1968 Chevrolet Impala

1968 Chevrolet Impala SS Convertible Top down or up, here is a car that puts real zest in driving.  Swing open that big door, (hung on new sturdier hinges).  Sit on the inviting deep cushion seat and look around at the plush all vinyl upholstery, deep twist carpeting that even covers lower door panels.  =. Grasp the new oval steering wheel with its glare-reducing trim.  An Impala convertible can put color in your cheeks and your life.  From the '68 sales brochure. For consignment, a 1968 Chevrolet Impala SS convertible showing 96,691 miles but the true mileage is unknown.  This slab sided beauty is large and in charge with a distinctive rear overhang that surrounds an enormous trunk.  Golfers take note, this is one classic you can take to the range with a couple of buddies in tow.    Exterior An ocean of Medium Blue Metallic now covers this car in two stage shimmer which is the perfect complement to the bookends of robust chrome bumpers, in the front which includes an egg crate grille and chrome headlight bezels for the quads.  Meanwhile, the epic trio of tail lights in the back are embedded in the chrome bumper, capping off a huge decklid and serving as the latch panel as well.  A blue valance sandwiches the bumper and twin pipes below straight out the back.  The side trim piece here has a main black center and creates a nice match for the black canvas top, here in good condition with some separation at the glass window.  Super Sport emblems abound and 15-inch American Racing wheels carry 60 series tires on all four for a sporty presentation that doesn't lose its pedestrian appeal.  Metal and paint are generally good with imperfections that include chips, cracking paint, bubbling, and some rust on the rocker panel.   Interior Black vinyl door panels are handsome and clean, now featuring a speaker above the armets and electric window switches, both of which are a bit loose on the driver's side.  Up front, tall black vinyl sport bucket seats with ribbed inserts, all in fine shape, differ from the rear bench pattern which alternates piping with stitch patterns along the upper and lower in nice condition.  A wood rimmed 3 spoke steering wheel rides the column that leads to a horizontal oriented instrument cluster beginning with a sweeping speedometer, tach on the left, and clock on the right.  A triple gauge cluster has been added under the dash and the radio is an updated AM/FM/CD Alpine unit.  The center console hosts the awesome horseshoe shifter while loop style black carpet coats the floor with SS 396 branded carpet mats on top and taking the brunt of the usage.   Drivetrain No 396 here, but a clean 350ci V8 with a Weiand intake under an Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetor.  Behind it is a TH400 3-speed automatic sending power to the 10 bolt rear axle.  Along with some other components, the brake booster is polished under the hood and powers up the disc brakes on the front and rear of the Chevy.  The bay is nicely finished in matte black paint on the inner fenders and firewall.  Undercarriage The shine continues underneath where a polished differential cover sparkles like a mirror.  There's surface rust around, mostly reserved for the rear axle while dual exhaust flows from headers in the bay to FlowMaster mufflers, finding their way after some funky welds, to the back and exiting through chrome tips.  The knuckles and pans are clear but we do note some flaking rust on bottom pans and undercoating throughout and some wrinkling of the metal at the driver's heel/toe board.  Suspension is constructed with coil springs up front and a 3 link, coil springs and a panhard bar out back.  Drive-Ability Hopped in the Chevy, looking for a levy, but settling for the test loop just outside our garage door.  The 350 powered forward, tracking straight and allowing for decent acceleration, and the 60 series tires and standard suspension provided a soft ride for this big car.  We note the dri