Vehicle Description
This 1979 Chevrolet Impala was the current owner's first car. It
was purchased from the original owner in 1996 from Whiteman
Chevrolet. The current owner replaced the gage cluster with a
caprice classic cluster with four round gages vs. the original
square speedometer. He also replaced the steering column with a
caprice classic tilting column. The headliner, C-pillars, and
headrest have been re-upholstered with color matched materials. He
also replaced the vinyl floor mats with color matched carpeted
floor mats. During his teenage years he replaced the original radio
with a Sony cassette deck, with a Rockford Fosgate Punch 500-W amp
and two subwoofers in the trunk. He also put a tachometer where a
clock would normally reside in the center of the dash to keep an
eye on the engine. For the exterior, he replaced the wheels and
springs from a newer B-Body 1996 Chevy Impala SS which lowered the
car overall about an inch. The grille is an aluminum slit style
grille custom made for the car. The "Impala SS" emblems are from an
early 60's Impala and are not true to the car, which was another
teenage addition in the late 90's. The engine is a 454ci big block
Chevy with high flow aluminum L-88 heads from the late 1960's
generation Corvette. It has a high lift roller Iskenderian
camshaft, ceramic coated Hooker headers, dual exhaust through 40
series Flowmasters, 650 Vacuum secondary carburetor, K&N air
filter, HEI distributor, and MSD spark plug wires. The current
owner also upgraded the radiator to a larger core since the
original vehicle came with a 305 ci small block. There is no
overheating issues on longer drives. He made a trip to Lake Placid
last year and engine temps never got above 220 F. The transmission
is a 4L-80E out of a heavy duty Chevy pickup. The transmission has
been rebuilt with larger servo's and is controlled by a JET
transmission controller. The rear end is a 411 limited slip
differential. All maintenance, transmission rebuild, and driveline
work.
