1959 Chevy Impala Project!!

[JESSE G]

Here is a pic of my 1959 Chevy Impala 2dr Ht. My dad gave it to me about 8 years ago, he got it when he was 15 from my Uncle who had bought it when it was 3 yrs old. When my dad gave it to me it had been in storage for 17 yrs needless to say it was in bad shape. I replace the entire brake system and had a 348 big block built for it, no where near stock It is bored 60 over with forged pistons had heads of a 61 which came with bigger valves, high performance cam shaft and I have a tri powers set up I'm going to rebuid to put on it. If case you dont know what that is its 3 two barrel carburators in a row. This bad boy will be pushing around 450 + hp it should realy :jet: hehe. I was in a bad car accident and have not had the funds to finish it. I should be getting a decent settelment and planning on getting it running then.In the future I'm going to put airbag suspension on it so I can drop it down into the weeks. 20 inch crager ss wheels it hard to tell from this pic but this car has huge rear wheel wells the tires on it now are 12 1/2 inches wide!!! It looks like its tubbed out. The paint job will be white on top and trunk lid like in the pic and the rest will be a bright red thinking of using viper red something like that. I want to drop in a corvette 6 speed someday for now it will probally have a turbo 350 or 400. Let me know what you think of my baby Its not real pretty in the pic but someday it will be one sweet ride and when I'm gone it will go to my oldest son. If you have any projects with pic I would love to see them.

Jesse

 

[vbgagnon]

It definatly has potential. Good luck with her!

 

[Rolex]

I have an uncontrollable craving to do the painting for you. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[JESSE G]

I think I'm going to paint it actually thank you for the offer lol

It will probally take me a week just to take off all the chrome trim hehe

Have you painted many cars???

 

[Rolex]

I've done quite a few through the years. My own 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix 3 times, and a few others for friends, including a total restoration on a 1970 Fiat Spyder. (Hated that one, and lost my shirt)
My pride and joy paint job was the 2 passenger side doors (damaged by a rock wall) on a 1960 Fleetwood slab side Cadillac show car worth 60 grand. Rated as 92% stock.
He was extremely particular about that car, and was very pleased with the results. The prep and paint was a half day. The rubbing out and polishing was 2 days.
He turned the car in every direction to see if it would show in different lighting conditions before he paid me. I even got a $200 tip.
I've even done bicycles, a few riding lawn mowers, several motor cycles and the house I owned in New York.
Put ANY kind of spray gun in my hand, and I'm a happy guy.

 

[Plaidfish]

SAta or binks?

 

[JESSE G]

Well mabe I should have ya paint it for me hehe I've never done a full scale car except I rattle caned my Chevy Truck flat black lol I put it together with about 6 other trucks so it was very color it was like 5 diffrent colors hehe My dad calls that junk yard camoflaugh lol. It looks pretty good considering. I wet sanded it when I was done so you dont really see all the spray lines. It just my off road beast so dont need to be to pretty lol. Do you have any pics of your car or ones you have sprayed? I would really like to see them I love old cars!!!!

I'm not to fond of fiats either I call them things death traps :hammer:

 

[Rolex]

SAta or binks?

Between the big guns and the touch up guns, both Binks and DeVilbiss. I also have a few taiwaneze knock offs that use DeVilbiss parts.

Jesse, my photos are still in a storage box, and I never took any photos of that Fiat, since I hated seeing it, and couldn't wait to get it out of the driveway.
The Cadillac is only on video tape.

 

[JESSE G]

Thats cool. I only have this pic of the exterior of my car right now and it isnt a very good one. I have a way better camera now and its sitting in my driveway. Just havent gotten around to go out and take better pics lol. That and I have it covered up and it takes me a while to unstrap everything and to put it back on. It gets really windy here sometimes so I have that cover on there really good it would take a tornado to get it off. Which we get around here every once in a while.

I still havent decided what color in going to paint it for sure it will be somekind of red. I thought about Candy Brandy Wine with a silver base coat exspensive though . My Uncle painted my dad,s 76 Chevy that color and it was tight!! Unfortunalty My dad rolled it 3 months later going up the mnts to go elk hunting. That sucked so bad it was a very sweet cutom truck.

 

[Rolex]

All the photos were done on film. Since I went digital a couple of years ago, it's a pleasure to deal with pics, both on Emails and prints. I haven't set up my scanner since I moved. What an antiquated way to send photos.
I also have an interface to put video in and out, to capture stills, but the last time I tried it, I wasn't very happy with the results.
Best of luck with the '59. I just really enjoy classic American cars.......well, other than Ramblers or a Studebaker Lark.

 

[JESSE G]

Ah come on ramblers are such cool cars lol :jk:. I have had several classic cars over the years.My 59 ,67 Chevy El Camino, 65 short bed Chevy truck, 69 Plymouth Valiant,
71 Plymouth Satelite that was the fastest had a built 318 that thing would get up and MOVE!!! It got 7 mpg on the highway and around 3 in town. I sold it when my son was born it was either the 59 or the satelite so I sold the plymouth.

 

[Rolex]

I've had a lot of classics through the years that I wish I still had today. Either for the pleasure of the ride, or the cash they're now worth.
'53 MG TD, '61 Caddy Fleetwood convertable, '76 Lincoln Continental MK IV,
The '69 Grand Prix, also a '69 GTO with the hide away headlight covers, '61 Austin Mini Cooper, two '63 Corvair Monza 900 convertables, one automatic and one 4 speed, and my all time favorite, a '66 Olds Toronado.

 

[JESSE G]

Tornado,s are awesome did you see the one that Jay Leno had built and converted it to a rear wheel drive 1000 hp car.

 

[Rolex]

Jay Leno's Toronado is now my desktop wallpaper. Mine was white with black interior. His is also 1070 HP twin turbo.
I didn't know it was converted to rear wheel drive. I guess front wheel drive would have been impossible with that engine.

 

[Plaidfish]

Hey rolex what are the TDs going for?
what's a good place to look up prices on these cars?
I feel th urge to sell it and get a boss or something w/ some ass in it...

 

[Rolex]

Plaidfish, you're the one with the TD. I couldn't remember who had it. The last time I got a price on one was about 15 years ago, and it was 30 grand.
What it's worth today, I don't know. Could be more, could be less, depending on the market for Brittish sports cars.
Just last week, on the Barrett-Jackson auction, a '57 Chevy convertable went for $125,000, but right now, it's the American classics that bring the bucks.
Google it, and see what you come up with. You'll find for sale ads, as well as sites just showing them off. Their condition means a lot towards the price.
I found a site with one for sale for $2000, sitting out in a field, rusting and dry rotted. That's got to say something for their value.

 

[JESSE G]

Jay Leno's Toronado is now my desktop wallpaper. Mine was white with black interior. His is also 1070 HP twin turbo.
I didn't know it was converted to rear wheel drive. I guess front wheel drive would have been impossible with that engine.

Yeah I seen them build in on that show called Rides on tlc they took 2 corvettes and cut them in half and between the two cars they made the chassis for the Toronado. That is one sleeper of a car It would be funny to see this classic huge Toronado pull up next to some beefed up little rice rocket honda and blow the doors off it lol Bye Bye Rice Boy the honda dude would be like WTF!!!! They showed Leno testing it at the proving grounds he was crusing along like areon 40 or 50 and nails the throttle and that Toronado instantly lights up the tires and starts fishtailing back and forth man that got my adrenaline going lol.

Plaidfish, you're the one with the TD. I couldn't remember who had it. The last time I got a price on one was about 15 years ago, and it was 30 grand.
What it's worth today, I don't know. Could be more, could be less, depending on the market for Brittish sports cars.
Just last week, on the Barrett-Jackson auction, a '57 Chevy convertable went for $125,000, but right now, it's the American classics that bring the bucks.
Google it, and see what you come up with. You'll find for sale ads, as well as sites just showing them off. Their condition means a lot towards the price.
I found a site with one for sale for $2000, sitting out in a field, rusting and dry rotted. That's got to say something for their value.

the classics are way up in there worth. I seen a 59 Impala Convertable go for 100,000 WOW!

 

[Rolex]

The metallic green on the front of your '59 was never a good color for that car, but the brown that's on the rear would look really good with some extra metalflake in it. Loose the white top. Do it all one color.

 

[JESSE G]

That is a very bad pic actually the front clip is a light bronze color the original clip rusted around the head light bezels. The back rest of the car is Roman red has a slight orange tint to it and the roof is white and same with the trunk lid. I've seen 59,s all one color and they look good I just really like the 2 tone I was thinking of putting some pearl in where its white.

 

[Plaidfish]

I can't think of the MG as a sport car....that makes me laugh, it doesn't even have first gear synchros......My step mother trashed it the first day we got it running....NEVER AGAIN WILL SHE DRIVE THE BABY.......I searched and didn't really find a good pricing other than 2 on E-bay one was a bastard w/ a small block Chevy and the other was MINT and the bidding started at 20,000 but I don't think any were made yet.......I was looking at a 68 Nova SS w/ a 350 a while ago and I'm trying to talk pop into selling the MG so we can do the Nova up......that would be sweet.....maybe Jesse and I can do a lil build off and race some 1/4 mile classics someday........I live close to Morroso Jesse.......