How to Make Your 60-Year-Old Chevy Feel Like a New Car
60 Years New
Taking the old and making it new again needs just the right dose of nostalgia
When your hobby is your job, it’s always fun to go to work in the morning. When your job is to build cool custom cars, having fun is not only good for your soul but also for the bottom line! That’s how it works at Streetheat Customs in Melbourne, Florida. Gavin Broome and Matt Verzi worked for others for many years before teaming up to create their own business. Boasting more than 30 years of combined automotive experience, this pair of master craftsmen transforms rusted hulks into pristine show winners, exhibited and enjoyed with an active fan base around the world.
Their latest, this beautiful 1958 Chevrolet Impala, had a humble beginning. Located on Craigslist, the car was fairly presentable, equipped with its original V-8, Powerglide, and drum brakes. It was a good driver-quality car and the guys knew with a little work it had the potential to be a top-ranked restomod. Getting started meant following their fairly strict code. In the last dozen or so years, the Streetheat approach has been the same; build a car to a definite standard with a modern powertrain, crisp suspension, big brakes and wheels, air ride, and a custom interior. You can drive their finished products anywhere without concern because reliability is built in. As a result, when it’s time to begin, every build starts essentially the same way.
Gavin and Matt stripped the Impala down to its body shell so they could get a good look at the chassis. Their good friend Josh at Huff-N-Paint next door was tasked with bringing the Impala back to like-new condition, smoothing the body, filling holes, and getting it into primer. While Josh was hard at work, every piece of trim was either polished, chromed, or replaced thanks to Jeff at Precision Powder Coat and the experts at Space Coast Plating. Although new items were added, like the one-piece “California” bumpers, preservation of the original style was always paramount. For example, the original grille shell was polished but now it’s chrome. Nighttime illumination was increased now that the quad lights use modern LEDs. All four of the smaller parking lights in the grille are now functional even though only two worked when the car left the factory.
Streetheat is known for producing cars that handle. Since everything depends on a firm foundation and the original frame was not up to their standards, a new X-frame chassis was sourced, factory boxed for strength, stripped to bare metal, and then powdercoated. With autocross-level handling always a future consideration, suspension upgrades began with RideTech StrongArms in the rear, Performance Online tubular control arms up front, and Hotchkis 1.5-inch sway bars front and rear. Stopping power was guaranteed thanks to Wilwood brakes on all four corners using 13-inch discs and six-piston calipers up front and 12-inch, four-piston versions in the rear. To the Streetheat team, looks are as important as comfort and handling so to ensure the Impala had just the right stance the guys designed a full air-suspension system. The four Firestone bags and five-gallon reserve tank are pressurized by a pair of Viair 444C chrome compressors with the system managed by AccuAir’s latest solenoid valve technology, the ENDO-VT that hides the valves and manifold inside the air tank endcaps. The compact component package resides on a shelf in the rear of the trunk.
With body and chassis issues moving along, motive power was next and Gavin had the answer. A 5.3L LQ truck engine on standby in the shop was the perfect choice for the Impala. Internal upgrades had already been accomplished by Vick Fera at Brevard Cylinder Heads. He balanced and blueprinted the rotating assembly, adding stronger LS3-style rods and 4.8L flat-top pistons to create 10:1 compression. To ensure free breathing, modern LS6 heads were bolted in place with intake and exhaust valves actuated by a General Motors LS-series Hot Cam. Handling the fuel/air mix is a self-tuning FAST EZ-EFI setup on an Edelbrock Performer intake. MSD electronic ignition lights the fire while a set of custom headers; Borla mufflers; and a TIG welded, ceramic coated, stainless steel exhaust team up to orchestrate an aggressive performance sound.
The potent engine was fitted with some subtle vintage camouflage, giving the modern V-8 the look of a 283 small-block. On top, the old, black oil bath air cleaner was disassembled, the oil drained, and a paper filter installed. The modern EFI is as small as a carb and hides under the air cleaner. An 18-gallon tank, return lines, and Aeromotive 10-micron filter ensures a constant supply of clean fuel. Taylor valve cover adapters hold licensed GM valve covers that conceal the modern coil packs from view. Cosmetics began with the Billet Specialties Tru Trac pulley system activating a polished Powermaster alternator and Sanden A/C compressor. The firewall was smoothed and the Vintage Air A/C hoses were concealed behind the black inner fender panels, all designed to showcase the V-8. Keeping everything cool is the Champion radiator and B&M trans cooler. The guys at Standard Auto Supply came up with the custom orange urethane single-stage paint to give the LS mill a traditional vibe. At first glance you wouldn’t even notice it’s an LS engine, and was exactly the point.
Once the upgrades were complete, the V-8 pumped out an estimated 400 hp, multiplied by a built 700-R4 trans with a 2,800-stall converter. Power gets to the narrowed 9-inch Ford rear and 3.55 gears thanks to a custom two-piece driveshaft with billet carrier. The final step in getting the chassis rolling was the set of Billet Specialties Pinnacle wheels, 19×8 up front and 20×8.5 in the rear. Optimized Nexen N’Fera rubber, 225/35R19 front and 245/35R20 rear, gets the power to the ground.
The interior follows the same theme with a seamless blend of modern and traditional. The dash holds a full set of Dakota Digital VHX analog gauges that includes a matching clock on the passenger side. The stereo is a Bluetooth-enabled RetroSound unit playing through Focal Audio speakers mounted in the traditional dash and rear seat locations. The custom panel under the dash holds the vents for the Vintage Air HVAC and the polished cup holders on the transmission hump add a nostalgic touch. The seat fabric, door panels, carpet, and headliner are from CARS Inc., resplendent in red, silver, and black vinyl, an exact copy of the factory design. The sophisticated trunk was done in black carpet with the air-suspension package painted to match the exterior. Demetri Matheos at Explicit Customs designed the system. Josh at Huff-N-Paint wrapped up the exterior, spraying Streetheat’s favorite color, a shade of Vibrant (Resale?) Red. The rotisserie build took seven months of part-time work, but the results were worth it with the Impala exuding classic charm and boasting a host of new millennium capabilities.
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