Michael Riley's Blog: Hemmings Find of the Day

Put in for a new job, and there’s guaranteed to be an interview process. The same holds true with adopting a pet from an animal shelter, meeting prospective in-laws-to-be for the first time, and in some cases, buying a car. The current owner of this 1966 Chevrolet Impala two-door hardtop, for sale on Hemmings.com, is not only upfront about the car’s strengths and weaknesses, he’s also clear about what kind of home he wants to find for it. Those looking for a donor car to build a slammed-to-the-ground custom, rolling on dubs, should look elsewhere; in the seller’s words, he’s loved the car for far too long to see it ruined. While not perfect, the Impala sounds like a reasonable project for the novice car hobbyist, and the price reflects this. From the seller’s description:

2 door hardtop, NOT an SS- bench seat; 283 V8, 2- barrel, 2- speed Powerglide; 91k original miles; Power Steering; NO power brakes, NO A/C

Original color- Willow green w/ green interior

Have the owner’s manual (not any of the build sheets, etc.)

Have a dozen or so parts catalogues- Sinclair’s, Impala Bob’s, Hubbards…

I’ve owned my Chevy for almost 10 years. It was my pride and joy all through college and beyond (I named her Julia). I used to tinker with it all the time as my hobby. Now I have a kid and a house, and have no time for her anymore. She deserves an owner who can take good care of her, like I always have, so I am putting her up for sale.

The good:

-All original, unmolested Chevy. I have tried my best to keep it that way.

-Runs well. I have always told people it is the best running car I have ever had. Indestructible small-block 283 V8 starts and runs every time.

-No enormous, gaudy rims, no suspension kit, etc. In fact, the very first thing I did for her was switch out the original 14” rims and hubcaps for 15” rims and Baby Moons. Looks classy, yet subdued. I have the 5 original rims and hubcaps to go with the car. The second thing I did was remove the cherry bomb muffler and put it back to stock.

-Many years back I added a set of load- leveler shocks to the rear. The air valves are in the trunk so you can adjust the ride height. Sits real nice when they are pumped up.

-The trunk and floors are better than solid. About two years ago, I refinished the trunk’s paint job with original speckled paint. Before painting it, I primed the entire thing with POR-15. Read up on this stuff- it is serious rust- preventing primer.

-At the same time, I replaced the interior carpet. When I did, I thoroughly inspected the floors and they, too, were solid as anything. While there, I spread the POR-15 anyway for good measure. I have pictures from under the carpet to prove the floors are solid.

-Windows and weatherstripping all in excellent shape. All windows operate fine, including the wing windows and the back windows.

-Has a Kenwood stereo and two front speakers built into a hand-made console, with two rear speakers in the back deck. The original AM radio is still installed and connected to a speaker under the dash. Works, but is staticy and temperamental.

The bad:

-The engine starts right up, and always has. Unfortunately, she has sat more than ran since my little boy was born three years ago (I still start her regularly). At this point, she just needs the regular maintenance that an old car requires- a tuneup, points, carburetor rebuild, etc. It can probably be driven home right now, but it has a tendency to stall out when the gas pedal is first pressed (perhaps the accelerator pump). Again, some tinkering would probably solve the problem.

-Needs some bodywork and maybe a paint job. Was repainted some time before I bought it. Still looks good from 12 feet away, and gets a lot of compliments everywhere I go, but up close you can notice some issues. One rear quarter is rusting down at the bottom, and various small spots around the car make me think it’s time for a full going over. It’s what I would do if I were to keep it.

-The body panel below the back window is shot (see pictures). They are notorious for rusting out on Chevys with the low- sloping back window. I have the replacement metal panel (see picture)- ordered it from the catalogues. Need a body guy to cut it into the car and paint it; just never had the chance to get it done.

-The interior rear deck (behind the back seat, under the back window) is also shot from sitting in the sun for decades. I have always kept a piece of rug on it, but even that got dry rotted in the sun. The replacement piece can be ordered from the catalogues, and while the back window is out to redo the body panel, that ought to be done as well.

-The interior upholstery was refinished right before I got it, and looked fantastic. In time, the dark green portions of the vinyl has faded and discolored (see pictures). It is certainly presentable, and only has one rip on the driver’s seat, but would need to be partially redone to look perfect. Besides, the original car had cloth where the dark green is, so if someone wants to make it original, it would need to be done anyway. The light green portions are in good shape.

-The headliner is just starting to come apart in one rear corner, and is generally brittle. It does not look too bad and is original (I believe).

So the bottom line is this- she is a good running car that still looks good as a driver and would make an easy project to bring it back to perfect. I am not desperate to get rid of her, so I will not take ridiculous low-ball offers. I wish to sell the car to someone who will take good care of her, as I have, and will appreciate the fact that it is mostly original.