Another classic spotted in my local supermarket (does anyone actually use the word ‘supermarket” any more?).
This 1957 Chevy has all the chrome you might want. It appears to have fairly new paint. I love the wrap around windows and the exhaust exiting the rear bumper. (If I could figure out how to make that happen with my Mustang I would!!)
Of course I couldn’t hang around in the parking lot waiting for the owner, but would have loved to see the engine compartment.
You can tell the ’57’s a mile away.
Love bumper chrome and the wrap around windshield. Oh…that’s my grocery cart in the background.
Paint looked flawless on this car. Not labeled as a Bel Air or Impala and clearly not a ‘plan jane’ One Fifty.
Love the exhaust exit location on these cars!!
Chevy‘s standard engine for these cars was the 6 cylinder. The V8’s were considered a separate series and not an option. Chevy produced over 1.5 million cars in 1957, second only to Ford.
Have a really cool parking lot find? Drop me a note and we get it posted up.
I love this Impala and I don’t care that it has 4 ways to get in!!!!!!
By Angelo Van Bogart
Chevrolet built 497,048 four-door sedans in 1960. No one knows how many of those sedans were Impalas, Bel Airs or Biscaynes, but you can bet the farm that many went to rural America.
Determining how many 1960 Chevy sedans went to farmers is likewise impossible, but John Broucker isn’t concerned about that figure. What he’d really like to know is how many of those 1960 Impala sedans were equipped with a 348-cid V-8 and a four-speed manual transmission like his central Ohio sleeper ordered new by a farmer?
“I called General Motors and all they could tell me was how many were four-door sedans,” he said.
Chevrolet was not particular about the details of its production in this era, but Broucker’s car is certainly rare. Maybe even as rare as hen’s teeth. Broucker himself had a hard time believing the car’s combination when he first heard about the four-speed Impala sedan in 1980.
“The farmer that bought it new, I worked with his sister’s son, his nephew, and he said, ‘My uncle has a 348 four-speed,’ and when I [saw it], I said, ‘That’s a four-door.’ My buddy said it can’t be, it just can’t be, so I called the guy and I bought it.”
Even after buying the car from the original owner, and running into a mechanic who watched the car get unloaded at Progressive Chevrolet in 1960, Broucker sometimes has to defend what some people assume is a clone.
“Honestly, if I was going to clone a car, I wouldn’t clone a four-door ’60 Chevy,” he said.
That still begs the question: Why does a four-door 1960 Chevrolet Impala four-door sedan with a 250-hp Turbo-Thrust 348 and a four-speed with Posi-Traction even exist?
“Back then, if your buddy drove up to you in a four-door four-speed, you’d say, ‘You’re crazy,’” Broucker admits. “But he said he didn’t like the Impala (hardtop), it had the big back window, and he wanted a ‘fooler.’”
For the full fooler (a.k.a. “sleeper”) effect, the original owner even ran little hubcaps and blackwall tires to help the finned Impala fly under the radar. Aside from its performance options, the Impala is otherwise a typical farm sedan and generally lacks creature comforts.
“It doesn’t even have the rear-view mirror on the outside,” Broucker said. “It does have an AM radio, a heater, and the only thing that doesn’t work is the clock in the dash.”
With only 56,000 miles on the odometer, the rest of the Impala works as new, and Broucker said it remains largely original.
“It still has the original clutch,” he said. “I put front brakes and maybe a fan belt on and that’s about it. It has the original paint, original interior and original chrome. Sometimes, people look at the bumpers and say they’re a little wavy, but that’s they way it was. It even has the original generator, and the right rear tailpipe has a couple holes, but it’s the original exhaust.
“Behind all of the six tail lights, they have those little plastic cups on them. These are still on there. Any time anyone changed a light they threw them away.”
The unrestored Impala shows so well, it’s even placed second at the Stan Hywet car show in Akron, Ohio, against restored cars. Broucker believes the car’s excellent level of preservation is partly due to how the original owner stored the car.
“This farmer also worked at the railroad, and [he and his brothers] brought cabooses home and they made garages out of them,” he said. “I bet the thing was 3 feet off the ground and the wood floor helped preserve the car.”
When Broucker first saw the Impala, it was wedged in one of those cabooses.
“It was a real tight fit,” he said. “There was a pot belly stove in the caboose and I don’t know if he used the stove or not. They say the wood doesn’t sweat, it absorbs the moisture.”
The storage served the Impala well through 20 years and 50,000 miles with the original owner. Today, Broucker remains thrilled with the Impala’s condition. However, he hasn’t always found the car thrilling, which is why he’s only added about 6,000 miles to the odometer in his 32 years of ownership.
“Back then, I bought and sold a lot of cars, and for some reason I just held on to this,” he said. “I did think it was neat at first — I just thought it couldn’t be real, but it was. Honestly, I think I kind of lost interest and wondered, ‘Why did I buy a four-door?’ Then I would take it out and drive it and think, ‘This drives pretty nice.’ I was really happy with that.”
Many vehicles have come and gone from Broucker’s collection, but the Impala has been a mainstay. In fact, Broucker has pared his collection down to a 1969 Dodge Dart he races in the 1/8 mile and this oddly optioned Impala. That raises the question, would he ever race his Impala?
“I have [thought about it], but I might be embarrassed by it,” he said. “It has a lot of torque, but the point I am at, I don’t want to tear up the clutch.”
Instead, Broucker is content to blend into the car show landscape, making his Impala blend into the sea of hobby cars. For those collectors who enjoy the unusual, stumbling onto this rarity is like finding treasure. Maybe as exciting as finding that needle in the haystack.
It’s not that often that I get out to a car swap meet. Here in Arizona you are in for a hot time…tempature-wise, do to the lack of shade. Car parts so hot you’ve got to have oven mitts to handle ’em. But the are still fun.
Down the street at the local drag strip they had one this weekend and I thought I’d pass on a few of the gems they had for sale. There was a bit of a car show there as well.
You could pick-up some ‘Field Fresh’ projects like this coupe:
“Trailer Not Include”read the sign
Love the rear window
The floors are solid.
$3500 and the cob web are no extra charge.
Or this Pick-Up:
You could also find some project that the owner just couldn’t finish…some with some very extensive ‘restoration damage’ like tons of bondo holding the fender together.
This Chevy wasn’t the worst, but it had a lot of bondo.
This Dodge pickup wasn’t horrible. It would make a nice starter project.
This Plymouth Barracuda was pretty stripped down.
I actually think the owner had a lot of the parts laying on the ground for sale separately.
This ’65 Chevy is has been lowered and that’s about all.
Lot work left on this project.
Some cars did find new homes:
This Dodge found a new home.
This Imperial looks like it’s going to its new garage under its own power.
I love this car!!!!
Going to need some interior work. This one sported the push button shifting.
I know the owner and this car has had the best care. It is an AZ car and is always garaged or covered when it’s not moving and it DOES move.
What’s under the hood?
GM’s Generation III V-8 engine as configured in the Corvette. It is the all-aluminum 5.7-liter (350-cubic-inch) produce up to 350 horsepower in the two-seat sports car.
100% Stock. More Pics To come.
Interested? Call me at 520-405-5314 or email me at timsweet@cox.net.
Asking $9k. That’s a steal in this condition. This isn’t my car, but if you buy and don’t like, I’ll buy it from you!!!!…Actually, I ought to buy it myself!!! I”m going to think about that some.
She looks great with the T’s off!!!!
Engine Pic1 – SOOOO CLEAN!!!
Engine Pic 2. Nicely Maintained!!!
Perfect Stock Interior!!!
Room for 2 in the back. Although it doesn’t look like anyone has ever sat back there!!!!
Interested? Call me at 520-405-5314 or email me at timsweet@cox.net.
Ok..this guy is clearly lost…Who brings a Mustang (even an extremely nice one) to an All Chevy Show:
Listen to this Chevy:
Two more to listen too:
And although there were a lot more entries for this show I’m going to end this series with one that brought back a lot of memories. This wasn’t a 1966 like my very first car, but it was pretty closed. Look over this Impala.
Sometimes a comments turns into a post. Here is another good history piece from Bill.
“My native Louisville, KY was home to a LARGE International Harvester plant in the 1960s and 1970s, so I have a fondness for their trucks. In my neighborhood growing up, the argument for best pick wasn’t Chevy vs Ford, but rather International vs Ford (both were built-in Louisville).
Little known fact about the Louisville International Plant: it was licensed by Chrysler Corp to build 318 engine blocks at the foundry. Yep, there were many 318 V8s in Scouts and International Pick Ups, and Volares and Aspens for that matter, with the “IH” cast into the 318 block.
Another tidbit; the Louisville IH plant built CUB CADET riding lawnmowers and tractors.
I got to visit the IH foundry once when the FBI and ATF was bringing in confiscated firearms to be melted into 318 engine blocks. My uncle worked as a Federal Penitentiary guard, and I got to ride along and watch thousands of handguns go by conveyor (heavily guarded) into the smelters. The guys joked with me that once one gun was loaded and the bullets went off as they neared the smelter door.
Kind of sad that International Pick Ups and Scouts are forgotten today. They sure were great products.”
Thanks Bill. All my trips to Louisville, I never heard of the IH plant there. But what I can tell you is that you are correct, they were great products. How do I know, I owned a 1970 International Scout, in all places Germany. I purchased the truck from another airman headed back to the states.
This isn’t the one I owned, but similar with two exceptions. It was green and with a white removal top and HUGE MUD tires.
This truck was a 4 wheel drive, indestructible, piece of U.S. Iron. The huge tires I had on it, made it sound like a tank driving through the narrow streets of the small Germany towns I frequented. indestructible and unstoppable. Only three things happened to it while I owned it.
One was reverse light switch went out, that’s trouble with the tough vehicle inspection for cars in Germany. I installed a switch and convinced the inspection technician that the truck tires were too big and that I need to drive it up on the ramps. While sitting there he conducted the inspection and when he had me toss it in to reverse, I pulled the switch on simultaneously – Passed!! The second was a door hinge on the driver’s side. The pin sheared in half which required it to be drilled out…and that was a chore at the airbase machine shop…that was real U.S. steel at it’s finest. I did get through it and replaced the pin with the largest allen wrench could find. The final thing that went wrong was I blew a u-joint on a back German road. No problem. Climbed under pull the drive shaft out, tossed it in the back and locked the front hubs. I drove it in “front wheel drive” mode untill I sold/traded it for a Camaro. (HEY COME ON!!! A CAMARO IN ON THE AUTOBAHN…THAT’S A DREAM FOLKS!!!!)
I have fond memories of that Scout!!! OH..yes..it had the 318!!!
Well another reader (long time reader) has gone where few dare to tread. Yes I’m talking a Ford car guy, a Thunderbird owner and former owner of a very cool Mercury Cougar wagon, is now a proud owner of a 1990 C4 Corvette!!!!
It’s a great looking Steve!!!!!!
Steve’s White C4
It’s in great shape and I am liking the wheels!!!
I’m sharing this Steve!!!!
Tim,
As a Ford guy I guess I’ve come over to the dark side.
I bought a 1990 standard Corvette with all the sporty stuff. Seats, suspension and all the electronic gizmos.
Super well cared for condition with all maintenance history since new. I does have a worn right muffler cushion.
Last evening was my first ride ever in a Corvette and of course I was driving. Rides rougher than a cob on a rough road as expected. It also makes all the cool dual exhaust music. Two tops, one glass and more switches and gauges than I’ve ever seen before. No deterioration of the interior or paint so it must have been garaged. It also has a fine sounding Bose system which was standard I think. I did find a 1/8″ chip on the drivers front fender.
Yup, I’m on the dark side and was wooed by the devil himself to get me in a Chevy….. We have some streets in various stages of reverting to dirt here. Some very rough streets. The right muffle mount is collapsed (rubber) so it rattles. Roof panel does not rattle at all.
It’s in quite good condition for 22 years old. No interior or exterior work required.
It runs sooooo good. I think it may have never been driven in the rain. Underneath looks new, no tarnishing of the aluminum suspension bits.
The PO provided replacement “dew wipes” for the doors and a new power antenna that’s to replace the one that is stuck up. Please don’t tell me I have to remove the rear fascia to replace the antenna. LOL.
I did manage to scare myself a bit last Saturday. I’m not used to a posi-trac rear end…Ha Ha. Just a little sideways. It sure accelerates quicker than expected for only 245 horses. I’m averaging high 17’s around town which actually is unexpected. I guess the trick is 345 lbft or torque……..”
Thanks for sharing your Vette Steve…..NOW LETS TALK ABOUT SOME MODs!!!
Steve’s White C4
It’s in great shape and I am liking the wheels!!!
