Having owned a bunch of late ’60s Chevrolet Impala, I’m always looking at what’s available and what kind of prices they’re either fetching or trying to fetch. It’s said that a rising tide (read: inflation) raises all boats and I guess that’s what’s going on with these old Chevy B-bodies. Take this 1965 Impala hardtop – it’s nothing special, a pretty generic Super Sport (SS) actually, and the ask is $19,500 – seems steep. But let’s not write it off without a little observation first. This example is located in Livermore, California and is available, here on craigslist. Pat L. gets the nod for this find!
OK, the first observations are the too ubiquitous Chevrolet rally wheels and a bad case of what looks like clear coat peel. This Chevy is claimed to be wearing its original color combination but 1965 meant a lacquer finish, and it didn’t peel like this. The assumption is that this is a modern two-stage repaint that hasn’t held up. The body is certainly straight and there’s no sign of rot-through but that would be typical for most California cars assuming that this one is a life-long resident of the Golden State. The front bumper and grille look good – the back bumper, not so much so. It usually works the other way around so maybe the front rammer has been re-chromed or replaced. The wide-whites don’t do much for this Impala but that’s just my subjective assessment.
Power is provided by a 327 CI V8, it could be 250 or 300 gross HP but that factoid is not disclosed. As is often the case, a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission is hanging off the rear of the small block. The seller claims, “runs and drives“. It all appears to be stock.
Things come off the rails inside where the front bucket seats look exploded! If anything the seatbelts appear to be holding the seats together. Replacement upholstery for a ’65 Impala is easy to source and not that expensive, if this were my sale, I’d have gone that route. It will help with the sale, especially considering the asking price. The rear seat and dash pad are pretty sad too. The seller tells us that this is an A/C equipped Impala, and it is, but what’s not said is that the compressor is no longer wearing its belt – non-functional (stuck) I would imagine.
The odometer reading is 50K so it has probably been once around and with no really remarkable features, we’re looking at $19,500 for a mostly original ’65 Impala SS that’s in fair shape at best. I’m not feeling it, how about you?
Them GM Rallys sure have been busting outa the woodwork lately!
Yup, torq thrust are ubiquitous and the rallies are making a comeback. Narrow whites would totally correct the look.
If you can get that price down , it looks like a straight forward restoration at least.
Low rider.
Not feeling it !
Can you(today) still get the equivalent of a cheap(like back in the day) lacquer or enamel paint job without clearcoat & still be fairly shiny – for less money than clearcoat?
Is it gonna be a bear to get off all this clearcoat before repainting this car? If it was not clearcoated, can’t you just lightly sand & repaint?
I think the seat was rebelling & hated these modern ugly “colorless” seat covers. lol
Amazing the steering wheel isn’t cracked! Better quality plastic than the ’68 Chevy delux wheel?
http://www.camaros.org/images/swheel/sw_68N30early.jpg
For automatic cars, i would think a 2 speed powerglide would give you the best mpg AROUND TOWN, since it gets into 2nd(which is really 3rd gear on a 3 speed – the lowest rpm) at very low mph(19 mph with the strait 6). Also the glide is very light in weight & has the least internal power robbing resistance.
An overdrive trans would not lockup or get into 3rd gear(let alone 4th) very often around town.
Hi Joe, you can still get a single stage paint job without clear coat. There is enamel or urethane. My urethane is 12 years old and still shines like new.
https://www.maaco.ca/services/auto-painting/
Since it’s not the original Mist Blue color, it has definitely had a color change, albeit in the ‘general vicinity’ of correct.
$9500 seems like top dollar for this one – surely inflation hasn’t got this bad yet.
I always look at a very good survivor or a substantially well done restoration and then count backwards. Don’t put any faith in those buy, restore and flip shows on television. They make their money off the show’s advertising. In most cases I see cars that will take $20-$40K to get them back to a market value of $25K with endless free labor on behalf of the buyer. This one? After several stiff drinks, assuming the frame isn’t rusted and it’s not a rust belt bondo queen, probably 40-60% of what they are asking. They should have done it right the first time or left it alone.