Creating A Custom...Instantly

Barry Penfound, OH

Custom cars are made, not born and while some of them take decades to reach the streets, others can go from stock to modified in months or, with luck, weeks.

            This 1959 Impala went from survivor to mild custom in just eight weeks. This was a near-instant build time for a car that was designed to be driven and seen as quickly as possible, while honoring a custom tradition that began back in the 1950s.
 
            Called “Impala” for its instant creation this custom makes the most of the “quick fix” idea, but with one additional feature; it’s an original paint, 50,000-mile hardtop. The challenge was to build a pretty, functional and fun custom without ruining its survivor status. Fortunately, there were some 50-year-old hints available on how to make this happen from the builders and owners of old-school custom cars.

            The inspiration behind Impala was the extra challenge that the 50-year-old original paint would not be compromised. Once painting can be done, anything is possible, but leaving the basic body alone led to some unique custom solutions.             Since wheels and tires can be the most effective visual elements of a custom, or any other car, a one-of-a-kind answer was found. Previous Penfound Design cars have been a bit more radical, normally using 18 or 20-inch wheels, so bringing that feeling to the nearly-stock 1959 Impala meant having a styling bridge to the past. The choice was 18-inch Wheel Vintique solid billet wheels, but with painted centers and polished rims.
 
            Additionally, to echo that original equipment look, new old stock “dog dish” Chevrolet
center caps were adapted to the wheels by a specialty trim shop; The Wheelsmith. Tire choice was Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s, front 225/40/ZR18s, rear 245/45/ZR18s.
            

            The result is a beyond-stock look which leaves people asking, “Did you paint the original wheels? That car sure looks neat.” These comments came from folks who normally wouldn’t want any part of a car with wheels four inches larger than stock.
 
            The area most in need of freshening on a stock 1959 Impala is the busy front. A one-off round-stock stainless grille was created to be a reminder of the thicker tube grilles of customs in the ‘50s, but was designed to have an original equipment appearance that would accent the other subtle changes to the Impala.
 
            Once the “stock but more” feeling was established, other items sort of fell into place. A lower stance from two-inch shorter front and three-inch lower rear springs; one-piece “California” bumpers with filled bolts and body-matching paint; clear headlights and flat, red plastic taillight lenses (inspired by a ‘how-to’ feature in a 1960 custom magazine) and partially body-colored trim pieces all give the car a “clean and smooth” look without altering the car’s basic structure. A Custom Autosound CD audio system was also added, but with speakers under the seats and in the parcel shelf, a remote for audio controls and other components hidden inside a factory tissue box.
 
            Despite the number of changes, all the original equipment pieces were wrapped and saved, just in case the Impala might one day want to go back to its stock appearance.
 
            The result is a car that has visited a dozen regional and National shows since its completion in mid-2007 and has appeared in magazines and calendars winning over a lot of fans who might not have ever seen or enjoyed it as a stock survivor.  And of course this instant custom had an additional advantage over some of the more radically modified cars being built today; it went from idea to pavement in a bit over 60 days. No serious street driver could complain about that!
 
Build partners;
Classic Revivals / Dave Rieger / paint, grille, assembly
Complete Auto Service / Dave Zielinski / mechanical
PPG Industries, Inc. / paint and color match
Goodyear Tire / Eagle F1 GS-D3 performance radial tires
Wheel Vintiques / 18” solid billet wheels
The Wheelsmith / modified wheels for “poverty caps”
Flaming River Industries / steering components
Custom Auto Sound / audio components
Dean Sadowsky / pinstriping
Art Roose / N.O.S. hubcaps