94-96 Impala SS

When I graduate in a few more months, I'm gonna have more money than I know what to do with, assuming I get a job right away. This will afford me to get a beater, but not just any beater, I want to get a 94-96 Impala SS. Four, comfortably seated passenger, with the LT1 V8 power. There are several things that I need to know about these vehicles, never having driven one, but always admired the looks.

1. Are the LT1's in the Impalas rated at the same hp for the same year F-bodies?

2. Aren't there only three colors, black, a tinted green, and a dark cherry red?

3. Do the LT1's in these cars responde well to LT4 conversions, i.e. is there anything different that I'd have to keep in mind from doing a similar conversion on an F-body LT1? (objects in the way in the engine bay, etc.)

I know these cars are automatics, but that doesn't bother me. What I need is something that'll be able to carry more loads than my Camaro SS can, but I still want it to have some nice performance.

I figured this would be the best place to start. Thanks for y'alls help. :sunglasse

1. The LT1s are rated a little differently than the f-bodies. 260 hp, i forgot the torque. But the LT1 in the SS is more torque than the f body
2. Yea, they only came in 3 colors. I n 94 there was only black. They added the two other colors in 96.
3. They respond very well to LT4 conversions.

Other good mods are adding 3.73 gears, Intake, exhuast, etc..


Get a 96. It has a console shifter and a tach.

Were the 94 and 95's column shift then?

Yep, everything prior to 96 is column shift. The automatics don't hold up to hard use too good but the 6 speed is a great conversion. The best forum for this car is www.impalassforum.com but also check out www.impalaclub.com and www.capricess.com for more good information. For grins, look at www.bigfastcar.com

Interesting, good stuff. More and more ideas all the time... :naughty:

Found through my searchings that 95 was when the other colors were added...

96's also had the analouge dash. 94 has a different impala logo on c pillar and it also has different side view mirrors.

Modifications to do for performance---

-Performance Brake Pads
-Bigger then stock tires, 275-40-17 works good on stock rims
-3:73 gears
more then likely going to need new LSD, Eaton's is pretty damn nice.
Shift kit in tranny, plus strengthening it up will help out a lot. I would also get a higher stall torque converter, something in the 2400-3000rpm range.
-Hotchkis lowering springs
-K&N Fuel injection kit
-New intake elbow or resonator cap to get rid of "homeplate"
-now comes exhaust u have a few choices, my brothers car has no cats, hooker headers, and a hooker catback and sounds god damn awesome! People say borla's supposed to sound the best though.

my brother has all these mods on his car and runs 14.3 in the 1/4. It brakes better, turns harder, and runs faster then stock with all these mods and its a good starting point.

After those mods I would suggest some more engine mods, u talked about the lt4 stuff, I'd get a new cam, some new aftermarket rockers, and the lt4 intake manifold, this would give you another 50+hp easily on top of that and put you into the 13's.....


stock the lt1 in Impala SS/9c1's makes 260hp and 330lbs trq.

14.3 is pritty slow for those mods, he must be at really high elevation. I have a 96 Impala ss with home made intake and mufflers, and I ran a 14.6. Also the 94/95 digital gauge package doesnt have a tach wich really sucks.My car is currently for sale, but is getting painted right know cause someone keyed it. this is what it consists of if anyone is interested.
-black 96
-5% tint all around (limo)
-lowered 2in
-tires are wore but I have a new set of khumo's 275/40/17's that will be put on it when it comes out of paint.
-also when tires are off the rims I will be sending them out to be powder caoted black
-Just had posi rebuilt and 3.23's installed
-B@M electronic shift module
-msd 6a box
-msd blaster coil
-tayler 8mm silicone wires
-new double platinum plugs
-newly balanced driveline
-clear corners
-great stereo- 2compatition 12" subs w/1200watt amp-4 6x9's & 2 6" infinity kappas
I also have a lot done on the engine compartment to clean it up wire loom, steel braided hoses,first base and home plate delete.the list goes on
steve@ 707-486-1775 im asking 17,000 for it so spread the word.

no we live in South Florida. The computer is so far off it wouldn't surprise me if that dampens performance a little bit. I know it messes with the speedo with his gears, and it hits the speed limiter when it displays 155mph, but in reality it is probably going around 130mph.
It runs good on the top end, 1st gear just seems kinda slow and can be hard to get a good launch on. Maybe its his tires, the car should pull in some lower times but it just will not launch any harder. Also I believe he has around 140k miles and the engine could stand to be rebuilt. He ran it for quite a few miles misfiring on one cylinder and I wonder if that did any internal engine damage to the valves or piston/walls. The Compression is probably not too good.

There are still some low mileage cars around, too. There's a guy in our local club with a 96 garage-kept with ionly 12K on it and he is looking to sell....

Tough thing is, probably gonna make a killing off of the resale of it, probably gonna be able to ask 20-25 for it, and get it...

Even minus the mods, you can still beat a stock 5.0 or 4.6 Mustang. Still pretty funny to see the looks on the faces of those Mustang owners that you beat in your 4 - door family sedan. Especially if there's a baby seat in the back! Anyway, as for more mods, if you wanted to spend the extra cash, there are many many supercharger and nitrous kits ava. for these cars. Pretty much all parts are interchangeable from the LT1 vettes, and also the f-bodies. The LT1 in the Impala SS is pretty much a "ruggedized" version of the similar f-body versions. The Impala LT1 has cast-iron heads (some people say provide better flow than the aluminum counterparts), and also the Impala LT1 has a few other features that typically make it more reliable and last longer than the f-body LT1. For one, it has a second transmission cooler (other than the one that goes through the radiator), also it has an oil cooler. If you can find a 9C1 (cop car designation), this also has an additional oil cooler, and also a power steering cooler. This just means that most high-mileage Impalas still run like new, and are just as reliable. Mine has around 140,000 miles, and I still can beat the aforementioned Mustangs (with the aforementioned baby seat :). Just to answer the questions about the LT4 and 6-speed, I have a Caprice with those mods, and I'm pushing almost 450 RW horsepower, and the six-speed performs as good (if not better) than any f-body that I've driven. The final nice thing about the Impalas is that there were under 70,000 of them made in their short 3-year production run. They definetly turn heads, and most people won't even believe that it is a true Impala SS. Hope you have fun searching out a car! btw a good price to pay for an Impala is around 6,000 if it has just over 100,000 miles. Most people see them as a rareity, but they aren't quite there yet. I guarantee you though, once you get it, you'll be shocked to see how well they retain their value. Later!

Dan Ferraro at Clear Image Automotive specializes in the '94-'96 Impalas and Caprices. There's lots of stuff on the website www.clearimageautomotive.com

being a mustang owner lol, i don't think an impala ss could take out any 4.6.. unless its a automatic convertable. then i think it would be close, but the 4.6 comes in the GT and the cobra.. the SOHC puts out 262hp, which is the same as the lt1 and the car is lighter...4.6 Gt's with the manual 5 speed run anywhere from 14.2-14.5 stock.. the 5.0 i can see cause those ranged from 14.8-15.9 stock so i give ya that, but theres no way a heavy impala with 260hp is gonna beat my 320hp Cobra...

Well, typical Ford owner, what did the five fingers say to the face?

SLAP!

Yeah, most Impalas wont beat a Cobra, but if an SS owner spent the amount of money CObra owners spend on the purchase of their cars, yes they would. There are SS's out there that would tear you a new one with ease. A buddy here has one running 11 and under with a Procharger and not much else. See, SS owners believe in the old school power play and like to alter their rides. Yeah theyre older, so they need the 4 doors for family, but still believe a car is what YOU make it. Of course you need a good engine to alter, but they dont buy it Hot Rodded from the factory and show it off like they did all the work. That's like buying a restored car. Yeah its nice and cool, but what are you going talk about? I paid this much for it, umm, I guess thats all I have to say.

I took out several 4.6's and 5.0's with mine, and it had 205k miles on it and the only mods were intake and exhaust. Of course, we could argue about whos got the biggest wang all day, but truth is the Mustang and the Impala SS are great cars, and with some good ole elbow grease they can both be wicked rides.

So spare me the typical Mustang persona and show a little respect.

well lets see.. i spent 15k for my cobra.. used SS's are going for about 12 in mint condition.. so i really didn't spend much more.. of coarse a SS with a procharger could beat my mustang.. I'd be pretty damn pissed if it didn't, but stock for stock theres no comparison.. don't get me wrong, it's a nice car, but just don't go crazy saying it's fast enough to take out 4.6's.. cause thats just retarded.. dave chapell is sweet by the way.. " i'm rick james bitches, show me your titties"!