Long time lurker, finally a member!!
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They are definitely competent vehicles in their own right, I've seen a few pro-touring impalas and they look like they grip pretty well. I've never driven one but I had the opportunity to get a Buick roadmaster but I never got it. But I agree, I would love to have one as a DD!!
Opie Knievel
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Dude, go drive one. Trust me. If you can get behind the wheel of a well maintained '96 Impala SS with a good grippy set of tires on it, you'll fall in love. They ride so smooth and at the same time are firm enough that you can feel the road. The LT1 has good bottom end torque, decent top end power and sounds GREAT through duals with 40 Series Flowmasters. The 4L60E shifts quick and fairly hard for a factory car. I could shift at will with the accelerator pedal. It was that consistent. Once you learned the car, which didn't take long you just drove and the car did what you wanted it to. The overdrive with 3.08 rear gears made for a high top speed. I personally have had 1 at 150mph and it felt as stable as it did at 55mph. The car just sucked down to the road and stuck like glue. Some of the fastest driving on curvy back roads I've ever done was in that Impala. I guess the only car I've driven that I thought out handled the Impala was my other friend's 09 Corvette. Now you wanna talk about fast and sticking to the road, drive a C6. Lol. I can only imagine how much fun a C7 Z06 would be!!
I loved that car. We had an 83 Monte Carlo at that same time. We'd race 'em from time to time. The Monte Carlo had a stout 350 and would always pull away but down a curvy road, it was everything I could do to keep up with that Impala with my friend driving. It was a crazy ride. I was young and stupid. I would sling that old Monte in the curves and make up time in the straights. Lol. I'm definitely gonna make my current Monte Carlo handle better.
My friend ended up crashing the Impala one night when he fell asleep driving. There was some body damage to the right quarter panel, right rear door, C pillar, and the back glass broke out. We taped up the windows that broke and drove it like that for a while and then he got a bogus DUI and the car was impounded and he lost it. I crashed the Monte Carlo, drunk one night and ended up doing some time, which I most definitely deserved. It got impounded also. I had the money to pay to get it out and I told my friend to get my money and go save the car but he never did. I never saw it again. I still regret that to this day.
Sorry for rambling. I just figured I'd tell you how awesome those Impalas are. Lol. How does your Monte Carlo handle? Mine needs a lot of work before I'd call it "good" Lol. But I'm used to it. Most people drive way too slow for my taste and they're usually driving newer cars that I know handle better than mine. I can't wait to have a car without so much body roll!
I loved that car. We had an 83 Monte Carlo at that same time. We'd race 'em from time to time. The Monte Carlo had a stout 350 and would always pull away but down a curvy road, it was everything I could do to keep up with that Impala with my friend driving. It was a crazy ride. I was young and stupid. I would sling that old Monte in the curves and make up time in the straights. Lol. I'm definitely gonna make my current Monte Carlo handle better.
My friend ended up crashing the Impala one night when he fell asleep driving. There was some body damage to the right quarter panel, right rear door, C pillar, and the back glass broke out. We taped up the windows that broke and drove it like that for a while and then he got a bogus DUI and the car was impounded and he lost it. I crashed the Monte Carlo, drunk one night and ended up doing some time, which I most definitely deserved. It got impounded also. I had the money to pay to get it out and I told my friend to get my money and go save the car but he never did. I never saw it again. I still regret that to this day.
Sorry for rambling. I just figured I'd tell you how awesome those Impalas are. Lol. How does your Monte Carlo handle? Mine needs a lot of work before I'd call it "good" Lol. But I'm used to it. Most people drive way too slow for my taste and they're usually driving newer cars that I know handle better than mine. I can't wait to have a car without so much body roll!
Welcome from Iowa. Your car brings back memories. When I repainted my 79 Monte in high school, I painted it almost that same color. I love that color, we gave it a little bit more of a purple hue and a lot of purl. I have been saying when I rebuild that car I am painting it the same color as yours. For now I am just going to let that car sit and rot for a couple more years.
85442 I do have them just not on my phone I will post some once I get on the computer...
Opie Knievel
Damn you have me wanting an impala now!! Well I'm in the market for a new dd my ranger recently took a sh*t so it's a possibility!!! I live near willow springs raceway so I have a chance to take any car I have to the track on track days but I'm just not motivated enough I'm hoping going on this forum more often will put that spark back in me. I'm sorry about your friends impala and your Monte! That's a total bummer, I've had my brush with drunk driving but luckily I wasn't driving any of my g bodies!! Haha
Turbo Zach
The original color on this car was camel but I have always loved the dark cherry metallic on impala SS's that's why I painted it this color I had in my mind that this was the color since I got the car haha and hello from sunny drought ridden California!! Appreciate all the replies everybody I'll have more pics coming!!
Opie Knievel
Damn you have me wanting an impala now!! Well I'm in the market for a new dd my ranger recently took a sh*t so it's a possibility!!! I live near willow springs raceway so I have a chance to take any car I have to the track on track days but I'm just not motivated enough I'm hoping going on this forum more often will put that spark back in me. I'm sorry about your friends impala and your Monte! That's a total bummer, I've had my brush with drunk driving but luckily I wasn't driving any of my g bodies!! Haha
Turbo Zach
The original color on this car was camel but I have always loved the dark cherry metallic on impala SS's that's why I painted it this color I had in my mind that this was the color since I got the car haha and hello from sunny drought ridden California!! Appreciate all the replies everybody I'll have more pics coming!!
Opie Knievel it handles quite well it has Bilstein shocks all 4 corners, UMI adjustable upper control arms with 1/2" taller ball joint, I used the cpp 6034 rear springs they dropped the car perfect and no vibration better take off too, stock rear bar but this one has a bend in it so I flipped it upside down, it added a little more rate, also have boxed lower control arms in the rear and upper tubular with spherical rod ends...open carrier need a posi...
I live near a lot of canyon roads near the San Gabriel mountains so I drive out on where all the motorcycle guys go it can grip quite well...seen two people fly off the road on those canyons too pretty scary stuff!! The only thing I need to do is the front lower arms and new front springs but for now it rides pretty good, it can take turns pretty quick!! I love pushing it to the edge Haha the one thing that really helped with body roll was the 34mm front solid bar and the Bilstein shocks it was like night and day!!
I live near a lot of canyon roads near the San Gabriel mountains so I drive out on where all the motorcycle guys go it can grip quite well...seen two people fly off the road on those canyons too pretty scary stuff!! The only thing I need to do is the front lower arms and new front springs but for now it rides pretty good, it can take turns pretty quick!! I love pushing it to the edge Haha the one thing that really helped with body roll was the 34mm front solid bar and the Bilstein shocks it was like night and day!!
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Opie Knievel
Rum Fueled Midnight Mechanic and Moderator
I'm glad to hear you got your car handling well. It makes driving so much fun. A couple things I forgot to mention: The brakes on that Impala were ridiculous. You could stop that 4200 pounds of steel pretty quickly. The antilock system worked great. The harder you pushed the pedal, the harder it stopped. It never locked up.
After my friend wrecked it and we continued to drive it, we'd get some strange looks. Lol. But none any stranger than when you'd beat someone in a Mustang at a stop light race! Lol. They must have had trouble processing what had just happened. Lol. Their nice shiny Mustang out run by a huge 4 door car with cardboard taped over the back glass and right rear window and a crumpled up quarter panel. It was priceless. I was an idiot when I was younger but I had a lot of fun!
After my friend wrecked it and we continued to drive it, we'd get some strange looks. Lol. But none any stranger than when you'd beat someone in a Mustang at a stop light race! Lol. They must have had trouble processing what had just happened. Lol. Their nice shiny Mustang out run by a huge 4 door car with cardboard taped over the back glass and right rear window and a crumpled up quarter panel. It was priceless. I was an idiot when I was younger but I had a lot of fun!
Opie Knievel
Rum Fueled Midnight Mechanic and Moderator
I have wondered about putting antilock on a g body before but never started any research. I'm sure with enough money anything is possible but I have no idea if it's ever been done. That would be such a cool upgrade.
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