Refurb and custom 64 SS help!!

Hello,
My father past away about a year ago and I am left with his 1964 Impala SS. It is in need of repair (body, and engine) alot of the work I want to be able to do myself. To all the pros out their what should be my first steps? Should I look at putting the engine back in or get started on the body work or get someone to do the body and I do the rest.

C-dubb

If you are planning to do most of the work yourself you should concentrate on the drivetrain first. I've found that if you get the car running and machanically sound first then it is more fun to work on. This is because you can drive it around and have fun with it as you are working on it! This also means that you can drive it where it needs to go instead of towing it (ie, body shop, upholstery shop, etc).

Go to your local book store and pick up some books about the type of work your car needs. This will help you figure out what you feel comfortable doing yourself and what is better left to a professional.

A 64 SS is a pretty valuable car and is definitely worth restoring. If you do most of the work yourself you should be able to keep restoration costs to a minimum. But keep in mind that a poor restoration will detract from the overall value of the car. This does not mean that you have to sell the car after the restoration, but you should restore it the right way.

I do ALL of the work on my cars including paint, and interior (I'm a professional upholsterer), if you need more info, let me know!

Thanks for the information. I just found out that my father had all of the interior restored (door panels, seets, carpet, etc.) I will have to make the trip back home and pick it up! Kind of ironic though, I was thinking as I was looking at the car, where are the seats? I guess now I can start at the library on working on the drivetrain in my spare time. And if I need some professional help I have a few shops that I know that I can go to.

I know that my Dad has an original engine in his shop (in pieces) should I buy a shop manual, or just have someone put it together. All the mechanic work that I know how to do, my Dad taught me. But I am pretty confident that if it is written in a manual that I can put it together. I have seen him do it thousands of times. Can I get your take on this?

A motor is somewhat simple to assemble assuming that all of the parts have been rebuilt and machined properly. If these parts are just lying around in used condition then you should replace/rebuild them and have the block bored. You will run into several problems if you try to assemble 40 year old used parts, ie: gaskest won't seat properly and bearings may not match up to your parts. Try to find out if your parts have been rebuilt. Obviously the engine was taken apart for a reason, either it was about to be rebuilt or it is in the process of being rebuilt and just needs to be assembled.

I think that you will be able to assemble this engine relatively easily! Just read as much as you can on the topic and talk with the people at your local machine shop, they will be able to tell you everything that needs to be done and what parts you will need.