Major overhaul modernizes 1960 Impala
Restored two-door that won its class at 2015 competition will be on display once again
CALGARY — Grant Vessey says his two-door 1960 Chevrolet Impala served him well for 17 years and thousands of miles. With that kind of service, it’s inevitable that the vehicle would show signs of wear.
But the Calgarian was determined to keep the Impala on the road and began searching for a company to help accomplish that mission. That’s when, at the 2013 Calgary World of Wheels, Vessey met the Street Heat Hot Rods & Customs team. Vessey liked the modified cars Street Heat had on display, and after speaking to proprietor Bill Kerekes, booked his Impala in for some freshening up.
“Basically, I wanted it cosmetically redone and modernized,” Vessey explains.
He bought the Impala in 1995 while on a business trip in Colorado. During one of his meetings the topic turned to cars and the owner of the Impala told Vessey it was for sale. The car had been modified with a 350-cubic-inch Chevy engine and a three-speed automatic transmission but the rest of the running gear, including the drum brakes, was original. Although the interior was stock, the body featured a hotrod paint job with traditional-style flames.
“Having stumbled across this Impala, I loved the shape and the lines and just thought it would be a great car to drive,” Vessey says.
And drive it he did. For all of those 17 years, during spring, summer and fall Vessey drove the Impala everywhere on a near daily basis, and his son used it as well. But Vessey says that in 2013 the car was getting old and tired.
“The drum brakes were seizing up and it was starting to get some visible signs of rust,” he says.
“But it’s a rare car; you don’t see many of the two-door Impalas at the car shows, and it means a lot to me, so I wanted to get it redone.”
What started as a simple job became something bigger, however, when the extent of the rust damage was exposed. It was in the floorboards, the rocker and quarter panels and the trunk floor.
“I was surprised by the amount of rust,” Vessey says of the rotten metal in the car. “We originally didn’t think we’d have to go that far. But once we made that discovery, we decided there was only one way to do the job, and that was the right way.”
At that point, the body came off the frame and, as Vessey says, no nut or
bolt was left in place. Stripped down to bare metal, every rusted panel was cut out and fresh metal welded in place. The frame was blasted clean and refinished, while all-new drivetrain components were bolted in place, including a nine-inch Ford rear end, coil-over springs and Wilwood disc brakes at all four corners. Up front, a 450-horsepower 383-cubic-inch engine with a stroked crank was mated to a 700R4 automatic transmission.
Kerekes’s son, Tim, painted the car with House of Kolors paint in Seabreeze Green with a Grecian Green roof and quarter-panel inserts. An award-winning painter, Tim also updated the flames to a more modern ghost-style pattern.
All of the stainless steel trim was straightened and the dents removed and the bumpers were sent to Victoria Plating in B.C. for show-quality chrome plating.
Inside, the interior was replaced with reproduction fabrics true to the original style and colours, and Classic Instruments supplied all-new gauges. A Vintage Air air conditioning system was installed, and more modern conveniences were added, including power door locks and power windows.
“It’s a brand-new 2015 Impala from 1960,” Vessey says of the car that took 18 months to finish.
When it was done, Vessey showed the car at the 2015 World of Wheels, where it took first in its class.
Now, three years later, Vessey will display the Impala at the 52nd annual Calgary World of Wheels at the BMO Centre at Stampede Park from Feb. 23 to 25.
“I’ve put 15,000 miles on the car since 2015, and I intend to drive the Impala until I can’t drive anymore,” Vessey says. “Then it will be my son’s car, and hopefully after that, my grandson’s car.”
At the World of Wheels, Vessey’s Impala will be part of the Street Heat exhibit. Kerekes company, established in 1988, is celebrating 30 years of building customs and hotrods. They also do the occasional complete restoration, such as the build they’re doing in honour of Bill’s dad, John Kerekes, who died in 2010.
“We built my dad’s 1987 Chevy truck back in 1988,” Kerekes says.
“Now it’s going back to bone stock, with everything 100 per cent original.”