QuestionI have a 1969 Chevy Impala that my dad promised to fix up and give to me for my 16th birthday. My dad passed away 3 years ago and I am now 16 and I have been working and saving up money. I want to rebuild the car, but the problem is, it ALL needs to be redone. I need a new engine, transmission, new EVERYTHING. The only thing I have is the body, the interior is good, and it has a white rag top and that is still good, but under the hood, it is completly empty. What engine should I put in there and what kind of tips can you give me for rebuilding it. It is the last thing that I have of my dad's and that is why I want to fix the car up so badly. Everyone tells me that I should just sell it becuase it is going to take thousands to fix it, and I know that, but I want to get some information on what i should do to rebuild it. If you can help me, that would be great. Thank you so much.
AnswerAny convertible is special, but big car convertibles are kind of at the low end of the collectible scale, especially with gas prices what they are (really NOTHING from the 60's got really good mileage, the small cars were....well, just smaller for the most part!).
But you have something nobody can give but your dad, sentimental value. And big cars can be a lot of fun to drive and show.
You need to make plans for this job. You need to decide if you want a show car or just a good driver. First evaluate the body. If the car is solid with no rust, then good. If there is some rust, you will need to decide how much you want to invest in the body. If there is a LOT of rust (check the frame and floors carefully, pull up the carpet, check the shock mounting points etc) then you may want to give up because it can cost a lot.
It costs as much to restore a low value car as a high value car but Chevy's are always cheaper than about anything else because there are so many out there.
Assuming the body is decent, you can do this in stages. you can make a decent driver and have some fun, and then later when you have more money do the cosmetic restoration and make it look great. Making the car mechanically right is most important if the body is basically solid.
Also remember that you can use this as a learning project, probably what your dad had in mind. Honor his memory and learn skills that will not only save you money, but serve you well as you grow older. My first car was a $50, 1951 Chevy that my dad bought for me when I was 15. He didn't have mechanical skills, but he bought the parts and helped me learn skills that i still use today. I did the engine, tranny, interior, rear axle and suspension and did so well, that dad did me a favor and had the body re-done at a shop. That was a mistake, he should have insisted that I do that as well, because that is the part of cars that I know the least about today at almost 60 years old.
So buy some books, and do some research. Start by buying a copy of Hemmings Motor News (http://www.hemmings.com) Buy the magazine, you can get so much more from it than on the internet.
Also join the National Impala Association in Spearfish SD.
http://www.nationalimpala.com/
Get to know the owner and his wife they are great people, they can put you in touch with people that know your car, and they have a good parts supply.
Buy the factory service manual and body manual for your car, NIA should have those, or you can find them on E-bay.
As for the engine and transmission, the good news again is you have a Chevy. You can go several ways. You can upgrade to a modern fuel injected engine with lots more power, or you can put in one that would have been correct, or anywhere inbetween. Cheapest would be to buy a good used engine that is correct for the period. At this point I would not be concerned about "numbers correct" because you can always spend the time/money for that later, but it might be something to consider.
Also, look at the data plate on your firewall, to determine what was in it originally. Here is a site where you can get the information to do that:
http://www.yearone.com/updatedsinglepages/Id_info/decoding_body_tags.htm
Also year one has lots of good parts and books, another source for what you need.
If your car was a big block car, then it is worth more if you put the correct engine in, but you could go with the cheaper 350 and have better gas mileage and lots less expense. Also, 350 engines are VERY plentiful.
I recommend getting one from the era of the car, this makes mounting it simpler, there are some differences in motor mounts and transmission mounts.
I also recommend you get a more modern overdrive automatic transmission. Not much more expensive than the older ones, but will get you LOTS better mileage on the highway. Plus you really can't tell what tranny is in the car. Of course if the car is a manual trans car (does it have a clutch pedal?) that would be RARE because big cars with manual transmissions are very rare and worth more. If it has a clutch pedal, then keep it a manual if you can, you can find good manual transmissions , and again, a more modern 5-speed with Overdrive helps with fuel mileage.
So do some research, plan on doing the work yourself.
One last bit of advice, if you absolutely can NOT do the work yourself, then maybe it would be best to either store the car till youcan afford the work, or sell it. Unless you have a good income or healthy trust fund, even a modest restoration you have to pay someone to do is going to cost many many thousands of dollars. On the other hand, getting a decent used engine/tranny and getting the car on the road, may only cost a couple thousand if you can do the work. you can rent the big tools like an engine hoist, and you only need a few basic tools (buy SAE not metric tools, everything on your Impala is American SAE size, not metric.) Go to Sears for new tools, but you can buy used sets all the time on E-bay. Shop around. An air compressor, and an impact wrench are good to have. Of course if you have friends that will let you borrow their tools, that is great, but be sure to give them back. Borrowing tools have probably cost more friendships than about anything else. Ask around for car guys at shows in your area for people that can mentor you in the basic skills. You will find most car people more than willing to help you if given the chance. Of course always be aware of preditor types that might take advantage, but most people have good intentions.
Good luck, I think you should do a modest mechanical fix-up and just clean and fix up the car for now. Get it running first, then make it look nice. Keep it stored inside if possible, rust will eventually take anything stored outside. Even if the paint is bad, try to keep a coat of wax on it. keep it clean.
Finally, when taking things apart, take pictures and print them out or use a polaroid camaera. Draw where things go and make notes and put all the parts in a baggie so when you go to put it back together in months/years, you won't have to ask where that bolt or clip went!
Clean everything and paint it before you put it back on. Starting clean and nice makes everything better.
There are books on mechanical and cosemetic restoration. buy some and read, read, read.
Don
