1962 Chevrolet Impala 409

Description

The change of decade from the 50s to the 60s brought many changes in the way cars were being designed. They were trimmed down and built up by the factories so you could drive them directly out of the showroom, show them off on the boulevard, then show up the competition on the drag strip. Thanks to the Beach Boys, a '62 Impala SS 409 is probably the most famous model from that era.

Popular immediately when it was introduced, the early 60s Impalas have remained popular to this day. Neat, clean, lines help give this car a stance that makes it look like it's chomping at the bit, just waiting to launch, when the light turns green. Body panel fit and finish is good on this car and it looks great in Ermine White. A simple bumper and grill flanked by quad headlights lead the way. Crossed flag badges and 409 scripts on the front fenders subtly announce the thunder under the hood. A sweet looking, machine turned, gold accent stripe runs down the length of the car, past the gas cap filler with its unique piece of trim chrome, to the Impala SS emblems on the rear fenders. The triple round taillights everyone loves across the back of this car are framed in their own machine turned metal panel. Chrome exhaust tips and Classic five spoke American Racing wheels with BF Goodrich TA tires complete the great looks of this car.

Red and chrome door panels have a nice arm rest built in, and the red upholstery has grey inserts on the bench, and also in the individual seat backs. A red two spoke steering wheel sets in front of a hooded instrument panel that holds deep set gauges and the speedo. More machine turned metal splits the upper and lower dash, and the whole interior is the perfect complement to the white body color on this car. A large Sunpro tach rides on the steering column, and an aftermarket gauge cluster sits just below the centrally located glove box. On the floor sits the Indy shifter for the four-speed manual trans which is topped by a white shift knob. The back seat is spacious and comfortable, and if you plan to travel in this car, rest assured, there is plenty of room in the trunk for everybody's stuff.

Ok, you can start singing the Beach Boys song now, because this car is all about the 409 in it. Open the hood and feast your eyes. There are Edelbrock, Dual quad carbs, feeding the beast through an Edelbrock intake manifold, and they are both polished up to a mirror shine. Abundant chrome on the alternator, power brake booster, master cylinder and other pieces dress up the engine compartment too. But nothing shines as fine as the valve covers embossed with that 409! Shorty headers send the exhaust downstream where they can be directed back through the mufflers, or, at the flip of a switch, be diverted down and out before the mufflers, for an open exhaust. Sweet! A Muncie M22 "Rock Crusher" four-speed trans sends the power back to 22570R15 tires. (Warning, driver skill required to control wheelspin!) Power steering is provided to make U-turns on the track, or the boulevard, easier with that big block sitting on the front wheels.

A sweet '62 Impala SS with the legendary 409 in it. It doesn't get much better than this. Unless it was parked in your garage!