10/01/2019
This 1963 2 door Impala has an amazing history, and worth the read. The owner's Uncle worked at the Chevy plant in Lansing Michigan in the 60's. This car was his personal build, and he walked it down the assembly line "requisitioning" whatever he wanted. It has a VIN, but the drivetrain/interior/exterior combination is not to be found on any other car... it is truly a one-of-one. The current owner is the nephew of the original owner/builder.
The nephew initially called us for a frame-on restoration. But as we disassembled the car, its moisture rich life in Michigan yielded more rust than initially inspected, so it became a complete frame-off restoration. Every assembly, component, nut, bolt and screw, was restored or replaced.
Though the car is a piece of history with value unknown, the owner wants to drive it any day, and it had to look like it did in '63. So we toiled to retain as much original componentry and flavor as possible. But we integrated some new "tricks" to make the car more reliable and road friendly.
On it's first road test, I personally drove the 4600 lb. car up I-70 from Denver to Idaho Springs. It cruised at 1800 rpm in overdrive at 65 mph without downshifting once, and I never touched the brakes on the downhills either. What a fun drive!
Yes, it's a 327 block and heads, yes that's the original functioning tachometer and bench seat, and yes, the original radio works. This next summer, the owner is driving it to Michigan to visit family. Awsome!
A special shout out to Steve Mazur, 720-530-9529, for his amazing body repairs and paint. You are my hero Steve.
I have over 640 pics of the project, but I only posted some before and after to show the transformation.
Thank you Mr. Gallman for your patience and business.
