[Today’s My CC is from Daniel] My Curbside Classic is a 1966 Chevrolet Impala four-door hardtop. Currently she only has a little under 41,000 original miles. My grandfather bought the car new. I even have the original build sheets for the car. Here’s its story:
This car was used sparingly (obviously) between 1966 and 1988. My grandfather had another car that he used exclusively for work and which my grandmother never drove. After he suffered a stroke in 1988, it was put into the garage and sat there until 2006.
I turned 16 that year and convinced my father to drag it out for me to work on. This is the car that made me love cars, and from it I learned everything I know about cars today. It needed little work to get on the road again and, aside from a factory-correct repaint, tires and some interior upholstery, is original.
Yes, the AM radio still works, but the output’s a bit scratchy. The car’s one option is power steering; otherwise, she rocks an all-original 283, Powerglide and drum brakes all around. I drive it every chance I get!
Got an interesting CC you want to share? Send some pictures and its story to curbsideclassic(at)gmail.com
Very nice survivor, and very much to my tastes – solid, basic transportation.
Thanks for sharing!
Kudos for not putting white walls on it. And I’d wager that not many Impala four-door hardtops were delivered without the (optional) full wheel covers. Your grandpa obviously custom-ordered it to make sure it didn’t.
Thank you! Whitewalls just don’t really go with the dog dishes. He was a pretty old cheap Italian guy, so I’m not surprised he didn’t go with the regular covers lol
dog dishes and blackwalls go hand in hand.
I’ve been tossing around the idea of losing the full wheelcovers and putting dishes and blackwalls on mine at some point.
Paint your wheels body color if you go that route though.
Our ’65 Impala wagon came with dog-dish hubcaps, which I thought odd at the time. Dad bought it off the lot, not special order. It did come with whitewalls, but once those wore out it got blackwalls. It was even the same light blue color. I took my driving test in that car, 327 4bbl and Powerglide.
Wagons, more likely. Some four door sedans too. The cars that dealers bought (or were sent by the factory) were equipped to meet he expectations of the respective buyers.
The four door hardtop was the most expensive (non wagon) Impala, and I can’t ever remember seeing one with dog dishes; certainly not on the dealer lot. Doesn’t mean it couldn’t have happened, though. Just not very likely, at the least.
I just seemed to me that full wheel covers should have been standard with Impala trim. Wouldnt the convertible be the most expensive non-wagon body style?
Of course it was. And I checked the brochure, the full wheel covers were optional.
Wow, that’s a beauty. It’s nice to see a stock original driver like this that’s not an SS or big block, much as I love ’em.
My very first car ever was a ’65 Impala 4 door hardtop, I always liked the roof line on these. Thanks for sharing it.
Very nice car and even in NZ these were popular when new and locally assembled Impalas are still around in good numbers Im sure we only got the 283 in local cars but of course Chevs have been a popular used import for decades now and all models are about now
I love it when a fairly common car like this is saved and loved. The “special” cars get collected; the workaday sedans get crushed. Yay for this workaday sedan!
Well said! This car is absolutely stunning. I love it.
Wow…viewing that interior, and especially the steering wheel replete with an Impala in the center, returned me to my youth and walks to elementary school while peering into parked cars.
Nice!
Love the overhead shot, probably the best angle to view one of these, better to show off its sexy hips.
We had a neighbor lady across the street who drove one of these in the 60s. Hers was navy blue with silver-blue interior. The 66 may be my favorite 1960s Chevy. I know that it lacks the 6 separate taillights, but I can live with it. I will echo a comment above, that my favorite kind of car is a purely ordinary one that has been carefully preserved, just like yours.
I remember looking at one of these before I bought a 66 Plymouth Fury back in the late 80s. Unfortunately, while it was nice, it was not in the same league, condition-wise, so I bought the Plymouth. I wish mine had been a 4 door hardtop like this instead of a sedan.
I will disagree with Paul (like this never happens?) on the whitewalls. I always liked the look of whitewalls with dogdishes. At one point when I was a very little kid, we had two station wagons – a 61 Olds F-85 and a 63 Chevy Bel-Air, and both were whitewall/dogdish cars. Maybe the experience warped me.
When I pulled the car out of the garage (and I do mean pulled, both front drums were locked tight), it sported the (bias-ply!) very thin whitewalls. I liked the look but for some reason the blackwalls seemed a better fit.
FWIW, whitewalls are ok with dog dishes on some cars….just depends. Just don’t ask me exactly what it depends on 🙂
I’ve always liked the lines and proportions of GMs four-door hardtops. A triple-taillight purist, I much prefer the ’65 Impala, but it’s nice to see one of these beauties lovingly preserved and enjoyed.
This is a good example of why I love GM cars from the Bill Mitchell era. Even a mid-tier model from the first rung of Sloan’s Ladder of Success has its own distinctive style. Compare this to a 2012 Impala (or Camry or Accord or any other blandmobile). Which would you rather been seen arriving in?
Thanks for sharing this, Daniel. Beautiful car.
A 2012 Impala LTZ, of course!
My father had a ’65 Sport Coupe, and to this day maintains that he liked the ’66 better. Go figure.
Still, the full-size Chevy was consistently one of the best-looking cars available throughout the ’60s. ’70 is the first one that I think was really a dud, and the ’71-’76 were just too big and cheap.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for not loading your car up with full wheel covers and whitewalls. Blackwall tires look sharp with this color and the Sport Sedan styling. This beauty really takes me back to my high school and college years, when just about every American family and their kid drove an full size Chevrolet of some vintage.
Oh man oh man!
Does THAT car bring back fantastic memories!
Except for the 327 emblems, it’s a dead-ringer for dad’s!
His was fire-engine red and had the same hubcaps. Same interior – cloth-and-vinyl – in black. Power steering, AM radio, 250 powerglide. Period.
My buddy up the street came down with a set of stainless steel fake “mag” wheel covers he got from his dad’s company and they fit right on. Those things were heavy – not cheapies, even the spokkes were dulled and stipple-finished. So, my dad had a great set of wheels – never mind that the red steelies showed through the spokes! We thought that was cool, though, and weren’t about to paint dad’s wheels black. Dad commuted in style, he and mom ran around town in style and I cruised in style – even after I bought my own car!
A wonderful car. He bought it in February, 1968 and he let me drive it home with mom in front.
My buddy and I did so much cruising in that car in and around Jenning, MO (an inner suburb of STL), and the radio sounded great, too.
Every Sunday morning during the warm months, I would wash and wax the car for him, plus volunteer to run any and all errands for my parents, too – no matter what time of day!
Daniel, you have an extraordinary vehicle and I’m very jealous! I sure hope you enjoy it – and – if you do sell it, please let me know!
I’m going to be day-dreaming about this the rest of the day, especially when I take the dog for a walk tonight!
The floodgates of memories have broken open.
Dreaming…dreaming…dreaming…
Thank you! I’m glad I could make that happen.
Zackman, my uncle had a 66 Impala in that same bright red with black cloth and vinyl interior. He factory ordered the car – an Impala four-door sedan with one option, a radio. That’s right, it had the six with three-on-the-three, manual steering and brakes, blackwalls and dog dish caps. It was exactly what he wanted and was equipped the same as his previous 60 Biscayne and 63 Bel Air, also bought new (the Bel Air was also factory ordered). His son-in-law ordered a 66 Impala sports coupe the same day but he got the 283 with three-on-the-tree, and white walls and wheel covers – it was burgundy with the black cloth/vinyl interior.
My uncle kept that car for over 10 years until he traded it in for a new Monte Carlo – his first car with PS, PB, auto, A/C, etc. In terms of quality and reliability, it was a better car than the subsequent Monte Carlo. In fact, many family members and friends had 64-66 Impalas and they were all good quality cars, each with great stories behind them.
I don’t want to hijack the thread, but dad’s 1960 Impala and his 1966 were outstanding cars. I learned to drive in the ’60 – a sports sedan w/283 powerglide and tube AM radio. What a ride!
I got dad’s ’66 up to 103 mph one fine morning in 1969 after taking him to work one day because my heap was down for repairs! That car ran really well and the 250 had no problem moving that car.
Unfortunately, after I left for the air force in September 1969, dad’s ’66 deteriorated rapidly – he wasn’t much of a car guy and let the thing run out of oil, hence he needed a junkyard engine. He just drove it into the ground.
When I came home in August 1973, the car was in sad shape – all rusted-out, upholstery worn and the car just looked tired.
I used the car for a trade-in on a beautiful 1972 Nova and got a whopping $250 for it!
When I see a car that I relate to, either by personal experience or had an influence on me, the nostalgia pours out!
Wow, what a beauty! It doesn’t even appear to have the interior hacked up for speakers and an aftermarket sound system; no Rally wheels and custom exhaust.
I had a friend in high school whose parents had a car just like this, except for full wheelcovers and whitewalls. I saw it around town for at least 20 years after high school. But the last time I saw it was on the side of the freeway, stalled, an utter jacked up, wrinkled, mostly primered mess with some kid waiting for help.
How nice to see this one survive. No Impala from Hell project for this!
Very very nice car. More impressive to me than a fully restored Impala convertible.
This is the type of car most people walk by at a cruise night, but the exact car I’ll stop and admire. These are the ones that keep the hobby alive fore the real enthusiast, not the guy who buys his “investment” to show off and have jiffy lube change the oil once a decade.
I always love to see more of the ‘family’ style cars. You see so few because they were used as intended and used up, or as this one is, a cherished member of the family.
The two door cars are so common at car shows that you forget they made 4 door and wagons as well.
Woweeee!
When I was a kid, our neighbor had the two-door hardtop version of this car, down to the blackwall tires, dog dish hubcaps and light blue color.
It’s great to see a nicely preserved four-door hardtop. It’s a refreshing change from the convertibles or hardtops festooned with spot lights, fender skirts and every other accessory that most buyers DIDN’T order at that time.
Thank you & I agree 100%.
When I have the time to make it to the local shows (I’m from Bergen County, NJ) this car really stands out among the ’57 Bel Airs & ’65 Mustangs.
That is very nice.
I like this year Impala, even the taillights…nice car! Just don’t let Murilee Martin see it.
+1!
Loved Murilee’s blog on his ’65. His contributions @ TTAC & his time at Jalopnik are/were great.
That is wonderful…probably the best thing I’ve seen all day. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Wow….this brings back memories. My parents drove Chevrolets before I was born until 1966; almost always four door sedans with the six cylinder engine and powerglide, white wall tires and dog dish wheel covers and not much else. Their last Chevrolet was a 1965 four door Impala, six, powerglide, radio, deluxe wheel covers and nothing else. Initially I thought it was a great car, but in 1965 Chevrolet had some serious quality control problems. A lot of the exterior panels didn’t fit properly and it developed all sorts of squeaks and rattles. My parents drove it for about a year and then traded it in on a 1966 Pontiac Catalina–they never drove another Chevrolet.
Thanks for sharing your car here — it’s gorgeous. The ’65-’68 4-door hardtop Impalas have an nice airiness to them: no b-pillars or front seat headrests to break up the beautiful lines. Your fine example brings back some of my earliest memories…..
When I was three, our next door neighbors had a friend named Emilio who had a green 1970 Impala. I used to step through the hedge, watch and pester him while he tinkered under its hood. It was his regular old DD but I thought it was an awesome thing — “that cool guy with his cool car”. I was always fascinated with it’s triple-taillight arrangement. It fell on him one day while he was under it. Thankfully he survived & I wasn’t around when it happened.
When I was five years old, my dad had an average white 283/powerglide 4-door hardtop Impala and on three separate occasions he put me on his lap and let me steer it around the block while he worked the pedals. Those were probably the most exciting & favorite memories I had as young boy. I so loved that car! All I ever thought about after my first drive was “one day, I’ll get an Impala just like Dad’s ’65”.
Around that same time he had two different ’67 Chevy “beater” work cars — both were a blue very similar to the featured car and both 6-cylinders — one a Bel Air; one a Biscayne. I never got to “drive” those but loved to ride in them as well as just admire their lines.
The ’65 through ’70 Impalas have always been special to me — seeing original non-SS examples take me back to the early seventies when I was a little kid & bring back the good memories.
As crazy as it sounds, I’d prefer having an example exactly like yours over a loaded out Super Sport. No SS car appeals to me more than an Impala but a clean original 4-door blue or green Biscayne would be euphoric (it’s got to have the optional clock though).
if your clock doesn’t work it likely may just need to be removed and oiled. It’s a little tricky to remove from the ’66 dash but it can be carefully slid out the back without removing the huge instrument cluster. The clock became optional on the Impala in 1968…those cheapskates.
Thanks again.
Thank you!
Yes, the clock is there. It does not work regularly, only if you spin the needle a few times, and at most, it only works for 20 minutes. I will take your advice & try that.
Also beware of the large, flexible printed circuit board that covers the backside of the instrument panel. When I saw that, I thought it was amazing technology at the time. Very few wires.
The fact that it intermittently works is a great thing — this means the coil is not burned up. When the car battery goes completely dead it will many times take out the clock. These old mechanical clocks are rewound once every couple of minutes or so. There’s a set of contact points that slowly approach each other as the clock ticks & unwinds itself. When the contact points touch, it completes the circuit and energized a small coil (solenoid actually) which winds the clock up again — it’s the “click” you would hear every couple minutes or so. When the car battery’s just about gone, it’s too weak to operate the little solenoid inside and the contact points stay closed & the constant current heats the windings up until they literally fry.
I went to a clock shop & told them I wanted to oil an old car clock & they gave me a syringe with the correct oil — they didn’t even know me but they gave it to me free. It’s enough to oil probably a hundred clocks 🙂 WD40 works but I was told that was not a good idea.
You’ll need a 1/4″ and 11/32″ nutdriver/socket & like Zachman says be mindful of the PC. It’s very flexible & you can gently peel it away from where the clock slides out. I may have one of these clusters out in the shop — if so, I’ll post a pic of the backside to give you an idea.
I got the clock in my ’64 Impala reconditioned by The Clock Works, http://www.clockwks.com/The_Clock_Worx.html for $50 with shipping. It tends to run a little fast, but it ticks just like original. Or you can go for a modern quartz movement.
I managed to remove and reinstall my clock without screwing anything up, an accomplishment considering I’m as good a mechanic as Elmer Fudd is a hunter. Have to remove the modern stereo I have hidden inside the dealer accessory tissue dispenser, the original AM radio, ash tray and central A/C vent.
You lose the tick-tick-tick-tick with the quartz movement although they keep better time. I like keeping it mechanical so I can hear it. Hopefully your clock will eventually slow down — it’s designed to self-adjust.
You’d think that steelies and dog-dishes would be on a strippo sedan, and not a hardtop. I’m not partial to the ’66 front end, either, but it’s still a nice survivor.
I’m also in agreement that these are the cars I most like to see at car shows. You can only see so many restored, pristine Camaros, Mustangs, and Chevelles and just don’t come across many of the run-of-the-mill cars that Detroit churned out in the hundreds of thousands, much less in original, unmolested shape.
Oh-My Grandpa’s car, too! Well, close-his was a green four-door post Bel Air, 283 and Powerglide, I think power steering and the dog dish hubcaps-have to picture it in his little garage to be sure. Yup, I can see the green steelies. After school, I would ride with him around to the little towns he delivered the afternoon papers to, keeping him company cause (I learned only later) he didn’t watch his diabetes too close and he might get a little drowsy. If it was a good day, we would stop in his brother Eddie’s tavern and I got a Pepsi if I promised not to tell anyone that he had a beer. It wasn’t fast, it wasn’t a style setter, but it was a solid car and, most important, it was Grandpa’s. Thank you for taking care of your Grandpa’s car and sharing it with us. I can hear him laugh…
Okay, add my voice to the chorus: That’s a beautiful car and a wonderful story. If I could custom-order a ’66 Impala, it would pretty much look like this car. The 4-door hardtop version of the 65-66 full-size Chevrolet is so nicely proportioned, and the light-blue paint suits it perfectly.
As much as I would like to add something profound to this thread, I feel like all the compliments that could be said have been shared!
I too, love an old car that hasn’t been molested. My compliments to you, great car!
Bravo for bringing this beast back to it’s former glory.
As much as I love the “hot” versions of 60s and 70s cars I’m tired of people that think everyone had one. This is the “boring” people mover that was purchased by Joe Everyman to go to work and haul the kids.
That is an awesome car.
Very nice car! As many of these as there were around at the time, for the life of me I can’t think of any family members or friends who had one. Odd….
Ah… a fellow jerseyan! That area looks familar….. Bergen County?
BTW: love the car… Impalas that same color were a dime a dozen in the early 70s. i miss them. Good luck with the car.
My older brother had one of these, a BelAir, in white, with a blue interior. Looking back, the materials in the car were really good and it was like a dozen years old at this point. It had the classic 283 and Powerglide combo as were like 90% of all these cars were in Canada. I drove it a lot as a teenager (in Booniesville BC, licences were optional) and never seemed underpowered but the brakes, in this case manual, were not the best in the world. Overall, it handled well and was as big as a house, very handy when ten teens needed rides home.
My bother, like a fool, went on to buy a 3/4 ton GMC truck, brand new, with huge payment attached. He tried to get me to buy the Chevy but I had my Corolla, which I correctly saw as being a better all around ride and cheaper to boot, so I gave it a pass. Looking back I was wrong to have not taken the BelAir. It was a sound old car with loads of room in it, that had plenty of miles left in it.
One of my favorite cars from the ’60’s or any era, and I’m glad to see it kept as original.
While I was in high school my father bought a new 1962 Impala SS 327 PG, cool!
Unfortunately in 1965 it was rear ended while parked and totaled. It was replaced with a 4 door (ugh!!) Caprice with a 327 and single exhaust (ugh!!). I was so disappointed. Now I would love to have it:
“The Caprice Custom Sedan option oackage (RPO Z18) was very well received during the sole year it was offered despite adding $200 to the $2742 price tag of an Impala 4-door hardtop. Essentially a luxury package for the Impala, the Caprice included a heavier stiffer frame, suspension changes, black accented front grille and rear trim panel with Caprice nameplate, slender body sill moldings, Fleur-de-lis roof quarter emblems, color-keyed bodyside stripes and Caprice hood and dash emblems. Wheel covers were the same as that year’s Super Sport, but the “SS” emblem in the center of the spinner was replaced by a Chevy bowtie. The Super Sport’s blackout rear trim panel was also used, sans the “Impala SS” nameplate. The interior featured a higher-grade cloth and vinyl seat and door trim (as well as thicker, higher-grade carpeting), walnut trim on the dashboard and door panels, pull straps on the doors and extra convenience lights. A full vinyl roof was optional. A 283 cubic inch, 195 horsepower V8 was standard equipment; no six cylinder engine was available for cars equipped with the Caprice package.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Caprice
Beautiful car and a great story. I hope you are able to keep the car in the family and enjoy it for many years to come.
Cool Impala, one of my uncles once had a 1966 but a Biscayne however. ^^;
You might enjoy this vintage ad of the 1966 Chevrolet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7Jsh_I8U78
Also, I spotted a interesting detail on this forum who mentionned then the 1967 RHD Impala exported to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa continued to use the 1965-66 dash http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/247007/
Daniel, what a beautiful, well kept, well loved Impala!
I’ve come to the realization that I am spoiled. I can’t imagine driving a car without power windows, locks, seats, AC….this car is quite handsome – it actually looks like my late Uncle Pompey’s car. But it’s so…spare.
I would like to add my thanks to Daniel for his story, and actually to all of the others who have chimed in with stories of their own.
THESE STORIES are what makes this a great site.
I like the cars anyway, but when I hear the stories about Grandpa’s, or Auntie Annie’s or your older brother’s cars and trucks & etc., that really is what I like to hear.
I have a story of my own to contribute.A buddy of mine in HS had a 65 or 66 Bel Air with 250 ci six and Powerglide. It was well used by 1979 but not real rusty, which was something notable back home in steel country. It looked a lot like this car, down to the dog dish hubcaps, but a light green rather than this blue.
We had his Bel Air in the HS auto shop garage diagnosing a fuel leak, when he realized that the hard line from the tank to the fuel pump had rusted through. Both lifts were tied up with other cars/projects and Scott needed to get the car running that day.
So, he got one of those massive hydraulic bumper jacks and proceeded to lift the driver’s side of the Bel Air high enough to R&R the fuel line. Scott wasn’t real tall but the Bel Air wasn’t up high enough for his liking, so, he pumped the cylinder a couple of times and voila! Bel Air on it’s passenger door handles…
Of course then it was VERY EASY to access the fuel line, but getting the car back on all four wheels was a bit problematic. We finally got three other guys and the shop teacher to help us roll the car back on all fours; firing it up revealed that the oil in the engine had traveled around a bit and took a few minutes to quit smoking.
That old car just kept on running and running. Not fast but could take a boatload of us on beer runs and cruising McDonalds and rather inexpensively, too, as we were experiencing the second fuel embargo that year. A great old car that got used up and recycled when it was no longer economical to do so. Ah well…
My favorite color. My folks had a ’66 Buick LeSabre 400 in that color. My dad wasn’t into performance, but opted for the 400 (4 bbl carb, dual exhausts) because he couldn’t stand the thought of the 2 speed automatic.
– Chris
My dad had one just like this one..same color also. Brings back a lot of memories.
Great stuff! My Dad had a gold colored one. He had a good job at the time so he got the “Fancy” wheel covers, 283 w/ automatic! LOL He had that a very long time it seemed. Finally had to sell it after some woman hit him and bent the left front frame some. “For Sale” sign wasn’t on it an hour when one of my friends’ older brothers bought it for dirt-track racing, maybe ’79 or so. I’m trying to make a model of one. Looks like there were never any 4 dr. plastic models made of it.
Soooo beautiful! Honey this was Exactly my 1st car at 16. Cherished my “creampuff” 1978 thru 79. A woman turned in front of me & stopped by the Miami Airport … front was gone. I got another (same in dark green). If those cars could talk… Thanks 4 posting best pics I found. K. I still drive a Chevy ..
Just a great time machine…..gorgeous!!