Was fortunate to have two twin sisters...a 409hp dual quad, 4 speed car, and a "twin" sister, 340hp, 327" 4 speed car. Sold them both, but what a cool body style!
My first car in 1969, or what it looked like a short time after selling it, this is the only shot I have of it, this period in my life was not very photo-centric. If anybody has the capability of making out the date on these photos your effort will garner you an "attaboy".
This original paint/interior 64 Impala was a bone stock 327/250 hp/3 speed/column car, bought new by a local farmer. After I bought it I immediately did a Muncie 4 speed changeover, found an original factory bench seat shifter and boot, even put an original floor shift column in it and painted it the stock textured turquoise color, turned out real nice. The old 327 had lost some of its zip but it was still a fun driving car with the 4 speed.
My ex 409 - then 396 4sp - this maybe after I blew the spider gears again.....it was a nice factory tach 4 sp console car - but what did we know in 1975.....
Impalas I've owned. 348 Turboglide. Bought from original owner. 327/250 hp powerglide. 327/300 hp 4 speed. 409/409 hp 4 speed. 327/250 hp powerglide. Factory AC. Bought from original owner. 327/250 hp powerglide. Factory AC. Bought from original owner.
Hello, I have been fortunate that my similar favorites came from being the youngest of two sons. But, not all was copying my brother’s tastes. We, both, had different ideas and ways to do things. My brother’s advantage was that he was a couple of years older and therefore, got to do stuff first. He was fun to have around when we both needed someone to fight or hassle. The older we got, the better the situation was between us and what we liked to do. Was it competition between the brothers? The older I got, the less it was competition as we both grew up being individuals. We had different ways to think of things that affected us as teenagers and 20 somethings. But, I have to be grateful to have such a predicament. I grew up working on all of his cars, including the 58 Chevy Impala that was eventually going to be mine. I did enough maintenance work, replacing parts, adjusting plenty of things for best running and an on going midnight mechanic work on the rear axle gears for the weekly drags at Lions. It was as if it were my own car, but I still had several years to go. I still drove it around the block after washing and detailing. I was able to drive it at Lions when the time trials were going on for the Impala. Then, I finally got to go into the eliminations to the end trophy run. By the time we were building our 1940 Willys Coupe, I was doing most of the driving at 15.5 with a learner’s permit. But, I had been driving since I was 12. Short around the block drives, but still able to reach the pedals. Jnaki The 58 Impala was my high school daily driver until I got my 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery. That took over, but on Friday and Saturday nights, it was the Impala to cruise and race. IMPALA TOTAL This was the look I wanted in high school: With little to no money, this is what the majority of the time the Impala looked like, driving around Bixby Knolls, as a teenager: Jnaki Those guys/girls working on the assembly line in South Gate, CA probably built the Impala on a Wednesday. The Impala was virtually trouble free during the whole time we both owned the sedan. No breakdowns, no repairs, it started up every time in the morning or anywhere. (except one time at Lions Dragstrip) The rumors of a car being built on a Wednesday holds true as even my mother could drive this fast sedan without any worries about getting stopped by mechanical problems. Problems for her was the bunches of teenage hot rod guys coming up next to her at a stop light. They would give her the look, rev up their motors and point across the intersection. My mom told me countless stories of this happening when she took the Impala on a shopping trip locally or to the Lakewood Shopping Mall, on the other side of Long Beach. Did she ever stomp on the pedal? She said no, but after asking me what to do, she was prepared and should not have a thought as to losing to any other car in Long Beach, at the time. The C&O Stick Hydro was perfect for any driver in any situation. Put it in “D” and stomp on it… ha! The little old lady from Long Beach… What a concept. It was a little sad to see the Impala sitting in a Shell Gas Station parking lot as we drove away in my friend’s white 57 Chevy Bel Air. I moved away to go to college and never saw that black 58 Impala again. The photos and memories are aplenty for that stage of growing up as a teenager. SO, AFTER 56 YEARS OF WATCHING THAT IMPALA AS WE DROVE AWAY, WHERE IS IT NOW?
Happy birthday Impala! The 1963 is my all time favorite car. When I was younger I wanted a two door 409 four speed car, now, I’d be tickled with that or even a four door six cylinder Powerglide! If GM and Ford still built real, full sized cars, I wouldn’t be driving a pickup truck. I can’t help but think that people want big vehicles, look at all of the SUV’s running around. Nothing rides like a full sized Chevrolet. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The "Impala" brand is a pretty valuable brand. I would think that Chevrolet, would at some point in the future, revive the brand on something. It might not be something as desirable as Impalas of the past, but I just can't believe they would allow the nameplate to die forever.