Topic: 70 Impala

[Don R]

 My sister has a friend who has a 70 Impala 2 door for sale, parked on blocks in a dry garage for decades. She says no rust never, not driven in snow or salt since it was 1990 and is wearing its original yellow paint, ugh?
 Anyway, keeper or heap, I'm going to see it asap and will be recording video to document finding it. Wish us luck.

[Mark1976]

   This ought to be interesting, if for no other reason than the curiosity factor. And yellow, damn!!! I can deal with the bodywork, but if the interior is trashed its a solid no...

[seanbarney41]

I have owned 1972 Impala 2 door hardtop since I was about 23(30 years).  They are damn good cars.  I am hoping there will still be something left for me to do something with it if I ever get too old to play with bikes.

[Don R]

   This ought to be interesting, if for no other reason than the curiosity factor. And yellow, damn!!! I can deal with the bodywork, but if the interior is trashed its a solid no...

 That's a fact, I despise mice. The vice grip guy said one car smelled like an old armadillo shell full of dirty gym socks. Best case is an attached garage but unlikely. It's an older neighborhood.

 Edit, I loooked up the yellows, one I think is butternut and the other is really light colored, it's not bad at all.

[Don R]

  It reminds me of when a friend had a 70 Caprice in 76-77 or so. He came to work early every day so he could get the first parking spot in the street by the factory gate. That way the guard could watch his car.
 Across the street was an ADM plant and a soybean carrying semi got loose and came rolling across the street, it T boned his Caprice and shoved it sideways over the curbing. The drivers side metal was flat and vertical, and the passenger side wheels were flipped horizontal.   

[Tracksnblades1]

My uncle had the lighter yellow one..70 caprice
Two door, big block, premium fuel special performance.
AC and automatic transmission..I wasn’t very old just remember the AC was cold
and the young kids cars couldn’t pass it.. and my uncle had to back off the timing
if the fuel wasn’t good to keep it from pinging..

[Tracksnblades1]

I have owned 1972 Impala 2 door hardtop since I was about 23(30 years).  They are damn good cars.  I am hoping there will still be something left for me to do something with it if I ever get too old to play with bikes.

We had a 71  4 door impala when I was very little going up. It was a 350 2barrel AC automatic car…2:73 350turbohydro…It was our Chrysler imperial of my childhood. Mom wrecked it, my sister wrecked it, then mom hit a deer with it. Dad always had it fixed. Don’t ever remember it not starting or the AC not blowing cold..wouldn’t run much over
105 and it would do 90 in 2nd…

[jgger]

My Mom had, I think, 69 with the 400 small block. That thing hauled butt for a big 'old land yatch.

[Don R]

 We had a 66 Impala SS with a 327 powerglide. I sold it to a father-son for a project. It was really solid, we just had collected a few cars, and it seemed like it was surplus when we moved to a house with a 2 car garage. Same with my K4 750.
 The kid that got it loaded it up with his friends and jumped a railroad crossing. It flew like the dukes of Hazzard 69 Charger but when it landed the engine came out. Everyone got a ride to the hospital and all survived except the Impala.

[jlh3rd]

they're not collector status. I can't call vintage cars "heaps", but it is a "boat".
Based on a quick search of rockauto, OPG, Classic car Industry, etc., aftermarket support isn't too bad. Interior upholstery support maybe kind of weak.
Yellow not my favorite. If I was wanting a vintage car to spend money on, I'd be wanting my Monte Carlo again, but they have sky rocketed in price whereas 70's Impalas not so much. So there's the money part.
Beauty's in the eye of the beholder. Time, labor, money?
I'd have to pass.
Great cars though.

[BenelliSEI]

Will be fun to see what you actually find?

[Stev-o]

My sister has a friend who has a 70 Impala 2 door for sale, parked on blocks in a dry garage for decades. She says no rust never, not driven in snow or salt since it was 1990 and is wearing its original yellow paint, ugh?
 

Hey Don...no rust is a good thing, yellow could be ok especially if original paint but the big question is what engine?!  Base engine would have been a 250 six banger, and if not mistaken, 1970 was the first year of the 454 Big block. That would be a beast. Odds are it has a 350, which in my opinion the best motor ever manufactured.

I saw an Impala for sale on the side of the road a couple years back, black in color and nice aftermarket wheels, it looked good!  I didnt buy it but still think of it from time to time. Impalas are not high on the collectability scale like Camaro or Chevelle, so there are some good buys out there.

$20K for this one on eBay with a 454, AC and PS & PB's.  A Camaro or Chevelle would be 2 or 3 times as much.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/176789186065?_skw=1970+Impala&itmmeta=01JKGG3731H45FF4C3FFJ86FYF&hash=item292974e611:g:cdsAAOSwjq1nhYax&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKn6itvaHWmHcIQT6v0%2BOLeSmwOigW0UbNMjryUN%2BQD4F%2FTGP4iThOD9z6iydydP73YUxSjr3kHso27JO5RFNVW4b4%2BUTDSjWjrm6jzA9jTAFegibBYuiWv3e1LXfWwTs2gLgpku5wuU3Wy7KtJHmnPXgFTdK%2BbNpmpb5zhw4iYalxRoe1gpO6QaEKa23Sjj0VJzXmkZdUTNfG7xo%2Biaky4vm3CCGefWwppU89OsMbGa0w1f6QsTJctPeuSRQ2%2FLb7w%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9rxjJCcZQ

[Mark1976]

   This ought to be interesting, if for no other reason than the curiosity factor. And yellow, damn!!! I can deal with the bodywork, but if the interior is trashed its a solid no...

 That's a fact, I despise mice. The vice grip guy said one car smelled like an old armadillo shell full of dirty gym socks. Best case is an attached garage but unlikely. It's an older neighborhood.

 Edit, I loooked up the yellows, one I think is butternut and the other is really light colored, it's not bad at all.

   Well at this stage in life its easier to see opportunities like this for what they are. When we're not so old, we see this as a great "project " vs now when we see them and immediately go, "boat anchor. ".
   But ya don't know till ya look. Good luck, have fun...

[Don R]

 We look at like an adventure, it's like a gift until you open it, you might not be as excited, or you might love it. We can see it at three o'clock.
  I got the directions and looked it up. Google earth shows a bungalow with a single car attached garage, the trees hang over the driveway and they would need to be trimmed to use it a lot. It would take serious commitment to park outdoors in this climate while a non-runner takes up the garage space.

[Kelly E]

All of the Chevrolets from the Bill Mitchell era have great lines and are really good looking cars.

[Alan F.]

Here's another if anyone has been bitten by the 70 Impala bug:
https://southcoast.craigslist.org/for/d/portsmouth-1970-chevy-impala/7823165530.html

[Don R]

 I loaded up a floor mat and some good lights to take along. Cash in pocket, but I'm concerned the seller may be in assisted living and not have access to papers.

 Edit, seller is in Atlanta. hmmm.

[jlh3rd]

If I did want an impala, it would have to be a convertible, no hardtop.

[Don R]

 Not me, I've never been a convertible guy, any 2 door is acceptable, I'd prefer a hardtop but there was a sport coupe and a 2 dr sedan also.
  I'm already making mental notes, my buddy is an awesome quadrajet rebuilder, it may need a new fuel tank and pump depending on what was in the fuel when it was last gassed up. The brakes will likely need rebuilt, I'll take a screwdriver to look into the M/C.
  The vice grip garage guy said some of the older gas won't eat things up like the newer gas does. It's a big car for a trailer so it would be easier to just call my buddy's tow company to come with a rollback.
 I want to be prepared in case it's a keeper. When people start talking about selling cars and bikes relatives and friends come out of the woodwork.

[willbird]

If it ran when parked that is a good thing. Sitting for 35 years, hmm. Depends on carb type but some of the 2bbl the top comes off pretty easy and perhaps rebuild kits are avail. Maybe fuel pump diaphragm toast and the accel pump diaphragm too ?? I have taken top off those carbs and put back on without needing anything though, the mfg used a gasket that was not glued on with sealer. One car I had I got a bunch of debris into the carb and was able to just take it off, rinse out the float bowl and put it back together.


The fuel filter housing is built right into the carb on the common 2 bbl. it will have points so a SOHC guy should feel right at home there :-). Buddy ran a lot of demo derbies and he used a boat fuel tank a lot, that would be one way to fuel it and not need to use OEM fuel tank yet. I see 3 gallon boat fuel tanks on Ebay for $50, the ones that have the rubber bulb to pump some air pressure into the tank on top of the gasoline. Might be able to just do a few things including changing oil and filter and fire it right up :-).



Bill

[Alan F.]

Yep, bring the fuel that is true, check the sparkelators and lightning wires, the fuel make-it-happen-er, hope you have ignition sticks, and bring the thunder. I like Derek, he reminds me of my old shop teacher.

But seriously bring a socket and breaker bar to see if the engine turns.

[carnivorous chicken]

What's the engine and trans?

[seanbarney41]

Mine was 350  with a Rochester 2gc....always performed crisply if not a rocket ship.  That combo made it 190,000 miles with just a timing chain replacement.  At 190k a crack developed in the combustion chamber right off the valve seat.  Then I built a mild but potent 383 and tortured the stock trans and rear for 40k more miles...nothing ever let go.  I parked it around 2008? because gas was 4 dollars a gallon and bikes are still more fun.

[Don R]

 I got carried away looking and didn't try to turn the motor. It has had a total re-paint in the original color. The right rear wheel well trim is missing and there is a little bondo in it. I don't believe it was from rust, likely a fender bender. The floor pans look good, it's not on blocks as reported, the tires are still holding it up but are really low. The interior is gorgeous but has just a little mildew inside. Trunk floor looks like new as does the rear package shelf.
 The lower front chrome bumper/splash pan is bent and the lower grille is broken I believe it had a head-on with the lawn tractor tire that was sitting up against the dent. A couple sharp dents in the front hood chrome. It will barely fit in my shop with maybe enough room to pass by the work bench.
 I'm likely to buy it in the AM.

[scottly]

What engine, Don??