Lizard Racing Posted July 25, 2018 Posted July 25, 2018 My dad always liked the look of the 1958 Chevy Impala. It had a certain understated classic look. We ended up buying a '59 instead. This is the AMT version, an OOB build. I built one decades ago and it looks like this was from the same tooling. Lots of flash and sinks. I did this one as a street version tribute to my dad's memory. And I heard the '58 was a real dog of a race car. Since the doors open, the interior got more than usual attention. There sure was a lot of chrome back in the day! It took two days of masking and painting one section at a time. I also have a '48 Chevy. This photo shows the changes in 10 years.
Bainford Posted July 25, 2018 Posted July 25, 2018 Good looking '58. I really like the AMT kit. For an old tool it is very detailed and builds up well. I built one as a kid, and have lately been thinking of building a replica of my father's first car, a two tone black/white car which seems an uncommon colour combination, but looks great.
olschoolkid Posted July 25, 2018 Posted July 25, 2018 Very nice. The 58 Chevys are beautiful cars I think and you certainly built a fine example.
High octane Posted July 25, 2018 Posted July 25, 2018 Great build on that '58 Chevy build George as it came out lookin' real good.
Hi-Po Posted July 25, 2018 Posted July 25, 2018 The '58 Impala is one of my favorite cars and you did an outstanding job on the build. My first two one to one cars were a '59 Impala and a '64 Impala SS. Love the old Chevys.
BigTallDad Posted July 25, 2018 Posted July 25, 2018 Very nicely done. Do you have any engine pics? I saw that you used the term "street version"; is that the same as "curbside"?
Lizard Racing Posted July 25, 2018 Author Posted July 25, 2018 Thank you for the kind comments. I don't do street cars much, mostly race cars. That way all the chrome trim is removed. I took out the kit 348 engine to be a '63 Z-11 427 and put in a small block from the bin. There was nothing remarkable about it so I didn't photograph it. I learned to drive in a '58 wagon with 6 banger and 3 in the tree. It was my street racer. Didn't win much.
espo Posted July 26, 2018 Posted July 26, 2018 I like your nice clean showroom like build. When I was young one of my buddies got his mothers 3 year old '58 Impala convertible with this same color scheme. The '58's were more cruiser than racer, but a 348 with the 3 speed stick was pretty quick. You make a very interesting point between your '48 and '58 builds, they are light years away from one another. The technology and styling was changing that fast.
MrObsessive Posted July 26, 2018 Posted July 26, 2018 36 minutes ago, espo said: You make a very interesting point between your '48 and '58 builds, they are light years away from one another. The technology and styling was changing that fast. Ha! Look also at '58 to '68! Talk about literal night and day! Very nice job on this '58..........that chrome trim is no joke, and I see you got those side "pitchforks" correct!
espo Posted July 26, 2018 Posted July 26, 2018 6 minutes ago, MrObsessive said: Ha! Look also at '58 to '68! Talk about literal night and day! Very nice job on this '58..........that chrome trim is no joke, and I see you got those side "pitchforks" correct! I mentioned my friends '58 Impala. Well in '68 I ordered a Bel Air tudoor with the 427 and 4 speed. Had all the factory go fast goodies and Air Conditioning and a Stereo 8 Track. Now before you laugh about the 8 track remember in '68 that was a big deal along with the Multi Plex Stereo. And yes that was another light year jump.
bbowser Posted July 26, 2018 Posted July 26, 2018 Beautiful model! My parents had a '58 convertible when it was just a used car, we took a 2 week road trip to Las Vegas and back from Ohio. The only trouble was drum brakes coming down Pikes Peak! My father wishes he still had it at today's prices.
Foxer Posted July 27, 2018 Posted July 27, 2018 That's a beautiful build! I bought a 1:1 '59 too, same colors as your '58 here ))
58 Impala Posted July 27, 2018 Posted July 27, 2018 Nice job. My dad had a 58 Impala w/348 he bought new. Baby blue with the triple blue interior. He always wished he never got rid of it.
TooOld Posted July 27, 2018 Posted July 27, 2018 Great job on your '58 Impala ! Painting (or foiling) all of that chrome is quite a task but the results are worth the effort .
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