CIA Impala Rebuild Project

One of the "asks" was to install and wire in an overhead console.  I believe it was from an Astro Van and nothing about it fit the Impala.  I was quite surprised how long the install took but the finished product is really all that matters in the end. I first disassembled the console so I could paint it as well as figure out how to best install the darn thing. With the headliner out, I can form the base to conform to the Impala headliner.  I decided to use thin aluminum sheets and rivet them to the sides to fill the gaps. I then covered the base with material that matched the headliner. Painting everything the same matte black color as the rest of the car so it matches. Lastly the final assembly.  I as really happy with how it turned out thus far. I really hate cutting up a perfectly good headliner but this mod requires it.  Most people cut huge holes and also drill into the cross brace and use screws/hardware that can damage the roof if no...

My apologies for not updating the blog in almost 5 month.  Rest assured, I have been working on it in my spare time.  Camping, household maintenance, sports, car maintenance, RC hobbies... the list of time sucks seems to go on forever. With the interior and doors cleaned, it was time to install some sound deadening.  My preference is a product built by Rammat.  It is easy to work with and is budget friendly.  I spent a few days covering everything that I could.  As you can see there was some Dynomat installed previously so I just covered around them.  I also took the time to run all the electrical wires for the stereo. Drivers side: Drivers side: Floor: I also covered the roof but apparently I forgot to take pictures before the headliner went in.

3/11/18 Washing the car was futile because it was covered with years of dust, debris and chemicals.  I tried everything - even lacquer thinner on the windows and NOTHING would cut through the thick layer of grime.  I found the only way was to cut through was with some polishing compound.  After a day+ worth of work, the car shines once again! FYI, I am NOT an autobody guy so the agreement was that I work with what I was given.  There are a couple small dents, the rear bumper has some damage, the grill is missing and the hood needs paint.  These are all known issues that Dan will address once he takes delivery of his car. To finish off the evening I washed the inner door skins.  Everything was covered with dust so I figured I might as well start with a clean slate.  No pictures to share but just know that it was one more more task I can check of my to-do list!!

2/18/18 I knew the tint needed to go.  The back window was peeling as was one of the side windows.  Having removed the tint on my own vehicle years back, I knew the only way to accomplish the task was to use a steamer.  Unfortunately it makes a huge mess and it is easier to do with the windows out that in.  I needed to replace all the window rollers anyway so out they came. Removing the door windows really isn't that difficult.  Once free, I put them on my workbench and removed the tint using the steamer.  Thankfully the tint came off with very little effort as I hoped.  I then flipped the windows over and polished them using my buffer.  No cleaners I possessed was capable of cleaning them.  The buffer made short work of it. At this point I removed the old window slides installed the new rollers.  3 of the 8 were already broken so it needed to be done.  The new roller design is 100x better than the old ones but a real bear ...

2/11/18 Before taking it for a drive, it must be road worthy.  Had a bunch of safety checks as well as verifying all the fluids are full. With several missing lug nuts, that wasn't working for me.  I torqued all the wheel nuts to the proper value and installed the 6 missing nuts with ones I had laying around. The break fluid was black as night.  With the help of my son, we flushed the brakes until the fluid was clean and no bubbles present. Dan suggested I look at the nuts and bolts holding the front suspension together.  I am glad I did because there was one loose nut that was missing the cotter pin (Dan remembered that one).  I also found one of the control arm bolts was loose. The power steering hoses were not being held in place like they should.  One of the hoses was making contact with the steering wheel when it was turned to the right.  Using the factory brackets, I adjusted them so they were out of the way. Dan specified...

2/3/18 There are tons of tutorials on how to install the Z28 cluster into an Impala dash.  Thankfully Dan purchased a tested cluster along with the harness adapter.  It is more or less plug-and-play. After cutting the dash and fabricating brackets to hold it in place, it was just a matter of plugging it in.  I am sure I will have to make some adjustments once the rest of the dash is installed but for now it works great. I think the hardest part of the swap is running the tachometer wire from the PCM to the cluster.  Since I'd dropped the drivers wheel well dozens of times in previous projects, I knew it would be so much easier dropped than cramming my hand into areas I couldn't see. I ran the wire through the existing rubber grommet in the firewall. This actually was a pretty easy thing to do given the wiring was already done for me.  The only real issues I found one of the bulbs was burned out.  No big deal... In order for the oil press...

1/28/18 As spring approaches, so does everything else.  I felt guilty not updating this blog for several weeks and my kids sports and school activities are on the rise but I have continued to work on this project in my spare time.  Unfortunately there just hasn't been much to "celebrate" or take a pictures of. I am not sure why but all of the inner door handle brackets had been removed.  I used a pop-rivet gun and secured them back to the inner door skins. With the interior 100% gutted and anything plastic needing black paint, I needed to clean it all.  Better part of an afternoon was spent washing everything.  Some of which was pretty nasty.  After it air dried for a couple days, I stored everything in my storage area. I will of course prep the plastic properly before I paint it all with SEM.  Just not quite ready to do it yet because of the weather.  We had not seen temps over 50 degrees in weeks!!