Chevy Impala

What’s Not to Love?

If you’re like me, you often wonder at the origins of car names, until that is, the proliferation of alphanumeric nomenclature. But what of names like the VW Rabbit or the Beetle or the Chevrolet Impala? We know what a Rabbit and a Beetle are, but what’s a Chevy Impala? It’s actually a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa that can run at 50 mph, however, in “Carland” it’s possibly the most popular Chevy brand of all time.

Introduced for the first time in 1958, the Chevy Impala came in a year when people were campaigning for nuclear disarmament; Elvis was called up into the Army and shipped to Germany. The big chart success that year in the U.S. was “At the Hop” by Danny and the Juniors that summarized the excitement coursing through American teenage life: Cruisin’ Main Street on the weekend, drinking root beer at an A&W, or eating popcorn at the drive-in; it was West Side Story on wheels and for them the Cold War was conducted on the back seat of a car—and what better car than the all-new Impala.

This era was immortalized in George “Star Wars” Lucas’ seminal 1973 movie American Graffiti that depicts a night in 1962 when kids cruise the streets before going off to college. Graduating senior Steve Bolander, played by Ron Howard, memorably loans his precious ’58 Impala to Charles Martin Smith’s character “Terry the Toad.” “When I was growing up, it was all about that car,” said NASCAR personality Ray Evernham, who recently restored the original movie car.

It was Chevrolet’s 50th birthday and the theme for the year was “Forward from Fifty.” To mark the occasion they had a complete redesign, and with performance de-emphasized, as a result of the 1957 racing ban, everything was lower, wider, and nine inches long. These cars were cruisers from the quad lamps to their gull-wings, with plenty of chrome in between. Chevy promised “the road smoothest, nerve-soothing ride imaginable,” and in doing so, entered the “boat race” to build ever-bigger cars.

“When I was growing up, it was all about that car.”Ray Evernham, NASCAR Personality

The automotive world was first introduced to the Impala under the Corvette brand in 1956 when GM unveiled a plastic-bodied, five-passenger, two-door sedan in the General Motors Motorama. This XP-100 “dream car” was a “big” Corvette with an emphasis on safety and sparing use of chrome, although that giant toothy grille belies that statement. Thankfully, it didn’t make it to production.

The production Impala for ’58 was more a progression from the ’57 Chevy, however, it was longer, lower, and wider. It was the first with dual headlights; the sharp fins of the previous year were now less aggressive and more sculptured, and to distinguish it from other models it had triple symmetrical taillights.

Under the hood, you could get a choice of 235, 283, or the whopping 348 ci W-series “Turbo-Thrust” V8 producing a max of 315 hp. A Ramjet fuel-injected 283 was also available but not popular.

The Chevy Impala immediately found a place in the hearts of Americans that was cemented when Chevy introduced the Super Sport (SS) to the market in 1961. The SS package was available on any Impala, including sedans and station wagons, and the power was increased with the 425 hp 409 ci V8 immortalized in the 1962 Beach Boys song 409.

Unfortunately, as often happens, the Impala and even the SS badges were affixed to some less than desirable automobiles; and while Chevy Impala remained Chevy’s best-selling model, the cars got bigger and the ’71 was the largest car Chevrolet ever offered. Newly introduced safety requirements increased the weight until sports models resembled Sumo wrestlers rather than sprinters.

The Impala immediately found a place in the hearts of Americans that was cemented when Chevy introduced the Super Sport (SS) to the market in 1961.

Eventually, in 1985, the nameplate was dropped, that is until 1992 when GM designer Jon Moss hot rodded a Chevy Caprice for the Detroit Auto Show. The four-door Caprice was a land yacht but Moss made it cool by lowering it two inches and throwing in an 8.2L 500 ci engine.

The Impala SS was an instant hit and went into production February 14, 1994, initially available only in black with a grey interior. It used the police 9C1 package including sport-tuned suspension, reinforced shocks and springs, a high-capacity reverse-flow cooling system and four-wheel disc brakes. In place of Moss’s 500 inches, Chevy installed a re-tuned 5.7L Corvette LT1 350 that made 260 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque. The big difference between the Corvette LT1 and the Impala LT1 was that the latter had iron rather than aluminum cylinder heads. It went zero to 60 mph in seven seconds which was not bad for a big car weighing in at 4,036 lbs—the cognoscenti loved it as did celebrities: you can count comedian Tim Allen, Billy F Gibbons of ZZ Top, Dexter Holland of Offspring, Jimmie Vaughan and many others as Impala owners.

The Impala has also inspired designers. For example, check out Thom Taylor’s Caprice wagon that he customized to represent a nineties version of a classic sixties Impala wagon. The old adage says: Build it and they will come, and it certainly applies to Chevy’s Impala.

Slampala

ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons’ Low ‘n’ Slow Impala

It’s hard to know what to drive when you’re a high profile musician such as Billy F Gibbons, frontman of that lil’ ol’ band from Texas, ZZ Top. Formed in 1969, ZZ Top is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year but they were really catapulted to fame in the early eighties with their memorable MTV music videos Gimmie All You Lovin’, Sharp Dressed Man and Legs.

For many, the music was good enough but for many more, Billy’s ’33 Ford hot rod that featured in the music videos for Eliminator was the band’s calling card. The Eliminator album, with the hot rod on the cover, went on to sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Since growing up in Houston, Texas, Billy has always been a car guy; he even taught himself to pinstripe like the legendary Von Dutch. Unfortunately, touring the world and working on numerous music-related projects affords Billy little time to indulge his passion for cars. Nevertheless, there are some warehouses in Texas that contain a small, eclectic collection of rad rides. One such is “Slampala”, a fairly rare ’62 Chevy Impala SS two-door hardtop.

The ’62 Impala Super Sport (SS) featured what was then called “convertible roof” styling, wherein the hardtop looked like it was convertible. The windshield dramatically wrapped around with curving chrome-covered A-pillars. All SS models featured acres of engine-turned aluminum in the interior, in the side trim, and across the back where there were triple taillights. It made quite the statement in ’62.

Although Slampala looks stock, it is subtly modified including the lowering job that is actually a Firestone air-bag system installed at the SO-CAL Speed Shop in Pomona, California a couple of years ago when Billy’s friend Pete Chapouris was alive. In fact, Billy and Pete were good buddies and built several cars together.

Billy has always been a car guy; he even taught himself to pinstripe like the legendary Von Dutch.

At the time, the Impala was riding on some 14-inch steel wheels fitted with accessory caps, MOON spinners and “pinner” whitewall tires so-called because the white stripe is ½-inch or narrower like a pinstripe. There’s also an ECI power-assist disc brake conversion replacing the stock front drums.

Under the hood, things are not quite as original as it might appear. Gone is the stocker replaced by a ’67 327 ci small-block Chevy that was optional in ’62. Billy’s looks stock but is fitted with chrome valve covers and a Cadillac-style air cleaner from Bitchin Products along with factory air and power steering.

The interior looks similarly standard but as you would expect there are some subtle differences. For example, the center console contains the switches and gauge for the air-bag system. Also, a new two-tone cream and mint steering wheel was cast along with some custom dash knobs by J.B. Donaldson in Phoenix, Arizona in the style of fifties’ custom knobs originally developed by Bob Hirohata.

Slampala is one of those timeless rides that transcends the trends.

The rest of the dash, including the push-button Delco AM factory radio, is stock, however, a more modern stereo head is hidden in the glove box. The split seats are beautifully upholstered in pearlescent ice-blue vinyl with patterned inserts.

Slampala is one of those timeless rides that transcends the trends. It was a good looking car when it was new in ’62 but it’s a better-looking car today. Consequently, it was featured in Super Chevy magazine, on the cover of Custom Rodder magazine and on the cover and inside Billy’s book Rock + Roll Gearhead.

Bias Ply vs. Radial Ply Tires: What Is the Difference?

When it comes to your standard driving tires, bias ply hasn’t been a term used in decades to describe the latest and greatest tires coming out on high-performance cars. In the racing, trailer, and even motorcycle worlds we still see bias ply but, even then, it’s quickly being displaced by radial tires. So, what is a bias ply and why has it been replaced by radial ply tires?

What’s being referenced when you talk about bias ply and radial ply are how the cords that make up the carcass of the tire are run from bead to bead. You’ll never see it until you wear the tread beyond its rubber layer. The term “bias” and “radial” are describing how the patterns of the ply are done.

A bias ply tire has its plies in a crisscross pattern as they overlap each other. So, one ply will lay in one diagonal (between 30- and 40-degrees from the direction of travel) while the other will lay in the opposite direction and would make an “X” if you were able to see through them. You can have multiple plies in a bias ply tire, too, usually in 4, 6, 8, or even 10 plies.

Most will be 4 plies, though. Bias ply tires also use far more rubber to create both the sidewall and tread as well as being supported by the plies. This was how tires were done from the 1930s all the way into the 1970s, with the last few cars coming with a bias ply in or around 1974.

A bias ply tire is far more flexible, so they can make for great off-road tires and drag radials where sidewall flex is beneficial. They also exhibit better traction at low speeds and in straight-line travel.

[Bias ply] treads wear faster and exhibit more rolling resistance, so you go through more money as you use up the tires and your gas far more often.

Because so much rubber is used, they are far more resistant to cuts and punctures. However, because they use so much rubber and are more flexible, they lose traction in cornering because they tend to roll-over on to the sidewall.

The treads wear faster and exhibit more rolling resistance, so you go through more money as you use up the tires and your gas far more often. This also means you’ll get flat spots if you allow a bias ply tire to sit on the vehicle’s weight for too long. You’ll also feel like your wandering due to cracks, ruts, and bad driving surfaces as these tires tend to follow those deformations.

While the tread isn’t directional, the way you rotate bias ply tires for maintenance is specific to them. You’ll take a left rear tire and move it to the left front, left front to the right rear, right rear to the right front, and right front to the left rear. Well, unless you have five tires (where you can use the spare as a normal driving tire) and then the left front becomes the spare and the spare moves to the right rear.

A radial tire, however, has its plies in a 90-degree pattern from the direction of travel from bead to bead (or radially from the center of the tire and where they get their name from). They have been around longer than most people realize, with tire patents dating back to 1915 by Arthur Savage in San Diego, California (the patents expired in 1949).

In France, Michelin designed, developed, patented, and commercialized a radial design by their researcher, Marius Mignol, in 1946 and Michelin X radial tires were installed as a factory standard tire for the 1948 Citroen 2CV.

…[Radial ply tires] have been around longer than most people realize…

The first factory standard radial tire for the US is credited to the 1970 Lincoln Continental Mark III after the August 1968 issue of “Consumer Reports” showed that they had better tread life, better steering characteristics, and less rolling resistance.

What makes the radial superior to bias ply tires (outside of high-load capacity) is that those radial cords allow better flex. It makes a tire act more like a spring and improve riding comfort even as load capacity rating increases. This also increased tire life as the flexing required was easier than bias ply, which would resist and begin to overheat the tire. Because of its radial pattern and using less rubber, you’re able to run a much wider and flatter tire footprint.

These tires will also have a rigid set of belts to reinforce the tread, usually made of steel, Kevlar, polyester, Twaron, or sometimes even a combination of them. That means that your sidewall and tread function as two independent part of the tire instead of one like a bias ply.

These belts can also be added between plies to meet specific design goals like reinforcing the sidewall for puncture resistance, increasing load capacity, and many other objectives.

Because of that and the expansion of rubber compounds using silica, we’re starting to see more and more applications that use radial tires over bias ply. In racing, many tires are now radial over bias because of the advantages of feel and character of the radial.

Much like the carburetor, the bias ply won’t go away but it will be only around for the niche.

Even drag radials are offering more straight-line grip and sidewall flex needed for powerful launches on the strip with the added benefit of not needing inner tubes.

For off-road, radial tires offer better flex and more grip on the rocks and sand. Trailer tires have even begun to make the switch to radial, even in higher load capacities typically reserved for bias plies. If you’re trying to look period correct, there are even radial tires for you.

The short story is that the areas where bias ply dominated are no longer solely for them. Radials have become an acceptable replacement in those areas. As ply and rubber technology continues to improve, the need for any type of bias ply will be left for those who are just in it for numbers-matching correct restoration. Much like the carburetor, the bias ply won’t go away but it will be only around for the niche.

Living the Dream: The Impala SS

Raymond Ernandez’s 1962 Chevrolet Impala SS is the Fulfillment of Childhood Desire

Cars have inspired songwriters for decades, from the ‘30 Ford Woody in Jan & Dean’s Surf City to the epic battle between Ford and Cadillac Chuck Berry sang about in Maybelline, and of course Prince’s eponymous Little Red Corvette. But if you had to think of a song inspired by an engine, there’s only one that comes to mind: the Beach Boys’ 409. Chevy’s original big block V8 in its 409 cubic inch version didn’t just earn its reputation through displacement alone; it was rated at one horsepower per cube, the magic number for engine output in that era. Tonawanda built more than 15,000 of them in 1962, and they found their way into a select few factory performance packages, including the 1962 Impala SS.

That big Chevy with its now-iconic styling loomed large in Raymond Ernandez’s imagination as a child, and as an adult, owning a ‘62 Impala (and in particular, one with a 409) became an aspiration that had to be fulfilled. “As a young man, I grew up around Impalas,” he explains. “It was always one of my favorite cars and I always hoped to someday own one.” Fast forward to ten years ago, and the opportunity presented itself, but Raymond almost let it slip away.

“The guy who had it had a whole bunch of muscle cars, and he was doing some resto-mod stuff with them, putting in new engines and suspensions,” he explains. “We talked about the car, and I thought he wanted too much money because I didn’t really know what these cars were worth. I was interested, but I told him it wasn’t in my budget,” he recalls with a chuckle.

“With that motor, though, it was really worth what he was asking. So I just left it alone, but he ended up calling me back.” Eventually, a deal was struck, and Ernandez ended up acquiring the Impala for a relative bargain price. “Years went by and I worked on it, did the disc brakes and things, but until I started taking it to car shows where people recognized the car I didn’t really appreciate that motor. I had thought about putting in a 350 crate motor, and the guy at the shop I took it to just said, ‘I don’t want to pull this motor out…’”

That was definitely a wise choice, as the 409 under the hood wears the correct stamp for the car, adding to the authenticity of the big-block Impala. Due to issues with producing a transmission that could endure the 409’s torque, 1962 cars that were so equipped were only available with four-speed manual transmissions or the bulletproof Powerglide two speed automatic, but Ernandez’s SS has been tastefully upgraded with a TH400 built to handle the power. Other small changes have all been made with the goal of maintaining as much of the original car without over-restoring it, but still making it a practical, reliable, fun-to-drive classic.

A big part of that formula is the rolling stock — 17-inch five spoke wheels from Coys wrapped in Milestar MS932 Sport tires. These high-performance all-season radials are designed for a well-balanced response, excellent tread life, and superior all-weather traction, not that the Impala sees a lot of wet pavement, of course. A competent, comfortable touring tire like the MS932 Sport makes perfect sense on a car that’s intended to be driven, not just looked at, and the low-profile tires and retro-mod wheels are the perfect finishing touch to this Impala’s stance.

“It’s not like a perfect build, and it’s an older build,” Ernandez attests. “I don’t take it to big national shows, but I like going to local shows, and it’s won a lot of best-of-show.” Imperfect or not, in the end, the Impala is doing exactly what it should – making a kid’s dream come true every time the key is turned.

Wanderlust: The 1956 Chevy Nomad

Finding A New Home For A 1956 Chevy Nomad

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of driving a Tri-Five (55-57) Chevy, you know how great the view is from behind the wheel. The wide curved glass windshield and the high seating position make the outside world into a panorama, like a widescreen TV that you can drive right through. A Bel Air or 250 is almost the world’s best road trip car. Almost? Enter the Chevy Nomad.  It’s got all the style and chrome of the famous Bel Air, but that station wagon rear makes you want to throw a surfboard on the roof, a friend or five in the back, and spend an entire summer, or maybe a lifetime just traveling the country watching the world over that chrome jet on the hood.

The Nomad name has been on a variety of Chevrolet models over the years, from its inception as a Corvette-based concept in 1954 to full-size Impala wagons, midsize Chevelles, and even on vans before returning to concept car status in 2004. The most famous carriers of the Nomad name though are definitely the Tri-Fives. Say “Nomad” to any car fan and they’ll instantly picture that groundbreaking—nearly hatchback—back end with its era-defining fins and vertical chrome stripes mated to long forward-slanted front fenders and of course, that broad, curving windshield.

Eric Samuels’ High-Line Motorsports two-tone 1956 Nomad is a perfect example of what makes these cars so appealing. First there’s the peachy-gold spear cutting through the midnight-black paint, all surrounded by the sun-catching brightwork that made the high-end, two-door Nomad such a stand-out from base model four-door wagons in the ‘50s. Inside is a tailor’s shop of tweed, covering the rear bench and front bucket seats. It’s the kind of interior that instantly makes you picture yourself, window down, arm on the door frame, heading out for an adventure.

The best part though is the underpinnings beneath all that sheetmetal and trim. Rather than the stock 265ci V8, Eric’s Nomad boasts a GM crate 350 small block backed by a 700R4 automatic transmission. Like any good hot rod, it sends the power back to a Ford 9-inch rear which redirects it to spin a set of aggressively designed billet wheels wrapped in Milestar StreetSteel rubber. “I’ve driven this car to a couple of shows and swap meets,” says Eric. “It drives like a new car because of the late model running gear but with the original look.”

Eric doesn’t plan to keep the Nomad. High-Line is a classic car dealership in Brea, California and if he fell in love with every car that came through his family business over the past 40 years he’d have a bit of a problem finding storage (and paying his bills), but he’s been especially fond of the Nomad and doesn’t think it will be hard to find it a loving home. “Tri-five Chevys are very popular,” he tells us. “People like everything from the Bel Air to the pickups, but especially the Nomad.”