Back in 1963 I lived in So Cal in Orange County. I bought a 1962 Impala SS 409 with all the good stuff. Bought it from Stanley Chevrolet in Norwalk Calif. It was a trade in. Loved the car and in 1966 I got a letter from President Johnson informing me I was in the army, and in all probability I would have a years paid vacation in sunny Viet-Nam {which did happen.} So the car was sold. Fast forward to 1990, got married, had a few kids and thought about my old 409 and decided to try and find anonther one. After a few months of only finding 1 62 with a 409, which turned out to be a 348, I decided to build my own. I started my search at the Pomona, Calif. swap meet held about 6 times a year. Early on I bought a 656 passenger car block. I paid 500 dollars for it which included the block, the crank, rods, oil pan, timing case cover, and a flywheel. During the next year I found the valve covers, exhaust manifolds, starter, 2 distributors, and the dual quad manifold. I found just about everything but the 690 heads, which I wanted. A few months later, I saw an ad in Hemmings motor news. a guy in Brea, Calif. had a pair for sale, so I paid him a visit. The heads were great, I paid him 550 dollars for the pair, at which time he told me he got them from Greg Reimer. Who knows? I found a 1962 Impala at a corvette place in Walnut Calif. They had taken it in on trade. It ran and I gave them 900 dollars for the car. It was hard to see out the back window it smoked so bad. It left the Van Nuys plant with a 283, power glide and was painted adobe beige. It was straight and rust free. The car was taken apart and work began. From a junkyard in Santa Fe Springs, Calif, I sourced the correct fan shroud, all of the clutch parts, the 3/8 fuel lines and the transmission tunnel extension for the floor shift. I got the declutching fan assembly and correct hubs from a 1964 Checker in the same junkyard. The wife and I painted in in Roman Red lacquer, which we hand sanded and hand polished. The wife did all the interior. The engine was bored 30 over, Wiseco forged pistons, Isky cam Smith Bros push rods and so on. The car is wonderful to drive and I finally got a 409 back.
My 62 Impala story
- Thread starter john wise
- Start date
Very nice 
Very nice, you can really be proud of that car because you put it together from piece's and that takes patience. Great job.
How long did it take from first buying engine parts from start to finishing the car?
The two of you did good!!! 
You're a Wise man, and she's a Good Woman.
Beautiful car
Very Nice!
