ideas sought! What would you do?

OK, I have some idea for my 63 Impala, but I always like to get input from others, as well as listening to what they would do. Often that sparks something else in me that I didn't think of before. That said, I am starting with the 63 Impala you see below. No motor or ******. Needs new pans in floor and trunk. Needs a little help in rocker area. Needs front end completely rebuilt. Other than that, pretty stright and solid. 95% of my trim is there and in decent shape. Needs new skins inside.

My idea is to return it someday to the Palomar red that once glistened from its skin. Until then, I am thinking red oxide primer. Then I was thinking black steel rims, with wide whites and 3-4 inch chrome or polished bullet center caps and plainjane chrome lugs, with a thin chrome or polished trim ring (maybe?). I want something like 8-10 wide in rear and 7-8 wide up front. I want the whole lowered, but raked to the front. It came with what I am guessing is an aftermarket polished tube grille. It needs to be fixed or replaced. Wouldn't mind doing some sort of blackout treatment in the grille department with some chrome/polished accents. Not sure about anythign else really, except maybe using a leather/vinyl seat treatment with corduroy style fabric inserts of a different color. And, well it may be a little tacky, but I would like the Impala rear fender logo embroidered on my seat backs (front side). What do think? I am soliciting advice and ideas at this point. This weekend I am starting the teardown prior to rust removal funwork. Any photoshop gurus be willing to put together some photos of what I described. I did it with cut and paste paper, but it doesn't do it much justice. PS, I am not really into low rider look, but I do want it lowered and poised for the kill if you will.

Whoops Forgot pictures. Edited to add pics.

 

looks like a good start and some good ideas flowing there. a set of bellflower tips usually look good on them too...and flame throwers...YEA!..

 

OK, if yer gonna do Wide Whites, don't rake it....they kinda screw each other up. Either DO whites and slam it, or do blackwalls and rake it with Crager SS's and a BIG*** motor.
Looks like a nice start, though.
Just my pair of pennies...

 

Why sir, it would be a slam! Just a little more up front than out back... I dunno, I think it would still look good with the white and the color combo. Not a huge wide white, maybe 1.5 to 2 inch. Still not buyin it?

 

Not into the Bellflowers. but flamethrowers!? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.............

 

I'd personally go the simple route.

Lowered w/ astros & skinny whitewalls.

 

Yeah Ryan, I definitely agree with you on the paint. It is my intention of going back on with Palomar Red when I can do it. Here's another idea I have been kicking around a bit. Replacing top with a carson style top shaped more like the 60 fury in this months' CR, or a 60-61 Starliner, or something else similar. ****, it ought to fit in the trunk. I think you could haul a model t in there!

 

I like the idea of the Starliner top ... but if you're not going to slam it, I agree with Splinter and say NO to the wide whites. Rake the front and jack the *** up wih some nice chromy rims ... or at least lower the fron enough to give it the "stance". Looks like it will be a lot of fun though.

 

I wouldn't even consider a removable hardtop on this car, it has a very nice roofline as-is. And I would skip the primer too. Once you start doing bodywork, don't stop until it's painted.

I also think that a '63 is pushing the limit for wide whites, I'd rather see redlines or two striped whitewalls on painted steel wheels. The '63 is such a nice looking car, you can do several different styles with it and still look good.

 

bttt

 

What would be killer is a 61-62 bubbletop grafted on!

 

This is kind of what I was talking about with the wheels. Can anyone photochop these onto a red 63 Impala coupe for me?

 

I agree with the paint idea. I know a decent paint job is sometime out of the budget, but I'd go with a deep, DEEP red. As far as wheel and tire combo, I'd skip the wide whites and go with skinny whites and astro's. I personally love that look on impalas. But if you're gonna go that route, when you slam it, at least make it level. The whole raked toward the front scheme always reminded me of "muscle car", which you can also pull of on that car, but then you have to go with the huge motor, and then some Cragar SS or something on blackwalls for the wheel/tire combo.

I personally love wide whites, got em on 2 of my rides, but I'm a firm believer that they don't always look good on every car. The whole Impala look for me has always been either muscle car look, or lowrider-ish look. One or the other, not a mixture of both.

That's just my 2 cents though, I've always wanted an Impala since I was a kid.

 

chrome reverse wheels would be ok on a more custom looking car, or a hot rod, painted stock (wider in back) wheels would look good on a hot rod. no wide whites, either very skinny whiteall if it's a custom, or blackwalls if it's a hot rod.

I was wondering if someone was gonna suggest a bubbletop, but I think it would look wierd, the bubbletops were more of a hot rod thing (the "cheap" belair hartdtop in 62 comes to mind), probably would look odd on a 63. The 63 has that formal looking bottom half, which nicely matches the formal looing roof they put on them.

If it's gonna be done to look like a hot rod, it needs a hot rod motor! either a nasty 327 or a big block

on the paint thing, I've had my 55 in primer for 10 years, works fine, but my 61 will have paint on it before I put a motor in the car

 

I would paint it dark pewter w/silver flaked roof.Thin white walls will astro supremes.Red interior and ivory ,red and charcoal pinstriping

 

I'd go with fat tires, black wall on vintage 5 spoke mags. The whole lowriderwirewheelhydrobeener look makes me gag. These were the start of the muscle car era.

 

I am with you Tin. Nothing personal, but don't really like the whole lowrider look. I do like the look of the TT's on these also. Just can't afford a set right now. I also liked the steel with bullet caps look as a runner up, and a lot cheaper! The only other option I was considering was an old set of Keystones or Cragars with the spokes blasted and painted black with either a bullet, smooth chrome, or spinner cap.

 

what ever you do put it on the ground! jaked up and black wall tires on this car ****, and its the easy way out.

 

I've seen a few 63 Impala's done up G***er Style also. Straight axle, ladder bars.

It all depends on how your tastes.

Of course G***er Style ****s when you have to make turns at speed.

 

i always liked the look of these cars with a decent ride hight. keeping that deep red color is a good move, maybe throw a pinch of small flake in it so it pops in the sunlight, had a friend do that color on his 65 starfire convert, running cl***ic cragers and blackwalls. i was gonna agree with others on the whitewalls but i figure it could probaly be pulled off if done right. kinda a tricky accessory sometimes. i would put some cheap rollers on it, get er done and painted, then sit back in your favorite chair and let the juices flow b4 writing that check for treads. if i come across any with that color combo i will send the pic your way for inspiration.


not a chev, but might be idea provoking.....
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/ground_pounder/various%20other/cjdmjm.jpg

 

What about just changing the C pillars to the 4 dr type, similar to what Vaughn did with his Caddy. Might be an easier mod.