I purchased this last week and drove it, or should I say floated it a short distance to my shed yesterday.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/chev1.jpg)
It is a '59 Chevrolet Impala Sports Sedan in amazingly original condition. Apparently 12,000miles from new.
I've never driven a full sized US car before, let alone LHD. Brakes are unboosted drums, suspension is the closest thing to a waterbed on wheels, and the manual column shift is on the right hand side of the column.
Makes an FC feel sporty!
It just needs a good detail and a few electrical gremlins sorted for rego. Can't wait!
Nice looking car there Eddie, I described the ride in my '66 Galaxie like driving a lounge suite down the road. I had the advantage of 4 wheel boosted drums, though. If you had a sensitive foot, good, if not the brakes were either off or locked :o
nice ride eddie harko can you adjust the ride height for me im scared off heights lol
cheers fat
Love them verandah roof Chebbies! 8)
1 of my favourite cars.
What I would give to play in your toy box. :D
Regards
Alex
Ditto to all the above,
wish it was in my shed.
cheers
Scott
Wonderful stuff Ed.
It was a good move to avoid the 59 convertible, this one is much more modest.... 8)
I suuppose you need CASA clearance to land it :P
Cheers
John
Quotewish it was in my shed.
I wish it was in your shed too....... ::)
You need to call the Maritime Services Board for a permit every time you take this barge on to the road. Its only got 12000 miles on it because the original owner couldn't afford the weight tax!!
Or maybe he was just scared he'd have to try and stop it at some stage :P
Cheers,
Craig.
Hey Ed,
what a HUGE car! hope you enjoy it.
looks cool.
Cheers
Ed
Thanks guys. I'll take some photos tomorrow night and post them up.
What motor's in it?
G'day all
Isn't it amazing the difference in technology between an American 1959 car and an Australian 1959 car,
Cheers Rusty
QuoteWhat motor's in it?
Geez SRLIVES, take it easy.
He just liked the way it looked.
It may not even have an engine, you can easily roll a car from Shannons to the land of Fast Eddie. He would have sat there for 20 minutes looking for the steering wheel until he realised it was on the left. And you expect him to find the ignition switch as well?
You're a hard task master Mr SRLIVES, VERY tough question.:o
Cheers,
Craig.
I think my power window switches for my FC are identical to the ones in that, does it have power windows and seats? A/C? is it a 348 BB, hope your taking it to the nostalgia drags.
Why didnt you just buy a local one, I hear the factory the local ones came from were turning out some of the best cars ever made at the time.
Craig, thank you for your kind words of encouragement.
Fortunately the steering wheel was easy to find, but the column shift on the wrong side of the column (ie right handed) was interesting. I'll keep working on the fine motor skills.
SRILIVES, it has a 283 with a three speed manual with overdrive. I haven't progressed passed 2nd gear yet, so I can't tell what the overdrive actually does or whether it works - it is an underdash pull out arrangement - sort of like a bonnet release...
Leon, I'm not sure what you mean by a "local" one. If you mean an FC, I have my fair share of those already.
If you mean a 59 Chevrolet, I believe they only had a base model four door sedan out here with a six cylinder. This is a four door pillarless Impala, albeit without too many options. It does not have power seats or power windows.
Rusty, I agree, it is very different from a FC, more like EJ/EH in a number of areas. The window winders are the same as a FC - but that's about it!
I've got my camera back, so tomorrow night I'll definately take some detail photographs.
Regards
Edward
ery cool Looks awesome ED and brand new ,Something that size stays new for atleast 80 000 klms due to the full chassis boat suspension and wheelbase ,good score.
Did I hear you right leon ? He bought an American coupe thats brand new dude. ;)
Id like to warn you of a carpark in Sydney I once entered but I have no idea except its on the water and spirals downward as it narrows. You'll know it when you find it .
Its no fun asking 7 vehicles to reverse out so I can back up an old Pontiac.
Didn't that Shannons auction have a 348 manual convertible?
Yes it did, although it was passed in.
http://www.shannons.com.au/pages/auctions/lot.jsp?id=Z35J3B92A0AQNP2N
Oh good, I've still got a chance then..... :o
Harko, your post bought back memories. The car park you refer to is the Kent Street Car Park.
In the late 60s my Dad had a Dodge Phoenix 4 door Hard Top. We had exactly the same problem on the spiral ramp, I remember having to run from the front to the back of the car as we inched our way down, lol :P
Cheers
John
Camera played up a little last night, but here are a couple of shots:
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/chev3.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/chev2.jpg)
Ahoy Captain,
Where do you attach the ski pole?
Ed,
I like the way that you've used photoshop skills to reverse the images but keep the badges reading normally. ;)
;)How kool is that??a custom with out even being customized!!i love it,would love it even more if it was parked in my driveway,nice purchase i must say ;)jamie
Harko, I was just saying what my wife says when i come home with parts "you had to buy the dearest didnt you"
sure i would take the hardtop over the taxi anyday.
These were often optoined with electric goodies like power bench seats, kinda like a baby cadillac. looks like smick nick.
Ed,
Clearly the Enterprise needs a mate, how about this one? A snip at $20,000.
(http://i4.tinypic.com/10n88z4.jpg)
Full details are here;
http://www.myclassics.homestead.com/1960BuickElectra.html
Cheers
John
John,
One land yacht is enough for the time being, but thanks for thinking of me.
I've followed that web site from time to time - the guy has some interesting cars. Do you know him?
Regards
Ed
Yes I do Ed.
I bought a car from him. I'll call you.
Cheers
John
Hi All, the owner from new is name Jennie Cochron,now l maybe wrong,but in the 1950s theres was a famous singer name Eddie Cochron and he write a song call Jennie Jennie,it maybe owned by the wife ::) STRANGE,and if you know music Eddie died in the early 60s in a car smash,and the Stray cat has his guitar. Cheers from Alfio
Some better photos
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/47097b1a.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/9c52821c.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/5fecfe8b.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/a20741a0.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/e3cca087.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/0e5aaaae.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/f0ae1354.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/45a0450d.jpg)
Beautiful, Ed - I love it. Everything is sooo big
There'd be some massive engineering in the B 1/2 pillars, holding up those massive rear doors.
Martin
I wonder what they were like on side impacts? Looks good but openned up like that.
g'day, i know its wrong for a bloke to say the word gorgous, but fast eddie that is one GORGOUS piece of metal,
Cheers Rusty
Thanks for the comments guys. I can't wait to get it registered and float off into the sunset!
We drove around the block in this thing last week, laughing like schoolgirls. To imagine roads full of these enormous barges beggars belief.
It definitely floats everywhere.
It was great to see Ed so challenged driving a such a huge car from the 'passenger' seat, changing gears on the wrong side of the column, and nearly hitting every parked car along the way.
When he gets this registered and takes it out and about you MUST take the time to check it out. Its a work of art, when car design was about how a car looked, not how safe it was when an incapable driver smashed it into an innocent tree.
1959 Chev Impala - 100% design over function ;D
Cheers,
Craig.
the design room harley Earl (GM designer and tailfin inventor) worked in had a sign on the door that read "Art & Colour", no wind tunnels, just drawings and dreamcar prototypes in the room.
One of my mates had a 60 coupe deville that he bought from a wrecking yard in the states and regisered it over here still in its sunburned paint, the car was bulky and wide but didnt seem to have any more leg room than a FC, When being a passenger it felt real weird being ten foot away from the driver and having no steering wheel infront of me, going alongside other cars was cool.
It didnt have the soft ride anymore as he chopped the springs rite out but it did feel like it need both lanes.
Remember image is everything, thirst is nothing.
Registered and on the road... On the way home from Stanwell Park.
This one is of a big launch. Got the revs up, side stepped the clutch and bang, the mighty 283 had the big girl reaching for the sky... ;)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/lo591.jpg)
Well sort of... I emptied the rear bags and pumped up the fronts... ;D
We put one too many bodies in the boot...
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/lo594.jpg)
The plates say it all
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/lo598.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/lo597.jpg)
It really is this much fun...
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/fast_eddie2/chev/lo595.jpg)
If you want your very own '59 Impala, follow this link:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=230101410008&rd=1&rd=1
hey bandecko, thats loco, i nearly bought this the other week for a temporary run around, my mate owned it for a few years but its made its way south.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250087194498&sspagename=ADME:L:RTQ:AU:1
check the price
looks like your going to have fun with the switches there,