Mr harold knight
Active Member
That was a great story.
Dad always dreamed of driving a 1958 Impala
- Thread starter sshamu
- Start date
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63409
Well Known Member
I love to read stories like this father and son relationship, awesome great story .
Thanks to American Auto Wire the complete rewire project is now complete. At first I was a bit concerned since no instructions were included. I started at the front headlights and worked backwards. Once I get under the dash I immediately went to the trunk and starting working forwards. Before I knew it I was removing the main wiring harness and installing then new harness. Now I'm just awaiting to install all new instrument lights and it's time to hit the road and test her out.
Thankfully I have my Turquoise '58 Impala coupe gets my old parts (for now) and those pitted taillights look pretty good on the old girl!
Thankfully I have my Turquoise '58 Impala coupe gets my old parts (for now) and those pitted taillights look pretty good on the old girl!
Nice car and good quality time with your Dad!!!! Yes i put the same wire harness in my car. Basically if you watch how the wire was routed under dash it is a piece of cake ,because all connection's are alike from old to new!!!!!
Good for you in not "waiting too long". Great story. Welcome.
Project Update: New wiring harness from front to back by American Auto wire was the easiest project I've ever done. Well, the hardest part was pressing the firewall grommet into its hole but other than that it was a snap.
Front suspension has ALL been rebuilt. While I had the parts in my hand I had them blasted and powder coated satin black for a clean simple look.
Column shifter tube was very sloppy when it got to driving temperature and upon inspection the factory spot welds that hold the actual shift lever were allowing it to move in random locations. (this makes for strange shifting experiences). All new bearings and now she shifts like a dream!
Rebuilt all three carbs and now she drives so sweet. I did discover the block was Stamped with an F at the end meaning: 3 speed column shift, 4bbl carb.
I found a 4 bbl intake manifold, had it dipped and stripped. I installed the new intake, carb and factory air cleaner and now she idles at below 800 rpm like she did on day #1.
The Borg Warner R10 transmission started making a funny noise. The funny thing is it was only noisy when going down a steep grade (driveway) in first gear. Once on flat ground the noise would stop. I suspected a worn counter gear or front bearing. So, I yanked the transmission last week and sure enough both were bad bad bad. New parts on on the way via USPS.
Fan shroud was media blasted and repainted satin black. I couldn't stand the rattle can look any longer.
Front suspension has ALL been rebuilt. While I had the parts in my hand I had them blasted and powder coated satin black for a clean simple look.
Column shifter tube was very sloppy when it got to driving temperature and upon inspection the factory spot welds that hold the actual shift lever were allowing it to move in random locations. (this makes for strange shifting experiences). All new bearings and now she shifts like a dream!
Rebuilt all three carbs and now she drives so sweet. I did discover the block was Stamped with an F at the end meaning: 3 speed column shift, 4bbl carb.
I found a 4 bbl intake manifold, had it dipped and stripped. I installed the new intake, carb and factory air cleaner and now she idles at below 800 rpm like she did on day #1.
The Borg Warner R10 transmission started making a funny noise. The funny thing is it was only noisy when going down a steep grade (driveway) in first gear. Once on flat ground the noise would stop. I suspected a worn counter gear or front bearing. So, I yanked the transmission last week and sure enough both were bad bad bad. New parts on on the way via USPS.
Fan shroud was media blasted and repainted satin black. I couldn't stand the rattle can look any longer.
You've gotten alot accomplished. Dont forget to post some pictures.
per Jim Sullivan's request, here are some pics.
The transmission came out in under 15 minutes.
The block stamping proved to me one of the previous owners upgraded to a tri power.
My first time inside of the bowels of any transmission revealed the slider gear and the counter gear were badly worn.
The front bearing showed very bad pitting on the inside race and was on its last leg.
The transmission came out in under 15 minutes.
The block stamping proved to me one of the previous owners upgraded to a tri power.
My first time inside of the bowels of any transmission revealed the slider gear and the counter gear were badly worn.
The front bearing showed very bad pitting on the inside race and was on its last leg.
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I'll finish with a couple of 2016 action shots.
February 2016 I was looking for a reason to do a quick roadtrip so I took her to Bartlett Lake just northeast of Phoenix.
April 5, 2016 I drove her to New Mexico for the annual opening of the Trinity site. I stopped over in Holbrook for a photo opportunity
February 2016 I was looking for a reason to do a quick roadtrip so I took her to Bartlett Lake just northeast of Phoenix.
April 5, 2016 I drove her to New Mexico for the annual opening of the Trinity site. I stopped over in Holbrook for a photo opportunity
The car and engine compartment look great! Thanks for posting the pictures.
I'm pleased to announce I was able to install all the new parts into the overdrive transmission without incident. Even the little needle bearings behaved and stayed in their place as I put everything back together again. My dad and I stabbed the transmission back into place and took her for a drive. The noisy transmission issue has been fixed. Now she is smooth and quiet again.
Next up? One of the convertible top cylinders is lazy so I'll be replacing them both. I've never owned a convertible so this will be a challenge.
Next up? One of the convertible top cylinders is lazy so I'll be replacing them both. I've never owned a convertible so this will be a challenge.