1962 Impala Project

62Impala

Active Member
I've been working on restoring a 1962 Impala since October of 2009. I figured I'd start a thread to show the progress from the start of the build up until its completion. I'm going to start posting the pictures of the progress over the last year slowly until I get caught up to where I am today with it.
Just a little back ground on the car: it is an original white with red interior V8 car with A/C. Originally built in California and it appears to have spent its life in Phoenix, AZ as the outline of a sticker that had been on it from a dealer listed that as its location . The car is extremely clean; the sheet metal won't require any patches with the exception of the front fenders. The car currently has a 283 in it; though it is not the original engine. I'm going to use that engine for now until I can afford to swap it out for a 409 down the road.
The pictures below are right after delivery to my house.

-Nick
 

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quik9r

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
I am curious about the california built car, how late it was built, are those the original bumpers they are three piece?. Do you think the car was delivered in california or out of state when new . I would like to a see a picture of the frame at the back. This is purley out of interest on my part, great looking project.

Quik9r
 

62Impala

Active Member
The 3 piece bumpers were for shipping purposes only.....my uncle has the original one piece bumpers. I'll attach a couple pictures of them as well as a picture of the back of the frame. According to the trim tag:

It was built the first week of December (12A)

The body was built at the Van Nuys, California plant.

It was assembled at the Los Angeles, CA plant.

I would assume it was delievered in CA, but it spent a significant time in Arizona.

- Nick

I am curious about the california built car, how late it was built, are those the original bumpers they are three piece?. Do you think the car was delivered in california or out of state when new . I would like to a see a picture of the frame at the back. This is purley out of interest on my part, great looking project.

Quik9r
 

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k9hotrodder409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 15
Those pictures from when you first brought it home are awesome !!!
That garage could stand a cleaning though !!:eek:
:crazy:cheers
 

62Impala

Active Member
Heres a few pictures of taking the car apart.....and believe me the garage isn't as clean as it used to be at this point!


Those pictures from when you first brought it home are awesome !!!
That garage could stand a cleaning though !!:eek:
:crazy:cheers
 

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raymar58409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Gotta love those Ca cars. Just a lot easier to do. Just wish I could have gotten mine before it got redone. Great lookin project, good luck.

Ray
 

62Impala

Active Member
Here's a few more pictures of the car after everything was taken out and I started removing all the paint.....I left the hinges on as well as the trunk since they have never been removed from the car and lined up just as it had left the factory 48 years ago.. I removed the orignal white paint with aircraft stripper and then sanded the oxide primer off down to the bare metal. I put a coat of PPG epoxy primer on after that.

-Nick
 

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62Impala

Active Member
And here's a few more pictures after the epoxy primer...
 

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62Impala

Active Member
It's been a while since I've updated the project progressss....

Car has been epoxy primed, primed with high build primer, then block sanded, and then I've recenlty put one more coat of high build primer on the entire car. I will block sand once more before paint.

The doors and hood have been stripped and epoxy primed. Body work has been done and have been sprayed with high build primer.

Repainted the 283 engine that came with the car and fired it up to make sure it ran good, which it did. Just have to do a little work with the points once I get the radiator and water hooked up so I can run it longer.

Repaired drivers side fender, completed body work, epoxy primed, and put high build primer on it.....just have the passenger side fender left to do.

The frame was previsouly sandblasted and painted, so I'm working on cleaning the underneath up now with the car ont he frame. Luckily it is very clean; undercoating was only put on heavy in the rear wheel wells. There's minor surface rust in other areas along with road grime but nothing hard to clean up.

I will be posting pictures of the progress listed above soon.

-Nick

doors1.jpgprimer1.jpgengine1.jpgengine2.jpgdoor2.jpg
 

BSL409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 6
Wow About Time.:clap Sure was nice when you were around here to do all my grunt work:roll:roll
 

62Impala

Active Member
Here is another long over due update: This past weekend, my unlce (BSL409) and I hung the doors, fenders,and hood and got it painted. We put 4 coats of PPG concept on. Everything turned out pretty good; especially being my first time doing all the body work by myself. We did start wet sanding and buffing....I still have a good amount left to finish. We also started assembling the interior; seats are recovered, headliner is in, glass in in (minus door glass), carpet is in, dash and steering column are back in.

-Nick
 

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