LS3-Powered 1962 Chevy Impala Is One Smooth Cruiser: Track Time Tuesday
Clean-as-a-whistle 1962 Chevy Impala is packing an LS3 V8 under hood, but it’s more about cruising than racing.
Most folks think of LS swaps as a way to add serious modern power to an older, underpowered vehicle, and that’s certainly the reason a lot of people make the switch. But there are other reasons for the most famous engine swap of our time, including a desire to build a reliable cruiser that has enough power to at least merge onto the highway safely and effectively. And in that regard, this super-smooth 1962 Chevy Impala up for grabs on Bring a Trailer accomplishes those things with LS3 power.
The seller has owned this 1962 Chevy Impala for a number of years now, completing all of the resulting work just a year or two into ownership. That process started out with a fresh black paint job, laser-style body-color mirrors, an engine-turned taillamp panel, bright rocker panel trim, and side exhaust for the exterior. The slick coupe rides on a set of 17-inch US Mags chrome wheels wrapped with Continental ExtremeContact DW Tuned tires.
The seller also modified the suspension quite a bit, adding tubular upper and lower control arms, Viking double-adjustable billet aluminum front coilovers, a Global West triangulated four-link rear, a Hotchkis front sway bar, a Hellwig rear sway bar, and a power-assisted Unisteer rack and pinion steering assembly, along with four-wheel disc brakes.
Inside the cabin, a mixture of red and tan covers every surface, providing a bit of contrast for the exterior. Lizard Skin ceramic insulation coating keeps some road noise out, while upgrades including Vintage Air air conditioning, power windows, a custom center console, C5 Corvette shifter, three-point seatbelts, Dakota Digital gauges, and a wood-rim steering wheel modernize this vintage Impala just enough to make it more pleasant to drive.
And you’ll want to do a lot of that because this classic ride is equipped with an E-Rod 6.2-liter LS3 V8 that is apparently stock, though it breathes through Sanderson stainless-steel headers and MagnaFlow mufflers. The LS is fed by a Walbro 255-lph fuel pump and is kept cool by a Griffin aluminum radiator with dual electric fans. It’s also mated to a 4L70E automatic transmission and a Strange Engineering Ford 9-inch rear axle with 3.50:1 gearing.
While it’s clear that this 1962 Chevy Impala wasn’t built for winning races, it’s packing LS power for a very good reason – now, the new owner can cruise in total style everywhere they go, without having to worry about getting blown out of the merge lane by an endless sea of boring crossovers.
Photos: Bring a Trailer
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