6121 Post Road Kyle, TX 78640
1964 Chevrolet Impala
When Russ turned sixteen, his parents fostered an agreement with him. If he saved up half of the money for a car, they would give him the other half he lacked. He was very involved in 4H in high school and as a result, he had a couple of cows and decided to sell them. With that Jack and the Beanstalk inspired maneuver, he had the rest of the money he needed! He purchased a 1964 Chevrolet Impala for $700 from a young college student. He drove the Impala until the end of high school.
He then parked the Impala in the family barn and there it rested until the summer of 2018. The Impala had a tarp placed over it, but it did little to protect it from the harshness of time, and ...rats. The car accumulated dents and dings from rocks, antlers and a riding lawnmower and was occupied at various times by rats and cats. (Some of those long-gone rats would be found during the restoration.)
The Impala remained unused in the barn, but its restoration was always in the back of Russ's mind. Though he had multiple offers from people to purchase it, Russ remained steadfast in his dream. The beat-up, half-forgotten Impala was his very first car, and he would see it rise again. After 35 years, it was time. The car would be restored to its former glory. Russ found Crossroads through a mutual friend. After visiting with Mike and the crew, he felt the shop was the perfect place to take this special project.
Russ was thrilled that he was able to involve his two sons in the process. He talked with them whenever the Crossroads crew asked for opinions and decisions on the direction of the restoration. Having his family involved in the Impala restoration was a fantastic experience. "My sons seeing the difference between what the Impala looked like when it was removed from the barn, to how it looked after the restoration, was just amazing.” Russ was beyond impressed with the work Crossroads did. "I can’t believe it, but it’s better than when I purchased it as a sixteen-year-old kid!”, said Russ. Recently, he took the Impala to his first ever car show. He won 1st place! He gets many compliments on the car and loves the way folks enjoy it as a beautiful piece of workmanship and history.
Russ came to us with a very beat up car smelling of rats and cats. It was also missing a drive train, most of the interior, and the top was shot. Russ wanted to restore the car, and we knew we could make his Impala great again. We started the project with masks and gloves. We ended the project with a great friend and a beautifully restored 1964 Impala SS convertible!
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