61' Impala Bubbletop in Hawaii

[ssx61]

Hi,
A little about myself, I purchased a 61' Impala Bubbletop (with a 1963 Dual Quad 409) 4 speed etc. a few months ago and have been browsing this site but have not posted until today. The car was restored some years ago and is still in very good shape a strong #2 car. This is my first big Chevy as I have had an number of 66-67' Nova's (I still have a 67' SS) and a had few Camaro's etc. Always wanted a 61' or 62' Bubble though. Finally managed to get one. (Extremely hard to find in Hawaii! Mine is from California). I have been a Firefighter/EMT and currently a Engine driver for the local Fire Dept here on the Big Island for 15 years, been with my wife for 15 years, married for 7 and have 2 boys (2 years and 2 months old). I am new to the "W" engines and trying to learn as I go along, great site with lot's of information. Looking forward to communicating with others on this site in the future. Steve

[Ronnie Russell]

Steve, Welcome to our site. You will find many willing to answer any questions you may have. I am a retired Dallas firefighter and we have at least two more retired firefighters who are also members of this site. 61 Impalas are hard to find here on the mainland, you must feel quite lucky to find one there. Glad you did and , again, welcome.

[jester]

Welcome to the site Steve. Do you have a guest room? :rofl :rofl :rofl

[bobs409]

Welcome to the site Steve. Hard to find a 61/62 bubble top in Hawaii huh? I bet it is! :D It's hard enough finding one here in the 48's.

I bet it looks good there in paradise. Lots of nice scenery to use as a back drop. ;)

Hey, ever run into Dog the bounty hunter out there? :D


Bob

[hrlykngt]

What was the actual production numbers for bubbletops in 61/62? I went to the #s at the intro page but it only lists them as 2dr sedan and 2dr sport coupe. Also what was the 409 % of the production.

[Tom Kochtanek]

What is often referred to as the "bubbletop" is actually labelled "Sport Coupe" by the General (Motors). In 1961 these so called "bubbletops" came in Bel Air, Impala and Impala SS trim packages. In 1962 only the Bel Air had that roof line, as the Impala went to a more formal "creased" look in their roofline.

So in that listing, the total number in 1961 was given as 177,969, which included both the BA and the Impala (and those precious few SSs). I can see why you might be confused, since in 1962 they (GM) apparently classified the Impalas as "Sport Coupes". We know there are but a few thousand 1962 BA Sport Coupes in that lot (which totalled 323,427). About 100,000 were SSs in 1962, the rest Impalas I suspect. And those few Bel Air Sport Coupes...

I know it doesn't give you an exact number, somebody else will likely have those details. Hope that helps some :).

Steve, welcome to the site! Get to know us, we're a pretty goog group of guys (most of the time :)).

Best,
TomK

[ssx61]

Thanks everyone! And no I haven't seen "Dog" over here (boy do they make Hawaii look bad or what?)

[bjburnout]

Welcome to the site:rolleyes:

As a gesture of VERY good will I think you should host the next 348-409 convention...........:clap

Bob, this should go to a vote...all in favor.....start your engines...:brow

bj:cheers

[jester]

I second that motion. :cheers
I think that's a great idea as long as I get first dibbs on the guess room.
We can bring pictures of our car to avoid the high cost of shipping.
Last I heard , they have not finished building that bridge from the left coast to the big island.:rofl :rofl :rofl

[ssx61]

I'd love the idea of the convention being here (would be nice to cruise with other people with the same interests/cars etc), somebody would have to convince my son to move out of his room for a week though!:)

[JIMS409]

WELCOME SSX61!!! Miss Hawaii and ready for another trip:cry Used to go every two years or so when my brother was stationed there. Ever had one of those "Puka Dogs"?

Aloha,:cheers

"KIMO'S 409"