In 1958, to celebrate their 50th year in the car business, each division of General Motors fielded a “halo” car. At Chevy, it was the Impala (technically part of the Bel Air series). The Impala was offered only as a hardtop and a convertible, but in 1959, it became a series of its own with a broader range of offerings. The seller offers a 1958 Impala Sport Coupe with a 409 cubic-inch V8 from 1964 under the hood. Missing some trim pieces, it’s available here on craigslist and in Franktown/Parker, Colorado, for $29,500. Thanks for the GM tip, Mike F.!
The 1958 model year was not a good one for most car builders due to an economic recession. Yet Chevrolet found more than 180,000 buyers for the Impala, which was new from the ground up from the 1955-57 Tri-Fives. The ’58 Chevies were longer, wider, lower, and heavier than the ‘57s, and the naming culture was shaken up a bit (the 150 and 210 were out, the Del Ray and Biscayne were in). With exclusive sheet metal from the cowl rearward, Chevy found more than 125,000 buyers for the Impala Sport Coupe. From 1959 on, the Impala would share the same bodies as the Bel Air and Biscayne.
This mostly complete Impala has been owned by the seller for two decades. During that stewardship, the original 283 or 348 cubic inch V8 was replaced by a rebuilt 409 (“she’s so fine”) that was never driven for reasons not specified. The carburetor float is stuck now, and the battery is dead, so those are the minimum items needed to attempt getting this old Chevy going again. The automatic transmission also has overdrive (factory?).
Except for a missing fender spear and the taillights, the rest of the car should all be there. The body looks good, and the interior is okay. The seller had the car sold a few months ago, but the buyer couldn’t produce the money, so it’s on the market once more. If you’re looking for one of these one-year wonders, this Impala might not be a major project – but you never know.
Terry “the Toad” Fields car, that was actually Steve Bolanders( Ron Howard) car he let Toad use for a date.
@Howard A: Not exactly. Toad was entrusted to take care of the car (“only 30-weight Castrol R”) while Steve was away at college. Only Steve ended up not going. Just as well as Toad couldn’t even control a motor scooter in the first scene (a goof-up by the actor that was so funny/fitting it was left in the movie).
Almost 30k? Unstick the float and get a new battery so prospective buyers can know that’s all it needs.
Exactly. If I can’t start it up and hear it run, then the boat anchor under the hood doesn’t add much to the value of the vehicle.
My first ride in a 348 powder blue 4 speed ’58 convinced me it was one of the greatest cars ever built. I haven’t changed my mind even after all these years. The wheels on this car don’t match the look of the ’58s compared to the original wheel covers. Dewey’s got it right and putting taillights on would help too.
I had the exact opposite end of the spectrum, a 1958 Chevy 4 door DelRay, 6, 3 speed, but powder blue. They were great cars. I think it’s the wide whites that detract from the looks, because I pulled up images of ’58 Chevys with mags and blackwalls, looks a lot nicer.
30k non-runner? how do we know the floats bad? for 30k get off the couch and get the thing running it can only help you and prospective buyers. 10k for a non-runner IMO
They should have had patience and found a 348.
The 409 dressed to look like a 348 is a winner when matching numbers originality is not possible.
Yeah, he’s not ready to sell it yet. When he gets to well below $10k, he’s ready.
I’m guessing a 348 was the original set up so a 409 would be a logical replacement. But an automatic transmission with O.D. didn’t come along for a couple more decades. The only automatics behind a 348 that I personally saw were the TurboGlides with the Gr (Grade retard) where 1st gear on the selector would normally be. These were patterned after the Buick Dynaflow and were very smooth but were breakable as my pal Dennis learned while “patching out” in his mom’s ’58. Another kid I knew was Mike who had a ’59 2 door post car with a tri power 348 and a 3 on the tree.
:-) Terry J
I had a 58 Bel Air 2 dr. ht. with a ’61 350 hp. 348 when I was a senior in high school. The perfect recipe for getting in trouble with the law.
There was no automatic overdrive in 58.
If it is a 425HP 409 it would be worth a chance but 20K is more reasonable. By the way, there is a 409/425HP 4 speed 58 Impala in my town built back in the mid sixties.
There’s one in Woodrow Co. marketplace that needs paint for $3K OBO