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1960 Chevy Impala
Chassis
The 1960 frame was replaced with 'rails from an '86 Caprice, kept stock and treated to some blasting followed by a coat of PPG DP90 epoxy primer and another of PPG single-stage black. The Air Ride Technologies ProRide suspension and GM cop car heavy duty anti-roll bars at both ends make the car handle better than it ever did in the early days-with 11-inch GM discs and stock GM drums bringing the ride to a reliable halt.
Drivetrain
Underneath all that cool custom sheetmetal there's a Chevy small-block engine. Ken Ferdig Automotive in Blackduck, Minnesota, put together the '86 Chevy 350, which runs an aluminum intake with a single Holley 600cfm four-barrel and wears a pair of finned Cal Custom valve covers. A Billet Specialties V-Trac pulley system dresses up the front. Hedman exhaust headers run into 21/2-inch exhaust pipes corked with Flo-Pro Performance mufflers. Ken also built the 700-R4 automatic, modified with a shift kit. The driveshaft and axles are stock, tied together by a GM posi rearend.
Wheels & Tires
Following the style established in the Sixties, the Kroekers wanted 15-inch 5-spokes for their custom, and chose 15x8 and 15x7 Cragar Unique Super Supreme composite wheels. Wide whites are the perfect complement to Winfield's paint and the white vinyl upholstered wheelwells, and these P225/70R15 and P235/70R15 roadworthy radials from Diamondback Classic do the job.
Body & Paint
For a project that was once on the verge of getting its plug pulled, this Chevy has been treated to a pretty amazing makeover. Long as it looks, the body was actually shortened 3 inches before getting channeled over the frame. The front edges of the fenders were extended 11/2 inches and the fender tops dropped 3/4 inch; the '89 Buick Regal hood-widened with sheetmetal from other '60 fenders-now spans the entire width of the nose from fender edge to fender edge. The deck got the same treatment with the decklid stretched across the top of the extended fins. The rear quarters were bulged slightly over the rear wheels and customized with side scoops loaded with aluminum bullet side trim. The grille and grille opening were modified and '67 Riviera headlight housings were sunk into the opening. The '60 Impala front bumper was narrowed, tucked, and smoothed. A fabricated front pan was added and the turn signals were relocated to a mesh panel. At the other end, another pan and taillight panel was created, and the rear bumper was reworked with a front bumper center section. Bodywork was done by Pete along with Adam Robinson. North Star/Fairmont Plating in Winnipeg did the chrome and Triple G Glass in Winnipeg did the glass.
The sheetmetal work continues under the forward-tilt hood, where a full perimeter engine compartment cove runs from the firewall, around the custom inner fenderwells, to the radiator shroud. The owner-built custom engine cover was made from a '60 Impala quarter panel.
The perfectly-blended DuPont custom paint could only be the work of Gene Winfield, who hasn't lost his touch after half a century of doing this stuff. Pete finished it off with some vintage-style 'striping.
Interior
Bowtie meets Buick in the interior of the Kroekers' custom '60, where the seats, door panels, and center console (plus shifter) were all taken from a '67 Riviera, and recovered in white vinyl by Otto's Custom Upholsters in Beausejour, Manitoba. The car retains the distinctive '60 Chevy dash and stock gauges, along with a reduced-diameter '58-60 wheel from Classic Steering Wheels on an ididit tilt column. The rear package tray was once a '59 Impala dash top. Chris LaBonte and Steve McDonald.installed the custom sound system-a combo of Focal and Alpine speakers, an Audison amp, and an Alpine receiver. The kick panels have been cut out for the front speakers and the vents from the Hot Rod Air A/C system. Controls are installed behind the ashtray lid.
Espero les alla gustado...
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