Projects 1959 Impala Hardtop

Yes very nice work.

Ryan.

 

thanks guys, keep progressing keep moving forward im determined =)

wet sanded and buffed the firewall, had too much orangepeel I took most of it off so its smooth now







sprayed black the heater core

 

and finished up the wheel wells, cut and buffed ready to mount on the fenders

 

now front end is done, putting together sunday

 

spending the day tomorrow re polishing all the chrome on the motor and engine compartment I already finished the hood hinges, heater core cover and air cleaner. will all shine up nice like it did the day It first went in by tomorrow night

 

Yes you need to polish what surely I can't see .... from all that bling blam pow in my eyes right now. I like it.

 

Looking really sharp!

 

thanks guys. feels good its all coming together again. spent all day cleaning and polishing. 3m chrome polish works excellent





more chrome to be put on, the polished carb, chrome air cleaner, chrome valve cover breathers, chrome wire loom, polished stainless pipe for radiator hose, polished stainless gas line, chrome horns and chrome hood hinge. doing all that tomorrow, hopefully finish early so I can put the fenders and wheel wells on

 

Chrome may not get ya home, but it darn sure looks great!
Can't wait to see it all buttoned up and ready to run.

 

Nice progress! All that polishing really pays off. Keep up the great work.

Ryan.

 

Slick... sometimes a lot of chrome is the way to go and it looks good on a '59 Chevy.

 

thanks guys, on my other cars I skipped the chrome but yea this one because its a 59 which has acres of chrome and fully dressed in trim I felt might as well put the icing on it. still more to bolt on, a bit too hot to do it right now waiting for the afternoon.

when I was done polishing the firewall, I started to realize the car wash nightmare I created if I was to wash it to get it ready for a show. washing and drying of the car body, chrome bumpers polishing, wheel wells, firewall, door jambs, continental kit, cruiser skirts, vaccum, dash, trunk (will be fully upholstered), front undercarriage, wheels, tire cleaning and dressing, wheel wells, glass, trim cleaning, grille polish, interior tirm polish, chrome motor polishing, front and back of radiator core support, under hood and under trunk, all of it has to be addressed and cleaned, every nook and cranny. just washing the body on my daily truck, vaccuming and cleaning glass takes me 2 hours.

that's why I decided to go black on the frame and inside wheel wells, I plan to drive this car everywhere.

another thing is I plan to enter my car in shows. thought I had ashot in the 50s original class and 50s street class and thought it would be awesome to one day have a trophy I can display at home, I never had a trophy for one of my cars, never had a show car. my friend does shows, has a show car and comes by to see my progress, explained something to me. he said at shows there are different categories and classes. he said my car would have been in the top 5 in the street or original 50s class in any show. in most shows atleast runner up. but I passed that, cant compete in that category. the judges count the mods in your car, a certain amount places you in mild custom and custom class. 2 mods is mild custom, any more is full custom. I went past 2 with the metal flake, airbags, engine, and what im doing to the trunk. so now im competing with guys with metalflaked and patterned frames, painted underbelly and engraved bumpers and suspension. he said a local show where the cars aren't up on turntables with mirrors to show the undercarriage I have a shot IF I put a mural on the car, which I had already planned to under the hood. i never built this car for a trophy, but would have been nice. I built it to drive and enjoy, always have it on the road and give it life. well see how it goes. otherwise those other cars will kill me, so much for cleaning a space for a trophy =/

 

I'd prefer an insane underhood pinstripe feature to a mural, any day. But, of course, it ain't my ride!

 

I was planning to put a mural on the trunk, the kids from the sandlot, the movie. but with the metal flake I cant itll break up the effect of the flakes along the trunk and forgot there is a spear trim going up along the middle of the trunk =/ so im forced to do it under the hood. I don't think I can do it on top if theres not another on the trunk, symmetry. im just having to figure out do I tack weld a metal sheet over the whole bottom of the trunk or do I tack weld little pieces to the parts that dip in, get what im saying? does anyone know if my air cleaner or brake booster will hit if I do?

 

I am considering pinstriping, very subtle, small accents along the body, might not notice from far. went out and bought some pinstripe brushes and paint, see if I can learn myself =)

 

did very little today, too hot. took this off to clean the chrome intake and polished it up as best I could without taking it apart and sanding it












put it on, not as shiny as the rest of it but most of it will be covered by the air filter







IMPORTANT CARB QUESTION....
this carburetor came off another impala a 64 with a 283, one where the owner literally drove it like he stole it and I mean that. every time I saw him driving it he was driving like he was shooting an action movie. was his first classic car, but think he misunderstood classic stock with classic hot rod. well he blew his engine once, second engine he put in he had this carb in it. we got our hands on it when we were putting the engine together. he let us have it after it caught fire in his and almost burned down his car but the flames did scorch his hood and air cleaner along with some hoses and wires. my question, is the carb faulty because it caught fire? will it happen again? because I definitely do not want my carb catching fire in this car, not after all the work I did to make my engine compartment look the way it is, or even worse the car go up itself.

 

Have been following your post since page one. Sir, not only are you very skilled and talented both in your work and vision, you have a great way of expressing yourself and bringing the readers along with you as you progress on your build. It is a joy to read such a well written journal of a man's dream. Thanks, Jim

 

It's tough to say it was the carburetor's fault. It was more likely leaky plumbing/hoses/clamps leading up to the carb. The easy way to gain some security is to get an inexpensive carb rebuild kit and install new gaskets in it yourself. Is that a Rochester 4-Jet or something else?

 

This is an amazing build. One Man, in his drive way with a tremendous vision. Learning a lot and enjoying the trip with all of it's amazing twists and turns. Thanks for being so open and detailed!

 

What a transformation! I just spent the last two days reading through this thread. Great work! lots of details, you made it all look really easy.

In case you need to polish up any lenses I have had great results with meguiars headlight restoration kit (G3000).

 

thanks guys, im really glad youre enjoying watching my build as much as im enjoying doing it. im going about it by trial and error, learning as I go this is my second full build full restoration but this one im a bit more focused and putting more attention to.
than you fireengine =) the thread started fast and progressive then came to a stand still for a while because the progress was the common stuff you see a lot not too interesting. but its back, going through a transformation so it is alive again and got very interesting again, hope you enjoy whats coming next =)
caddy its an edelbrock 1405, the smaller of the 4 barrel carb the 500 not the 600 or 700. yea we have no clue why he caught fire but I definitely don't want to run any risk. im definitely going to rebuild now, good point it may have been a gasket. if you look close, the plastic rod going down to the plunger is melted, need that replaced anyways. I was thinking of selling and buy another but would not want anyone to have it catch fire on them id rather have it as a paperweight. I rebuilt a carter and Rochester 1 barrel carb for my 48 chevy 216, but honestly never a full carb like this one. will give it a shot, if I don't get it right ill just pay to get it rebuilt. as for the gas, im going to run a polished stainless steel tube from fuel pump to carb with a pressure gauge, think its safer plus looks cool =)

t Gallaher, glad you are enjoying it as well. I am detailed because a lot of it is trial and error, so im saving some of you picking up tips the error part =b

thanks for the tip, I actually do need to redo my lenses. they are new, but left them out in the open for over a year so dirt and grime embedded in it and has some minor overspray so I have to clean them up. tried to just wash one off but as I wiped to clean the embedded grime turned the wash rag into sandpaper and I scratched it a bit. will definitely get that now seeing as now I have to restore the lens =)
boy is it a hot one today in so cal, its been hotter but not since last summer I have to get used to it again. I work in the shade but still being out in the heat is a drag I have to force myself out there =/ but have to, need to paint my steering wheel and get started on the quarter panels and rear to paint =D

 

It sure is hot in So Cal. I was there for the weekend, now I am back in Oklahoma where it is just as hot but way more humid! lol

Keep up the good work, it is inspiring to see. I am in my first build and I know how it is to have a nice fast start, and then what seems to be an endless stall right in the middle of the project.

Excellent build!

 

Sorry about my model number question. I was at work and couldn't see your pictures due to my office's firewall restrictions. Doh!

 

i know its been a while, HUGE jump forward i haven't been asleep trust me i been busting my ass off on this. almost done ill post pics soon


WHITEWALLS ARE SOLD!!!!! sold them last week, was going for original look but want it custom too so I sold them.




I know I'm just going to end up buying another set later and that's fine, but for now going custom. 70s custom. check out what I scored on late sunday night hunt!!












original tru rays =D I can go og cap or 59 spinner might do both




Its what i wanted, true old school. i want the car to look like it was put away in the 70s and pulled out today. i didn't want knockoffs unless they were 90s daytons. but this is perfect, just the look i want for the 59 I'm really happy right now

also got my new welder and sheet metal, doing something cool with that right now you guys can problably guess what it is but ill post when I'm one




ok back to work =)

 

oh and for those that might not be familiar with tru rays, they might seem like common looking spokes but these are 35+ year old rims, were some of the first spoke aftermarket rims used in the 70s along with tru classics and tru rays same era as the supreme rims, daisies and rockets so these are a really cool find.

 

Great looking wheels, no matter which center you decide on.
Together with all your chrome and glossy paint, it's gonna be BEAUTIFUL!

 

thanks caddy. I know I'm going to get whitewalls to change it up depending on the shows I attend. but I sold the ones I had because the spare would fit too small in my bumper kit it would fit loose and jiggle while I drive so I have to get bigger ones. they were nice though, man did I get a flood of emails for them on craigslist. I just hate selling online because of all the sad stories, I was only asking 450 for them all and was getting offers for 250 with a story why they only have that. I'm sorry I'm not make a wish or Obamacare I'm not a charity. one guy met up with me and thought he could point out everything wrong with them and offer 300 like if he bought them he was losing out, I done that song and dance and I'm not falling for it I'm not a crackhead and I'm not desperate. everything ive bought ive paid asking price

 

Enjoying your thread.

 

thanks guys. haven't been sleeping on it, pictures soon its moving along very nicely =) I went to a car show last sunday, you will see exactly why I wont compete. check these out, just A FEW of what was there. again, this is why I wont compete these guys would kill me