This 1964 Chevrolet Impala Hardtop has been sitting in a barn for a while, and while it might look sad and neglected, what lies beneath is a solid, numbers-matching car just waiting to be rescued and restored. It is located in Anderson, South Carolina, and is listed for sale here on eBay. There has been a bit of interest in this car, and with the Impala having now reached $3,000 and the reserve having been met, it will be interesting to see if any of our Barn Finds readers are willing to join the bidding war.
Under that sad and faded exterior is an Impala that started life finished in Almond Fawn Poly. This has taken a hammering over the years, but the good news is that this deterioration is only skin deep. The owner says that the floors and frame are solid, and the only rust in the vehicle is what you can see in the photos. If this is correct, then we’re really looking at the lower quarter panels in front of the rear wheels, the trunk lid, and the lip around the trunk close. There also might be a bit in the bottoms of the front fenders, but it really is hard to be sure. The bumpers and majority of the chrome trim look like it is also in good condition, so it appears as though the next owner is going to have a strong foundation from which to work.
Unfortunately, this is a close as we get to a decent look at the interior of the Impala. I do know that the passenger side door trim isn’t fitted to the car, but it isn’t clear whether or not this is actually present. The dash and pad look like they are quite good (there might be a crack in the pad), but it does look like the headliner might need some work. As to the condition of the rest of the red interior, well your guess is as good as mine there.
Once again, a lack of photos makes this really frustrating. However, this is a numbers-matching car, so the original 283ci V8 and Powerglide automatic are still under the hood. It isn’t clear whether the car is fitted with any niceties such as power steering, but the owner does say that the car did run when parked. He does refer to the fact that the car was parked several years ago, but who knows how long that was. In all honesty, the expression “ran when parked” is one that sets my teeth on edge, because it tells us everything, but at the same time, it tells us nothing. I think that you could probably bank on having to at least flush the fuel system before the Impala kicks back into life.
This Impala is one of those frustrating cars because another couple of photos would really tell the full story about the car. If it is as solid as the owner claims, then it does represent a potentially great project car. The Impala is also a car that falls into that category of cars that are ongoing classics, meaning that they have been considered to be desirable for a very long time, and this desirability doesn’t look like it is going to decrease at any point in the future. Personally, I’d really like to see this car once it has been restored because it has the potential to wind up being a pretty nice ride.
Seeing the car in better daylight would be helpful. I passed on a really solid red ’64 Impala 2 door hardtop with the factory 283 3-speed on the tree in the mid 80’s. That’s one of several I still regret.
Dude, I know the feeling of regret. I had a 1962 VW sunroof Bug during the 1980s that I decked out like Herbie the love bug. I even won second prize in its division at a vintage VW meet. It was nice when I got it. It was even nicer after I made a Herbie out of him. But I allowed it to fall from glory using him to deliver papers (note to all, never EV-VER use a classic car to deliver papers!). But that was stupid young punk me from back in the day. C’est la vie. One reason I don’t get another early 60s bug now is because I don’t have a garage to put it in. Also, I’m used to driving with seatbelts and airbags in a much safer vehicle now. If I did get another Herbie, I would have to install collision avoidance systems up the Yin Yang in it!
Yes get it out of the dark space!!! Bring it into the light my son!!!
Sorry for the negativity and you guys can tell me to STFU anytime, but it looks lhis may have had a vinyl roof and it was removed? Cant tell in the dark. The side views show that it mght be a mud queen although the guy says there might be (!!!) rust in the lower quarters. The trunk and what you can see looks decent, Pictures that descrive please! The pic of the 283 emblem came out great though. SMH. Good luck with this one. Good thourough insp mandatory!
Cheers
GPC
That shot of the front makes it worth at least 3K
800 bucks parts car.
Just the rust that IS shown in these fuzzy photos should keep the faint-hearted away. Any rust through that forms in the area ahead of the rear wheel arches has entered a dangerously hard to reach/repair area below the rear quarter windows and back glass. Whether that rust is from spinning wheels or simply years of rainwater draining to the bottom of the window channels, someone will need to get in there and start chipping away to reveal the extent of corrosion. To me, this is just another 64 Impala — the only thing going for it was it’s factory Fawn finish and two instead of four doors.
Solid? Please.
But it ran when parked! I bet it ran when manufactured too.
I had one of these in 1981 til 1984. Drove it ever day. No rust Florida car from granny but full of old lady dents. She was not a good driver. My dad flew to Florida after his step mother died that year and drove it home to the Poconos. It was burning plenty of oil after I got it. I sold it. Turquoise in and out. Put SS wheelcovers on it. Drove it back and forth to Penn State 500 mile round trips. Never a problem 283 with bullet proof Powerglide.
“Ran when parked”, with no knowledge of when it was last run!? And that rust in front of the rear quarter panels!?
I say “run, and let it stay parked!“
During the 70s, I had a 1962 VW sunroof Bug (not the same one I referred to earlier in this thread that I decked out like Herbie) that I had parked out in the driveway for over a year or so. But always, once a month or so, I would start up “Howard“ just to keep his motor well exercised so as not to allow too much “Dracula affect” to accumulate inside his engine. It proved a good decision as it sometimes was difficult to start it up with that 6V system. But had I just let it sit without ever starting him. I might well have had to flush out all the old gas and God knows what else. But thankfully, I didn’t. If I had it insured and tabbed at the time, I would have driven him around the block as well, to give the rest of his innards some exercise. Fortunately, it was only for about a year or so. So no matter.
But for a car that sits in a garage (or worse, out in the weeds) that “ran when parked”, does it really take that much effort to start it up once a month or so, and if possible drive it around the block? But even better would be that if you know you are not going to restore it and drive it, then get it on craigslist and sell it to somebody who will. How many untold thousands of these ancientmobiles are there that ultimately proved unrestorable, NOT because they were unrestorable when they were “running when parked“, but because they were allowed to sit for many years totally neglected!