We have been members of GSC since 2003. This is our 1959 Chevy Impala 2 door hardtop, black. We call her ETHEL. She is a "work in progress" right now (2006). There are car parts everywhere from the garage in the back yard, to the garage attached to the house. There are even parts in the basement.
When we bought the car it seemed to need a "little" work, but as we got started we found that she needed more than we thought. In the summer of 2005, Harley Hansen, a fellow member of GSC, came and loaded the car on a trailer and took her to his backyard garage to do some work on her. It turned into a whole summer's worth of project. Harley built a rotisserie system to make life a little easier. They completely rebuilt the trunk and most of the floor boards. It was decided that the frame needed to be replaced and so Cal and Harley went out looking for a replacement. They found one that was in much better shape than the one we had and so we were in business again. The engine seems to be in fairly good shape, but then we haven't taken a really good look at that yet. The interior needs a little work, not a lot but, some cosmetics wouldn't hurt. Cal is in the process of removing the paint from the body and he is hoping to have the whole thing repainted in the near future.
Hopefully the 59 will be up and running for the 2006 season. It may not be totally done, but it should be in good enough shape for a trip around the block.
59 "ETHEL" 2010 version
We have had Cal's 1959 Impala (Ethel) up and running for about 4 years now. We really enjoy taking her on cruises. When we bought the car it needed a lot of work starting from the tires up. This the second year with a new motor. It had a 283 which was replaced with a 327 and 700R4 tranny. Cal put in disc brakes, new wheels and a new and improved sound system. The car now has a 12 Disc player so we can bop down the highway.
CAL & SHARON'S 1963 IMPALA SS
Ethel's new boyfriend "Freddy"
The spring of 2010 Cal bought this 1963 2 door Impala SS as his new project. "Freddy" came on his own power and went into the garage next to "Ethel". Cal immediately started to dismantle the car. It is done in primer black right now, he wants to paint it white with a blue interior. The body seems to be in good shape with very little rust. The car was originally black with red interior, but we have done that before and now want something different. It has a 4 speed tranny and factory tach. His plan is to have it painted first and then work on the engine and transmission later.
