If you’re searching for a 1963 Chevrolet Impala to restore, the example that we have here comes with both good news and bad news, though in some cases, some people could end up walking away when checking out what’s under the hood.
First and foremost, let’s start with the obvious and tell you the Impala doesn’t come in its best condition. And this isn’t necessarily a big surprise, as eBay seller etcollection says the car was originally purchased more than 10 years ago with the purpose of giving it a full restoration.
However, the owner never had the time to fully restore it, so the Impala is now going under the hammer once again, hoping that someone else would be willing to give it the full refresh it deserves.
It’s not too hard to figure out that restoring this Impala wouldn’t be easy, and its condition is challenging, to say the least.
But as I said earlier, what could make many people walk away is what’s happening under the hood. And this is because the original engine is no longer available, so what you’ll find in there is nothing but fresh air.
In theory, this could mean one of two things: you can either search for a correct engine and restore the car to factory specifications or just go for a restomod and pick whatever unit you want.
If you’re looking for an original engine, the 1963 Impala was offered with several V8 units, starting with the 283 (4.6-liter) Turbo-Fire developing 195 horsepower. The available options included the 327 (5.3-liter) small-block with either 250 or 300 horsepower and the 409 (6.7-liter) big-block with 340, 400, and 425 horsepower.
The auction is still in its early days, so the Impala has only received a second bid so far, with someone willing to pay $3,500 to take it home. The car is parked in New Jersey if you want to check it out in person.