I want to get a 1967 chevy impala hard top 2 door
I love the body on this car and if I’m being honest it’s the only old car that I actually like.
I want to keep the body and the interior but I want to modernize everything under the hood and all the interworkings. I’m not like most of you here who probably would want to restore it. I want a beautiful 1967 impala on the outside and interior but I want a much different car under the hood, that has a decent amount of power, good gas mileage and modern heat and ac . . . And probably an aux jack for music LOL
My question is, how do able would that be? I know there’s probably going to be some complications with getting everything in the right place and right air flow and mounting holes and all that - but is it do able? How much do you think it would cost? I dont want to say money is no issue because I’m not going to throw 100,000$ at it but money isnt a limited resource.
What you want is VERY do-able and can be done at a reasonable (sort of) cost. People DO this and then they do come up for sale - at a loss, usually! Bargains can be found at the auction sites. Here is but one example of a convertible;
Or a Biscayne that is a good starting point;
First and foremost, you need to find a very good, rust-free car from a dry state. Any rust repair will be labor intensive and expensive.
Second, you need to find a custom auto shop that has built cars like this before. This would be called a “Resto-mod” so use those terms. You may want to do a nationwide search, not just locally to find the expertise to do this. Call their customers and ask questions. Beware any shop that won’t give you a list of customers to call.
Thirdly, this is a car that can easily accept a modern fuel injected V8, 4, 5 or 6 speed automatic transmission, disk brakes, modern stereo systems with navigation, Bluetooth, ect. The interior an be customized to any degree you wish. Air conditioning, power steering and brakes. It is popular enough to have restoration stuff like door seals and glass available. look at the link below;
I have a bud that does just that. He is a mechanic an fun lover on the side. Last car I saw he was working on was I think a 69 nova he put a modernized 396? into. Beefed up the suspension and trans, not sure about the rear end, I guess in essence I am saying it can be done, have fun!
Me too. Find a restomod Impala that is already finished. Look for modern engine, transmission, disk brakes on all corners, and updated suspension. Oh, and new paint.
Crystal if you have a collector car dealer near you tell them what you have in mind . Google is your friend for finding all the dealers you can. Hemmings web site , Barrett-Jackson , EBAY ( really must be careful there ).
What is ‘good’ to you? A modern crate motor with fuel injection will do much better than a '60s engine, but not what I’d call ‘good’ compared to modern cars.
