1964 Chevrolet Impala - On a Higher Level
Building her dream car
MotorTrend StaffWriter
1964 Chevrolet Impala - On a Higher Level
Building her dream car
MotorTrend StaffWriter
Lucrecia Salazar's story reads like a novel. She met her now-husband Joe in high school and the two became inseparable best friends. But upon graduating, things changed and they went their separate ways ... but Lucrecia never stopped thinking about him.
Some 13 years later, her phone rang and as fate would have it, the caller on the other end was Joe. Even more interesting to mention is that this all went down pre Internet and he found her number in the phone book. Needless to say, the two reunited, had a child, and have been together since.
Being that Joe is an avid lowrider enthusiast, she was constantly around the scene, and soon enough she too became intrigued and interested in the lifestyle. As Joe was building his custom rides, she quietly watched and observed, but one day she finally let him know that her dream car was the 1964 Impala. She loved the bodylines, the style, and the notoriety of the vehicle, and her heart was set on one day owning one. Sometime later one of their friends spotted a rusted, beat up 1964 Impala at a yard sale, so they called Joe and Lucrecia to let them know and within moments they were at the house hauling it off.
The first step with the 1964 was getting her up and running. Joe went straight to work rebuilding the motor for prepping for the mean streets of Denver. The next step was the bodywork. The labor-intensive task of removing the rust and fixing all the panels was grueling, but once the body was straightened the paint was added, along with custom murals, pinstriping, and as much metalflake as possible. The final step in this build was giving the new lowrider the accustomed look by adding a full Black Magic hydraulic setup.
With family being their main priority, and coming second to Lucrecia's Impala build, she felt it would be a great introduction for her 13-year-old daughter Jael Angel—who has already said that she'd like to own a 1963 Impala. In light of her interest, the family came together and decided to build her a Selena-inspired bicycle that will be featured in a future issue, and a build that should be incredible when you consider her upbringing. With Joe being a longtime member of Denver Car Club, and Lucrecia completing her own lowrider, we're sure that their daughter will earn her stripes in no time.
1964 Chevy Impala
Vehicle Nickname
La Chingona '64
Owner
Lucrecia Salazar
City/State
Denver, CO
Club Affiliation
Denver
Body/Paint
Charcoal gray basecoat with silver topcoat mixed with purple, magenta pearl, marble and patterns; multicolored metal flake, airbrushed flowers, pinstripe jams, trunk, hood, roof, and axle all done by Nick Ralston 43k; trunk mural by Pedro; relocated rear antenna, frenched and molded rear dual antennas; continental kit; recessed headlights; and chrome Billet grille
Engine
Motor done by Joe Salazar, Chevy 350, turbo 350 transmission, chrome headers, ball-milled Billet chrome valve covers and air cleaner, polished Edelbrock intake manifold, four-barrel carburetor, custom dual exhaust, two 36-inch glasspacks by Chuck in Denver
Suspension
Black Magic four-pump setup, six batteries, Y-bone by Lowlife Hydraulics, removed banana clip, and panhard bar
Interior
Original white leather, interior kit from Hubbards Impala Parts, painted/pinstriped front and rear dashboards
Sound SystemKenwood head unit, Alpine components
Wheels/Tires
13x7 72-spoke Dayton Wire Wheels, embedded Dayton logo, 155/80R13 Travelstar
