If someone told me there was a body and frame of a 1964 Impala being sold for $1,000, I’d drop everything—including finishing this story—and scoop it up with speed. Aside from winning the lottery, that’s the stuff that dreams are made of, and I’m still waiting for one of those magical offers, but I’m pretty confident it’ll never happen. But Davy Bernabe of Azusa, California, was blessed to have scored that exact deal.
As expected, he paid the thousand, transported the Impala back home, and it sat in his driveway for four years while he showcased his 1983 Cadillac. As most of the stories go, he ended up meeting a local painter who agreed to paint his car, and the painter promised a spectacular job, so Davy sold a 1948 Chevy to sink the proceeds into the paint—and that’s exactly what happened. The car came back freshly painted, and in the months to follow, Davy soon realized that his hard-earned money would sink into the cracks and crevices of the paintjob that began to peel. Unhappy, unmotivated, and disappointed with the paint, the Impala was set aside to sit for yet another two years while he contemplated his next move. It’s a story that many of us have heard—and plenty have experienced—and that incident alone wasn’t enough to permanently curb his enthusiasm to finish off the car.
During his second attempt, the car was dropped off to Area 51, which came highly recommended by his friend Robert Reyes and this is what got the ball rolling once again. The Impala came back with stellar results, and it was doused in sheer perfection in a hue of Bermuda Blue. Happy with the results, the car was then sent directly over to Mike D from Majestics for patterns and a flake top, and once complete, he doubled up on the custom accents by sending it over to Edgar from Maxima Image for some custom mural work.
In total, the car is a looker that sports a classic look with a twist. The patterns, the pinstriping, and the flake magically disappear into the Bermuda Blue paint, but once just a shimmer of light hits the top, they all come back into play in a major way.
Inside, the interior flaunts a primarily stock upholstery scheme, but the use of Gucci fabric on the inserts adds a panty-dropping touch that’s sure to please. Auditory pleasure is brought to the occupants by way of a Pioneer/Fosgate system, and the shake, rattle and boom is provided by a pair of Fosgate F1 woofers, which are housed in a fiberglass enclosure and accented by the soul of his hydraulic system components that feeds the Adex (front) and Baby Adel’s (back) dumps. The entire hydro system is controlled by a four-switch system, which provides the front, back, and side-to-side action.
Classic, clean, and built to drive, this Impala definitely holds its own. It’s also proof that the pain, the patience, and the money put into building a classic car are all part of the process that keeps lowriding alive. Besides, there is no good without bad, and all the headaches makes us that much more appreciative of the final result and quality builds like this one here.
1964 Chevrolet Impala
Vehicle Nickname
Insatiable
Owner
Davy Bernabe
City/State
Azusa, CA
Club
Thee Artistics
Engine
350 engine with Edelbrock carb
Body/Paint
Dre at Area 51 Kustoms Inc. in Bellflower, CA, used Bermuda blue to paint the car. Mike D of West Coast Auto Body & Paint patterned the top while Edgar at Maxima Imagen added the murals.
Suspension
Davy and Oso Rivera installed the candy painted whammy pump with an Adex dump to the front, Baby Adel to the back, 8-inch cylinders in the front, 10-inch in the back and four batteries.
Interior
Covina Auto Upholstery brought the interior back to its stock state but with Gucci inserts.
Sound
ASAV in Azusa, CA, installed the Pioneer deck/mid-speakers and Rockford Fosgate amps and subwoofers.
Wheels/Tires
13×7 Zenith with 5.20s Premium Sportways
The post The Long Journey of a ’64 Chevy Impala appeared first on Lowrider.