96 Impala SS | lowering the daily

[rice4life]

I still find it hard to believe that such a massive car is made of such thin metal.

Glad the interior is getting an overhaul. Maybe you should name the car Buttons because you found that random ass button in it.

[SuperSport]

I still find it hard to believe that such a massive car is made of such thin metal.

Glad the interior is getting an overhaul. Maybe you should name the car Buttons because you found that random ass button in it.

lol i was thinking "panSScraper" but i'm not near as low as some of these guys

[Wyatt Lay]

This thing is awesome, I dont even know what to say, but feel obligated to say something. gahhhahahhahahauhh

[SuperSport]

^hahaha thanks man!

[SuperSport]

Well, I finally got the materials I need to start the restore!

The first step was to scrub all the oxidation and nasty marks off the dash with Simple Green. After that I'd make sure all contaminants were off with rubbing alcohol. Finally, paint! SEM Medium Gray Flex coat.


The first two steps cleaned up the dash panels a lot more then I thought.


Panels before spray (hard to see the discoloration in photos)




Panels after spraying... One thing I discovered about SEM paint is that it covers up a lot of mistakes. I know I didn't neccesarily spray the entire dash evenly, and there were some blotches but after it dried, it looked perfect.




The final result!




Many more interior panels to come soon...

[SuperSport]

I ordered some more cans of SEM paint for the plastic panels, but in the meantime I thought i'd work on the armrests and center console, which are more of a soft leather material. I also did a little customization.

First things first! I bought a black fabric permanent marker.


I then used it to change the stitching on the front and rear seats. Here's the before and after shots










Once I was done, I decided to go ahead and paint the armrests and centerconsole.



Putting them back in the car kinda drives the point home that I need to continue restoring this interior... the rest is nasty looking!



More to come soon...

[benz88]

Nice car! my buddy has one like it. He's lowered with Hotchkis goodies and has all the suspension arms from them.

[rice4life]

That steering wheels looks well worn. Maybe a different wheel will update the interior and also improve turning response.

[Z.Cockburn]

Did you Try a leather cleaner/restorer on the seats? might help the colour.

Looks like that car was heavily smoked in.

I don't think you will be able to get the GM old school boatness feel out of that car, is built into them. The trick is not to try to fight it, but just embrace it's boaty goodness.

Glad to see these cars getting some love.

[SuperSport]

Nice car! my buddy has one like it. He's lowered with Hotchkis goodies and has all the suspension arms from them.

I would love to have hotchkis parts on my ride but they're so expensive!

That steering wheels looks well worn. Maybe a different wheel will update the interior and also improve turning response.

Right now the plan is to get a two tone black and gray steering wheel wrap and then i'll respray the airbag part of the wheel, just to get the color back.

Did you Try a leather cleaner/restorer on the seats? might help the colour.

Looks like that car was heavily smoked in.

I don't think you will be able to get the GM old school boatness feel out of that car, is built into them. The trick is not to try to fight it, but just embrace it's boaty goodness.

Glad to see these cars getting some love.

I haven't tried anything for the seats yet, haven't been able to get that far. Is there a particular brand you'd reccomend? The car itself has never been smoked in before, it's just worn down. And the boatness is basically gone lmao i smashed my friends z camaro at an autox last season and took down a bunch of c5 corvettes as well.

[los02]

I have a buddy that had tan carpet that looked like yours. He used some stuff called HOT SHOT and put in some elbow grease with a brush. I saw it a few days later and it looked like he had bought new carpet.

I think you can get it at Home Depot.

[SuperSport]

I have a buddy that had tan carpet that looked like yours. He used some stuff called HOT SHOT and put in some elbow grease with a brush. I saw it a few days later and it looked like he had bought new carpet.

I think you can get it at Home Depot.

Thanks i'll check it out! Although i have a feeling that mine is REALLY dirty since you think it's tan and it's really gray lol

[los02]

I know yours is grey. I was referring to the stains and such were similar. So yours could be ressurected like his.

[white out]

If you don't care about losing the airbag, a steering wheel from a turbo Buick (T-Type/GN/TurboT) would look good.

[SuperSport]

I know yours is grey. I was referring to the stains and such were similar. So yours could be ressurected like his.

Ooh ok well yea hopefully i can get it back into shape

If you don't care about losing the airbag, a steering wheel from a turbo Buick (T-Type/GN/TurboT) would look good.

I would love to have a slightly smaller custom steering wheel, but until I get another car for a DD the airbag is gonna stay in