Richard Schanot's first new car was a '63 Impala, which is why he bought this one. He didn't do any customizing on the first one but obviously made up for it this time. As a matter of fact, his wife Susie, confided in us during the photo session that this is the first car they have ever customized. Nice going for the first try. Might as well quit now because we're not sure how much better you might get.
Richard and Susie are the fourth owners of this big beauty. When they bought this car through a newspaper ad in 1998, it only had about 78,000 miles on it. The first owner was a doctor who bought it in Learned, Kansas, for $2,800. Thirty-five years later the Schanots paid $5,000, but it was worth it. Richard promptly disassembled it and still recalls the trouble it was re-assembling it. "I thought all the parts were labeled correctly but I still had trouble finding them," he said.
Sound familiar to any of you builders out there?
Richard thought he had a plan, but made several changes as the car progressed. In hindsight, he would stick with the original plan if he were to build another one. We still like it the way it came out, anyway.
Owners Richard and Susie Schanot
Vehicle 1963 Chevy Impala SS
Engine GM ZZ4 350, Fuel Injection by Street and Performance, Vintage Air, Flowmaster mufflers
Interior Stitches seats, carpets, and door panels, covered in cream and tan Ultra leather, Dakota Digital Series II gauge system, Budnik Famosa steering wheel
Transmission GM Turbo 400 Hydramatic
Rear End Stock
Suspension Air Ride Technologies
Wheels (F) Budnik Famosa 17-inch & (R) Budnik Famosa 18-inch
Tires (F) Sumitomo 245/45R17 & (R) Sumitomo 255/45R18
Color/Paint Matador Red/PPG
Painter Steve Van Slyke, CV Restorations
Stereo Alpine CDE 9845