1965 Impala....a sad tale....a bit long.

HardDrive · 09:47 AM

I have been thinking of selling my Ducati and getting into a hot rod of some sort.

So this 1965 Impala pops up on Craigslist just a few blocks from me. The guy only wants $10k for the car, it has a 396, and its a 30 footer. Seemed like a great deal. I had driven past the car many times, and thought it looked nice. I guess it never occured to me that the car was sitting on the street.....in the Seattle rain, all winter.

This young guy owns the car. Good guy, but not a car guy you can tell. Bought it 4 years ago, didn't have a garage space for it, so it has sat outside for 4 years. He bought it at a place north of Seattle called Kompact Kar Korner, a place that specializes in muscle cars/hot rods. I'm not going to say anything about them, but I have never heard anything good about them, thats for sure.

Well the paint is basically coming off, rear quarters bubbling badly, big chunks of bondo in the front quarters starting to some out. Bubbling under the vinyl top. He starts the car and a big cloud of blue smoke comes pouring out. It clears up a bit, after 30 seconds, but....yikes. He trys to back it out for me but it stalls. He explains that he doesn't really know how the 'choke thing' works, so he just adjusts it until he can get the car to run.

For a 396, the car makes little power. The brakes are SHOT, I was actually bit frightened driving it.

I asked the kid all kind of questions, asked him if I could get an inspection done. He said yes, then rather sullenly told me that he wished the folks at Kompact Kar Korner had been more honest with him about 'the bondo and stuff'. I feel bad for him. Kids in a tight spot, needs money, but I'm not sure I would want the car at any price. He paid $13,000 for it, and despite what it looks like in the internet photos, its almost a parts car.

How much are new quarters, and new paint on a 1965 Impala? I'm thinking at least $5-$8k, yes?

EDIT: Ad for the car: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/1174224778.html

Gogar · 05-19-2009, 09:42 AM

Well, it's a sad story, but if those are the things you found in 30 minutes, think of the things you'll find after you get it home.

HardDrive · 05-19-2009, 09:46 AM

No kidding. The dealer SAID it was 396, but who knows? The kid has zero documentation. Ugh.

onewhippedpuppy · 05-19-2009, 09:47 AM

You'd be better off buying a rusty heap. You'd have less crap to remove, and at least you wouldn't be finding sheetrock screws in place of bolts. Why even bother?

TerryH · TerryH's Garage

I would keep looking. The '65 Impala wasn't much then or now. Trademark squeaky front control arms and really just a large sled for cruise night maybe. My wife had one when she was my girlfriend. It only had the 327 and it was dependable, but in 1976 was just an old car, not considered a hot rod or classic.

Rot 911 · 05-19-2009, 10:00 AM

I had a '66 Impala SS back in the early '70's. As I recall it was only a 2 speed powerglide. Even with the 396 it wasn't that fast considering the weight it was pushing.

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

A set of 20" blades and you be ballin'

Zeke · 12:08 PM

Nope, that's not a car I'd buy. Better to get someone's project that has some money already invested in labor and parts. Many times you will buy under .50c on the $.

If you see one of these....

...let me know.

tabs · 05-19-2009, 12:12 PM

If ya did buy this car U would have a pile of rust...so why look for another pile....I wonder if you could sweep the rust under the rug and make it go away.

asphaltgambler · 05-19-2009, 12:12 PM

I've several early Impalas.............. The only ones that have market value is big block/4-speed. big/block convert. That's it. This car even if it was nice is maxed as far as value ...................pass

masraum · 05-19-2009, 12:32 PM

My first car was a 2 dr '65 Impala. It was older than I was. I loved that car and would like another.

THEY HAVE HUGE RUST PROBLEMS. Everyone that I've ever looked at to buy had rust in the floorboards, trunk bottom, front fenders, rear fenders and/or door bottoms.

It's easy to tell if it's a big block or a small block. On a big block Chevy engine (not sure about the 348/409) the exhaust ports are evenly spaced from each other O O O O. A small block Chevy engine will have the 2 center exhaust ports right up against each other, 0 00 0.

Of course, there's no guaranty what size the engine is, but you can tell if it's a sbc or bbc.

My old college roommate bought a '67 Camaro. The guy selling it told him that it was running a corvette 327. When we ran the numbers, it was the original camaro 327, not a 'vette 327. That was actually a bonus as my roommate was happier to have the original engine.

Zeke · 05-19-2009, 12:37 PM

348/ 409's have a "W" looking valve cover. 396/454 have a rectangle, if that helps.

m21sniper · 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardDrive

How much are new quarters, and new paint on a 1965 Impala? I'm thinking at least $5-$8k, yes?

EDIT: Ad for the car: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/1174224778.html

I could get that done for 1/3 the price around here probably, unless you want show quality and then it would be about 2/3 the price you stated.

But i get dealer prices.

It's not a desirable car though.

HardDrive · 05-19-2009, 12:47 PM

Thanks for the info guys. I'm not seriously looking at buying the car (I was before I got to his house.....). Kind of shocked at just how much ugly you can find in a car that actually does not look to bad from 20 feet away.

jyl · jyl's Garage

Seems to me the line between an actual muscle car/hot rod and your mom's old grocery-getter is getting pretty blurry.

Almost everything had a V-8 and loads of sheet metal back in the day, and can have a 4-bbl slapped on, doesn't make them "hot". Soon someone will be asking big bucks for granda-ma's old Dodge Dart, sheesh.

You are a guy with impeccable taste and sufficient money - you're giving up a Ducati for this - get something that is clearly on the hot rod side of the line.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

It's getting harder and harder to find cars like that that haven't been completely and permanently ruined by "pimpin".

Zeke · 05-19-2009, 04:10 PM

Is Sniper the same as topper?

pwd72s · 05-19-2009, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardDrive

No kidding. The dealer SAID it was 396, but who knows? The kid has zero documentation. Ugh.

IIRC Chevrolet didn't make the 396 until the 1966 Model year...pretty easy to tell whether you're looking at a small or a big block when you pop the hood.

Dantilla · 05-19-2009, 06:00 PM

I once took a test-drive in a Corvette from Kompact Kar Korner.

The thing badly pulled to the right.

We had just left the lot, and I told the sales guy something is wrong, it's pulling to the right.

His response (with a straight face):

"They build them that way so in case you fall asleep at the wheel, you will drift towards the shoulder instead of into on-coming traffic".

I pulled over, got out of the car, and saw the right front tire was so low on pressure that it was almost sitting on the rim.

I told the guy no thanks, we're done, and started walking back to get my car. Left the sales idiot standing there with no customer.

I'm curious what line he had if the car was pulling to the left?

aigel · aigel's Garage

These cars are getting there in age and a lot of them are rusting out bad, even on the West Coast. I fiddled with a lot of 67-71 stuff over the years. Once I got turned on to newer Porsches, I was so glad I did not have to worry about rust any more and focus on the parts of wrenching that I enjoy (mechanicals). Not sure if I can ever go back, though I must say I long for another American classic convertible ...

George