A wise man once said that only brave people build cars by themselves. We don`t know who that was, but he was surely right. It`s a long, exhausting process that requires loads of time and stubbornness. Hann Todd looked for a new project in 2001. Todd accidentally encountered his pal Jerry, who had recently purchased a Chevelle. He was precise about what he wanted and luckily his pal Jerry had an 1961 Chevrolet Impala, which was in complete drivable condition.
The 1961 Chevrolet Impala was in desperate condition, but it fulfilled the necessary criteria so he bought it. He started repairing it. After strpping everything down, he hired professionals for a Strange nine inch axle, 3×2 complete boxed frame, coilovers, tubular control arms at the front, pinion and rack steering as well as a 4link suspension at the rear end. Brakes from Wildwood were placed right after the wheels from Center Line convo pro. At the rear wheels were in size 15 x 14 and at the front 15 x 5.
When the hood was finally rust free, a Pro street theme and a brand new chassis were added. Some additional changes took place in order to completely fit the above mentioned components. The body was lowered over the chassis and the floor was removed. The transmission and the engines were subjected under many test lifts, making a place for the installing of the cage. Later, the boys went out searching for more components.
The 3rd and the 4th year the hood and the body as a whole were coming together.
After 6 years the car was once again torn apart. After it, some of the parts and the rollcage were subjected under powercoating. The reassembling was in order. At the 8th year, the project was canceled again.
The Rat 461 was reassembled again, with the addition of roller valvetrain from Comp Cams and rectangular port heads made from iron. 750 cfm carbs from Holley as well as BDS lower intake were added up top. TH400 was right behind along with a overdrive unit from Gear Vendors. This combination showed itself right and once the bodywork was completed it was time from painting, priming and loads of blocking.
Finally, read some Chevy Impala history here!
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