CIA Impala Rebuild Project

11/26/17 So far my goal of trying to complete 1 project each week is actually working.  This last weekend I wasn't too motivated given it was a long holiday weekend but I still managed to make some progress.  As I explained earlier, the engine harness was replaced but it was not the correct one.  Dan purchased a used harness that was from a 1995 Impala so it should drop right in.  No issues there but I still wanted to inspect it, clean it up and get it ready to install. That is when I ran into some issues.  The first thing I noticed is multiple wires coming out the back of the fuse box were damaged.  It looked as if it had been dragged along the concrete.  Some of them had been wrapped in electrical tape and others had exposed wires (strike 1). The second thing I found was a couple damaged connectors.  Unfortunately one of them was the large bulk connector that mates with the harness inside the cabin (strike 2).  The last problem I found was when I removed the cover off the fu

11/19/17 The engine harness had to come out.  The original one that came in the car had issues so a replacement was swapped in.  Unfortnuately it was for a Caprice or 9C1 so the connections were not all the same.  This caused all sorts of issues but apparently also causes problems when it isn't installed too!!  I will talk more about that later :-( A harness is not that difficult to remove.  You just have to know how each connector comes off, where to look and what to watch out for.  Thankfully I'd done it a couple times so this wasn't really a problem.  With the harness removed and everything plugged so water stays out of where it does not belong we started to clean things up. Here are a couple pictures of the engine bay with everything removed that we could easily get to and each hose or hole plugged to keep water out. Several years ago I installed a faucet on the front of my house for both hot and cold water.  Talk about a luxury!!!  It also comes in hand

11/12/17 With everything removed from the interior we can see what we have to work with.  When the car was broken into the ignition decided not to work properly.  This is project #1 but I have to replace the engine harness first.  Thus far everything looks fine but then again I've only scratched the surface of this project. Everything was removed from the interior.  Speakers in the dash required me to remove the dash pad.  It also helps a bunch when running wires or troubleshooting issues. The door panels were previously removed for painting the doors.  While I have access I will be replacing the window rollers and running any wires that need to be there. Here is the car after its had a bath.  You can see the process of removing the engine wiring harness has just begun. That is how we wrapped up the weekend!  It felt good to see what we accomplished over the weekend.

11/11/17 When starting a project like this, it is often best to sit back and just start with a clean slate.  A better part of yesterday was spent working on the car.  We removed everything inside the cabin and then took out the interior itself.  With the car empty, we vacuumed the floor and removed some of the wires that were in our way.  The car was then pushed into the driveway so it could get it's first bath in probably a decade or more.  There appears to be a lot of oil or other substance on the paint.  While Dan said to not worry about it, I bet it will get cleaned up eventually. Here are some pictures of the car before we started to do anything.. Rear of the car - as you can see the car is in need of a lot of TLC Engine bay - the harness has to get pulled and replaced with a new one.  Battery needs replacement and there are tons of little details that need to be resolved. Interior - new carpet and all trim pieces will get painted black.  This is where most of th

11/5/17 Yesterday I loaded Dan's 1995 Impala SS on my trailer and towed it home.  This is the beginning of a project that we've been discussing for 4 or more years.  I've always enjoyed working on automobiles and was looking for a project.  I know these cars inside and out because of a frame off restoration I did several years ago so I am not too concerned of what I've gotten myself into.  Upon initial investigation the scope is quite a bit larger than anticipated but I'm up for the challenge. Dan just wants me to put it back together and get it running.... but the task list is daunting!!  It includes dropping the transmission, replacing wiring harnesses, installing a stereo, replacing the interior and tons of other thing necessary to get a vehicle back on the road after having been in storage for over 15 years.  The trunk and cabin are literally full of parts and there are no instructions :-). The plan is to get my son involved so we can work on it togethe