If there’s a nicer ‘63 Impala SS convertible out there, I’d like to see it. Built at a cost of more than $140K, this 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS convertible was built by RK Motors to be a take-no-prisoners resto-mod that is equally at home on the open road or the show field. These mid 60s Chevys hold a special place in our hearts, and when it came time to build one for ourselves, we really went all-out on this special car.

A lot of resto-mods take the easy way out and throw in a new crate motor or “God forbid” some generic small block and back it up with a no-brainer 3-speed auto -box. But we don’t do garden-variety. No, we started with a one-owner ’63 SS from Maine then built a vintage-looking double-throw down 409 mill to nestle between the fenders and backed it up with a stout 5-speed manual transmission, giving you the best of both worlds – acceleration and cruising ability. The brakes were upgraded, the suspension is all-new, and the interior is concours-quality. Look at every other Impala on the market, then come look at this one; there’s just no comparison.

More than 1800 hours were spent carefully restoring every nut and bolt of this stunning car. The body and paint on this car are perfect and breathtaking. Like I said, the car was a super-clean original that we stripped to bare metal so we could rebuild it from the foundation up. Every panel was massaged and smoothed to perfection before a drop of paint was mixed. Just take a look at those restoration photos – even the interior, trunk and underside of this car were clear-coated and finished like they would be on display.

The color is the original Riverside Red, and wow, does it pop! I don’t know if it’s the prep work, the finish, or the paint itself, but this 2-stage red seems to just hover over the surface of the car and comes through loud and clear, even in the harsh fluorescent lights in the showroom. It isn’t orange, it isn’t pink, it’s the most perfect, idealized red I think I’ve ever seen. Pictures simply don’t do it justice and you really need to see it in the sun light. If you don’t agree that it’s the most perfect red car you’ve ever seen, I’ll personally buy you lunch.

You just can’t do the bodywork to this standard and hang ordinary trim on it, and every bit of chrome and stainless on this car is flawless. Using 80% of the original trim, the stainless has been straightened and buffed to a chrome-like shine, and the bumpers have been restored to better-than-new condition. Even the trick anodized, engine-turned inserts on the side trim that is unique the SS cars is perfect in every way. If you think that stuff is easy to restore, you’d better guess again. The guys who did this work were true artists.

Under the hood, this isn’t your father’s ’63 convertible, either! Originally a 327 car, this ragtop is now powered by a thundering 409 built to exacting specs and dressed up to look authentic and original. Up top, you’ll find an Offenhauser manifold with dual Edelbrock carbs for a vintage hi-po vibe, stashed under an original chrome 409 air cleaner with the correct 425 horsepower decals. Ignition comes from an MSD distributor and MSD blaster coil for reliability and performance under fire. Exhaust is handled by a set of Doug Thorley Tri-Y ceramic coated headers coupled to a 2½-inch exhaust with Flowmasters that make the car sound voracious.

The rest of the engine compartment is well dressed for show duty, too. All the modern stuff has been cleverly hidden, and the vintage details are all present and accounted for. The radiator is an original heavy-duty piece, there’s an NOS glass windshield wiper fluid bottle, authentic GM hoses and tower clamps on the radiator hose, and a reproduction tar-top Delco battery. A reproduction wiring harness ties it all together and ensures long-term reliability when you put this bad boy on the road.

A 605 Power Steering conversion kit makes the car handle like a dream, and a 12-volt alternator replaces the original (and temperamental) generator. Mated to the engine is a Keisler five-speed manual transmission with overdrive. And just for fun, we added a Ford 9-inch with 4.11 gears and limited slip, complete with Mosier 31 spline axles and a fourth link set-up with polyester bushings. The drive shaft is set up with a billet center carrier bearing with poly bushing. Because the center bearing has no forward movement, we had the rear half of the drive shaft custom built with a splined slip joint.

With the newfound power under the hood, upgraded braking is a must, and it comes from GM 11-inch disc brakes up front and Ford drums out back, fed by a new dual master cylinder and proportioning valve. The springs and shocks are new, as is every single bushing throughout the car, so it rides and drives like new. The rolling stock consists of a set of polished American Racing Torq-Thrust wheels with 215/70/15 BFGoodrich Silvertown redline radials for a truly vintage look that includes modern performance. This car just hammers down the highway without any drama.

The beautiful interior is like new, with fresh seat covers, carpets, door panels and dashboard. The gauges have been rebuilt, and there’s an in-dash Pioneer CD player with Polk speakers hidden in the doors and factory speaker mounts (dash and rear seat). A trunk-mounted subwoofer makes the system sound nice, without vibrating the car to pieces. The 5-speed manual transmission is controlled by a vintage-appearing Hurst shifter with a white cue ball knob on top of a perfectly restored center console. Seatbelts were added, making this a safe, gorgeous, fun place to cruise and enjoy the sun. And yes, we know there’s supposed to be a factory tach on the steering column – it’s the one piece that hasn’t been installed yet, but will be shortly!

This car is truly world-class and is a mind-blowing mix of the best of the old and the best of the new. It’s a work of art and is worthy of national level competition. If you can find a nicer ‘63 Impala SS409, buy it!