His father was
on the other end of the spectrum. He was into
Impalas and owned a stock '67. Eddie was young and
at an impressionable time in his life. Impalas
remained firmly planted in his brain throughout
adulthood. Growing up in a place where hot-rods are
the norm, those influences seeped into the planning
and execution of Ice-Cold, his '63 Impala. The
motor, which is one of Eddie's favorite parts of the
car, is certainly hot-rod inspired and puts out
about 500 hp. That's more than enough power to put a
set of wire wheels in a world of hurt with a mere
stomp on the accelerator.
Like many
projects, this one didn't start out as a show car.
Eddie wanted to build a clean car that he could
cruise. While hitting various shows in the Milwaukee
area, he met Willy Bailey. Willy's vast knowledge
and talent brought them together and they decided to
open a little shop where Willy could work on Eddie's
project. It's a small shop, one of those deals you
open with a couple of friends to work on personal
cars, but if you look at Ice-Cold closely, you can
see they are putting out some big things from their
small shop.
One of his
goals was to gain the respect of the hot-rod
contingent, which still has a heavy presence in the
Midwest. Much of that plays out in the
aforementioned engine and his choice of accessories.
Many of these accessories are commonplace, in both
the lowriding and hot-rod scenes. The billet Impala
steering wheel and chrome steering column are
equally at home in both. If you swing around to the
trunk, you'll see the heart of this or any lowrider
for that matter-the hydraulic system. The three-pump
setup leaves no doubt that this is a lowrider, and
that "getting up to get down" is where it's at.
Eddie has
definitely been getting down this year. He's made
the trek to both the Phoenix show and the San
Bernardino show. He's always been a
cruising-the-streets kind of guy but admits that he
has really enjoyed showing his car. Getting to meet
new people and seeing new places has opened up a
whole new world for him, but there is a downside.
Since the car is at such a high level, he doesn't
get to drive it like he normally would and he wants
to totally redo the car. Traveling the show scene
will do that for you. It opens up a whole new world
of ideas. A car show is where Eddie met Willy, a
whimsical combination of names to say the least, but
we're sure if and when they decided to tear down the
car and rebuild Ice-Cold, there will be nothing
unusual about the fine results.
Engine/Drivetrain:
The original block was bored out 0.06 inch over
for a 347-cid Stroker motor. A set of 202 Corvette
cylinder heads combine with the block for 11:1
compression. It was balanced and blueprinted and the
work was performed by Willy Bailey at Bailey Racing
in Milwaukee. The custom-made stainless steel
exhaust was constructed and polished by Rick O'Shea.
A rebuilt Turbo 350 received a Trans Specialty
converter and shift kit.
Body/Paint:
Bailey Racing, along with Dale Day, did the bodywork
and paint: a Dupont Galaxy Pearl Metallic covered
with a White Diamond Pearl. Berry of Berry Signs
pinstriped the vehicle.
Interior:
The interior is chocked full of aftermarket
goodies, including a Dakota Digital dash, Ididit
billet steering column, and a Trendz Impala steering
wheel. Jax seat covers feature gray inserts with
Charcoal Metallic vinyl in the stock pattern,
charcoal carpet covers the floor, and the dash was
chromed and engraved. Bailey Racing performed all
the work.
Sound
System: The system consists of a custom Auto
Sound head unit that looks and acts like the stock
unit but has RCA outs on the rear, along with an
iPod connector. The signal is routed to a single
hidden amp. A 12-inch subwoofer pounds out the bass
behind the back seat. Willy Bailey, of Bailey
Racing, handled the install chores.
Setup: The setup
is a three-pump affair with high/low pumps and four
switches. They control the three Adex dumps, eight
batteries, the 8-inch cylinders that raise and lower
the front, and the 12-inch cylinders in the rear.
Everything is tied together by hard lines
throughout. The frame is fully wrapped and
Hollywood Kustoms, in
Northlake, Illinois, performed all the work.
Tires:
175/80-13 Champion SE
Wheels:
13x7 Masterpiece wire wheels
Like many
projects, this one didn't start out as a show car.
Eddie wanted to build a clean car that he could
cruise. While hitting various shows in the Milwaukee
area, he met Willy Bailey. Willy's vast knowledge
and talent brought them together and they decided to
open a little shop where Willy could work on Eddie's
project. It's a small shop, one of those deals you
open with a couple of friends to work on personal
cars, but if you look at Ice-Cold closely, you can
see they are putting out some big things from their
small shop.
One of his
goals was to gain the respect of the hot-rod
contingent, which still has a heavy presence in the
Midwest. Much of that plays out in the
aforementioned engine and his choice of accessories.
Many of these accessories are commonplace, in both
the lowriding and hot-rod scenes. The billet Impala
steering wheel and chrome steering column are
equally at home in both. If you swing around to the
trunk, you'll see the heart of this or any lowrider
for that matter-the hydraulic system. The three-pump
setup leaves no doubt that this is a lowrider, and
that "getting up to get down" is where it's at.
Eddie has
definitely been getting down this year. He's made
the trek to both the Phoenix show and the San
Bernardino show. He's always been a
cruising-the-streets kind of guy but admits that he
has really enjoyed showing his car. Getting to meet
new people and seeing new places has opened up a
whole new world for him, but there is a downside.
Since the car is at such a high level, he doesn't
get to drive it like he normally would and he wants
to totally redo the car. Traveling the show scene
will do that for you. It opens up a whole new world
of ideas. A car show is where Eddie met Willy, a
whimsical combination of names to say the least, but
we're sure if and when they decided to tear down the
car and rebuild Ice-Cold, there will be nothing
unusual about the fine results.
