I Got It Back!

Bob Thompson, IN

When I was a senior in high school, I had a black ‘60 Chevy Impala, two door hardtop with a 348 tri-power engine and three-speed on the column. This car really ran strong. I made a few passes at the drag strip and did my share of street racing from stop light to stop light. I liked that car, but decided that I wanted a newer car with bucket seats and a four-speed. In November of 1966, I traded my ‘60 in on the 1962 Chevy Impala SS that I still have today.

Almost 30 years later in 1991, I began looking for another ‘60 Impala. I found this car advertised in Hemmings Motor News. It was in Jacksonville, FL. The car for sale was a black sport coupe with a 348 motor and three-speed on the column. After concluding the purchase of the car, my wife Sheila and I set out for Florida in my truck and trailer. Unfortunately, the motor in my truck conked out in Tennessee. We rented a car and drove on to Jacksonville to pick up the ’60 and I drove it back home to Indiana. The car ran great all the way back home. It got 11.1 mpg at 70 mph.

I did quite a lot of detailing on the car and showed it at several Late Great Chevy conventions. The stock radio was converted to AM/FM so I could hear the oldies while I was cruising. We had lots of fun attending local shows and cruise-ins with our two children. Then in 2004, it developed a noise in the motor. I was certain that it was going to need a rebuild, so I began to gather some pieces for it. I bought a tri-power intake and carburetors, a chrome plated tri-power air cleaner, a pair of 409/340hp heads, a pair of 409 exhaust manifolds, a T10 four-speed and a stainless exhaust system. I sent the motor to Jack Gibbs at "409 Chevy Performance" and he handled the rebuild. I had requested a nice street motor that would make at least 350hp. He did an excellent job and created exactly what I asked for. I installed the motor and four-speed in the car in time to attend the Classic Chevy/Late Great Chevy Convention in Hagerstown, MD. The car scored 983 points. I also installed a Sun Super tach that I had in my first ‘60 Chevy. I had it converted to solid state.
 
Since completing the upgrades and rebuild, we have driven it numerous times and have really enjoyed the car. This is the car I never should have sold in the first place. Now, I have it back.