1964 Chevy Impala

A Big, Fast Car

1964: When chevy upgraded the Super Sport

Story and photos by John Gunnell

When the ’64 Chevys hit the showroom in the fall of 1963, the Impala SS Sport Coupe was no longer an option package like it had been in 1961, 1962 and 1963. It now had its own Chevy model number--1447—and became the sporty car in the line.

The Impala was Chevrolet’s plushest model and the Impala Super Sport was now in a separate Impala series positioned above the regular Impala. The list of standard equipment for the Super Sport (or SS) took off where regular Impala features left off. Super Sport buyers got leather-grained vinyl upholstery, individual front bucket seats and special body moulding inserts. They could also store their gloves or sun glasses in a locking centre console.

Exterior distinction came from the use of a wider upper body moulding filled with a swirl pattern, silver anodized insert. Impala lettering and the SS badge appeared on the rear fenders, with another badge appearing on the rear deck lid. The rear cove outline mouldings were filled with a silver anodized insert. Full wheel covers of specific Super Sport design were used on the upper-level Impala.

For 1964, due to the performance ban that GM brass put into effect in the middle of the previous year, Chevrolet engine choices stayed about the same as they were in late ‘63. Ban or no ban, that meant the Impala SS 327 hardtop was still a big, fast car.

The optional Turbo-Fire 327 V8 was again available in two versions. The first one had a single four-barrel carburetor and 10.5:1 compression and made 250 hp. The second had a single four-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts, and a 10.5:1 compression ratio. It made 300 hp and cost $138. The front bucket seats are hefty looking and have heavy stainless-steel trim.

Centre console and radio were extra-cost factory options.

The interior has an attractive two-tone colour theme of light blue and white.

muscular. And believe it or not, 439 six-cylinder Impala SS convertibles were made. The V8 versions were much more popular, whether you got a hardtop or a ragtop. The closed car attracted 154,215 customers, while the V-8 convertible had a 27,775-unit production run.

In 1964, Chevrolet stamped the vehicle identification number on a shiny plate attached to the left front door hinge pillar. Motor numbers were on the right side of the engine block, to the rear of the distributor. The featured car has VIN 41447S292519. The first symbol 4=1964. The second and third symbols indicate body style: 14=Impala Super sport V8. The fourth and fifth symbols indicate body style: 47=two-door hardtop. The sixth symbol indicate assembly plant: S=St. Louis. The last six symbols indicate the sequential production number.

This particular car belongs to The Automobile Gallery collection in Green Bay, Wis. It is in stock original condition with a clean and fully-detailed engine and engine compartment with factory-type stickers all over the place. It has automatic transmission with a floor-mounted shifter. With low original miles, the green Chevy is in excellent operating condition. It retailed for just $2,779 in 1964. The body work, trim, glass and vinyl upholstery are all in excellent condition on this car.

Factory options on this Impala SS include front bucket seats (no, these were not standard on SS cars); automatic transmission with the floor shifter; a centre console; a radio; the 327-cid 300-hp V8; power brakes; dual outside rearview mirrors; air conditioning; and a heater and defroster.

After 1964, Chevrolet continued to give the Impala SS separate model status through 1967. In 1966, a new 427-cid V8 grew out of the Chevrolet racing cars that Bill Thomas had whipped up for NASCAR races. Big Chevrolets had not been competitive in circle tack racing since 1963, so Thomas took a 396 to his home garage, reworked it to 427 cubic inches, got NASCAR to accept it and talked to the factory about his project. By November 1965, Car Life magazine reported that Chevy had enlarged the production 396 to 427 cubes. Although these cars had the big-block V8, they were not SS 427s yet.

The 327-cid V8 was the top option for 1964; the 427 and SS 427 had not arrived yet.

Chevrolet decided to offer the so-called “427 Rat” motor in showroom cars in 1966 in two editions. The RPO L36 version had a 10.25:1 compression ratio and generated 390 hp at 5,200 rpm and 460 pounds-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm. With its higher 11.0:1 compression ratio and solid valve lifters, the RPO L72 “special purpose” version of the 427 was rated for 425 hp at 5,600 rpm and 480 pounds-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. Fitted with the 390-hp 427, a big ’66 Chevy carried about 10.8 pounds per horsepower and could do 0 to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds or so. The quarter mile took about 15.5 seconds. According to Robert C. Ackerson’s research for his book Chevrolet High-Performance, both versions of the 427 were relatively scarce in 1966. A total of 3,287 full-size Chevys carried the L36 and only 1,856 had the L72 installed. In 1967, with Chevelle sales soaring on the SS-396’s muscle reputation, Chevrolet concluded that high-performance could also sell big cars. This led to the Impala SS-427. To understand the SS-427’s role in the product mix, remember that the Chevelle SS-396 was more than a Malibu with Super Sport trim. Malibus were not available with the big Turbo-Jet V8, while SS-396s came only that way. That made the SS-396 exclusive. Its one job was creating a performance identity that would spur sales of other Chevelles. Similarly, the Impala SS-427 was intended to be an “image” car, though one of larger proportions. While the 427-cid engine was made available in

other Chevrolets, only the SS-427 came with a full assortment of muscle car goodies. They included special badges and engine call-outs, a Corvette-inspired power dome hood, larger wheels, a stiffer suspension and standard red-stripe tires. Then, in 1968, Chevrolet kind of reversed its thinking, dropping the Impala This tag on driver’s door SS series and replacing it with a new-old Z03 Super Sport option. Priced jamb is stamped with the at $179.05, this package included all the same extras that cars in the 1967 Vehicle Identification Num- Impala SS series had. Another marketing change involved making the ber. performance option available for three Impala models instead of just two. So, in 1968, you could order SS equipment for the $2,968 Sport Coupe, the $3,021 Custom Coupe or the $3,197 convertible. In other words, Chevy returned to the early-‘60s concept of selling SS goodies as an option, which it had abandoned starting in 1964. So, The Automobile Gallery’s Impala SS marks a turning point in Super Sport history that would last only four years. But it was sure a beautiful way to test the new marketing program out.

The 327 in The Automobile Gallery’s Chevy is nicely detailed with paint and decals.

The ’64 Chevy Impala SS Sport Coupe is one of over 100 vehicles in the collection.

Not your Father’s Buick...

...His Buick resto-mod

Story and photos by John Gunnell “Do you want to buy my car?” That’s what Shawn Engel heard his father say, but he almost couldn’t believe his ears. His father had purchased the 1972 Buick GS in 2005 and had finished restoring it in 2006. Shawn never figured he’d sell it.

“Dad knew I liked the car since Day 1,” Shawn recalls now. “That’s why he called and offered it to me at a bit less than the amount he had put into the car. It was a good deal. I couldn’t turn it down so I bought the car.”

The transplanted 455 was bored .030 over and dressed up with chrome goodies. Shawn has a file with invoices for the parts and labour put into the Buick. There’s a note about AMS Racing building the engine and there’s an invoice for the Vintage Air A/C system. There are other bills for the four KYB shocks and the GSX-style hood tach.

As you can tell from such purchases, Shawn’s father’s car was not exactly “factory,” but it is a high-quality build with some add-ons and neat upgrades like a huge hood scoop, a replacement 455-cid engine, a beefed-up THM400 tranny, alloy wheels and brand new B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A tires that are bigger on back than in the front.

Buick did a mild facelift on the 1972 Buick Skylark and the GS - which stands for Grand Sport - was based on that mid-sized model. The front bumper was redesigned. At the rear, black vinyl surrounds were added to the taillight and bumper assembly. Buick used a “building block” system with certain standard features on its low-rung Skylarks and more features added each step up the ladder you went to other Skylark models.

All 1972 Buicks came with a lot of governmentmandated safety and anti-pollution equipment that included occupant protection features; accident prevention features; and anti-theft equipment. The plain Skylark also had a front ash tray; a heater and defroster; a side-terminal Energizer battery; Magic Mirror acrylic paint; padded head restraints; self-adjusting brakes; a 6,000-mile lubed front suspension; and G78-14 bias-belted tires.

In addition to or in place of the basic features, the Skylark 350 had cloth-and-vinyl deluxe seats; carpeting; front and rear ash trays; and arm rests;

a deluxe steering wheel; front-door-operated interior lights; hide-away wipers; wheel opening mouldings; dual horns and special “350” plaques. In addition to or in place of those things, Skylark Customs had front and rear carpets, a door-operated interior light and a Delcotron generator.

The Skylark-based GS model featured factory dual exhausts; functional dual hood scoops; heavy-duty springs; heavy-duty shock absorbers; a stabilizer bar and a muscle car look. Appearance enhancements on the GS model included wide bright rocker mouldings; wheelhouse mouldings and GS monograms on the left side of the grille, each of the front fenders and on the rear deck. Black vinyl bench seats were standard.

When a GS model had a 455-cid V8 installed, suitable emblems were added. So Shawn’s dad added 455 badges after he stuffed in the 455 V8. Buick built 1,099 GS 455 hardtops with the 455 four-barrel V8, of which 84 had a four-speed manual gearbox and 1,015 had a Turbo-Hydra-Matic 400 automatic transmission. Shawn doesn’t claim his car to be one of those factorybuilt jobs, but it’s just as cool and probably faster.

Shawn’s dad pirated a 445-cid V8 from a 1976 Buick. It was then bored out .030 over to make its actual displacement 462.8 cu. in. After going through three or four THM350 trannies, Shawn decided he needed a THM400 and not just a stock one, but one that had been modified to take the extra oomph of the bigger motor.

Although it’s tweaked a bit, the car’s serial number, located on a plate attached to the top of the dash on the driver’s side and viewable through outside of windDriver’s saddle vinyl bucket seat has rare power lumbar support option.

Autometer gauge cluster hangs below the centre of the dash.

shield, is correct for a GS. It’s 4G37K2H106420. The first symbol indicates the manufacturer: 4=General Motors Buick Motor Division. The second symbol indicates series: G=Skylark GS. The third and fourth symbols indicate body style: 37=two-door hardtop or Sport Coupe. The fifth symbol indicates the original engine: K=350-cid four-barrel 190-hp V8 with dual exhausts. The sixth symbol indicates model year: 2=1972. The seventh symbol indicates the assembly plant: H=Flint, Mich. The last six digits are the sequential assembly number at the plant with series mixed in production starting with 100001. This was the 106,419th Buick of all types built in the Flint, Mich. assembly plant during the 1972 model year.

When it was new (and stock) Shawn’s Buick had a base retail price of $3,226 but a few extras pumped that up a bit. They included front bucket seats, a locking centre console, a rare power lumbar driver’s seat, a woodgrain steering wheel, a remote-control outside rearview mirror, power steering and power front disc/rear drum brakes.

The engine in the car today is a 455 with overhead valves and a cast-iron-alloy block and head. The actual bore and stroke is 4.3425 x 3.9 in. including the over-bore. The horsepower and torque numbers today are higher, but not specifically known. The engine features many upgrades including an aluminum intake manifold; Mickey Thompson exhaust headers; a complete 3-inch diameter dual exhaust system; 1973 Stage 3 cylinder heads; a four-core aluminum radiator with electric cooling fans; and more.

Among the aftermarket equipment added to the car during its restoration are the big honking hood scoop; the 1970 Buick GSX-style hood-mounted tachometer; under-dash heater and defroster con-

trols; Autometer Pro Comp under-dash gauges; a Kenwood Excelon AM-FM radio; chrome engine dress-up accessories; a set of Eagle Alloy wheels; the aforementioned Vintage Air air-conditioning system and plenty of other goodies.

Some neat touches on Shawn’s car are factory seat belts, its flawless Dark Yellow Green Metallic paint, the saddle-coloured bucket seats interior, and the noises it makes when he starts it. Shawn also added a line-lock to the brake master cylinder, just in case he might want to spin the tires. Almost every nut and bolt and fastener on the car is new.

Surprisingly, Shawn doesn’t take the car to shows. He says that he goes to events to check out the other cars and get ideas, but not to show the Buick. He’s more into driving the car to a Sunday morning breakfast with his wife. “I’m going to keep it forever,” he said, before adding, “Well, someday my daughter will probably get it.

Rocker mouldings have red highlights to match GS fender emblem and marker light.