1965 and 1967 Impala Rebuilds

Technical Forums

D.I.Y Projects

build

Tags: #<Tag:0x00000008e73af8>

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-27 11:02:45 +0500 #321

Bob...which one are YOU financing?

I mean...you DON'T think you're going to drive one, without paying for one...do you?

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-30 13:57:00 +0500 #322

That was a LONG repair period for the '65!

It literally took forever...for a vehicle which I thought, was almost perfect when I picked it up.

As of today, the '65 has had its COMPLETE front and rear suspension reworked, in addition to the miscellaneous mechanical and electrical functions being put right.

My telephone call to the ever-trustworthy Irfan a few minutes ago, revealed that the vehicle is as stable as a rock from standstill, to upwards of 150 km/h (this is a conservative figure, since they were timing it with another car, which had a top speed of 150). However, once the car comes to Kharian (tomorrow, Insha Allah) I'll time it over a measured distance, and also use a GPS to get the top speed. I'm also told that the brakes are perfect, and stop the vehicle QUICKLY. The acceleration from rest, is phenomenal. Irfan (who is understandably, VERY attached to my FZJ) reports "pehle tau mein nahin maanta tha, magar iss gaadi ko hamara Clozer (his pronunciation of Cruiser) kabhi nahin pakar sakta". All the minor rattles and clunks and scraping noises have been adequately taken care of. Shocks have been replaced with new ones. Disc brake pads are all new.

I can't wait for this vehicle to reach me. Expect pictures and videos of its performance, very soon, Insha Allah.

farazarif (farazarif) 2012-05-31 04:33:18 +0500 #323

please lets talk more about the chrome wrap
I always wanted an over the top attention grabbing, attention abducting, extravagant, excessive, overblown, showy, flashy, overemphasized chrome wrapped daily driver!!!

mostwanted_001 (mostwanted_001) 2012-05-31 04:53:29 +0500 #324

The Chrome wrapped which i have seen reflects the sun lights in the eyes of on coming driver. Not very safe during the day time alteast. The last thing you would want is some one crashing into your chromed ride because the light sparkled in his eyes, which triggered his migrain and he ended up as a sticker on your car.

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-31 06:19:28 +0500 #325

LOL

As a matter of fact, the chrome-wrap rides represent exactly that. My point, in showing those chrome-wrapped beauties was primarily to highlight what exciting alternatives exist out there, and how it's a serious form of "expression" in even very high-end cars. Seriously, I wouldn't know whether I'd actually be brave enough to go ahead and wrap the '65 in chrome that way. At the same time, though, I DO suspect on vehicles LIKE the Impala...it'd look absolutely mind-boggling.

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-31 07:22:00 +0500 #326

Absolutely right. Safety IS an important angle, undoubtedly.

qwertypoiu (qwertypoiu) 2012-05-31 07:25:43 +0500 #327

its some ajeeb type of safety phobia here. If chrome wrap was such a dangerous thing i would have been banned in Dubai

farazarif (farazarif) 2012-05-31 07:44:13 +0500 #328

The Impala rear bumper is chrome,
that doesn't represent a safety hazard, from the rear the only thing visible is 7 inches of the rear boot and the bumper,I dont think the safety would be over compromised from the chrome, if anything people will turn down their damn full beams, besides the chrome wrap does not have to be an insanely shiny chrome, 3M does a lovely brushed steel effect similar to the option available on the RR Phantom's aluminium bonnet. You could also go for a brushed titanium for a brighter look.
And it is not ridiculously expensive, take a look at

Mirror Chrome [GOLD] Wrap Vinyl 3M x 1.35 meter [BUBBLE FREE] | eBay

That's 116 pounds for 3Mx1.35M and u wouldn't need more than 3 rolls MAX with plenty left over as "spares". That's under 50k PKR for the lot. Almost as much as a cheapy paint job, a good paint job with bodywork would easily be in the region of 80-100k all in.

The more I ramble about this the more I want it! Let me know if you're ordering, I may just jump on board and we should get better economies of scale.

You only live once

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-31 08:33:47 +0500 #329

farazarif;3388088:

The Impala rear bumper is chrome,
that doesn't represent a safety hazard, from the rear the only thing visible is 7 inches of the rear boot and the bumper,I dont think the safety would be over compromised from the chrome, if anything people will turn down their damn full beams, besides the chrome wrap does not have to be an insanely shiny chrome, 3M does a lovely brushed steel effect similar to the option available on the RR Phantom's aluminium bonnet. You could also go for a brushed titanium for a brighter look.
And it is not ridiculously expensive, take a look at

Mirror Chrome [GOLD] Wrap Vinyl 3M x 1.35 meter [BUBBLE FREE] | eBay

That's 116 pounds for 3Mx1.35M and u wouldn't need more than 3 rolls MAX with plenty left over as "spares". That's under 50k PKR for the lot. Almost as much as a cheapy paint job, a good paint job with bodywork would easily be in the region of 80-100k all in.

The more I ramble about this the more I want it! Let me know if you're ordering, I may just jump on board and we should get better economies of scale.

You only live once

Good find, Faraz.

However, I read on the web, somewhere (I don't recall where) that a large car takes up about 300 square feet of wrap. This sheet (3M x 1.35M) comes to exactly 43.59 square feet. This implies it would take 7 rolls (with about a quarter roll for spares) to make up the 300 figure. At GBP 116 per roll, that would come to GBP 812. At today's exchange rate, this amounts to PKR 117K. Of course, this excludes freight and application charges. Overall, a job like this should put you back by about PKR 130K.

Which is a LOT of money.

Added to this, one must also consider that for the wrap to be entirely effective / aesthetically perfect...you must have a spotless, completely smooth body surface. In effect, a well-prepared surface.

Just adding some "Devil's Advocate" input to my original idea of a chrome / coloured wrap.

qwertypoiu (qwertypoiu) 2012-05-31 09:05:23 +0500 #330

get a quote from WRAPACAR@Rockville Group Pakistan 0300 8551560 located in e11

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-31 09:46:03 +0500 #331

Thanks, qwertypoiu. Will certainly give it a try!

Filhaal: No reply from the number.

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-31 13:06:58 +0500 #332

I had the opportunity to speak to Saad at the Wrapacar / Rockville Group.

They have a very diverse and wide range of wrapping solutions for cars, and chrome is one of them!

However, I was warned by him, that the cost of getting a car chrome-wrapped from their establishment would be VERY costly indeed. Chrome wrap, would be applied only AFTER an under-wrap (which costs PKR 150K). A finished chrome wrap for the '65 Impala (which is 350 square feet, somewhat like I had estimated)...would be PKR 600K. WHOA.

In addition, the chrome wrap would be very susceptible to the dust that is so plentiful in our country.

Prices he quoted (all 3M products) are as under:-

Coloured Wrap: PKR 150K
Carbon Fibre Wrap: PKR 220K
Graphic Printing Coloured Wrap: PKR 250K
Chrome Wrap: PKR 600K

A link to their Facebook page is...

WRAPACAR@Rockville Group Pakistan - Automotive - Islamabad, Pakistan | Facebook

Porsche_Maker (Porsche_Maker) 2012-05-31 13:42:31 +0500 #333

I think Mate Finish Grey or Black can be the most adorable color

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-31 14:16:00 +0500 #334

@Porsche_Maker: I can certainly picture the Impala in those colours. However, there are a lot of matte black/grey cars out there, so I think I'd actually pass on those.

Allah ne zindagi dee...tau whenever I'm going to rebuild the '65 Impala...I'm going to do it in a candy/pearlescent orange...with a carbon fibre black hood, a black vinyl roof, a carbon fibre black trunk...orange and black interior...and lots and lots of pin-striping.

We DIRELY need a few strange-looking lowriders on our roads...even if they AREN'T really lowriders, in the classic sense!

murtaza_murti (murtaza_murti) 2012-05-31 14:32:21 +0500 #335

600,000 is insane for a chrome wrap!

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-31 14:36:01 +0500 #336

I quite agree, Murtaza. However, when the procedure (chrome-wrapping) is as rare as it is in our country...the people offering such services enjoy quite a monopoly.

I'm doing some asking around, to import the material (3M product), myself. Let's see how much they'd charge for fitting / installing it.

qwertypoiu (qwertypoiu) 2012-05-31 14:51:42 +0500 #337

my assumption is since it is a hit in Dubai the 3m company has priced it ridiculously.

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-31 15:52:50 +0500 #338

@qwertypoiu: Mumkin hai.

farazarif (farazarif) 2012-06-01 04:21:22 +0500 #339

Buddy you just talked me out of it, for 600k I'd get another classic rather than just a wrap,
The price is exorbitant though, and the 3M price originally is not even close to this, 600k for the lot includes a HUGE profit margin, I wish I had a business with those kind of margins I'd be content with even 1 car per month. The coloured wrap and chrome wrap are not all that far apart in terms of price, the difference is in the region of 30-35%.
Anyways I LOVE the candy orange against black idea, my mid-life crisis car will be something like that...

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-06-01 10:38:26 +0500 #340

Absolutely spot on about the wrap being too pricey. Personally, I'd rather buy another Impala (maybe a '59) for that sort of money.

As for the candy-orange-black rebuild...I'm of the view that going out on a limb with regards to "artistic waywardness" MUST be a part of each vintage-car-restomod enthusiast's basic makeup. Insha Allah, this '65 Impala is going to be the test vehicle for a lot of different pungas in the future. Shocking colours, are just one of them!