This ’61 Bubbletop already had more done to it than most of its kind. A complete CPP suspension, disc brakes, stellar paint and an incredible interior made it a comfortable cruiser with some performance in reserve. With a short list of minor upgrades to accomplish, he began setting aside a little more time for this Impala. However, with these mods came the urge to modernize the motor, and the whole thing quickly snowballed into a major makeover.
While he was installing the new LS2, he saw the sense in improving the air conditioning. Once he got started with that, he figured he might as well lift it off the frame rails and refresh the entire suspension setup.
His first order of business was powder coating the frame. After that, he installed a complete Ridetech coil kit. At this rate, adding a set of extra adjustable upper trailing arms seemed reasonable, as did installing a Global West upper rear shock brace crossmember, Global West left and right frame supports, and a Global West panhard bar drop down centering bracket. It’s funny how many things you’ll tack on once you get rolling.
Not surprisingly, he found a couple lousy patch jobs while down there. After excising them and replacing with something suitable, he added a new truck floor, which he stripped, seam sealed, and resprayed with Raptor bed liner.
After months of waiting, his big Baers finally arrived. These Pro Plus brakes sport six-piston calipers at both ends, which look mint underneath the massive 19” wheels with 295-section tires. Then, delegating some of the design work to RR Designs interior and trunk panels and installed a set of Focal 6×9” speakers in the rear package tray along with a Kicker 12″ subwoofer under the rear shelf.
At the other end, he focused on smoothing and painting the inner fenders and radiator support. With that, he mounted the radiator and A/C condenser, then turned his attention inside and mounted the Dakota Digital gauges and custom dash, then reupholstered a set of seats from 1996 Toyota Avalon and fitted them. Thanks to some of the bright minds at Mountain View Auto Interiors, he was able to make the mere act of sitting in the cabin a memorable experience.
The next step took some time, but the result was worth it. What started out as a basic 2.5” Magnaflow exhaust morphed into something special with a few 90° and 45° bends and some mandrel bending for good measure.
After 400 miles of driving with the new powerplant, he realized he needed more. Fortunately, he built the LS2 for boost with low-compression pistons, a billet crank, billet rods, a Lingenfelter cam, a trunnion bearing kit, and all the forced-induction necessities. So he ordered an Edelbrock G-Force supercharger, a piggyback system, and a Currie 9″ rear to handle the added power off the line.
And with that, the build was completed. Eric had intentions to keep the car, but a collector in Florida made him an offer which helped him move onto the next build in his garage: a twin-turbo ‘69 Camaro. He didn’t recoup all his costs with the sale, but for Eric, it’s the process of building which motivates him the most.
On to the next.
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