Maybe next year. I'm in the tail light deck/trunk floor rust repair & collect as many upgrade parts as possible phase.
After weighing my options for the non-OE worn out PG, I decided this Impala was really asking for a manual transmission. So thanks to Paul (pvs409), I grabbed all the '60 parts needed for conversion and thanks to new friend here in Phoenix I grabbed an almost new Richmond 5sp with .77 OD 5th gear.
I was planning to keep the non-OE 283 of unknown history until after restoration (really ... I was) but when a friend offered me an opportunity on this 383 Stroker, I could not pass it up. 383 was built in 1992 by a well respected So Cal machine shop as a spare backup engine to a matching spec engine installed in a street rod the family of a former SCCA race enthusiast still drives today. '71 010,020 nickel block, surfaced, bore honed, 4 bolt splayed main caps, • Ross pistons, Corillo rods, Crower crank, GM 2.02 heads, B&M Blower,
Engine was never installed or run so I'm looking at how best to refresh the engine before ever starting it.
So, with the assumption I'm going to end up in the 500-600hp range, I'll be looking at HD 2piece drive shaft, Ford 9" w. HD axles, and Disk Brakes down the road.