1972 Chevrolet Impala Custom - El Palomo
Jae & Stephanie BuenoWriter
An heirloom is something that has been passed down for generations through families. In our world, it's pretty easy to figure out what the most common heirloom is; cars. Such was the case with Marco Martinez, who was given a '72 Impala by his father, who had it before him. The Impala was passed down to his father by his late brother, who was Marco's uncle, when he passed away in 1975. Marco's father began to modify the car, first by adding Cragars, lifting the suspension, and then lowering the rear with air shocks. Eventually, he chromed the front end, which at the time of him doing so; there were not many chromed front ends out on the Boulevards. As Marco got older, he began working on the car with his father, and little by little, he began adding his own touches to the car while staying true to his father's initial styling. Marco added the 350 crate motor to the engine bay, a 42" moon roof, repainted it, and added the hydraulic set up. Although Marco added his touches, he kept his father's design, especially the chrome front end. It took two years to get the Impala to the level it is at now, and the car's final addition was the One Bad Creation Car Club plaque in the recognizable '72 Impala back window. Marco would like to thank his family for their support and send a special thanks to his father for passing the car down to him. Marco is content with the car as it is, and has no plans on letting the Impala go; after all, it is a Martinez family heirloom.
Tech Specs
Owner:Marco Martinez
Nick Name:El Palmo
Vehicle:1972 Chevy Impala
Club:One Bad Creation CC
City/State:Glendale, CA
Paint:White with a blue pearl done by Pacific Auto Body in the San Fernando Valley Roof patterns by David Mendoza, from Chatsworth Motoring. 42" moon roof installed by Rafael and Juan Nunez added the 42" moon roof. Pinstripes by Mike Lamberson from Draggin Lines in Riverside, CA.
Engine:1972 GM 350ci with a polished intake, headers, and 570 Holley Carb. 700r4 transmission with a shift kit, glass packs. All chrome plating by Juan from La Habra Plating.
Interior:Leather, infinity seats, custom dash, center console and trunk upholstered by Henry, from Henry's Customs in Azusa, California. Henry also installed the in-car entertainment consisting of a Pioneer head unit with an in-dash TV, Infinity tweeters, 6 1/2 mids, two 6x9 speakers, and 12" woofers powered by Infinity amps and a Kenwood EQ. Custom billet steering wheel covered in complementary leather by Marco.
Suspension:One Bad Creation Car Club President, Cleto, installed the Hydraulic set up using two CCE pumps, 8" cylinders in the front, and 10" cylinders in the back, finishing it off with 4 dumps and 8 solenoids. Marco controls the set up with five switches. The frame was kept stock but was updated to support the hydraulic set up. 1" extended A-arms were also added to the Impala.
Wheels:14 x 7 Dayton 72 spoke wire wheels
Tires:5.60.14 Premium Sportway tires
