While it may look a little weathered and worn, under the skin this 1965 Impala SS is quite a solid car that would make a good restoration project. You will find the car listed for sale here on eBay. It is located in Dunellen, New Jersey, and comes with a clear title. The owner has set a BIN price of $5,800 for the Impala, although the option is available to make an offer.
There is some rust in this Impala that will need to be dealt with, but it really isn’t too bad. Both lower rear quarters will need repair or replacement, while there is also rust visible in the lower edges of both fenders, and a small amount visible around the rear window. The owner provides a number of shots of the underside of the car, and the floors and frame look pretty good. There is some rust in the front floors, but everything else appears to be surface corrosion.
The interior will need restoration, as it is looking pretty tired. There are a couple of real positives to be seen here. Firstly, apart from a lack of carpet, the interior appears to be complete. The dash pad also looks like it has been spared any cracking, and the floor console is present and looks like it would restore nicely. Someone has fitted an aftermarket radio/cassette player to the dash, but I don’t think that they’ve cut the dash to do this.
The engine sitting there is not the original but is a ’70 350ci V8. It’s not all bad news though. The engine is bolted to the original, numbers matching Powerglide transmission, and the car runs and drives following the fitting of a new gas tank and sender unit, new battery, and a new master cylinder and brake lines. The news gets better because the original engine is also included in the deal. I’m not sure why it was removed and replaced with the 350, but that numbers matching 283 is there, and hopefully will be able to be refitted to the car.
This car represents a project that really doesn’t appear to be that difficult. It can only be hoped that the original engine can be returned to the car in good health, as I think that it would be hugely beneficial to keep the car original if possible. When restored, this Impala SS has the potential to be a really nice car. Is this one for you?
Check the frame real good, being in the rust belt these had frames rust out quickly, got my 66 impala. Possible a tad overpriced but these were such great cars, would make a great project if its solid enough. I’d leave the 350 and keep the orig 283 in case you wanted to reinstall. Good luck to the new owner!
Cheers
GPC
For me,an Impala has to have round taillights,
or its not an Impala…lol.I love the 65’s,being the last
with round tail lights for a long while.It seems strange
that it wouldn’t have atleast had a 327 being an SS.?that poor 283
really got a workout hauling that big car around..!!,although I’m
sure there were 6 cyl models too…they had to be pretty slow merging
with traffic.?This looks like a good project,but It will need a lot of love,
and “love” don’t come cheap…or easy.
Pull out that Powerglide and keep it safe with the 283. Bolt up a 700R4 to the 350 and the car will be much more enjoyable everyday.
Looks to be a nice project and I love the Impalas with the three round taillights.
I’m wondering how that sheet metal looks under all that lower body trim.
I’d like the 69ish Pontiac Grand Prix lurking in the background.
i want it!!
Needs a 427
Big block in it👍
Hey MadMatt? You forget the 66 Impala’s style is a LOT better and it has rectangular taillights. The 68 has round taillights also but is not as stylish as the 67 with rectangulars, There is just something not quite as ? with the taillights being in the trunk lid of the 65’s and 68’s tho’ I love ALL those Chevies….
I noticed only single exhaust.
I think the 1965 came with the dual antennas on them? It look Cool.
I had this exact same car, 65 Impala SS 283 Powerglide. In 1972, the sister of my future wife said her boyfriend was selling this car. I looked at it, no rust, perfect interior, Blue/Blue, all good. How much? I ask. $150.00. What? Why so cheap? He says, I’m checking into a mental institution, I don’t need it anymore. So I drove home in my new to me, slightly underpowered SS. Note that in the instrument pod to the right of the speedometer there is a vacuum gauge, standard from the factory.
“Numbers matching 283.” I mean, is this what we’ve come to?
thats about all thats left
nothing wrong with a 283 if you soup it up. Bored out.060 or more,vortec heads would work wonders.
The little detail which I love most about this body style is that the A/C equipped Impalas had the ball-type air directors which could be turned 180° inside its socket to expose the diffuser face of the ball. We had the ’66 Impala sedan. My father and my uncle worked in estate buyouts as an adjunct to their regular jobs and they acquired a ’65 Impala sedan w/the 396 and just 22k miles (sorry, no coupes in our family) from the estate of an elderly couple in early-1972. That Impala had see-through vinyl seat covers which allowed one to see the pristine seat fabric underneath.
My uncle paid me a nominal sum to prep the Impala for sale. Just prior to getting my driver’s license and existing on the proceeds of my newspaper delivery route I hadn’t the $700(!) my father and uncle were looking to get for this gem of a car. Hindsight’s always 20-20 and later in life my father rued the fact that he didn’t buy that car for the family. Well, the gas crunch (First Arab Oil Embargo) had hit about a year later and Americans were looking to shed their gas guzzling cars but the effect of the embargo was as to cause many to believe that the gas/petroleum was on the verge of running out very soon. Seems that some things haven’t changed all that much; in a relative sense that is.
I had a 1965 Impala SS convertible purchased in 1969 for $500.00 with 33,000 miles 327 4 speed white with black top and interior GREAT CAR won a lot of street races until a 15 year old girl rear ended me with a stolen 1965 4 door Biscayne speeding at about 60 mph. Creating a 5 car pileup with me in the middle, ending the life of my beautiful “65” SS Impala… I still miss that car today.
Moment of silence. My buddy had a gorgeous, gold colored ’67 Impala coupe. He and another buddy were headed to Vet Stadium in Philly to see the Phillies play and Buddy II urged the Impala’s owner to invert the lid for the air intake to get a raspy note on acceleration. The Impala breathed deep, backfired and immolated itself. No one was injured, thank goodness. My last sight of this car was as the owner bounced the back end up and down on the shocks that’d had all of the fluid cooked out of them. No one dares mention this incident to this day.
It’s a great project. Do what it needs, and you’ll have some sexy nostalgia along with a great ride.
My thoughts exactly Lynn needs a 427 and a 4 speed manual transmission and dual exhaust that comes out in front of the rear tires or side pipes would look cool
Price to high for amount of rust and not really a desrrable drive train.
My older brother Had a 1965 SS with a 327.He is 12 years older than me and when he came into town that summer from Calif. I don’t think he realized my age. I was fourteen in 1965 and he asked if I wanted to drive it and of course I said yes. I remember the vacuum gauge and the auto trans shifter in the floor console. Cool car. I had acquired my driving skills previously from driving an old ford pickup in the pastures of my grandparents. Love those old Ford flat head V8’s and three on the tree.
Numbers matching? Hiw would you know? No vinegar numbers on block 8n 65. Only numbers would tell you is a period correct block.
Trying to pull a fast one-this ain’t “numbers matching” people.Where do you come up with that? A ’70 350 small block? Anyway,I’m off my soapbox now.was in love with this body style since the age of 6 (born in ’59) and love most everything Chevy did in ’65.I’d do a pro street hot rod with this and have ALL kinds of fun fun fun
1st Gear you didn’t rear the fine print. The correct block comes with.
Nobody is going to put that motor back in the car when a crate motor could be slipped in for more fun.
Resto Mod!