year of production we saw about 6,000 Impala SS made.

Besides foldaway mirrors there were minimal changes to the 1995 Chevy Impala SS.  One major plus, was the Impala was now available in three colors: Black, Dark Cherry, and Dark Green-Grey. Production increased to over 18,000 that year.

My favorite second generation Chevy Impala SS was produced in 1996. The shifter was now mounted on the console, and the dash sported an analog gauge cluster. The fuel pressure and voltage gauges were replaced with a tachometer and analog speedometer. This was the last year of production for the second generation Impala SS. Comparatively, there was an unprecedented production run of about 41,000.

So do you agree in my first choice for a Future Classics?

I have a few more cars I believe will be classics that I will talk about in future blogs.

So keep reading and send me a list of cars you think would fit those criteria.

63 Chevy Impala Super Sport

I was thinking back on a trip me and a friend took recently to Indiana to look at a  Numbers Matching 1963 Chevy Impala Super Sport on the web. We knew this SS probably needed some work, but we decided to take the gamble and fly all the way from Florida. Other than running into some scheduling problems with the owner of the vehicle the traveling and trip itself didn’t have any speed bumps.

Click image to see photos from our Indiana trip

When we lost our foggy gazes we quickly snapped back into focus and realized we were here to FULLY inspect the entire vehicle. You could immediately tell the paint was starting to fade and the chrome striping was dinged and missing in some parts.  I thought to myself, it wasn’t that big of a deal and if everything else was good we would soon own a piece of American history. Once we opened the door I was surprised at how good condition the interior was for being a 46-year-old car. I decided  to start the engine and I tell you what, when I turned that ignition and heard the engine roar: I was in pure bliss, possibly even Heaven itself. I was immediately transported back to a time when the American Muscle Car reigned and was the fastest, most beautiful beast on the streets (and it still is in my opinion.) Needless to say the engine sounded excellent, we popped the hood and looked like two kids at a candy store. The sound of that engine was simply put… mesmerizing. As our eyes continually scanned the rest of the engine bay we noticed some rust spots but shrugged it off as wear and tear, nothing we couldn’t fix.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to and end. We quickly realized why this was a,  “too good to be true moment”. The owner probably didn’t want us to know that the entire underneath of the car was completely rusted out. To give you a good example of how much you could probably stick your fist in a hole where the shocks are mounted. The floor panels looked weak and about ready to cave in. The drive side door had two 8″ sections of Bondo where they had to piece the door back together.

Rusty Bottom

It doesn’t get any better from here on, as the trunk itself was missing the whole bottom. It looked like someone had tried to spray some black rubber material on the back quarter panel to hide something. These are things you should warn people about before they travel 900 miles to come see your vehicle. He knew that we were planning to drive this vehicle back and didn’t think of our safety, not only was this thing rusted but all four tires where dry rotted. I’m sure it would have fallen apart once we got on the highway.

We decided to hang our heads and walk away on this one. We spent the rest of the day looking at other classic cars such as a 69 Firebird and a 66 Impala Super Sport, but found the same problems of rust. Now let me ask you, is this typical of the Midwest? We see rust here and there in Florida since we are so close to the ocean but man, it sure does seem like these classic cars are sitting in the snow too long and are being destroyed by weather. Should we stay out of the area, or can you still make some good finds up North? Click here to see images of our trip