Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
'64 Chevrolet Impala
rooster628_99
Member Posts: 1
Own 4dr '64 Chevy Impala with about 25,000
original miles. Nothing has been done to it. With
a very little work, it will run again. Everything
in pretty good shape except paint. Really was
owned by old lady. What can I expect to get for it
and how is the best way to sell it here in S.
Texas? Thanks for the info.
original miles. Nothing has been done to it. With
a very little work, it will run again. Everything
in pretty good shape except paint. Really was
owned by old lady. What can I expect to get for it
and how is the best way to sell it here in S.
Texas? Thanks for the info.
Tagged:
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Here's the Hemmings site (you probably know this publication, of course).
www.hemmings.com
Also, hanging a sign on the window is also a good way to sell a car like this. Anyone who calls is semi-serious because they've already seen the car.
good luck selling it!
Host
anyone know?
Yes, you do have to be a bit careful with an engine that hasn't run in a long time, but I think if you just removed the spark plugs and squirted some light oil in there ( a few teaspoons) and let it sit for a while, then turned the engine by hand for a few turns (grunt!) and then with the starter with the coil disconnected (so it won't start right away), until you have a little oil pressure---then you'd be okay. I'd start it up and once it smoothes out, run it ad idle for 1/2 hour and then change the oil and flush the radiator.
An oil ring can break if it's rusted to the cylinder wall, and if it's rusted hard enough, you're kinda screwed no matter what you do...but that would be unusual unless maybe the car was outdoors with the hood up and the air cleaner off (people do this, for some reason!).
But I don't think you have to take the manifold off unless it was some very rare and delicate aluminum engined car, in which case you'd probably pull the engine anyway.
Impalas had one distinctive feature in those '60s models: triple tail lamps (two stop, one reverse) on both left and right vs. double lamps on the others. My favorite Impalas in that era were the '60 and '62 models, 2-dr hard-tops. Convertibles are cool, but it rained too much in my area (140" annual rainfall).
thanks a bunch. reading your info helped me to remember a lot anout my dad's old 63... you are exactly right.. it did have 3 lights on each side. i wish he still had that car, i think he had the 327 in it becuase he always told us that he had the V8 in the impala and my mom had the 6 in her biscayne.
thanks again - oscar a wiggy
I got to see a lot of them since I was a part-time gas jockey in my student days. Just talking about them brings back warm memories about cheap gas and when Chevy really was the "spirit of America."
When I worked in the Mobil Station, we had an old lady customer who drove a yellow '64 Impala SS. It had A/C which was rare in a Chevy at that time, in our coastal area. But, alas, it also had the six cyl engine with powerglide.
Later, she traded it in to the local Chevy dealer on a 68 Malibu. The Chevy dealer sold it to a Mexican guy who promptly lowered it to the ground, etc.
Usually, people ordered the SS Impalas with the 250 HP 327 engine although the 195 H.P. 283's were also popular. The 300 H.P. 327 with a four speed was my favorite.
Years later, I owned a 400 H.P. 409.
A co-worker raced his '60 Impala (348 w/trips, 4-speed Hurst). He had a '66 Nova SS (???) for a brief spell, then ended up with a GTO (389 w/trips and the close-ratio 4-speed), after which he got married and his racing days were H-I-S-T-O-R-Y.
Regarding that Impala SS with the six-banger: what a waste! :>)
A lot changed when Chrysler offered the Roadrunner and its 383 in what was basically a stripped-down Satellite 2-dr hard-top. I had a Sport Satellite hard-top (318, white vinyl-top) and yearned for the "beep-beep" muscle-car version.
I seem to recall the guy telling me that he had ordered it that way because he planned to pull a trailer or something.
The Roadrunners were a hell of a lot of bang for the buck! The 383 torqueflight was no slouch.
But...you brought back a memory...
Back in around 1970, I was a very young guy working for Sears. a co-worker sold me a VERY wierd Pontiac that had been special ordered from the factory by his best friend who sold it to him when he was sent on an all expense paid trip to Vietnam.
It was a 1964 Catalina 2 door hardtop. It had the 421 engine, with (what a waste) a 3 speed on the column. It took forever to shift, but MAN, could that Pontiac haul!!
And, it looked like such a sleeper! Only the "421" emblems gave it away.
One night, on my way home from work, a cocky young guy from our sporting goods dept pulled up along side me in his 1969 Roadrunner and smirked at me.
Well...Even with some 90,000 miles on it, that old Poncho SMOKED the Roadrunner!
He never spoke to me again...
A tour company had some '64 Catalinas in service (non-stretchout versions), but with the normal V-8s and 3-speed automatic. They had nice lines for those days and were very roomy.
By the way, was it the Malibu (Chevelle) that was like the Roadrunner (stripped muscle-car) when GM put out the "Heavy Chevy" back in the early '70s?
But, I think it came out around 1971 or 1972, after the smog regulations gelded all of the power away.
Mr. S, do you remember?
At least in California. Then, a couple of years later, we got cataytic convertors and all of the other smog equipment that killed the muscle cars.
The most pathetic sight of all was a 1974- 1974 smogged up Tempest with a tacky "GTO" decal stuck on it.
As I recall, the "Heavy Chevys" weren't much of a performance car.
How about a 375 HP 396 '68 Camaro? HANG ON !!!
To get somewhat back on topic...remember that embarassing incident when GM complained that they couldn't get their big V-8s to meet emission standards for the early 1980s and then Honda took a Chevy V-8 and made it conform to Federal standards, even without an air pump? Oohhh, that must have caused a stir in Detroit. Now, of course, Detroit does a pretty good job of it.
Yes, muscle cars are back (kinda) but it's just not the same, at least to me!
It's the way they sound! NOTHING like an uncorked big block 427 Chevy!
Or even better, the sweet sound of an old Chevy six cylinder with a split manifold. A pair of "pipes" with 18 " glass packs!
Take it down a steep hill, put it into second gear, and let out the clutch!
Try that with a choked up cataylied car of today... Not even close...!
I don't like the sound of V-8s myself, except maybe the old Maseratis...too uneven and burbly, like a Harley, kind of "messy"...I think a straight 6 with twin pipes is just about right...the old Jags sounded great, too.
The Caprice that was Motor Trend's Car-of-the-Year a few years back was an ABOMINATION! I have yet to see the 2000 Impala, but after the re-introduced Malibu, I'm not expecting much.
Valve stem seals would also bypass oil. The real "fix" was to pull the heads, do a valve job wile you were in there, knurl the guides, and install Perfect Circle seals.
Other than that, they were great engines! My favorite was the mighty 327!
Pulling out the top portion of this rope was tricky. There was a company who made a tool called a "Chinese Finger" that would grab a corner of the rope and pull it out.
The tough part was getting the new rope in place properly. Even when all went well, it usually wasen't long before they would leak again.
When I managed an auto center for Sears back in the good old days, Sears sold and installed rebuilt engines. due to the high PITA factor, they got out of the business later on.
I remember an old man ( he was probably 50, my age now) who had an engine installed in his 1954 Chevy. He would put cardboard under the car at night, looking for oil leaks. After numerous attempts at stopping all leaks, including another engine, we ended up refunding his money!
He would come in, carrying the stupid sheet of cardboard with him and would point out a quarter sized spot..."IT STILL LEAKS"!!!
We suspected he had an oil can...oh well!
He got a rebuilt engine for free! Something tells me the oil leak didn't bother him a bit after that!
We also gave refunds on brake jobs sometimes. I think we guaranteed the lining/pads for something like 40,000 miles. Some abusive drivers would be back in our face once a month demanding we do the job over. After about the fourth time, I would refund their money and ask them to go elsewhere...anywhere!
Then we had the people (like my dad) who would buy a lifetime muffler. The next weekend their punk kid would borrow the car, go through a tunnel, turn the ignition off for awhile, turn it back on...Back to Sears!
Of course, in later years, I had to take a young punk aside a couple of times and let him know that we were tired of replacing the muffler!
" One more time, and I'll tell your dad what is causing them to fail!"
Worked every time!
283 was Maintenance free, 327 was a real evil engine due to the short stroke.
I still have a 327 Corvette block in my hot rod, and boy does that thing scream like nothing I've ever had. Puts 350's and YES even some big blocks to shame.
love the Monte Carlo but I am think it is more male oriented car. So, the Impala could be an alternative. Is it a reliable and comfortable car? Is it luxurious enough to drive high level corporate management clients? I know I should buy a Cadillac but this is too much money and I would like to stick in the Impala price range but still get somehow the luxury of the Cadillac.
love the Monte Carlo but I think it is a more male oriented car. So, the Impala could be an alternative. Is it a reliable and comfortable car? Is it luxurious enough to drive high level corporate management clients? I know I should buy a Cadillac but this is too much money and I would like to stick in the Impala price range but still get somehow the luxury of the Cadillac.
Also the 283 and 327's used different heads.
The 300 HP 327's had what we called the "double bubble" heads.
Great cars...!