Hot Rods 61 Impala SS (four door)

A refresher for those that don't like reading a thread from the beginning.



Every time I see this photo I still get a warm feeling, man, that is a good looking car, but, for a long time I never wanted to brag about my first car being a four door, it was like the one above, only it was a black standard Sport Sedan, 348/3speed/column shift, I only suffered with that for a week as I put a Hurst Syncro-Loc shifter in it, this was not going to be my "grandmas car".
I think the the purchase of our 96 SS helped turn me around, well, that and now the fact that I'm knocking on the "get off my yard" door.


The rest of the story
Here:
https://www.telegram.com/story/busi...8/10/cars-we-remember-about-1961/33700311007/

 

Bump for the new year.

 

That 61 looks great with the wide whites.

 

I've always been selective on my acceptance of wide whitewalls but I gotta admit that is pretty classy looking, I think if I had been born ten years earlier they might have stuck with me, my era was more of the thin w/w's, even the red or gold ones, on the right car of course.

 

Unfortunately, it was not uncommon (even in 1961) for dealers to add Impala SS items to non-Impala SS cars and then market them as being an "Impala SS".

I'm not aware of anyone in the X-frame restoration crowd having actually confirmed the production of 1961 Impala SS 4-door hardtops beyond the car that GM used for promotions and literature. The "only 500 built" number is a dubious claim with zero substantiating evidence that - by the way - still has yet to be found by the aforementioned group.

 

All true Mike, no argument from me, but just like the unscrupulous dealers in 1961 (actually, it was acceptable) that needed to move their inventory, many of the same people in the group you referenced were too busy pulling their own shinannigans cloning 409 BelAirs for huge $$$ to even know there might be such a thing as four door Super Sports.
No doubt we will see gas return to twenty five cents a gallon before our dreamcatchers produce any fruit.

 

No telling what a dealer wouldn't do to make a customer happy in those days. I'm sure the parts were available.

 

https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vin...e-v8-factory-built-dealer-option-coming-soon/I remember early Chevy II running stock classes with 327s because they clamed it was a dealer installed option

 

I started reading that thinking I might be on the site for a bit, that thread was only nine days long July 9-July 28-2005, Is that still an active website Mark?
Signed.....left me wanting more!

 

The 348-409 forum is still an active site.

The Chevytalk forum is also a good resource of information. Verne Frantz - who was the X-frame equivalent of what David Rehor (DavidG on the Fordbarn) is to the ‘32-34 Ford community - was an active poster before he died and had some posts regarding these ‘61 cars.

 

I think the misunderstanding is that the SS had to be 348s or 409s I think all the 409s were 2 doors.

 

I'll stretch this another year just because I like to share this whenever I can.
Aussie circuit racer Norm Beacheys' 62 409/4speed Impala four door, RHD.


https://www.tradeuniquecars.com.au/feature-cars/1302/chevrolet-impala-409-norm-beechey

 

Interesting to note that used to be a LHD car that they converted to RHD. The true RHD cars used a Pontiac dashboard.

Also, what the heck were they using for oil down there? They didn't have such issues up here.

 

Is this thing on?

 

I like that the show car is Seamist Turquoise. I see that its a I6 or 283 car based on the trunk emblem.

I am a member as well on the 348-409 forum, been digging into it alot lately as we got our 61 back and then getting ready to build a 409.

 

You rascal!

 

Man, I clicked on this thinking finally.......aww never mind!

 

YOU!!!

 

I don't think there has ever been a more elegant presentation of a 61 Impala, that color is perfect, sure, the ladies don't hurt but this must have been a popular display, especially for anyone contemplating replacing their 59 or 60.

 

More superlatives than you can shake a (four speed) stick at.
Oh yeah this is missing.


Day one
I've never owned a 61 shifter but have always heard them referred to as a "spaghetti" shifter.



Day two

 

The original units are a "speghetti noodle" we have a 58 unit in our 55 Chevy with a T10 4 speed, the gates are sloppy as there is not much to the shifter "brain", its pretty crude. They might have been decent when new, but even stock Muncie stuff that came later on was miles better than this setup.




The best of both worlds is how the setup is in our 61. Its a Super T10 with a Hurst Super Comp "brain" but then a original handle that has been made to fit the Hurst. Keeps that great looking handle that also clears the seat and then has nice solid tight gates for shifting the 348.

 

This is pretty awesome to watch. Although it was made probably right before the 61 models launched in Fall of 60. The SS option dealer notice wasn't set out to dealers until Feb. 61 notifying the dealers of the new option for the Impala.

 

I may have already said this at some point, but I'm not going to read the 12 pages to find out; my grandfather owned a Chevrolet dealership at that time, and he once told me that in 1961, there was both the actual Impala Super Sport car, AND an accessory SS emblem package that could be ordered after the fact to slap on any '61 Impala. To this day, group 21 (the accessory parts group) lists parts that cannot be ordered as an assembly line option.

 

Pardon me while I pontificate on how cool this shot is!
I have this infatuation with four speeds, I put a Hurst Syncro-Loc three speed shifter in my 61 Impala Sport Sedan at 15, before I could drive it (legally), I made a vow to never own a three speed car again, have had quite a few four speed cars, and currently have two.