I have had my 61 impala since the mid eighties and have been collecting the parts to change it from an automatic to a 4 speed for longer than I care to admit. Finally did it last week. Man what a difference, wish I did it a long time ago Also bought a chrome heater box at a swap meet over 20 years ago and finally installed it today Is anybody else a procrastinator???
Beautiful car ... for a Chevy. I'm pretty sure most of us procrastinate, maybe a little, maybe a lot. Those of us that don't are just waiting so no one will notice.
Man! That thing is ACES! And, I'm past president of the Procrastinator's Club. They are going to kick me out for non-payment of dues . . . just as soon as they get around to it.
For me it's less procrastination and more getting distracted by 50 other projects but yes, definitely.
I’ve been collecting parts to refresh the suspension and drivetrain on my dad’s 38 coupe for years. It’s been on the road since 82, and needs TLC. In fact, I built a 40 Ford sedan to “practice” before working on my dad’s car. I feel reasonably competent now. I’m wrapping up an OT project then I’ll tear into it. Here’s the car and it’s future caretaker.
Ha, someday projects abound here! Mark, what kind of transmission, and let's see a pic of that shifter. I know it's gotta be NOS...
And what was the automatic? Turboglide? I don't procrastinate much on wrenching, 'cause I enjoy it. I do procrastinate on other things, health, financial matters... you know, unimportant stuff.
About time you did something. I procrastinate 'til the cows come home. And since we don't actually HAVE any cows...
Transmission swaps are always like that. The 727 that was in my Ford leaked like crazy for years. I even had another transmission built to swap it out that I moved from one house to another. Finally after like 6 years of soaking up puddles, I told my wife to watch the kid for the afternoon and I was going to do the swap. I started after lunch and was done before dinner. I felt like a total donkey for not doing it sooner. Impala looks great man.
Wide ratio Muncie, the car has 3.36 gears so I figured a wide ratio was best suited for it. The shifter is a comp plus hurst with a 65 gto round handle that I tipped forward a little to better fit the bench seat. I made the acrylic laminated pieces for the cal custom yoyo shift knob to match the dash knobs I made 30 years ago
I swapped the turboglyde for a turbo 350 when I built the car 30 years ago. Still has it’s born with 348 though
I am always coming up with excuses . I got my gauge panel made and gauges installed and wired . Was gonna put it in last week. nope need to fix the deck. was gonna do it this week end ….. I got a migraine , the dogs got sprayed by a skunk in the middle of the night . I need two days to recover!! I would wrench on cars all day , come home shovel some food into and around my mouth then wrench on cars all night . Now it seems I’m always busy doing something else !or the premise of being busy !
Taking care of the father in law (can not be left alone, aiding with bathroom duty's and dressing) has sucked the wind out of my sail. Even when I do get out to do something I get sucked right back into care giving.
I am a professional. I can trip over shit for decades before taking care of it. The stuff that you don't want/care to do, sure. I'm so bad, I procrastinate on fun stuff. I need to get rid of my TV, recliner, and what little social life I have. If I quit working maybe I'd finish something. Doubtful, but maybe.
Put a pan under the rear main. I never had one that didn’t start leaking after converting to a stick from an automatic. Happens when I started stepping on a clutch moving the crank.
Seriously, Mark... So you're happy with it? Some people say that a stick shift doesn't really belong in the bigger cars, you know. We might not listen to some people. I'm sure we can all imagine the change it made. But care to expound a little on the difference in the driving experience and the performance aspect?
A four speed can be very transformative for a car, I did a three on the tree to a Muncie swap with a 64 Impala sport coupe some years back, was a tired 327/250 hp but boy was it a fun car after the changeover.
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