Classic Impala Bagged on Ridetech

If you are a close follower of Ridetech news, Mr. G’s Classic Trucks.is probably a familiar name. Hailing from Liberty Hill, Texas, the Ridetech dealer spends their day-to-day producing some super unique rides for their customers base. 

Recently the company’s owner, Patrick Gibellina, stumbled upon a bit of a bucket list car in the form of the 1963 Chevrolet Impala you see here. Referenced in the first episode, the car was found in Ohio, owned by an elderly lady. The car’s background involved an engine failure after 50,000 miles and had since sat for decades. That’s right; this Impala is an original 50,000 mile car!  

While the original plan was to bag the car on a complete Ridetech suspension with ShockWaves and install a fresh small block Chevy to get it back on the road and enjoy driving it. However, once Patrick discovered the frame rot, things took a more expensive detour. What a familiar story, right?! 

With “Plan A” out the window, “Plan B” started coming together; the x-frame was separated from the body and fully rotisseried. New floorpans were installed and the inner rockers repaired, along with a fresh carpet install and the original interior. 

And since the band-aid was already ripped off, the idea of a cute little small block Chevy was also no longer an option. Instead, a 495 HP GM Performance LS3 crate motor was ordered. That mill along with the built Gearstar 4L60E transmission will ensure this heavy GM B-Body platform has no trouble getting up and moving. 

Currently the car is getting a bit of touch up in the paint and body department, but you can look forward to a complete Ridetech RidePro E5 air management system in the coming weeks. We’ll make sure to update the blog to include that content, but until then, you can head on over to Mr. G’s Classic Trucks YouTube channel to keep up with Patrick and the team to see what they’re up to. 

While we linked to the specific air kit that Patrick used, you can also shop the entire line-up of GM B-Body products at the button below. 

This being episode 2 of the build series, feel free to go back and check out Episode 1 as well. 

Catch you on the next one!