Classic/Antique Car Repair/1962 impala restor.

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Expert: Paul Wilczynski - 2/27/2009


Question
would a 350 motor fit with a 700r4 tranny?
into the 62.And if so .
what would i have to change out?

Answer
Hey, Tony:

Such simple questions often lead to book-length answers!

But I'll keep this one short and general, and give you two links at the end that will give you answers in much more detail.

First off, if it's a Chevrolet 350, and not one from another GM division, the 700R4 will be a direct bolt-up. Otherwise, you'll need an aftermarket adapter plate.

The Chevy Powerglide and manual trannies that would have been stock in the '62 are the same length as the 700R4, although you may have to relocate the rear crossmember. The output spline on all the trannies are 27-tooth, so your front yoke will slip right in. The 156-tooth flexplate which was used with the PG will fit the 700R4, but the 700 uses metric attachment bolts for the plate.

The 700 uses a cable-actuated throttle body (not vacuum, like the PG), and you'll have to procure and wire a lockup switch for the torque converter. There is an adjustable length throttle valve cable available; I'd use it because the length of the cable is critical to proper operation of the transmission.

For all sorts of addtional details on this swap, see these handy links, courtesy of Hemmings:

http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2008/11/01/hmn_feature21.html

http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2005/07/01/hmn_feature18.html

As you can imagine the parts list for this swap is rather long, but it's all little stuff and a bit of ingenuity and patience should give you a nicely-engineered, sweet-performing swap.

I love '62s, and had a nice Candy Apple Red SS back in the mid-'80s.

Good luck!

--Paul

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Paul Wilczynski

Expertise

Most questions involving vintage car restoration, mechanical and body, paint and upholstery. Parts sourcing. Extensive experience in wood-bodied station wagons, British and French cars of the '40s through '70s. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, Citroen Maserati, VW Beetle, 1955-65 Chevrolet (especially Nomad station wagons), Corvair.

Experience

Wide-ranging and long-term. I owned a restoration shop in the 1970s, continue to dabble in vintage exotics. At one time, had a seven-car collection of contemporary exotics which I had restored and maintained myself. When I was 18 years old, I designed a woodie kit for the VW Beetle, which I developed into a product which was featured on television and in over 100 magazines and 25 books at last count. I still own and drive one of my creations. I owned a design and fabrication consultancy from 1982-2002, specializing in show car fabrication for manufacturers including Ford, Mazda, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc. Since 2003, I have been a department manager in Industrial Design, and a full-time instructor in automotive design and fabrication at the university level. My students go on to design automobiles as staff designers for major auto manufacturers worldwide.

Organizations
Western Automotive Journalists, Industrial Design Society of America.

Publications
Long list of magazines and books, including Playboy, VW Trends, VW Greats, Hot VWs, and European automotive magazines.

Education/Credentials
I teach design and fabrication at university level. My education is in Industrial Design, University of Illinois (1966-1970).

Awards and Honors
Many awards for restorations in local concours and shows.

Past/Present Clients
Mazda, Ford, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Mercedes, Porsche.

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