Roadside Discovery: Unveiling the Classic Charm of the 1964 Chevrolet Impala, Awaiting Restoration after 59 Years

While cars pulled from storage or discovered in the middle of nowhere after decades of sitting are always good news, not all of them can be saved and restored, as the time and money you have to spend on bringing it back on the road sometimes just don’t pay off.

The 1964 Impala that we have here, for example, is a classic that certainly deserves a chance but whose restoration won’t be easy, especially given the huge holes in the floors (and possibly elsewhere too) would require serious patching.

This Impala looks like it’s been sitting for a while, and while we’re not being told how original and complete it still is, there’s something else we know for sure: there’s no engine under the hood, so if you do buy the car, it can very well be turned into a restomod.

Back in 1964 when it rolled off the assembly lines of the Los Angeles plant, the vehicle came with a 283 (4.6-liter) V8 under the hood, according to eBay seller calichevy69, and the VIN code confirms this tidbit.

The 283 Turbo-Fire was the base V8 for MY 1964, while the more powerful options included the 327 (5.4-liter) with either 250 or 300 horsepower and the 409 (6.7-liter) with 340, 400, and 425 horsepower versions.

So is this Impala actually worth restoring? This is hard to say, but the owner claims the rockers look solid, though, on the other hand, the front floor pan and the lower trunk pan would have to be replaced entirely.

The bad news is the asking price is a little bit too optimistic, so it’ll be interesting to see if someone is willing to offer that much for a ’64 Impala in such a challenging condition and without the original engine under the hood. The bidding has reached $6,500, but for now, the reserve is yet to be met.