If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, knocking out a few dings and dents, and wielding a spray gun, this 1962 Chevrolet Impala deserves a close look. It runs and drives well, featuring its original V8, a rebuilt transmission, and an upgraded braking system. However, the ace up its sleeve could be its lack of rust, making it a rock-solid project candidate. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Curvette for spotting the Impala listed here on Craigslist in Spokane Valley, Washington, with an asking price of $12,500 OBO.
Introduced in 1961, Chevrolet’s Third Generation Impala range remained on sale until the end of 1964. The company’s latest offering featured radically new styling as the fins of its predecessor disappeared. Our featured 1962 Impala is a 4-door variant that was ordered by its first owner in Tuxedo Black and Ermine White. It is no oil painting, with the panels sporting a wide selection of dings and dents. None are bad enough to justify steel replacement if the new owner invests time in massaging the panels and doesn’t mind the occasional small spot of Bondo. However, if they use any filler, it will be the first this car has ever seen. There is no known accident history or evidence of rust repairs. Speaking of rust, the news is extremely positive. The seller states that the floors, frame, and trunk pan are rock-solid. That means this build won’t require any cutting or welding. The trim and glass look acceptable for a driver-grade refurbishment, and the aftermarket wheels add presence.
This Impala is powered by its original 283ci V8, paired with a two-speed Powerglide transmission. It also features power steering, while the seller replaced the entire braking system, upgrading the car to power front discs. That isn’t the only recent mechanical TLC, because the Powerglide is freshly rebuilt. The seller also recently rebuilt the original carburetor and installed an HEI ignition and a new exhaust. The motor would have produced 170hp and 275 ft/lbs of torque when the Impala was new, and it may even match that sixty-four years after the car left the lot. Potential buyers can consider this a turnkey classic they can enjoy while they plan its restoration.
The Impala’s interior is a mixed bag. The seller recently installed a new carpet set, while the cloth and vinyl trim is original. The seats exhibit visible wear and splits, and the radio is missing. However, the remaining upholstered surfaces look very respectable, as do the dash and pad. Sourcing new seatcovers shouldn’t be challenging, and locating something to fill the hole left by the radio also shouldn’t be a problem. If the new owner is on a budget, slipcovers for the seats and a retro-style stereo would lift the appearance without breaking the bank.
I have previously acknowledged that four-door classics aren’t typically as popular as their two-door siblings, but they deserve their place in the world. They are undeniably practical, which some enthusiasts consider a critical factor when contemplating a potential purchase. This 1962 Impala is a promising project candidate that the buyer can drive and enjoy immediately. Finding a productive way to spend winter is sometimes challenging, but hiding away in a workshop while whipping this Impala’s panels and paint into shape could be the perfect option. Is that a challenge that you would consider?
I like the random dog picture included in the original ad. Or is it a wolf?
ANOTHER car that I especially liked! BUT LOSE THOSE WHEELS, PLEASE!! Does the owner have the originals with their Impala hubcaps? FOUR DOORS are a definite plus, here: MY kind of car — and what a cleaned-up improvement on the strange ’61! But PLEASE STOP with these comments about ’61-’64 being a single generation: they are NOT!! The G.M.s were all-new for 1963, and 1964 was the second iteration of the 1963 body — no relation at all to the ’61-’62s! The All-new 1963s, I will admit, were somewhat more evolutionary than revolutionary; but I DARE you to fit a 1963 door or windshield onto a 1962 Chevrolet! — good LUCK with that!
Some upholstery and a vintage replacement radio would give you a respectable old Impala.
THANK YOU, Nelson C!!! Find an original top-tier 1961-1962 Chevy A.M. radio, restore it electronically, and install it proudly! That guy who put those wheels on probably was looking to replace the original radio with some kind of “original-looking” modern stereo replacement blue tooth thing, as all the rodders do. LET IT BE JUST WHAT IT WAS IN 1962 — WHEELS AND ALL!!!
nice set of tire and wheels and a good dual exhaust system and you would be ready to cruise.
ORIGINAL WHEELS AND TYRES, PLEASE!!!
I agree and add stock rims.
4 door cars are coming into their own more and more. Part of it is that usually they are priced more reasonable than the average 2 door models plus overall, less survived than the 2 door models. I’m fine with that because I like 4 door cars.
HEAR HERE, SD Ulrey!!! I’ve always preferred four doors, because I use a car AS A CAR, and not a trophy or showpiece. And I hate the new vehicles. What I want, is a nice car of a vintage that understands me, and I understand it, as well as something which appeals to the nostalgia of this man whose mother would have insisted was “too old to be out alone”. I was much younger in 1962, and a 1962 four door sedan suits me. I shudder to think of this car as an “antique”, since it is just a normal American everyday car; besides then, what would that say about ME? Seriously, I remember my shock when my Ford Times arrived in the mail one month in 1958, with an article about “The 1933 Ford becomes an antique”. All deoends upon when you were born and how you look at things, I suppose. I josh about being “old” — but wake me up when I truly AM OLD, so I can see what that’s like: I’m still a work-in-progress on that front. Does being firmly stuck in my ways count? I just realised as I was contemplating this, that what I am doing, essentially, is refusing to exit the time when I was most comfortable — when I still bought new 78 rpm records (I still play them), and before the 1960s exploded the world as I had known it. A car such as this forms a surviving piece of that world still ready for present day use as originally intended, and I would resist and resent seeing it molested. Does that resonate with anyone?
“…I shudder to think of this car as an “antique”, since it is just a normal American everyday car…”
–
“…A car such as this … still ready for present day use as originally intended”
– Amen, Brother
Thank you Mister Reed. I appreciate your kind words and agree with your sentiment about 4 doors and what are now considered old or antique cars. You do have some years on you but I am certainly considered an antique by many younger people. For my 65th birthday my cousin bought me a shirt with a picture of a 1956 Ford pickup. The words said….I’m not an antique, I’m a classic. She knew I’d get a laugh out of it and so do many people aged 60 plus. I do try to embrace the present as much as possible though. The past, no matter how much we enjoyed it and have delightful memories is indeed the past so while I often reflect on the past, we live in the present and truthfully no matter our age, our (all people) days are limited so I try to look for positive things in the present. It may be considered cheesy by some but I’ll quote Mr. Spock from the original Star Trek. Live long and prosper Mister Reed.
Seems like a pretty good deal.
Thanks, RAR!!! does YOUR age, by any chance, have a “9” or an “8” as it’s leading number?
Hi Harrison. No, it has a “5” as it’s leading number and a “4” as it’s second.
Take care, Jeff
you sure about the 283 fender signs are for a 327
After driving it for a few miles and if it holds up and there’s OBO I’d say 8gs tops
maybe its a 327 and they don’t know it.the checker flag emblems and square valve covers indicate it is.
Oh NO!!! My KIDS are older than you are! It’s all good, though (as people these days like to say). “Age is only a number” — keep smiling!
Strange that it is an Impala, but not a 2 door Hardtop! ??
Not really. Probably the most popular body style.
it was the most popular Impala in 62 the 4dr sedan
Their appears to be 327 cu in call out on the front fenders. A 283 cu in just had a V call out on the front fender.
it is a 327 sign and your right it could be a 327 someone should run the vin
Aw, shucks. Another really nice vehicle that I would have interest in except for the fact that it is in the Pacific Northwest. Finding an unrestored Chevy of this vintage in a virtually rust free condition where I am in the Mid Atlantic coast is like looking for the Golden Fleece. And the asking price seems reasonable to boot. Good deal here. I’m also willing to bet that the seller has the stock wheels and covers which would be my preference but I could force myself to accept the mags. Finding the stock stuff would be a reasonable project. GLWTS.
Carbob, I am on board with you! I am in the NorthEast; and if there is a car like this around here (and there are); it is hiding in a collector’s climate-controlled garage somewhere. And if there comes one up for sale, they are asking $42,000 for it!!! Nice cars do show up in Florida, which is within reach. But again, they want a fortune for them! Maybe the answer must be, that we need to find our car in the NorthWest, then pay to have it brought east.