moorepower Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Project discussion //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/47720-moorepowers-61-impala/ I purchased the car from Tauranga in August 2013 from Trans American shipping. The car is straight out of Las Vegas. It has genuine patina and has been the daily driver of a big guy (drivers seat is worn) who liked football, betting and fast food ( I found hundreds of old receipts which he had lost down the back of the driver's seat) As anyone who has bought an American car would know, they don't really look after their cars in the same way we do. All in all the car was relatively stock when I bought it. I never intended on keeping it stock as it is not a rare car. If it was an original 409 bubbletop, that would be a different story. As purchased... 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Washworld mission to remove the 53 years of 1/2" thick dirt stuck to the underneath. Mission Failed. Nothing will remove that dirt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Replacing headlights with NZ right hand drive headlights, brake drums and shoes, shocks, power steering setup, bushes, idler arm etc etc etc for Cert 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 New front windscreen install and replacement of rear rubber while we were at it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Passed the compliance and cert just in time for beach hop 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 New door panels went in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Put Holden HQ king springs in and rolled it like the past year. Was a bit too low in the end 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 So this summer i threw an Accuair setup in the rear of the car while on the family holiday.. using our tent as a workshop. Had it all done in one day and rolled it like that while we were away. Much nicer ride 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 The front brackets and shock mounts were welded in byDKM fabrication. They suggested 4x4 shocks which was a good call. The car rides really well now. The Air ride is much more practical now as a family car as we can get over bumps and I can ride it low all the time, which is how I like it. (We don't do side to side action!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post moorepower Posted March 30, 2015 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 30, 2015 Beach hop '15 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 These are a few cars which are inspiring the look I'm after. I don't know if I will ever paint my car, I quite like the patina look. If I did I would take it back to the original colour which is the same as the bottom 4 door hardtop on wire wheels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 A friend of mine has had a '58 since we were teenagers so I was always keen to get my own american car. He's running Hydraulic suspension 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 I have been busy over the last few months. The old motor was sad and it had to go. (And yes I still need a shed for my car) Discuss: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/47720-moorepowers-61-impala/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 I pulled the heads off before pulling the motor out to assess if a rebuild was required 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 I used CLR and a scotchbright as well as alot of degreaser to remove half a century of grease 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 A home job respray turned out better than expected 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 I decided a crate motor was going to work out cheaper than rebuilding the 283 so I bought a 350 with a TH350 transmission. I got a mild cam and had it all dyno tuned. Made 300hp and 400nm which is not going to break any land speed records but it should get it moving along pretty well 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post moorepower Posted February 29, 2016 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 29, 2016 I put a slip yoke on the drive shaft so I dont ruin the new trans. Ive got my cert booked in for friday so hopefully all goes well. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 The old seats were stuffed so a mate recovered them with a set of covers I bought from Ciadella Interiors in the states. They came up pretty good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorepower Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 The radiator was stock so I had it reconditioned and changed from a 2 row to a 3 row. Much better than going with a cheaper alloy option IMO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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