Projects 1959 Impala Hardtop

Hi Reyes,
I just put up another ten photos of the coupe as it is today, being a sunny day and all, I got it out in the drive. I need to hook up the new wiring harness from the firewall back to the tail lignts tomorrow. Car sounds good as it has dual stainless with resonators. I also have a kit to do teh fuzzys on the window reveal molds soon.
The doo boards aren't too bad; they were a bit warped but I sat them flat in the loft for a few months with weights on them and it helped. Might get away with it, I'll see.
Thanks, John

 

hey aussie, sounds great I bought a complete light bulb kit before I found out they make led lights for it im sure it looks great on yours. that and youre pretty much done replacing burned out bulbs. I have my original radio, but it sat inside the car when it sat for all those years and don't know if I can just wire it up and itll work. if it does work what I don't know is if I can run the wires to the same speakers that will be wired to my aftermarket radio without causing any damage or problems to either radio or speakers. of course I wont ever run both radios together but would be cool to know the original works.

let me know if you have any issues or questions wiring up the car from the firewall back. engine bay is extremely easy, but the dash gets tricky and the rear bulbs. but I got it down and 59-62 is same wiring and switches. I can draw up any diagrams if you need. as for the door panels, they don't have to be completely flat, the armrest/handle holds it in the center, the top hooks on to the top of the door and the screws and pins hold it along the bottom and sides so any minor warping will get pulled straight

didn't get much one last few days, went to dodgers tailgate and opening day they lost but it was bad ass elysian park was packed













got back on track today. thougt first thing I repaint is the dashboard. so got all the pieces out and spraying the dash inside the car







no turning back now, going to be a busy and dirty next few days again



o and the wiring Is now completely done bumper to bumper, engine all lights and dash. It took longer because I was following a diagram for all the switches I found online that was completely wrong. to get it right you need to use the wiring kit diagram AND the original wiring diagram.

goal for this week is to have the dash and all these pieces painted and clearcoated by next sunday. then spend the next week on the trunk and roof and have that painted, metal flaked and clear coated. then after that start the body. if no issues come up like bad weather then I should have the car done in under a month

 

and yea that's a pellet gun in the last pic, I love animals but theres a squirrel that made a home in my 65 impala engine compartment and helped himself to my spark plug wires he thinks they are churros

 

Hi Reyes, believe it or not, the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks did an exhibition last week here in Sydney where I Live. Watched it on TV, fascinating stuff, they played on what is usually the Sydney Cricket Ground, as us Aussies love our cricket! They did a good transformation of the cricket pitch into a baseball diamond. Hope they do more, though I need to actually learn the rules to understand it all.
About the radio, what I did in the '62 convertible was to have the original radio in the stock location and a CD player fitted inside the glove box out of sight. Then I had a crossover toggle type switch in the glovebox that swapped the outputs from the stock radio and the CD player with a single throw switch so that I could listen to either by flipping the small toggle switch in the glove compartment. Worked a treat.
For speakers I used back then some mini box speakers hung inside the dash so I kept a stock look without cutting things up. These days folks like Classic Industries and Impala Bobs have kick panels with speaker grills molded into them, but they look pretty bad to me.
I think that in the '59 I'll finish the rest of the car first and then worry about a better sound system. Your original tube radio might actually be ok, tubes are still available and there's nothing quite like the original tinny sound out of a stock radio and speaker.
After some thought I have decided that I'll be fitting a front disc brake system with a dual master cylinder kit. As for the tires, I've got new Coker Classic cross ply tires on on the car but I can change that anytime.
Your is going to look awesome with the new paint job, mega cool!
More photos soon, Cheers, John

 

yea I heard about the game they had out in Australia, cricket is similar right? I know in japan baseball is huge, like religion to them its cool and that's how we got some of our players out here is from japan. and good idea on the toggle switch, im going to use that a 3 position switch I get what youre saying thanks

and yea I was thinking of hiding some speakers in that space in the kick panels where there is those grilles and that air duct thing but I don't know if itll be bad for the speaker to be bombarded by all the road crap and moisture. but that is a good place theres room for one, maybe ill stick some tweeters in there. I have 2 amps im running so I can put 4 pairs in the car. two are going in the top/middle of the dash, two are going in the rear in the center speaker grille and speaker hole to the left on the rear deck, 2 are going to be the two drive in speakers that will be free floating in the back seat tethered by the speaker wire, and the last two I have to figure out. id like a bit of bass or thump (lows) but don't want to take up all that room with a big speaker box in the trunk that's why I tucked away the air compressors and tank. maybe a bazooka speaker? that or some tweeters somewhere. but im worrying about the amperage ill be pulling, a full system, car lights, and the big power drainer the airbags. I hope getting an optima battery will take care of it but the alternator I think is a low amp alternator, was the only one available in chrome but with low amperage =/

you cant go wrong with a dual master cylinder, youre just going to have to do a bit of plumbing up front which is easy but to separate the brake lines from front to back. its very easy just a process go back a couple of pages and I explain how its done. I think I explain how to cut and flare the brake lines too, if not let me know ill send you some pics how. but definitely worth the work, safety wise. and the kit is inexpensive. all bolt on no welding or cutting. the calipers and rotors you use are 69-72 chevelle, and the brackets to bolt them on you can find on ebay for like 60 bucks. you can do one side in about 15 min its that easy. just make sure you bleed them right, its a one man job but with two its quicker just get the 5 dollar brake bleeding kit its a hose with a bottle and magnet and a check valve. remember not to let the master cylinder go low and suck in air when bleeding or else you have to start all over. and bench bleed the master cylinder before putting it on.

I saw you posted a question about the side drip rails. ill get on that this week since im painting the roof and trunk before I paint the body. when I sand the top ill see how they go on along with the rear window moldings, ill do it Thursday but I got the feeling the issue is going to be that caulk or whatever that gunk is in the drip rail it might have to be sanded out and have new put in when you install the drip rail the old one may have got hard or warped.

focused on this today, steering wheel. had a bunch of cracks, no good. if I were to just have the primer creep into the cracks and I paint it it would come back to haunt me later and I really don't feel like doing the steering wheel twice. I don't know what its make of but sanding it is messy and dirty. felt like I was sanding a tire. heres where I got my info for the steering wheel. click on the picture if its too small, then when it opens up in the new window on the bottom right will be a + to make the pic bigger click on the pic to see it full page size and readable



http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/reyes213/65/new build/001k_zps9e71a36b.jpg



http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/reyes213/65/new build/002k_zps745a8b62.jpg



http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/reyes213/65/new build/003k_zpseefc79e8.jpg



and here is my wheel, see the cracks. look horrible











took my D/A sander to it and my dremel, here it is ready for filler. im not using epoxy im using bondo as the article suggests















I went in deep with my dremel, want it firm and solid not shallow where the crack will split the bondo and the wheel. in a few min going to mix up the bondo and ill shape it and sand it in the morning. hopefully by the afternoon ill have that and all my other pieces primered

 

Hi again,
thanks for that advice! A ball game must be a great day out judging by the happy crowd and having your mates along for the day.
My wheel is pretty good and painted but you are doing a very thorough job of it as usual, so good luck with it.
Thankfully the wiring under the dash was actually totally original and untouched and clean and so other than changing everything in the engine bay and everything from the parking brake area back, that was a relatively easy job.
The pwer windows work fine and even the power seat is good.
Tonight I'm going through the '59-'60 shop manual supplement and it has a lot of handy info on removing and replacing moldings and trim, I've also gathered some photos of other 2 door hardtops to see where the various stainless molds go. So by the end of next week should have all of the moldings and stainless back on (with your assitance of course!).
And then it should be time to focus on the interior and then, cruisn'.
Cheers, John

 

hey john, yea that supplement manual is a lifesaver. its what I used to figure out the wiring and has more info than the assembly manual. let me know the progress with the molding, if you get stuck tell me where and ill go out there with my trims and try to figure it out. right now working on the steering wheel, applying the bondo

 

still working on that damn steering wheel, because of the curves and angles its not easy to shape. but ill be done by tomorrow

got this in the mail, registered all my cars but forgot i had to have liability insurance on each. anyone know a good insurance company that will insure my cars? need my 3 cars insured its a 65 impala, 48 chevy fleetmaster and 59 impala. looking for liability on the 65, full coverage including liability to shut the dmv up on the 48 and 65. thanks guys

 

man talk about pain in the ass, 3 days of filling and sanding over and over. imagine trying to use pancake syrup to fill the holes, when it doesn't go on flat it runs fast. now I see why people use epoxy PUTTY













I work tomorrow and Saturday so ill primer this and all the other pieces by sunday. then Monday basecoat, Tuesday clear coat

 

Wow, that'll be a brand new wheel!
I've heard that the repop wheels aren't that good anyhow.
Weekend here so if I can get some time in the man cave after all the family responsibilities (yes, there are children that want attention!), I'll sort out the rear end wiring and try the flipper window rubber replacement. cheers, John

 

nice work on the wheel, need to do this too so the pic's and comments are helpful.

 

I look forward to the final pictures of the wheel. That looked like a lot of work!

 

thanks guys yea, turns out cracks in steering wheels are more common than I thought ive got a few messages asking if I can explain the process. I will, try to post as detailed as I can. luckily its the first stages where its so far self explanatory I used my dremel to bore out the cracks and filled them with body filler. not exactly a mistake because it does work but the work is 10x more. use epoxy PUTTY that you can mold with your fingers as close as possible before you start sanding. when you do start to sand and shape you use a metal file about 120 grit type file and on the outside of the wheel and top you lightly in small circles file away at the excess filler or putty, when you get close enough you use 220 sandpaper. the reason I found out you don't just fill over small cracks is because the obvious, the steering wheel flexes as you are driving your car and the cracks flex and open a bit when you turn the wheel because its not a solid wheel its split in pieces and isn't firm. so andy small filler will pull apart and crack the paint you just sprayed on it.

one good thing, the wheel has sharp curves hardly any flat surfaces. so if you don't have access to a compressor and paint gun or not familiar with spraying paint, you can use a color matched or any primer and color paint spray can from auto zone to either match your dash or custom color paint it and will look just as good. and even better they sell the clear coat in spray as well too that's like the gun type clear you can wet sand to get the orange peel off and buff and shine with 1500 grit sand paper and being its a small surface you can buff and shine up by hand. will take longer that way but is possible =)

but Ill post in detail, theres one crack I missed, small but ill post how I bored it out with my dremel and fill it and sand it. then ill post the process from there

 

^^ One of the reasons why these old wheels sometimes have cracks is that back in the day folks used the thin steering wheel to help them get in and out of the car.
My parent's 57 DeSoto wagon had cracks in the wheel 2-3 years after it was built.
You don't see as many cracks on thicker wheels. You see a lot of cracks on early Vette wheels because you need something to hold onto getting in and out.

BTW, I'm subscribed! You have an awesome build ethic!

 

Been watching your build. Not my style, but beautiful nonetheless!
I have a couple interior questions. You said you used "cardboard" for the door panels. Where do I get that stuff?
And, if I was going to carpet my trunk, how would I attach the carpet? I thought I'd ask you, your car is turning out to be a build anyone could be proud of. Thanks, Mike

 

thanks mike, yea apparently cracked wheels are very common, getting a lot of inquiries on how to fix that. but I can see who youd use it to get in and out of the car that itself is a bad idea because yes they are very thin. but once one crack shows up, it flexes more causing more cracks. ive seen some really REALLY bad wheels and for a while thought they were gone, done and you needed a better replacement or new reproduction wheel which I hear are ugly and not exact. and having them restored some wheels run about 600+ bucks. glad theres a method towards doing it at home and that I found the article, hope it turns out good but know now to use epoxy putty.

and yea, didn't know exactly what style to go with the car. i saw the car as a clean canvas, kinda like a painters canvas. could go in any direction, flat paint, gloss, metal flake, original, flames, a lot of options as well as for the interior but decided not to stray too far from original. some things i think ill change back but for now im just focused on getting it done and driving it. i just thank god i got all the mechanical out of the way, now focused on painting it and its done.

the cardboard i used is called waterproof board, its black, very common and can be found in any upholstery supply stores for a few bucks each and to do a whole car interior is 3 boards and that will do the trunk too the boards are like 5 feet by 4 feet and for 3 boards will run you like 25 bucks. i used them because its what they have there and was told that's what you use. BUT, ive used pieces of board from home depot or lowes in the drywall/rv and wall sheeting section that honestly worked better than the board and holds up better. that waterproof board i made the door panels and layed them against the wall and the next morning they curved with the weight and i had to lay a tire on it overnight to flatten it out again. its white plastic board, and huge like 6 feet by 5 feet i think and i think cheaper than the waterproof board. it will do the job perfect as it is firm but molds and shapes the door easier and better. its about 1/8 thick i used it on these panels off my 48







theyre not bad as an alternate option if you cant find the waterproof board. and again i think they work better as you will get a lot of moisture in the door panel from washing it and rain and will hold up best being that its plastic and the staples and trims/moldings will hold and grip just fine. what year are you planning to do door panels for, the one in your avatar? if so door panels are easy but for that one its extremely easy since its very flat.

also again same question what year are you planning to do the trunk? originally trunk carpets were mats, preformed and cut like the interior carpet if the trunk floor wasn't flat. but a lot f the original carpet mats had cardboard lining which obviously didn't last. others were rubber type mats. but redoing them you have two options. you can do what i started with this one where its fairly flat so i used plywood type board and cut it as close as you can to the shape of your trunk floor. then when its done you lay 1/2 inch foam (again you can get this at any upholstery supplier for 3 bucks a yard and theres usually atleast 1 supply shop in every city) and you spray glue the foam on the board and out past it to cover the curves if any on the edges. then find the fabric, carpet or material you want and glue that ontop of the foam with spray glue. that's one way. second way is laying out the foam without the board and cutting the shape out with a razor. after that's done take the foam out and glue the fabric/carpet to the foam then clean as best you can the metal and glue the foam directly to the metal. that's what i did with my 48 chevy. if youre thinking of doing your trunk and your car is the same one as in your avatar, this will work for you here is the link just scroll down alittle past half way and go from there to see what i mean about putting the foam directly on the metal

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=808205&page=32

if theres something you don't get ask me, not sure if i lost you but if i did ill be glad to answer let me know =)

 

in that thread of my 48, it shows i used cardbpard type board to do the sides of the trunk panels. they'll work for doors, but not for anything with too much of a curve for that use the waterproof board or the plastic sheet board. using cardboard type if you pull the curve too hard itll break like a cracker

 

Thanks a ton Gallo! I really didn't intend to hi-jack your thread. But I like the work you are doing, and wanted your slant on how you would do those tasks. Thanks again.

 

gallogiro, I dig this build and the one you did on your '48. After reading your little story here about the interior boards, what type of upholstery adhesive do you recommend? I have tried doing a basic interior on a model A, using factory cut backer boards (Nice stuff, fits great) and the adhesive 'unglues' from around all the edges after about a week. TIA, Tony

 

Weldwood Contact Adhesive, spray both sides, wait till it dries, and press together firmly.

 

Thanks KrisKustomPaint. I believe I have some Weldwood, but I'm not sure if it's the right stuff. If not, I'll get some.

 

Hi Reyes,
I uploaded a couple more photos of that car and stuff.
Caught the final parts of your work on the '48; you really brought that one back from a bad place!
Really have to take my hat off to your creativity and determiniation to get things done on your cars.Question is what will you do after the '59 is finished (as if any if these things is ever finished); cruise of course. Or get another one to work on.
By the way, did you ever polish up that rocker molding panel without the stainless, jst the galvanised steel?
One of my photos has that L shaped mold for the rear window showing a small clip needed to hold down the long mold that goes over the top of the rear window.
Anyhow, I'd better get back to it, Cheers, John

 

no problem at all mike, glad I can help guys. as you can see its very simple, no special tools just some measuring, cutting and glue. the best contact ive used for panels is exactly that one, weldwood contact adhesive by DAP. but I never found it at home depot or lowes I bought it at the upholstery supplier. if you have time to wait a few days for shipping here is a link on ebay for the one I used

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DAP-Weldwoo...Parts_Accessories&hash=item35cfa825ef&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DAP-Weldwoo...328?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item416c0f7be8

I just don't know about that 8 bucks shipping, at the upholstery shop it costs 15 bucks tops out the door. but for some door panels one can is enough it sprays like a web and a nice wide fan pattern. spray both sides, but wait a min or two and when it gets tacky to the touch and not slimy anymore then put the two pieces together. ive glued some panels with that weldwood adhesive over 4 years ago and its still held on tight

on your model A, love old fords but not familiar with the interior. but did you staple the fabric to the back of the boards? go to any home depot or lowes and buy a staple gun they are like 12 bucks and some staples and staple the fabric along the edges on the back. front is glued but edge of fabric is held on the back with staples. just don't get the huge staples, get the smaller ones or else the staples will come up and pop out the front and yes they will be very visible and will turn your door panels to barbed wire doors

again thanks john, I have a real passion for cars so it drives me. as for the rocker moldings, im going to have to get the galvanized steel backing plate chromed. the skins I took off im going to see if I can fill them with fiberglass filler and polish them to see if I can turn them into another usable set. to chrome the backing plates that im using on mine its only 250 bucks for the pair. not bad considering some reproductions start at 650 and some originals rechromed average 900 bucks.

didn't do anything sunday like I was supposed to, was too hot so I decided to go to the range and try out and sks I bought off my friend.



i don't have a need for it but was too cheap to pass up, but I don't know if its the sight or what but wasn't very accurate. and no it wasn't my aim we were shooting an ar15 as well and was on target but the sks i was all over the place. some shots were way off and were off in the hill. again don't have a need for it but like they say its better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. but this one id have to unload the whole clip to make sure i hit the threat atleast once. anyone here have an sks and know whats the deal with the sight?

before i went to the range, the night before i heard on the radio the Pomona swapmeet was the next day so i went to sleep early just to go, got there at 8am not early but not late. went only looking for this and i found it



really really good and thick direct to metal primer and if you thin it its also a sealer. the primer i had i heard not to use on the parts that's metal its not a direct to metal primer and can shrink so i went and got this one, along with some euro clear. the clear i was told to get was the transtar euro clear but the guy i got this clear from said its the exact same clear but id like this one better because its thick, i shake the can and its like shaking a can of honey and lays great and since it lays thick it gives it depth and is easier to wet sand. for the clear i paid 160 and for the primer i paid 120. there was a vendor selling house of kolor uc35 clear coat but even he said id like the one i bought better. so now i have all the materials i need to paint, so it all starts now =)

also found the lens for my back up lights at Pomona











i didn't take any pictures at Pomona swapmeet, actually went straight to row 26 where i knew the paint vendors are and just bought what i was looking for. didn't want to walk around cause i would have bought a bunch of stuff i don't need or extras for the car that can really wait. not on a budget but i realized i can be very careless there, even when i left my girl screamed from inside the house as i was running out "don't come back with another car". next thing im buying is the aftermarket radio, same one i installed in my 48 and another pair of speakers for the car.

found these in the bucket of parts i got when i got the 59, look familiar? have no clue where they go if they do go to this car

 

Sure isn't an Impala; looks more like a truck turn indicator light assembly. might even be trailer light from the metal lip type part that sticks out in front of where the lens would go. FWIW, J

 

thanks aussie, I had some extra trims I was confused about where it went and the last thing I wanted was to put it all together to just have something left out and have to go back. I kept them because I thought they were the back up lights but realized they weren't when I redid these and put new lenses. also have some bumper bracket looking things I don't know if they are to this car ill post a pic to show.

couldn't do anything these last two days, had to go get my truck smogged yesterday and today the weather was muggy but I was ready to spray primer today













as you can see, I filled small dings and dents and I took the bumper kit backing and face plate back down to metal so I can repaint and spray the metal flake =)

really wish I had atleast sprayed the primer on the parts today but the weather was humid yet muggy. so when I realized I couldn't do anything today I went out to buy materials I needed to start the body and paint on the car itself. materials can add up, so I looked up online any deals on sand paper and found this guy

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/mat/4425183091.html

cool guy, got all this, over 1000 sanding discs for my d/a sander and a few 100 sanding sheets and some extras for ONLY 30 BUCKS









grits from 60 all the way to 500 are in there. don't know what the value of them are retail but I felt I got a good deal. anyone in so cal that need sand paper give him a call, has warehouse full of them, literally a warehouse full top to bottom. he also has these im going to try out, some kind of plastic sand paper with Velcro backing. has different grits but I brought some to try out. anyone have any info on these? they seem cool, and not sand but odd type of grit I cant see flaking off as easy



here Is the guys number anyone interested in getting paper

818 274 8241

 

how do scams work when they try to get your car ive heard of it happening. I figure before youd let your car go the cash would have cleared and in your account im guessing. for me to let my car go, youd have to show up at my house with cash in hand or a few postal money orders nothing paypal.

as of this morning



theres no going back now...







brought it in into the back room so mist/dew don't give it that rust haze. no turning back now, new paint, full metal flake and euro clear DAY 1. you cant tell in the pictures but the paint on the roof is gone too its bare metal. should have roof, trunk and wings primered by Thursday, sprayed white sunday, Monday white paint, Tuesday metal flake, wed euro clear then wait 2 weeks to cure. while its curing, work on the body and dash, repaint blue. here we go..

 

Hi Reyes, there used to be a lot scamming on ebay a few years ago. I once asked a question about a '61 vert. and found out that I'd bought it for $2,300 and could I please wire the money to a bank account in Poland!
I wish scammers could just learn to spell properly.
This Easter I had to diagnose and fix a couple of electric faults, one in the headlight circuit and another in the power windows. The headlight bulbs are repro T 3's that seem to be faulty and stay on high beam even on a bench test and the fottswitch if ok. Ended up putting regular Wagner bulbs problem cured.
Your Impala will sure look cool with all that fancy paintwork. I look forward to seeing it. j

 

o ok I see. I know a woman from work that met a guy on plenty of fish, turned out he was a model living in Africa and needed money to fly back home here to the u.s. and she fell for it, got her for 2000 dollars. after that I got very skeptic about everything

that's strange about the headlights, even in bench test? that sounds like a factory defect unless it takes a different wiring than that of your plug. whats the difference with t3 and standard? always heard about them never knew what it was

and yea, going to look a lot better than it does now, but going to be a long and hard/dirty few days ahead of me. but I wasn't happy with the paint it had, when I painted it I was scared to overdo it I was new to painting so the clear coat was paper thin and unpolished. this time im getting it right. even if it doesn't turn out exactly how I want it or as good as I hope I can, itll still be better than how it is now

 

right now filling and prepping the trunk lid


dirty ass work, by the end of the day I got shit all over me in my eyes and in my ears nothing but bondo and rust and dirt. but no matter how dirty im never like fuck this shit, keep pushing forward all I can think of is when im finally buffing it out and ready to put the trim back on. without doing this, I wont get to that so lets get that out of the way. get what im saying?
got this in the mail, one of the toppers im using for the back license plate. the cat, and the wiggler. its cool it wiggles left and right with just alittle shaking of the plate so when im driving its going to be going nuts





if I cant polish up that reflector and making it look nice im going to get a mobil Pegasus license plate topper, cut off the bracket that bolts it to the plate and bolt the wiggler arm to the center of the horse, so instead of that reflector swinging itll be the mobil Pegasus horse.
going to finish this up today, hopefully by tomorrow night ill have the wings, roof and trunk ready for primer

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GzDqxo5WB8