1961 Impala 348 convert (pole) barn find

LowKat

LowKat

Well Known Member
Oh yea, got my Bendix brake booster exchanged at the "Booster Dewey" shop on Monday. Dewey is a nice guy, has a clean organized shop and I've heard good about his work.

http://www.boosterdeweyexchange.com/

I'll install this weekend but need to clean the firewall behind the valve cover first. Some moron before me oversprayed it with engine orange along with throttle and trans linkage.
 
G

Greg Reimer

Well Known Member
Way back when I was a wee child,my dad bought a 25 acre ranch in southern Oregon, he sold our house in Arcadia,Calif, he sold his two businesses, and we moved up in June of '62.Mom has a robin's egg blue with white top 60 Impala 2 door hardtop,283 PG car that she had for several years. The folks re registered the Impala and my dad's Dodge truck in Oregon,and both vehicles had blue with yellow letters 5 digit Pacific Wonderland plates on them. He passed away in 1966, my mom,brother and I moved back to So Cal where i attended jr. high, high school and Pasadena City College. The ranch was sold to the Army Corps of Engineers, now it's half a mile upstream under Lost Creek Reservoir on the Rogue River. In 2007, at age 89, Mom passed away. While my brother and his wife and I cleaned out her home in Temple City,and we found those Oregon plates from her car. I cleaned them up, one plate is on the back of my 68 Chevelle race car, the other is on the back of my 68 Chevelle wagon race car. They are family heirlooms now.
 
LowKat

LowKat

Well Known Member
Got the tri-power installed but used block off plates under the front and rear carbs until I could afford the Vintage Speed carb bases. They will be here next week. Also ordered a correct 3x2 fuel line set. I have an original air cleaner base lined up.

Runs better than ever on the center carb.
Choke works properly, I'm stoked.

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Got a new 1962 heater core installed since there are no new 1961's available. Had to grind a little on the plate where the tubes go through the inner box. Also moved one of the core mounting straps and made a small plate to fill the void since the 62 core is about an inch shorter than the '61. No mods to the outside heater box.

0 Impala heater 2.jpg

Still collecting 4 speed parts.
 
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pvs409

pvs409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
Here is 1961 factory tach/sender/mounting bracket that screws to steering column, correct wiring harness, correct face (no button) that I had. It was converted to electronic since the batteries are not available for proper operation.
The "metal face plate" on the table(not a decal) is the correct 1961 factory sun tach face.
I still have some original sun tachs, in my parts collection

Paul
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quik9r

quik9r

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
pvs409 said:
Here is 1961 factory tach/sender/mounting bracket that screws to steering column, correct wiring harness, correct face (no button) that I had. It was converted to electronic since the batteries are not available for proper operation.
The "metal face plate" on the table(not a decal) is the correct 1961 factory sun tach face.
I still have some original sun tachs, in my parts collection

Paul
View attachment 54114
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Nice Paul... I have some cups no button NOS and some meters...Love the 7K factory face!!
 
LowKat

LowKat

Well Known Member
THANKS FOR ALL THE GOOD WORDS!

409newby said:
Hope to see your 61 at some car shows this summer Pat
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I'm planning to hit some shows.
Missed the one at Clackamette Park last weekend since I found out a day late.


quik9r said:
Are you wanting the correct 7k tach with no redline? or 7 k sun tach that you would by at a speed shop in 1961?
kevin
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I'd like a correct one but this isn't a car I'm keeping forever so not high on my priority list since I have plenty to do.

I'm close to being in the market for a C1 Corvette and the Impala will be paying for part of that. In 1977 I bought a'62 340hp Vette that I owned for 20 years and it was my wife's daily driver for 15 of those.

Mrs LowKat has a slow growing malignant brain tumor that was operated on 12 years ago but doctors weren't able to remove it all because of location. Now it's showing "insignificant change" so she started Chemotherapy and is doing very well so far. I'm going to get a Vette so we can relive some of the best times of our lives while we still have time.

Here's the '62 when I got it.
Corvette 1962 white 02.JPG


Me and Mrs LowKat "tying the knot" at 19 years old in 1974.
1973-1964 El Camino LT1.jpg
El Camino had a LT-1 crate engine, Smokey Ram intake with a 750 double pumper.
4:10 gears and an M21. It hauled ass pretty well.
 
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