There is no other way to put this, but some grandparents are way cooler than others. I mean, I could never imagine my own grandfather ever owning a car like this Impala Hardtop. The seller states that the Impala was his grandfather’s, but it now needs to move on to a new home following his recent passing. I have to say thank you so much to Barn Finder Ikey H for spotting what the owner refers to as “Grandpaw’s Impala.” It is a solid and complete car with loads of potential and options for the next lucky owner to consider. It is located in Eads, Tennessee, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. It is a car that packs one unexpected surprise because while the No Reserve listing is set to open at $13,500, there have been no bids up to this point. However, with 96 people currently watching the auction, you would have to think that this is a situation that could change very quickly.
As you stare at the Impala, ponder the fact that it has never seen snow or salt in its entire life. This has paid dividends for the buyer because there is only one very small spot of rust present in the entire vehicle. This is located in the rear of the trunk pan on the passenger side and looks like it will be an easy fix with a patch. The rest of the floors, the frame, lower rear quarter panels, and the rockers, all seem to be extremely clean. There is evidence of some surface corrosion in a few spots, but there is nothing dramatic. I get the impression that Grandpaw must have cherished this car because when you consider its age, the original Ermine White and Roman Red paint has held up really well. That would suggest that the Impala hasn’t spent a lot of time sitting out in the weather during its life. The external trim, chrome, and the glass, all look to be in great condition, while the old-school alloy wheels really fit in with the character of the vehicle.
The interior of the Impala is also largely original, but it will need some TLC to return it to its former glory. Non-original items include the gauges and oh-so-1980s graphic equalizer mounted under the dash, the radio/cassette player mounted where the original radio should be, and the Hurst shifter poking up through the floor. Leaving aside the cassette player, the rest of the dash appears to be original, and it, along with the wheel, are in remarkable condition. The remaining upholstered surfaces are really starting to show their age, and a full restoration is certainly on the cards. Unfortunately, interior trim kits are not as cheap for the Impala as they are for some other vehicles. However, I did find a kit that includes everything, and that has the door trims fully assembled, for around $1,900. It isn’t cheap, but the components appear to be of a very high quality, and all of the patterns and buttons appear to be correct. I also found other kits for prices closer to $2,900, and this really demonstrates the importance of shopping around when you are sourcing parts for a restoration project
The Impala isn’t a numbers-matching car, and it isn’t clear exactly what originally called the engine bay home. Whatever it was, it was bolted to a 3-speed manual transmission, but that is also gone. What you get for your money is a 327ci V8, equipped with a 4-barrel carburetor. You would also get a 4-speed manual transmission, along with a dual exhaust and power brakes. The car is said to run and drive, but due to the fact that it has been sitting for a while, it will need a thorough check before it could be considered ready to hit the road once again. The owner also floats the idea of either restoring the car to its original specs or transplanting either something newer or something more potent, into the engine bay.
This really is a pretty promising project car, and I am very surprised that there have been no bids on it up to this point. I believe that this is a situation that has the potential to change very quickly, and regardless of who eventually does buy it, I would be very interested to see what they finally do with Grandpaw’s Impala.
Is this car on an X-frame?
Yes they do have x-frames. Funny when people say no reserve with a starting price of $13.5. That seems like a reserve price to me!
The X frame was used on all GM full size cars through 1964. The Buick Riviera used it through 1970.
…and some grandchildren suck more than others… if this were my grampa’s Impala I’d hang onto it forever. Hoping it goes to a caring owner who knows how to appreciate vintage US iron and to be a part of this Impala’s history
We don’t know the entire story here. There may not be any grandkids who have interest in an old car or just don’t have anywhere to properly store it.
I would have loved to have been able to keep my mother’s 1973 Caddy after she passed in 2005 but neither my sister nor I have the room to store it properly…in my case, parking it on the street wasn’t an option after the local police gave me grief about parking my 1964 New Yorker, with antique plates, in front of my house.
That’s true Dave, and of course owning an old Impala is pointless if no heirs possess the passion for cars we have.
With that said; I’ve seen this too many times before – relatives that can hardly wait for their (grand)parents to become stiff before selling off their belongings for a quick buck, only to waste it away shortly thereafter as if the money was burning in their pockets
I had the opportunity to clean out quite a few estates back in my antiquing days and I’ve seen what can happen when the last parent or grandparent passes. Usually, the house looks like it was ransacked by the Looney Toons Tasmanian Devil. Drawers dumped out, closets rifled through, dens torn up; you’d think the entire inside of the house was hit by a tornado. The result of frenzied inheritors grubbing around for cash, jewelry, silverware; anything of value. Usually not long after they planted grandma. More than once I’ve seen wedding albums and family photos of grandparents or parents thrown in the trash along with personal items that told the story of their lives. The lack of interest or sentiment was absolutely appalling at times.
So take my advice; either have a very detailed will or sell off your good stuff and blow the money before you croak. Have the last laugh.
Ford Guy, that’s what my now deceased old boss & friend did. He made a will excluding all family, left myself & another friend some cash & each a car (in my case, a 1969 DeVille convertible). The rest went to a local car museum & his church. He put right in the will that he acknowledges his blood relatives but for reasons only known to him he is excluding them from his will.
I was shocked myself! I got home from burying him & his will was in my mailbox. I read it & was deeply touched, yet bothered by the middle finger he stuck out to his family. I do miss the guy, none the less. He was a great mentor to me.
My grandpa had a black with red interior 62 Impala hardtop. What makes it even better is the fact that it was a 409/4 speed. He daily drove it after it was restored up until a few years ago when he decided to sell it because he was moving to a smaller house.
Good advice Ford guy 1972 after all you can’t take it with you!!!
Oh look, a “Tripper” (trailer flipper). Is delivery included?
I wonder if the flipper’s trailer came from “Grandpaw” too.
I can understand if the grandson isn’t interested in a hobby that Grandfather liked. It just isn’t the kid’s thing. I have a friend who’s 65 and has a building full of old cars, and the kids couldn’t care less about the cars. They’re just waiting to get the opportunity to sell the cars and take the money.
Hopefully there is a generation coming along soon that will be interested in old cars, since the millenials only seem to be interested in taking selfies.
Sadly the percentages of millennials driving stick are slim too. I do hope a retro group gets back into classics again and starts demanding standards in cars . I think its less new cars are standard and automakers are dropping production in US.
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g20734564/manual-transmission-cars/
I blame this trend on the automakers’ desire to sell to as many lessees as possible. Once the lease concludes and the car is sold at auction manuals once again become a tough sell.
When I worked for Westinghouse they tried to lease trucks with no radio, air conditioning, cruise control, or automatic transmission. The lease company told them that they wouldn’t be able to resell what Westinghouse wanted and that they could go elsewhere. We got the good trucks.
They can take the Corvette off that list as the 2020 only comes with an automatic.
Too bad no family member wants to hold onto Grandpa’s car, it’s a beauty.
My Dad had a blue ’62 Impala Sport Coup with the 327 4 barrel carb and posi. It had a Hydromatic as it was his daily driver and he was in metro traffic all day. My favorite car out of all those that he owned. It ran like a raped ape.
I think cars this big are scary to some young people!! There just to big to parallel park and most people under 30 or so don’t have experience driving a standard transmission!! The 327 and 4 speed in my opinion is one of the best combinations Chevrolet ever came out with!! My mother had a 64 convertible same color combinations white with red interior!! This is a great car to me just for the pictures jogging my memory!!!
I think this was originally a 283 car.
Fender flags indicate 283. I think a 327 car had the numbers above the flags ?
Wonder if the 4 speed is a Saginaw ?
Nice car. If I could afford it then I would redo the interior and repaint. I would pull the 327 and rebuild it to 400 horse.
In ’62, the flags above the “V” indicated a 327. The “V” without the flags indicated a 283.
“Wonder if the 4 speed is a Saginaw ?”
I hope not, they were junk, I could go under my ’79 Elco and come out with the broken Sag tranny. I knew just what tools to take, I had done it 3 times. Then I got a T-10, no more problems.
If this car was originally a 283 it would NOT have the flags on it. These cars with the flag indicated at least a 300 horsepower 327.
409 SS Clone candidate?
had one just like this. the problem was the whole body would rust. wax it, get rid of the rust, but a month later the rust would bleed thru the paint and would have to compound and wax again. waxing in those days was a whole day project. guessing is was in a flood. paid a $1,000, for it used. i think it was three years old. cool car other than the rust.
I like this car,but I’m somewhat skeptical.Seeing that those emblems were easily added on(common back in the day,I was there)this could have been a 6cyl. three speed on the column from the factory,which would matter if planning a stock restoration. Can someone comment on what could have happened to the interior,looks to me like it was cooked somehow? Also,in the 2nd to last picture,I think I’m seeing a very crusty frame? Not the cross member,but looking past the muffler to the inside frame rail of the passenger side.That bothers me and I would need to see more pictures of the underside,bottom of the doors,and around some trim.But if the frame is indeed solid,I could deal with the rest,could be a straightforward project.
VIN starts with 21847; 2=’62 18=V8 Impala 47=sport coupe
local_sheriff,Thanks for the VIN information.Any reasons or thoughts on the fried interior?
Don’t bet the bank on this but IIRC the 6 cylinder back in that timeframe did not have an fender emblem. The 283 and 327 emblems had the same holes so they’d swap easily.
86_vette; you’re correct that full-size Chevies didn’t have any specific six emblem for ’62. The Chevy II had a six shield ’62-’64 that would also be installed on ’63 full-size though
My Gramps had one just like this only with a 283 3onthetree. Traded it for a new 76 Monte Carlo. I think it only had 40 thousand on the dial. Then he traded the Monte in on a new 93 Lumina Euro sport. The Monte only had 38000 miles.
My Grandpa had a ’61 4 door with the 348 and a 3 on the tree, it was his daily driver until he retired in the early 80’s; right about the time my brother and I were turning 16. We both wanted the car but Dad would have none of it! Looking back it was probably a wise decision on his part but as a 16 year old kid not getting a chance to tear up the streets with Grandpa’s old car just sucked!!
Looks like an old Hurst Mystery Shifter hooked to the three speed. First thing I did to my 55 Chevy back in the mid fifties!
This ol girl presents nicely in the pics and if its a 327 4 speed, that combo is hard to beat. The little bit of rust you see would make you look for more. What scares me is the rusty white inside the door jambs and the trunk channels. Possibly a fast respray? And If I can , the valve covers are 283, easy to swap. Better look this one over good. Just a quick look at it with the mag slots, it really gets the adrenalin going! Good luck!
Cheers
GPC
They’re not 283 valve covers, the 283 covers had the “Chevrolet” script stamped in the top of them. They’re 68 or newer 307/327/350/400 covers. The air cleaner is clearly a 70 or newer piece, but the intake with the oil fill tube, would be a 68 or earlier part. It might be a 327, but it could just as easily be a 283 or 307. I’d want to look at some numbers, instead of believing a flipper.
The crossed flag fender emblems would indicate that this car started life with a 327 engine, and the steering column indicates that 327 was originally mated to a 3 speed column shift. I agree with Tort, that sure does look like the old Hurst 3 speed shifter, used to convert column shift cars to floor shift. I still have one of those old Hurst’s laying around, that I pulled out of a 62 Bel Air 409 car, about 35 years ago.
My second car was a 62 Impala that I purchased for $150 in 1974. Now we know why they call them the good old days.
My Dad sold the Jeep I drove in high school when I went to college in 1971. When I came home the next spring he found a 62 Impala almost identical to this one, 32,000 miles and never in winter. That’s big in the rust belt in NW PA.
I made the mistake of looking at the crossed flag emblems and thinking it was a 283. I put the hood up and there was a “327 Turbo Fire” emblem on both valve covers. The first thing Dad said was “Shut Up, your Mother doesn’t need to know what it is.
The motor in this one isn’t even close to right. My offhand guess is it’s a 1968 327 or it’s been put together with various parts.
I walked to school in Kingston ON (north shore of Lake Ontario) for four years while it sat in a garage for the winter. I almost froze a few times, but the car survived and we’re both still here.
I will bid 17K for this car!