Farm Find: 1964 Chevrolet Impala

When I first spied the ad for this 1964 Impala with its words like “Good original condition” “all original” and “95% complete,” I wondered why it had a starting bid of only $6500, and even more, why nobody had yet put in a bid. By the way, thanks go to TJ for sleuthing out this “farm find,” which is available here on eBay and doesn’t close until next Thursday evening.

The Impala was introduced in 1958 and reinvented just the next year. By 1964, it was at the end of its third generation. The model was a lot of things, from a two-door to a four-door, a convertible to a station wagon. Engine choices in the 1961-64 model years went everywhere from a 230-CID Turbo Thrift inline six-cylinder, to a 235-CID Blue Flame inline-six, to a number of V8s, culminating in the 409 and 427, the latter being available in 1963 only. The 409, of course, is what prompted the Beach Boys’ classic croon, “She’s Real Fine My 409, My Four-Oh-Nine.” Three-speed and four-speed manual transmissions were joined by Powerglide and Turboglide (1960-61) automatics through the cycle.

The grand question about this car, and what will determine its value, is “What kind of 1964 Impala is it?” My original excitement started to wane when I didn’t see things like “SS” or “409” in the ad’s description, though there does seem to be an SS badge on the driver’s rear fender. (You Impala experts out there can share via the comments what else you see that would make this car a genuine SS.) Reading further, I found an indication of what engine the car came with, a 327, with a Powerglide automatic transmission, and that’s mildly disappointing if what’s in your mind is the famed big-block.  Anyway, no photograph exists to help us know how varmint-ruined this 327 engine might be after being kept on a farm in the Midwest for decades. The seats and rear package shelf, which appear in multiple shots, seem like they gave a field day to the mice.

So what we have here, it would appear, is the car the farmer drove to church and back, occasionally on salty roads. How it got out to California, where it now lives, I’m going to guess: it was the hopeful project of someone who thought he would restore it, but has now given up the idea and is willing to give someone else the chance. He even says he can help you push it onto the trailer! It needs work on the floor, trunk, and quarter panels, though the rocker panels are said to be solid, as are the hood and trunk. Looking inside the trunk shows less decay than is often seen in an already-rusty model. And as for the completeness, much of the chrome trim is there, and the interior, though needing upholstery, seems complete and ready to re-do.