Chevrolet : Impala Sport Coupe

OVERVIEW:

This 1958 Chevrolet Bel Air Impala 2-door Hardtop Sport Coupe is equipped with a 348 ci. V8 engine. triple carburetors. and automatic transmission. Options include power steering. power brakes. and posi-track rear end. Odometer reading is 58. 46 miles. The firewall data tag provides the following info: Style 58-1847. Body #K-8416. Trim #847. Paint #938A. Serial # F58K-172748.

The present senior owner acquired the car in its current condition about 4 years ago from the Imperial Palace (the Quad) collection in Las Vegas. Nevada.
Overall the car presents itself as a solid and rust free low miles car that was the subject of a body on frame mid-level restoration. It is not a trailer queen show car. but a good driver quality collectible.
The few outings this car has been on were primarily local vintage car club tours and events. The car has recently been brought out of storage and given a quick clean up and servicing.

This popular hardtop has a couple of custom aspects to it. a '58 Buick grille. '57-58 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer wheel covers. and lowered suspension. The original grille. hubcaps. and front coil springs will all come with the car so it can easily be put back to stock configuration if so desired.

DRIVETRAIN:

The engine is believed to be the original 348 ci. V8 that originally came with the car. however. we have not checked numbers and therefore can not guarantee it. but have no reason to doubt it. The engine starts easily. There are a few seconds of lifter tick upon start up. and a slight puff of blue on start up only. Beyond that it runs smooth and quiet and does not smoke. It could be that it requires a good run seeing as it has not been driven much over the last few years.

The engine compartment is basically clean and tidy. but does show the dust of a couple of outings and storage. A detailing would easily enhance its appearance.
Chrome items on and around the engine include the small custom air cleaners. valve covers. thermostat housing. and oil filler cap.
All other mechanical components on and around the engine appear in good working order. The radiator. hoses & clamps. and belts all appear in good condition.

There are no signs of oil leaks or seeping. it does not leave drips on the floor when parked.

CHASSIS & UNDERCARRIAGE:

 The chassis components appear as original equipment. other than coil springs changed to lower the ride. The car is equipped with power steering and brakes.
Suspension. steering. and brake components all appear to have been serviced or replaced on an as required basis to maintain the car in roadworthy condition.
The dual exhaust system appears in very good condition front to back. and the rear shocks are new.

The way this car presents on the underside is that the original frame and undercarriage were undercoated. Closer scrutiny of this did not uncover any hidden horrors. or that it was necessarily done to hide anything other than surface rust and road dirt. It simply was done without much prep or finesse. and therefore does not appear tidy. and actually just looks scarier than it really is. The frame. floor pans. inner rockers. body mounts and braces all appear to be genuinely solid without any rust out or such problems.

The drop down panels. between the trunk pan and lower rear quarters. also appear solid. with no rot or signs of poor repair. There is only one spot where the metal appears soft and there could be a small rust hole. it is at the tail end of the passenger side inner rocker. A repair here would only require a small patch.

The tires are a matched set of Coker Classic P205/75-R14 wide whitewall radials in excellent condition with plenty of tread left. mounted on original 14” stock rims. The spare is a non-matching wide white bias ply with excellent tread remaining.

BODY & PAINT:

The body appears to be very solid. clean. and straight. There are no signs or evidence of rust or rot. blisters. body filler. collision damage. or inferior repairs.

As mentioned before. the floor pans and body mounts all appear solid. as does the trunk pan.

The bottoms of the doors and underside of the trunk lid are clean and solid.
It has very nice fitting fender skirts.

The paint job appears to have been laid down nicely and done in single stage paint. The bad points in the paint are the hood and trunk lid. which have extensive crazing on them. but these issues do not really show in the photos or from a distance. This problem is limited to the hood and trunk lid. and does not appear on the roof or sides of the car. Those areas actually have a very smooth finish and nice shine.

INTERIOR:

The interior is very nice! This car has a complete new interior done in correct original patterns and colors.
The authentic interior kit included seat covers. door panels and rear side panels. kick panels. wind lacing. headliner. sun visors and carpeting.

The original steering wheel is in good condition with only a couple of very minor and small stress cracks appearing.
Original instrument cluster is in nice condition.
The horn. wipers. and lights are all in working order.
Accelerator pedal. power brake. and park brake pedal pads are all new.

It has a Wonderbar radio in working condition. Condition of clock is unknown. Next to it there is a Front/Rear Speaker control switch. Glove box door sports a Positraction emblem.

All bright trim in the interior is nice and ranges from very good to excellent condition. There are a couple of small dings on the lower stainless molding of the left door. Garnish moldings are painted body color.

The right door panel is missing its red courtesy light lens. possibly it's fallen into the door.

The trunk contains a new correct molded rubber trunk mat. and the cardboard liner panel is new also.

There are new glass and window seals throughout. New division channel seals. vent window seals. quarter window seals. and new glass sweepers were installed.
Door and trunk weatherstrips are still soft and pliable. although the door seals show minor wear and cracking.

The shaded windshield is in good condition. as are the door and quarter windows. All side windows roll up and down smoothly. It is equipped with a windshield washer.

BRIGHTWORK:

All stainless and chrome on the car is either new. restored and polished. re-chromed. or very good to excellent original. It is optioned with dual door mirrors.
The '58 Buick grille is very nice. and the original grille will come with the car.
Bumpers are in excellent condition.

All side trim moldings. roof line stainless. and front & rear glass surrounds are in very nice condition. There is one small ding at the left rear corner. minor.
The chrome plated glass frames are very nice. no issues.
The Chevrolet plastic and chrome emblems. crossed flags. and Impala logos are all very nice.

Nice front fender gun sights. The chrome pot metal hood bar is very nice but does show a small amount of miniscule pitting. it's not bad.
The tail light lenses are very nice. and the pot metal bezels they are mounted in are very nice with no pitting.
The car is sporting very nice Dodge Custom Royal Lancer spinner style hubcaps. The originals will also come with the car.

SUMMARY:

In short. this is a nice cosmetic restoration of a solid original car. This striking '58 first year Impala is ready to cruise around town and to your local show & shine.
Although it does provide for some things to tinker with. there likely aren't any hidden secrets or horrors with this car. Any improvements you may choose to do can be done over time.
You can use and enjoy this car without the worries that come with high end trailer queen restorations. and isn't that what this hobby is about?

If you are considering a classic late 50's north American Chevy hardtop. then this could be it! The body lines and styling of this car make it a distinguished collectible that continues to gain in popularity at a steady pace. Add to that the desirability of 348 ci. TriPower. and you've got a crowd pleaser.

The years of life are stacking up. and with diminishing eyesight. the owner is no longer able to enjoy or maintain his cars in the manner he'd like. so he has decided to disperse his collection.

PAYMENT TERMS:

This vintage vehicle is being listed on behalf of the owner. Please email ‘carsgoneby@telus. net' or phone Rick at (403)534-2222 for additional honest and accurate information from a professional auto restorer. All information listed has been gathered from discussions with the owner. and visual inspection by myself. Additional pics are available for viewing at www. carsgoneby. com/PhotoAlbums/1958Impala . Additional specific pictures are available upon request. No warranties expressed or implied. Successful bidder to make a minimum payment of 50% of closing bid amount (US funds) within 5 days of auction closing. with the balance payable upon vehicle pick up within 21 days (international) or 14 days (US/Canada).
Payment must be in certifiable form such as cash or wire transfer. Other forms of payment only acceptable with time allowance for instrument to clear bank prior to vehicle being released. Any deviation from. or changes to the preceding terms must be reasonable. and should be requested. discussed. and agreed to prior to bidding and auction closing.

IMPORTANT OTHER:

Please submit all inquiries prior to bidding. and please only bid if you are able and willing to conclude the transaction should you be the winning bidder.
This vehicle is being sold with a clear Alberta vintage vehicle registration (title) document and bill of sale.
The car is located in Calgary. Alberta. Canada. about 3 hours north of the Montana border. Please be aware of your shipping costs before bidding. quotes can be provided upon request if necessary. We can help make this a smooth. hassle free experience by arranging all inclusive international transportation and brokerage for you. References relating to similar transactions are available. Cars Gone By has sold and shipped numerous collector vehicles to the USA and worldwide. the majority through Ebay transactions.
Please do not ask us to disclose the reserve price. In fairness to all bidders we will not do so and request that you simply place a bid that is comfortable for you.
Thanks for looking!

Also published at eBay.ca

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