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This Tasteful '63 SS From The Midwest
Is One Of Our Current Favorite Flavors.
By: Saul Vargas
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When
we spotted this bright orange '63 Chevy Impala SS at
last year's Denver, Colorado, Lowrider Tour stop, we
thought, "Wow, this car is done right." Then we found
out that the car actually blew in from the "Windy City"
of Chicago, Illinois, and we thought, "Well, it looks
like road-trip time." Eddie Saldana's Impala is one of
the cleanest '63s to hit the show circuit in a long
time, with detail and quality to rival any of the big
California cars, and we knew that it would be a strong
representative for Rollerz Only Car Club.
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When
Eddie began this project two years ago, he
never thought that it would go this route.
His Impala was supposed to be a hopper like
his last creation, "The Hulk," an '86 Buick
Regal that was featured in Lowrider three
years ago. To get the ball rolling, Eddie
decided to go see his buddy-Bob "Hollywood"
Wagner at
Hollywood Kustoms
in Northlake, Illinois-who had built the
Buick.
"I had a '63 Impala that I brought to Bob at
Hollywood Kustoms
and when he first saw it he told me to not
even bother taking it off of the flatbed,"
says Eddie. "He said that all that I had was
a 'parts car.' " Eddie dropped a deposit and
asked Bob to find him a new '63. Bob made a
few calls and a month later located this '63
in a barn in Louisville, Kentucky.
Bob brought the Kentucky '63 to his shop in
Illinois and let Eddie know that everything
was cool and that he had a good starter car.
Bob wasted no time on this project, taking
the car completely apart and going through
it. Since Hollywood
Kustoms is known for hydraulic work,
the frame was the first thing to be hooked
up. The rear of the frame was modified with
a custom "wishbone" that centers the custom
9-inch Ford rearend housing. The rear
trailing arms were also extended to allow
the car to lock up high. The whole frame was
wrapped and molded smooth by Bruce and Rudy,
who help out at the shop.
While the car off of the frame, Bob repaired
the floorboards and then prepped and painted
them in House of Kolor Sunset Pearl. The
body was then put back on the frame and the
rest of the body work was carried out.
Weather's a big part of life in the Midwest
and Bob knew that he had a project for the
winter. He took his time perfecting all of
the body work and paint on the '63, and
added silver leaf and pinstriping.
Bob moved to the engine compartment where an
'88 Chevy IROC 350-c.i.d. TPI engine and
700R transmission were wired up using a
Painless wiring kit and a factory computer.
The car has a "check engine" light
incorporated into the Dakota Digital dash,
as well as a scan tool connector like most
modern day cars. The newer motor was plumbed
and a custom cold air intake was created to
give the compartment a cleaner look. Other
tricks under the hood include a handmade
polished stainless steel firewall, and
tubular radiator hoses, heater hoses and
motor mounts. The car also received a Billet
Specialties serpentine kit and 605 gearbox
for better control. To stop all of this
new-found power, a set of disc brakes was
bolted on.
Bob is known for building high-quality show
setups so when he jumped into the car's
trunk he knew what he had to do. The car now
features four Hi-Low pumps, four Adex dumps
and two whammy tanks. The aluminum center
pressure and side return blocks were
hard-lined in stainless steel and power is
provided by 14 batteries covered with
stainless steel polished panels. A pair of
8-inch cylinders are used up front and a set
of telescoping 38-inch cylinders in the rear
allow the car to lock and lay and do some
popular moves like three-wheel motion.
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