i bought 3 58 chevys today. 1 convertible,i hardtod impala sport coupe,1 4 door belair. there are 2 buildings full of more stuff than i can haul in one day. the old guy stripped 5 cars and put all the parts in these buildings and they are packed. question,are there any differences in trunk lids,doors,etc in the impala,rag top ,or belair. there is an extra rolling frame as well. i will start hauling after christmas and will need to start putting this in piles for each car. he started building these cars 20 years ago and quit after putting floors in the convertible. he was going to dip it and tore the car down and left it.. pictures to follow,i bought these after work and didn't have my camera with me.
the convert and impala have different decklids. the 4 door is different too, because of the different taillights. the convert frame will have straps welded to it for extra strength. pretty much nothing but the front sheetmetal and some dash and frame pieces from the 4 door will interchange with the other 2. there is a chance that the impala hardtop and convert doors might be a little different too? I can't remember on that, but will find out tomorrow, if no one else chimes in.
thanks,trying to sort this stuff out is going to be a nightmare. thought i would get a little education before i get started bagging and tagging. the guy told me there was a difference in the trunk lids but forgot which was which.
i want to know the difference in impala 2 door hardtop and convertible doors if any. i did not buy a belair 2 door, i bought a convertible, an impala 2 door hardtop sport coupe and a 4 door parts car. i don't want ot get rid of convertible only parts if i should get rid of the imapala. these cars are in several stages of repair and there are 5 cars worth of parts stacked in these buildings.
jim,i have one of those. very seldom do i ask a question . and it always goes wrong. ha ha!! i have a feeling i might mess up on this convertible only /imapala parts difference thing.
A couple of prior posts are confusing to read. All '58 Chev Convrts were Impala's.......that being the case, the doors on both the Impala hdtp and convrt should be the same. Likewise, the decklids should be the same on those two. There is NO length difference (overall) in the Impala, Bel Air, Biscayne etc.,just the fact the roof is shorter on Impalas make them appear longer. BTW, I looked up that fact in The Standard Catalog of American Cars to confirm my opinion before so stating. As you no doubt have noticed, the Impala's have 3 tail light pods, the other models only two, therefore the quarter panels differ as does the decklid, which is the same for all models but Impalas. The comments about frontend sheetmetal are correct. Bumpers are the same too. I owned a '58 Bel Air Sport Coupe ( hardtop) in the mid 60's and have always regretted selling it. A good friend currently has an Impala Hardtop and has found the number of 1958 specific parts to be challenging when looking for replacements for normally common items (elect switches etc.). You are fortunate to have so many spares with which to work. Don't be too quick to part with some of that stuff until you know you have everything you will need to finish what you choose to restore.
again a valued answer,you and squirrel seem to be always spot on to calm my agitation. when i was contacted about buying these cars,i had no idea about these cars,even though i have owned 3. that was when i was 15 years old. the old guy for some reason didn't throw anything away from the 5 cars, there are electric window switches,motors, many many windows,door trim,more stainless than you can imagine. what puzzles me is that there are engine and tranny's galore with one hydromatic. ohh the fun begins!!
jim i'll get started sorting this out. i may just have a breakdown on this deal. i'll pm you if i get stumped.
All the front clips are the same, 4dr, 2dr, wagons. The Side fender spears, the "gun sights" above the eyes on the fenders and the Sgt. Stripes were on the Impalas and Belairs only. The other fenders will work but holes will have to be drilled or plugged. Doors are Impala ONLY. 2dr HardTops or Convertible are the same, the vent windows are also the same. They didnt change till 59. Belair HT 2dr will NOT work, the curvature on the back above the striker plate is different, even though the door trim is the same. Trunk lids ARE TOTALLY different. 2dr HT Impalas are longer (obviously) and the top corners curve and point up towards the back window. Convertible Trunk lids are shorter and almost straight all the way across along the top. The bottoms are the same due to the trademark Impala's taillights. Gas doors are Impala only. Hardtops or Convertibles. All others are smaller. Front bench seats are Impala only as well. 2dr Belair seats are different. Not to mention the Impala seat trims or shells. Back seats are very different. Bottom of back seat: Convertibles are flat all the way across and narrower than the Hardtop seats. The Hardtop Impala back seats have the pop-up arm rests, and a wide speaker bezel with the impala emblem speaker grill. Top of back seat: Convertible is narrower, the speaker bezel is smaller and it has metal top rail trims along the top that wrap around the speaker bezel. Hardtops do not. Convertible quarter windows are different, and so are the inner quarter window top rails. Windshield stainless and front pillar stainless inner and outter is different, sunvisors are different. Frame is different on Convertibles, all others are the same except convertible as they are reinforced. Convertibles also have inner "L" shaped braces on the inside by the front jams/cowl for structural support. Steering wheels are Impala only, different from 59-60s with a full circle horn ring. Dash is the same with the exception of the convertible switch under the dash. Also the Impalas have a full alum. machined insert dash trim, belairs did too. Door panels and trim are Impala only. Convertibles have piston covers. All the side "Impala" trim is the same on HardTops and Convertibles. Belair share some but not all of the side trim. Cowl Trim tags will tell you also if its Impala, Convertible or not, 4dr L6 or V8 58s are ugly and I think you got a huge headache ahead of you, you oughta just sell them to me and I'll take care of the scrap metal shipping charges... What a find... post some pics!!
This guy here has the answers on the body differences..........HOWEVER, I suggest you don't listen to him about leaving him in care of your find, everybody knows I'm your go to girl for Late Great Chevy's.....ESPECIALLY 58 Chevy's. If that fails, I'll wrastle him for the opportunity. Oh and deck lids are different because of the difference in length of the cat walks on the cars.
locorider,brandy, and 55 dude, thanks for your help. i will be putting this info to great use and you may be right. it's too much for guy with a weak ticker!!! i'll pm you later!!! looks like i have a good reference for starting the process. cowl tag is still on the convertible and the sport coupe. it's raining or i'd get pics and info..
I echo many of the comments and suggestions here on this topic as much of everything has already been addressed. I just want to say that when you get your list together, be sure to share the "excess" wealth. Not all of us Hamb(sters) are fortunate to find a barn full of parts.
i will. i'll start moving cars first.my wife will only let me keep one. she was so happy when i started getting rid of cars and now i'm dragging more in.
Hotrod, If you're parting with either of the Impala's, I might be in the market. Either way, that's a real cool score!
i'm not sure what i'm going to do with them. i know my wife is sending me back to the va to get my meds checked.
Haha! Everytime I buy a new project, my wife has something upgraded on the house. At this rate, the house will be BRAND new in a year or two.
HRL...I have a 1958 shop manual left over from my 58 Delray build...pic is at Pate where it found a new owner...
will do....thinks he might have one in them there boxes you're going to be loading up....happy hunting... Lawrence
Hi The impala 2drht and convert use the same doors . The trunk lid is the same for these two models. As was said from cowl back are one and only for the impala.I have one these myself .If you need info I can help just email me. Bill
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