My Six Four SS 409 4 spd numbers matching project

[mmanship]

I started the project three years ago and I am mostly done (one is never "done" done). I will try to figure out how to post some pictures. Bear with me.
These are pictures of the car the day I brought it home. It was a 50 footer. I know it doesn't look too bad here. It was pretty bad as I got into making it run and stop. Everything I touched, removed or tried to fix exposed more problems. I did fall in love after I got it running and stopping so decided to go for restoring it. I will follow up with more of the process as time permits. Thanks

 

[1961BelAir427]

Looks pretty good in the before pictures to me. Congratulations on being nearly done.

 

[63 dream'n]

Congrats..........welcome to the site.........

 

[mmanship]

I drove the car 1000 miles. Then, decided I would restore. Completely disassembled. Had it sand blasted. Wrong thing to do (probably). Warped some panels. And, sandblasting does not get into cavities. So, I took it and had it "dipped" then shot with some primer. I added many new panels, fixed the fenders, smoothed the firewall, got all the panels aligned and had expoxy sprayed. Here are some pics

 

[mmanship]

I decided during the restoration that I wanted the outside and inside of the car, the engine, transmission, rear end and such to remain stock. The car was ordered with the 340 h.p. QC 409, no air, no pwr brakes, no pwr steering.....the only options ordered were passenger side door mirror and padded dash. Car came originally Tuxedo Black with Red interior. I did decide to add a 605 pwr steering unit, 4 wheel pwr disc brakes and vintage air conditioning. In addition, I added beefed up front and rear anit-sway bars, gas shocks, 2 inch dropped spindles and heavy duty springs up front. Rear was lowered a little. I used 17" OEM style steel wheels.......8 inch wide in front, 10 inch in rear. Big radial tires.

 

[64ss409]

Looking good! I think I have the twin to yours.

Here is your first photo flipped.

 

[mmanship]

A few more pictures of the process.

 

[mmanship]

more

 

[Quickshift409]

Lookin "REAL" good.

 

[Phil Reed]

Welcome!! Man..........you sure do good work!!!! Wish I had a car to bring you!!!!

 

[1961BelAir427]

Welcome!! Man..........you sure do good work!!!! Wish I had a car to bring you!!!!

Or in my case, wish I could afford to bring you a car!

 

[Phil Reed]

Or in my case, wish I could afford to bring you a car!

That's what I meant to say!!!!

 

[Jim Sullivan]

Nice job!! Welcome to this great site!

 

[skipxt4]

GREAT job.

 

[Dick MacKenzie]

Nice car! I like it!! Your upgrades& additions sound perfect. Did you get it from? Was it Steve, "LMBRJQ 60"

 

[Jeff Olson]

Welcome, very impressive. Did you catch Phil trying to look through your parts in the trunk?

 

[Mr harold knight]

Looking good.

 

[tripower]

Welcome aboard, Nice job.

 

[mmanship]

Found the car while on a weekend trip. We went by an old filling station in Poplar Bluff Mo. That had been turned into a muscle car sales lot called Retro Motors. Just stopped and looked around and was approached by a sales person. He wanted to sell something but I told him I didn't see anything I wanted. He asked "what are you looking for?". I told him I wanted a matching numbers, 64 SS Impala, 409, 4spd. He said " we have one in a warehouse!". Long story short, I made one offer...take it or leave....they took it. I was 300 hundred miles from home. Had to go home get truck and trailer and return. I could have probably made a 50 footer, rough driver out of it but I just felt compelled to go all the way making it a real driver.

 

[BSL409]

Very Nice