1962 Chevrolet Impala

Description

Great cars often have great stories to tell, and this 1962 Chevrolet Impala hardtop will tell you one of long-term ownership, careful maintenance, and wonderful preservation. With a single repaint, a beautiful original interior, a smooth-running 283, and a slick suspension, this is the Impala for guys who love to drive.

Twilight Blue is quite uncommon on '60s Impalas, but code 918 is indeed this car's original color. As a result, it stands out in a big way when parked with its more common red, white, and black siblings. The paint was refinished just a few years ago using single-stage urethane, so it's both durable and has a very correct look that's almost impossible to duplicate using two-stage paints. The shine is brilliant, but the color looks right on the vintage Chevy's bodywork, and thanks to a lifetime of careful ownership by a guy who clearly cared about his hardware, it needed no major surgery to look this good. It was cleaned up, any signs of age were smoothed away, and everything was reassembled with care. The shiny chrome looks way too good to be 1962 stuff, but it's possible given how nicely this car was maintained, and all the stainless shines up beautifully. It may show a few signs of use, but the overall look is a very high-quality Imp that's ready to show or cruise equally well.

Believe it or not, that's the original code 853 interior rendered in beautiful aqua cloth and vinyl. The striped fabrics and tufted vinyl sections work together to give the Impala a very high-end look, and with 33,275 original miles showing, it has only modest wear. The driver's seat fabric is a little stretched, but the rest of the upholstery is taut, bright, and nicely preserved, particularly the back seat which looks almost new. The two-tone steering wheel hasn't started cracking and crumbling like many old plastics tend to do, and the dash pad hasn't been bleached by long hours in the sun. Bright metal trim on the dash needs nothing more than a quick wipe with a damp cloth to look its best and you'll note that even though this is a top-of-the-line car, there was room to upgrade the radio to an AM/FM/cassette unit and yes, those are Air Ride switches under the dash (more on that in a moment). The carpets are excellent and it appears that the trunk still wears its original spatter paint with a full-sized spare up on its own shelf along with the compressor for the Air Ride system.

The original 283 cubic inch V8 remains under the hood and the factory 2-barrel carburetor and intake were swapped for a new 4-barrel setup. A few chrome dress-up items brighten things up, but that's factory Chevy Orange paint on the block and original ram's horn exhaust manifolds. Upgrades include an alternator and a dual-reservoir master cylinder for the power brakes, but that's about it It starts easily and runs like you'd expect from a small block Chevy, and with a new dual exhaust system, it sounds right. The undercarriage is clean and pretty stock save for the Air Ride setup that works with the stock suspension to keep things on the level. The 2-speed PowerGlide shifts well and the original rear end hangs out back. 215/75/14 whitewall radials look right on the matching steel wheels, which wear stock wheel covers.

An incredible survivor with a few tricks up its sleeve, this cool blue Imp is ready to surprise everyone at the show and put a big grin on its owner's face. Call today!