*Dedicated*
To My Father, and Uncles Andy and Ralph
Thanks for making me who I am today.
I was lucky to come into posession of my 1968 Impala Sports Coupe Numbers matching survivor in the spring of 2006 with the help of my parents and wife.
Just a few sketches of what the final product may or may not be, they have helped give me ideas of what will and will not work and what I like. I made photocopies and used them to make modifications and add different accents so they can be seen beforehand in a real life scenario. Still undecided if the wheels will stay or not and the final paint scheme is still way up in the air.
Originally a Factory 275HP 327cid Powered '68 Impala Sport Coupe equipped with a Powerglide and 4.11 Gm 10 Bolt rear end. The car came originally equipped with power drum brakes, power steering and air conditioning. The interior is still completely original and in great shape witht he exception of a custom built console to house modern guages and and radio.
The Impala still adorns her Original Ermine White paint and Black Vinyl top. the car is or was all numbers matching built in St. Louis Mo in April 1968, the engine was assembled in Tonnowanda NY.
Before I begin any and all upgrades have been done with top of the line, Original or NOS parts when able to acquire them.
In October of 2006 at 125,980 miles the engine was removed and completely gone through squared decked and bored.030 over, the internal assembly was completely balanced and blueprinted retaining the original crank(turned and balanced), the heads were milled and received a 3 angle valve job using high performance stainless valves and heavy duty springs, Chome Molly retainers and valve locks, hardened Brass valve seats were installed ,then completely reassembled by McBette's Racing Engines Inc.of Oakdale, NY. The Powerglide transmission was also completely dissassembled and proffessionally redone by Ceasar at Bulletproof Transmissions of Lindenhurst NY.
The engine is now a 331 cid Sb with a 9.5 to 1 compression ratio topped with 1.94 - 1.50 valve heads . The engine has been recently upgraded with an Edlebrock Performer EPS medium rise intake and a Performer 600cfm electric choked Carburetor, then dressed up with Chevrolet Black Krinkle finished air cleaner and valve covers for an amazingly different look. Estimated Horsepower is around 350 Flywheel HP after all the upgrades and work.
All work has been done at the shop of a friend Bulletproof Transmission and Automotive.
As well as completely redoing the drivetrain, the suspension has been completely dissassembled and redone using MOOG replacement parts and Ennergy Suspension Poly/Graphite bushings all new Moog springs and Monroe shocks.
The steering has been upgraded with a custom built close ratio steering box.
The exhaust has been redone with a complete stainless 2 1/4" true dual system including Thrush Turbo mufflers.
The fuel system ahs been gone through cleaned and boiled the tank, replaced sending unit and reinstalled.
The front drum brakes were replaced with a set of factory disk brakes from a 1969 Kingswood station Wagon from Texas.
The aftermarket Ralley's were recently retired and replaced with a vintage set of 15"x7" Crager street star chrome rims and the center caps have been customized with Ed "Big Daddy Roth "Rat Fink' Insignia's for that one of a kind look. The tires are Cooper Cobra's 215 65R15 up front and 255 60R15 out back.
The air conditioning was functional but empty so it was completely redone by Bill Carbury at Cap-A-Radiator in Farmingdale, NY.
The ignition has been upgraged with an MSD ro Comp HEI ignition system and Custom made MSD 8mm 0 ohm resistance wires.
All the Original parts have been retained and stored away safely for the future in case either I or the next owner (My Daughter) has the urge to return the Impala to Factory Original. Nothing has been discarded or abused in the build of this Impala. The car is a blast to drive and turns heads wherever it goes. I get a lot of people stopping me to reminisce about the one their Dad had and the memories they have of it. I enjoy the stories I hear and the feeling I get every time I get behind the wheel.
Day 1 the Impala arrives, May 8th 2006. She had 124,770 miles on the clock and still ran strong as an ox.
The Interior is completely original and in pretty great shape except for the fact the previous owner cut the carpet to run wires for under seat speakers - instead of running it under the sill plate like normal. The seat had one small hole from what looks like a pen that was easily fixed. The dash has just started to crack in one small are and will be redone in the future. I added an Original Dash mounted clock in place of the delete plate. The arm rests were tattered so they were redone and replaced. The speaker boxes were removed and speakers were placed in the factory rear deck openings for that factory look and the package tray was recovered in black lightweigt carpet and looks great.
The Home Made Guage/Radio housing with Panasonic CD and Auto Meter Guages. Built with the assistance of my 5 year old daughter and only hand tools. We wrapped it in vinyl and it matches the dash perfectly-actuallylooks like it was meant to be there. It is a pressure fit so no holes had to be drilled.
October 2006 the engine was pulled for rebuild and the bay and frame powerwashed, degreased and coated with POR15. The bay was detailed for the fresh engine.
November 2006 the engine is back from McBette's Racing Engines and finds it home once again in the freshly cleaned and painted bay. All brackets were cleaned and painted and all new hardware was used. A custom built single wire alternaator replaced the stock one for some added voltage to the accessories.
The engine after being all buttoned back up ,November 2006. The A/C was all charged back up and tested, the radiator replaced with a Reproduction one and all new belt, hoses and clamps. - It stayed that way for 2 years until I needed to upgrade because of Quadrajet issues. Still has problematic points ignition though.
The Engine Specifications:
Block - 3914660 Date Code D5 8 (April 5th 1968)
Line Honed - Mill Decked(3 Sides) Bored.030 to 331 cid.and Block Plate
Honed.
Rods - Balanced and rresized Large ends
. Heads - 3947040 Date Code(s) (L- C2 8) March 2nd (R- C6 8) March 6th
64cc 1.94 intake and 1.50 Exhaust
Performance Rebuild Reface Valves Cut seals and Milled
Crank - 3911001 Large Journal Turned and Balanced ( Welded 4 Plugs)
Ground and Polished and Radiused Oil Holes
Cam - ES 1013R Stage 2 High Performance Hydraulic Flat Tappet
.050 Duration 214/224
Camshaft Lift .295/.310
Valve Lift .443/.465 Lobe Center 107/117
Overlap 61
Timing Set - TS 163X 3pc True Double Roller
3 Keyway Crank Sprocket 4 degree Crank offset
Pistons - P3016 (.30 )Flat Top
. 1.654” Compression Height 4.0” Bore
Piston Ring Set - M40058 5/6 5/64 3/16”
Oil Pump - Ep55A High Pressure Pump
Lifters - L187 Hydraulic Flat Follower
Stainless Steele Valves w/ Bronze Vlave Guides
Intake - V1476 3.413” Stem 1.94”
Exhaust - V1077 3.413” Stem 1.50”
Valve Springs - VAS3 (high Perf) 6000RPM Valve Lift to .510
1.250 OD Springs Chrome Molley Retainers and Valve Locks
115lbs Closed @ 1.700” Coil
300lbs Open @1.250” Coil
Bind @ 1.160”
Intake - Edlebrock Performer EPS Dual Plane Medium Rise Aluminum
Power from idle to 6000RPM
Carb - Edlebrock Performer 600cfm Electric choke Manual Secondaries
3/8” Fuel line.
The old points ignition was removed and replaced with an MSD Pro Comp Billet HEI distributor and we had to make our own wires from scratch using MSD 8mm wire and boots. We opted to replace the red cap and coil with a black cap and high output coil for appearance reasons. What a great upgrade for any classic, reliable starting and better performance as well as reliability.
After struggling with not getting the car to runthe way I wanted for along time I decided to once again tear open the motor and do some modifications. The 750cfm Quadrajet (7028212) was replaced with an Edlebrock Performer 600cfm with electric choke for easier starting and more reliable operation while retaining the power and adding fuel economy. The Stock Spreadborre cast iron intake was replaced with a much lighter aluminum medium rise Edlebrock Performer EPS intake with a better runner design that reduced weight, added a better flow of air/feul and bumped up the performance while adding to the appearance.The original valve covers had some clearance issues so they were replaced with these sweet black crinkle finished Chevrolet stock sized ones that match the air cleaner.
The engine in the spring of 2009 after upgrading the top end with Edlebrock Performance Goodies including a Performer EPS Intake and Perormer Carb. A lot of modifications and fabrication had to be done to get all the geometry tight on the lines and linkages.
After buttoning the engine back together and installing some guages, she wouldn't start. Ugh! Well turns out the ignition switch had died, and it's a part that is no longer available or reproduced. After a week of searching and parts hunting I found one in Chicago at a parts dealer that had been sitting on a shelf for 41 years, so I nabbed it and had it overnighted here. What an ordeal. So I recently came accross another and picked it up for just in case reasoning.
The windshield wiper motor and pum had also went at this point so they were removed and sent out to Steve Macklin at Restoration Services and they underwent a complete dissasembly and restoration to better than new condition, including replating and complete rewiring. It will look great once re-installed.
The addtion of an original 1969 disk brake set-up, from a very low mile Kingswood Wagon from the state of Texas.They only needed to be cleaned up and painted, the rotors are uncut and still had the original pads (90% Left) and wheel bearings when I got them. The Disks are a great addition and the stopping distance and effort has been greatly reduced, adding safety and a sense of ease when cruising in heavy traffic conditions.
The vintage 1989 Cragar Steet Stars Customized with "Ed Roth Rat Fink" Decals. The Blue Cragar Logo's were faded and peeling and just did not please my eye. Now I know noone else has a set of wheels exactly like mine. The wheels really make the car stand out that much more while keeping that period feel I was after on this project.
Presently I am in the process of disassemling a late 80' 700R4 transmission out of a chevy 2 wheel drive truck and will be building a bulletproof 4 speed automatic Overdrive Transmission.
I have picked up the Transmission from a 92 Chevy Truck. Parts to be used for the conversion are as listed:
Lokar Part # ACA-1800 ADJUSTABLE BILLET COLUMN ARM KIT TH350/400/700
Lokar Part # KD-2700HT Lokar HI-TECH GM 700-R4 KICKDOWN KIT
Lokar Part # SRK-4000 Lokar Billet Throttle Cable Bracket and Spring.
B&M Part # 70244 Adjustable Lock up Controll.
AC Delco Part # 70244 GM Transmission Dipstick Tube and Dipstick.
The Impala today, she has come a long way with a lot o time and hard work and frustrating days of searching for rare parts and those that are almost impossible to find, yet the satisfaction is unbelievable. Replacement body panels are not yet produced, so I will be looking for good used ones or a good quality southern donor car when that time comes. I will not be "Cloning" another Super Sport, but creating a one of a kind vehicle when she is all finished up. I have plans for some simple modifications to the body that will make you take a double take. So keep watching as we continue the transformation..
Thanks for looking.
- Wheelman
