Padres Projects. Classic Car Restoration. 64 Impala Specialist

Where else would you learn the skills and techniques you need to restore your classic car yourself?

"Hi, My name is Carl King and I'm inviting you to follow along during the restoration of a custom classic car, my 64 Impala 2 door Sport Coupe. My daughter calls it Padres Project. The plan is to document the entire restoration, from disassembly, through body panel replacement, taking the body off the frame, dealing with rust, body work, painting, upholstery and finally re-assembly."

Inside, you'll find detailed how to articles, loads of photos, and even videos of a restoration in progress.

Witness the completely documented restoration of a 64 impala.

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Chat with other classic car nuts

list your junkers or parts in the forum spread the news.

As I progress through the restoration of my 64 Impala, I'll write in depth articles complete with photos describing the restoration processes, and make videos so you can see the 64 Impala restoration happening before your eyes. For the first time classic car restorer, this will be a gold mine of information that can save you a lot of time, frustration and money.

I fell in love with this classic car restoration thing since my first 57 Chevy at the age of 14. I couldn't drive it, but my father was happy to. I only wanted to work on it. Since then I've had several classic cars litter my parents yard until I got my own yard. Now at 44, I recall having a few classic cars. Over the years, I've had another 57 Chevy, 2 56 Pontiacs, a 59 Apache, 66 Impala, 69 chevelle, and now I'm on my 2nd 64 Impala.

While working at a speed shop during and after high school, my boss would chuckle when he said, "You should have a zipper across the hood because you've had the hood off those cars more than you drive them."

Everyone of them has been torn to pieces and put back together without documenting a thing. Along the way I've learned a few things about classic car restorations and yes, I regret not logging any of it. Enter Padres Projects, my chance to capture the restoration details and share them with you.

Thinking about restoring your next classic car?

I'll bet when you daydream about it, you can see the gleaming chrome that elegantly wraps around those smooth flowing pastel colored body lines, like the toga on Venus, the goddess of love.

They just don't make `em like that anymore do they!

Remember sitting behind the wheel in a classic car from the 50's or 60's? It's a very unique feeling, especially for those of us who grew up in that era. You instantly recall the excitement and fond memories of things like nights at the drive in movies.

Imagine this... You've been there before...

You pull into a parking spot at the drive in restaurant, in your 64 Impala, right next to the backlit menu. Using the big chrome knobs you turn down the radio, press the red order button on the menu and order 2 cheeseburgers and a jumbo cream soda with 2 straws. Your date sings along with the car radio while you spend the next 10 minutes watching the other classic cars slowly cruise through. I tell you, the front bench seat must have been designed for dating moments like this. You casually put your arm on the seat back behind her, and with that cute little shy smile and a shoulder shrug, she slides over to sit right next to you. You both watch the waitresses on roller skates in anticipation of your order arriving.

...Soon the waitress comes rolling up to your car door where she hangs the food tray on the window, reciting your order and browsing the parking lot while chewing gum. You give her a few bills and she quickly pushes down the levers on the change dispenser at her waist. The change clinks in her hand, she drops it on the tray and skates back to the counter inside.

These are the moments that compell us to relive our youth, and we need the car to do it.

Maybe for you, it's the competition of the muscle cars drag racing on the road behind the airport that drives those memories.

I just love working on classic cars. It must be the sense of creativity I get from working on them and the satisfaction of a job well done. What ever it is for you that excites you about classic cars, if you are new to the hobby, you need to be sure you have a plan. Putting your plan together is easy when you have others with experience to guide you thru the restoration. It's a comforting feeling to have a mentor.

Once you take that classic car apart, into a "million pieces", putting it back together without a very good handle on how you took it apart can be discouraging. You start to feel like it may never become a whole car again. The newspapers are the dumping ground for half finished classic car restoration projects where the sellers have given up, and resigned to take a loss on it.

Before you get started on your classic car restoration

Padres Projects will give you the time and money saving inside scoop on:

The power of knowing how to evaluate a classic car for restoration. You'll no longer feel afraid of committing to that next purchase, or avoiding a potential restorable car over the unknown.
Engine repair basics. You can do those simple jobs and save yourself a lot of dough in the long run.
Be aware of the biggest conflict of interest in bringing your classic car to a mechanic that will leave you disatisfied with the job and have you doing it over yourself.
Knowing what tools to use on each part of the restoration. Using the wrong tools, or tools not well suited to the job will still get the job done, just like the right tool. Do you need to do this the hard way over saving a few dollars?
How to keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed and writing off your classic car restoration project before you've finished it.

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