Wrenches, Rust, & Sweat

The teardown process has started, spending much time and effort to get all the pieces off and set the fasteners into each piece so they don't get lost. My wife and I have been having fun taking both cars apart, and prepping each part that will be reused on this frankenstien project. I almost feel bad taking the old engine and drivetrain out of the old Impala, as everything works beautifully (for sale if anyone is interested 305 with a 350 turbo trans 120k on engine, 20k on transmission)!

Most of the front end is off of the Impala now, as you can see it still runs. I had to put a 2x4 in the engine bay to hold up the radiator, but she still runs and pulls herself into the garage! I think that this will be one of the last times it will be self propelled until we hook up the new drivetrain. I have a permanent location for the swap, and should be in it by the end of next week.

I guess I haven't posted any pictures of the actual body that we will be using for the project! Here are a couple of the car as it sits currently:

Roadmaster Aquired!

Well, we did it... I was able to bring the big Buick home last Saturday. It was a 320 mile journey each way to central Ohio, and it only took 12 hours to complete! Gotta love the backroads! (not fun) Anyway, the car is here, and we have been quick to start the disassembly of the smashed land yacht. The chassis looks to be very nicely intact, and the interior is very nice. Looks to have been driven by an elderly person, as I found evidence of it in the interior. The engine runs very strong, and was able to break the tires loose on the test run....just a little smoke ;). Here are pictures of the current status of both vehicles. My wife and I will be working on it more this week, and should have another post next week! Thanks for reading!

Donor Car Aquired!

Last Saturday I was able to obtain the Buick Roadmaster. It has a

Donor Car Found!

I have had this idea to purchase a 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS that had some body damage, and take the chassis and drivetrain and swap it into the Impala. I have always dreamed about putting an LT1 V8 into the car. Now I am attempting to make this dream a reality... I found a 1994 Buick Roadmaster that was involved in a slight fender bender, and am off to pick it up tomorrow. I guess we will have to call the car the Chevrolet Impala Roadmaster (Roadmonster)! I will post updates as the project progresses. Here is a picture of the Buick..

More History

I drove my car to and from school and work daily for about 4 years. When I went away to college, I managed to destroy the rear axle in the old girl (among other things that I was able to repair along the way). It was one of the spider gears in the rear axle that went, causing the car to make all kinds of noise when turning. The odometer showed 120,000 miles at this point, so I decided that it was time to get a more reliable vehicle, and with the help of my parents, I purchased a 1994 Dodge Dakota pickup. The car then was hidden away, with the hopes of restoring it in the future. While driving other cars, I still wondererd how I would be able to bring the Impala back to life. Dduring the years that I let her sit, I was able to repair the rear axle, and fix some of the rusty spots that plagued all vehicles that live in Northern Illinois. As of right now it has been ten years since the car was first put into storage, and it is time to begin "Project Impala".

Some History

I was a Sophomore in High School, and it was late fall. I was approaching my 16th birthday, and I was busily looking for a set of wheels that would transport me into a new realm of freedom. I asked a good family friend that is in the car mechanic and towing business if he knew of any relatively inexpensive vehicles that I would be able to afford for my first car. He told me that his mother had a car that she seldomly drove, that would be perfect for me as a first time driver. It was a silver 1977 Chevrolet Impala. It was a beautifully kept silver sedan, that still had the plastic carpet cover on the floorboards! After parting with $700 of hard earned (under minimum wage) money, on November 27th 1994 I had a new set of wheels. Needless to say, this was my home away from home for the next few years, as for the first time in my life I had something to call my own!

Welcome to the Impala Blog...

The day I turned the magical age of 16, I was able to buy my own car. This day marked a tranformation in which the world was all of a sudden a little bit smaller due to my new found freedom...driving. I had many memories both good and bad while driving my first car, and so did many of my close friends. This blog is about my first car, a 1977 Chevrolet Impala.