Impalaguru makes a road trip

[Tom Kochtanek]

Ross Male (aka "Impalaguru"), owner of that sweet 1963 Impala 409 car, hit the road today and stopped by to visit Columbia, MO. I gave him a tour of the basement while we chatted away about the legendary "W". It was really great to see a young (28) enthusiastic and talented person who also loves the 348s and 409s .

Hopefully next time we get together we'll have our cars and be at some event where we can connect with the rest of the fellow owners and enthusiasts!

Cheers!
TomK

 

[Phil Reed]

So............................where's he headed???????????????????

 

[oldskydog]

Tom,
Is Ross standing on a box or is he really a giant?

 

[Impalaguru]

Tom,

That picture turned out great!! I had a good trip back to Des Moines last night. I got home about midnight. I could have easily stayed and chatted for a few more hours. Thank you for your hospitality and I hope we can meet up again sometime soon!! I'd really like to see the 62 do what it does best

For those wondering what I was doing in Columbia, MO I was taking one of Tom's extra 409 blocks off of his hands. I think if I would have dealt solely with his wife I could have gotten more than one!

I've now got a 63 "814" car block that will someday run again! I'm thinking 427 crank, BRW heads, dual quads, nasty cam, etc, etc. So far I've got the block, an oil pan, windage tray and a front carb.

Cecil: Tom does have low ceilings in the basement so it gives the appearance that I'm really tall. I'm only 6' 9"

Ross

 

[skipxt4]

Only 6' 9", Ross. That's all?

 

[Tom Kochtanek]

Fun visit

Cecil, Ross really is tall! I stand 6'5" and came up on the short side-- doesn't happen all that often. Reminds me of the guy I guard at Noon Ball over lunch on campus (Basketball pick up games I participate in). I can keep up with them for a bit, but those younger guys just wear me down . We'll need to get a picture of Ross along with TomO, he's a giant as well...

Ross, glad to learn that the trip back went well. I hope those parts turn out to be just what you need . You are right about my wife's disposition. I look forward to getting together again. Have fun at the Barrett-Jackson Party tonight .

Cheers!
TomK

 

[yellow wagon]

sounds like a worthy road trip ross! Nice score on the block also. Great to see 409 parts stay "in the family" so to speak

J

 

[68-biscayne]

Impalaguru---Ross

Ross,
Did you modify your seat brackets or move the seat back? I am 6'7", and looking to buy a '61 Wagon, and wondering if there will be enough room without moving the seat back and or raising the front of the seat up or cutting down the back seat mount....

On another note, did you play college ball somewhere?

Kentt
Minnesota

 

[mark johnson]

That's a great question actually about moving the front seat rearward just a little bit. I would love to move mine back just about 2 inches. I know they make a kit for 55-57 Chevys to move the seat rearward and maybe somebody makes a similar kit for X-Frame Chevys. Anybody?

 

[68-biscayne]

On my '68 Malibu wagon, I added spacers between the floor and the front seat mount which tipped the seat back. On my '68 Cutlass convertible(sold 4 years ago), I cut the rear seat mount down, and used flat steel approx 3" long to move the seat back 2". The down side is the seat is tilted back too far for anyone under 6' or so.

I think the answer would be to find a power seat track to adjust the tilt, and then just move the whole thing back 2" or so using flat steel strips approx 1 1/2" wide and 3" long. The downside is the back seat leg room suffers....
Kentt

 

[Impalaguru]

Kentt,

Like me, you're probably tired of having an imprint of your dashboard on your knees!!

On those bench seats there are two sets of holes on the feet for the seat tracks. There is the one that is larger that the factory used and there is a smaller hole ahead of that one. Drill that smaller hole out and use it. It's only about one inch on the track but it feels like the seat is moved about 2 or 3 inches back. I did the same thing on a pair of SS bucket seats with the same results!!

I also had a Cutlass (1969 Supreme 2dr ht) and that seat was waaaaaay to far forward for me. My right leg would be killing me after a long road trip. Not very much room in the GM A-bodys. I never did move that seat back.

I had several opportunities to play college basketball but decided to leave it behind once I got to college.

Best of luck with the 61!!!

Ross