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