1964 Chevrolet Impala LS3 Swap for sale in Solon, Ohio

While a 1964 Impala SS is a very nice car on its own, it becomes a very special cruiser when updated with modern technology. Mo Williams, our customer at R&H Motorcars, requested we make the car as effortless as possible to drive, regardless of weather or road conditions. We singled out its vintage 327ci engine, two-speed Powerglide transmission and drum brakes as potential trouble spots. We developed a plan with Mo to update the car considerably, while keeping its freshly rotisserie restored aesthetic intact. We did our homework. We spent nearly 60 hours ahead of the build researching others" vehicles, aftermarket swap parts availability, compatibility issues and going through our own build archives. This allowed us to stay on track for both parts budget and labor allowances. The suspension, which was outside the scope of our original plan, is covered later. For power, we replaced the original 327 with a brand new GM Performance Parts LS3 Corvette crate engine and 4L65E electronically controlled overdrive transmission. Mo didn"t want to go overboard with power, but wanted enough to get moving, and he wanted it to look cool. Many options were considered, but the old adage “you can"t beat the factory†won out: We ordered a brand new, assembly line LS3 crate engine from General Motors. This 430 horsepower monster is standard for the Corvette and optional on the Camaro SS. The LS series engine idles cleanly, accelerates very crisply and has millions of factory and real world test miles under its belt. The engine comes in a box, complete from intake manifold to oil and filter. The direct application is a new C6 Corvette, and comes equipped with appropriate exhaust manifolds, oil pan and mount system for that car. Due to interference, we replaced the oil pan with GM"s “muscle car pan†package which fit the engine crossmember. LS-series engines use a different mounting configuration than the original small blocks, so adapter mounts and brackets were sourced. These brackets required us to set the motor and transmission in place and measure. The motor was then removed so that holes for the brackets could be drilled. Once done, the engine was lowered into place for the final time. The transmission crossmember is also new, suited for the new unit. It was shimmed and bolted into place. This finished the basic installation of the major pieces. The car was a long way from running again, but it certainly looked better with the new engine in place! --Fabricator Pete reworked the crate engine"s exhaust manifolds after replacing the outlet studs with bolts, and by cutting and welding the existing exhaust pipes to fit. --We ran the new GMPP wiring harness and mounted the included electronic gas pedal and fuse/relay panel. Due to a different placement of the starter and grounds, new battery cables were made in-house. We then modified the car"s original engine wiring harness to include a much heavier duty alternator power wire, ignition and run circuits to the new power distribution box and more. There is a diagnostic port in the harness, which we mounted in your glove box by the radio. The computer itself is weather sealed and mounted on the firewall behind the driver side front fender. --New Nylon fuel lines (factory on every new GM car) were run from their fittings on the engine to the existing fuel lines. We flared the metal Impala fuel lines to mate with the new tubing. At the rear of the car, we dropped the fuel tank, removed the sending unit and fabricated a new pickup tube and attached an in-tank electric fuel pump. The outlet and return lines on the sending unit were flared to mate to new intermediate lines, and a new Corvette fuel filter/pressure regulator was installed just forward of the rear axle. There is a rubber hose connection between lines at the middle of the X frame which we flared and replaced with high pressure fuel line and clamps. We wired the pump with the new engine harness. --We ordered a new radiator with fabricated and welded top and bottom tanks, inlets and outlets to our specifications, dual electric fans and a transmission cooler. It was supposed to bolt straight into the car, but the holes and mounting brackets required enough attention to eat a full morning. The lower radiator hose was a lightly modified off-the-shelf part while the upper was manufactured from two pieces and an adapter to accommodate a coolant air bleed line from the motor. New transmission cooler lines were bent, flared and screwed into the new radiator. New heater hoses were run from the new engine to the existing climate control box with no issues, and vacuum ports were found on the motor to connect to the heater control console. --We purchased and installed a new GMPP front accessory drive. This kit comes with all brackets, a new alternator, new power steering pump, new belts and belt tensioners, a new power steering reservior and more. --The alternator control wires are integrated into the engine harness while we ran a larger output wire: The new alternator is roughly five times more powerful than the original generator! --The power steering return line was a plug-and-play deal but the pressure side needed a reducer fitting to numb the pump"s higher-than-stock effort. We used an aftermarket pressure line kit with braided hose and billet fittings. --While the factory obviously has provisions for mounting an A/C compressor, we used an aftermarket mount kit and compressor for two reasons. First, the new style compressor has a variable displacement and pressure, which the GMPP computer cannot control. Second, Corvettes have the compressor mounted very low on the passenger side, which unfortunately is where the frame is on an Impala. The new kit came with both brackets to mount the compressor high, and the compressor itself. We re-used the original Impala A/C hoses, modifying them with new fittings to mate to the new compressor. --To determine the amount of air entering the engine, the factory includes a Mass Air Flow Sensor and bung, meant to be installed into a custom intake pipe. We sourced a 4†diameter aircraft-spec aluminum pipe, welded in the bung, and attached it to the car with a silicone coupler. We used an appropriate K&N cone filter at the end. --The new transmission is longer than the original Powerglide we took out, meaning the driveshaft was too long. We sent the driveshaft to a rebuilder, who shortened and balanced it with new U-joints. We installed a new center carrier bearing which promptly failed during testing. We removed the driveshaft, bent the housing back into place, and welded in gussets. Apparently a 1964-era part didn"t appreciate us tripling the stock output of the engine! --The new transmission uses an electronic vehicle speed sensor to feed a digital speedometer information. Since your car has a cable-driven analog speedometer, we needed to find a way to make it work. We found a new tailshaft which kept the VSS for the transmission controller and had provisions for a cable-driven speedo. We had to take the housing off once after we started testing the car; the original drive gear we were sent was plastic, and rotated off of the shaft. We called the supplier and he sent another with a metal gear welded on. This fixed the problem. --The new transmission is completely computer controlled. We purchased the appropriate GMPP wiring and electronics kit and installed them. It"s really slick�the engine and transmission computers interface, allowing them to share information. This produces better quality shifts and a more integrated end result. We mounted the computer under the dash above the pedal cluster, and there"s a diagnostic/tuning cable port there. We needed GM to send us a second kit as the first one contained a faulty interface cable. We accessed the transmission through a laptop, setting gear ratio, tire size, shift points and more. --Your original shifter was meant to select between two forward speeds and not four. We sourced a shifter update kit which realigned the shift gates to hit all gears. The kit also included a new neutral safety switch and shift cable to actuate the transmission. --The engine shipped with a Corvette drive plate instead of a traditional flexplate. We used a new GMPP part to bolt up the torque converter. --As a final touch, we installed new OEM Corvette LS3 coil covers, modified to clear the firewall. With some premium fuel in the tank, the car fired to life. Tuning time was simple yet time consuming, as the engine learns as it runs and drives. On our first test drive, it was painfully obvious the brakes were undersized. --Mo wanted to keep a stock look rather than tack on huge wheels and tires. This narrowed our brake search, where we decided on a full set of Wilwood four-piston calipers all around. The fronts came with aluminum hubs and cast rotors, and bolted directly to the stock drum brake spindles. The rotors were attached to the hubs with bolts secured with safety wire. The rear brakes have integrated parking brakes. Pete adapted the original Impala parking brake cables to the new hubs with aftermarket Clevis pins. --All vintage GM cars have 7/16†diameter wheel studs. The Wilwood front hubs came with 1/2†studs, as everyone but GM used them. We didn"t want to run different lug nuts front and rear, so we sourced new rear wheel studs and upgraded the axle to 1/2†studs. We replaced the leaking axle seals while we had it apart. --New, DOT-approved braided hydraulic hoses went on at all four corners. We ran new metal brake lines to the front wheels and on the rear axle. --A new master cylinder from Wilwood was installed. This unit is sized appropriately for the new brakes, and has dual reservoirs for safety. The original system had only one feed line, so if something went wrong anywhere in the system, the brakes failed completely! --An adjustable rear proportioning valve went in place for fine tuning. --The new master cylinder required more pressure than the stock power booster could provide, so we installed a new, high-performance piece. For clearance, we also used an offset bracket. The bracket was mistakenly labeled for a 1964 Impala, when it stopped being a bolt-in part for 1963. We modified it for wiper motor clearance. We used a stock 2010 LS3 booster vacuum hose. --We received the car with its stock 14†wheels, which didn"t fit over the new brakes. Mo liked the original wire hubcaps, and we searched for suitable replacements. We decided on Tru-Spoke Roadster series wheels, size 15x6†all around. These wheels have been in production for decades, and were popular when this Impala was new. They"re real wire wheels, laced and trued. The tires are a small step larger than it came in with at 215/70R15. This meant the proportions and style remained consistent. BFGoodrich whiteline tires were chosen for their comfort and lifespan. While the car received a comprehensive frame-off restoration, it was apparent that the old bushings in the chassis were not changed. Coupled with a soft front sway bar and no rear bar, the ride was nothing short of scary. --We knew that this "64 Impala wouldn"t bother Ferraris on a twisty road, but we came in from our first test drives convinced the car was unsafe. We soon discovered why: While the frame and control arms were sandblasted and painted, most of the wear parts were neither refurbished nor replaced. The Pitman arm, idler arm, center link and tie rods were newer while the control arm bushings and ball joints were not. This caused the front and rear ends of the car to track poorly, and the car would start steering sideways under power! In the front, we removed the upper and lower control arms, removed the bushings, sandblasted, primed and painted them, and installed new bushings and ball joints. We did the same in the rear, while also rebushing the Panhard rod. We replaced nearly all of the bushings with high-performance polyurethane pieces, with the exception of the rearmost control arm bushings. In our experience, using poly bushings in all locations can cause the rear suspension to bind. --We aligned the car. The specs were very close to factory when we were done, but like most old cars are out just a little. --We replaced the front anti-sway bar with one roughly 200% stiffer than the original, and we installed a rear bar. These two pieces transformed the car. Sway bars by themselves do no harm to ride yet increase cornering confidence immensely. Sway bars use the car"s (considerable) girth to help it stay flat: When one side wants to dip in a turn, the bar keeps the car level by leveraging the weight from the other side. With a car of this size, and especially with its huge front and rear overhangs, managing weight is paramount to maintaining control. The new rear sway bar balances the car front to rear, making it drive “smaller.†Our only remaining complaint is a vague on-center steering wheel, which is simply the nature of the car"s recirculating ball steering system. The rear bar required drilling and fitting while the front attached to existing points. We needed to replace the supplied front drop links as they were too short and bent under full suspension extension. We ended up modifying the original links. We test drove the car extensively to ensure it ran as we intended. We didn"t want to send the car to the far west coast without making sure it would perform. We took the car out on rides of various length on multiple days to shake out problems. We found a few, such as the driveshaft carrier bearing issue. We sincerely hope you enjoy the car. We put a lot of effort and time into the car, and we want you to like it very much. We feel we"ve achieved your goals of a modern driving and running car with all of the original 1964 charm.

Year:  1980 or older
Transmission: Manual

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