Ray Evernham And Axalta To Completely Restore 1958 Chevy Impala From Film ‘American Graffiti’
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Ray Evernham’s passion for cars began with the 1958 Chevrolet Impala from the movie titled American Graffiti. The former NASCAR champion crew chief/TV host had been following the car for quite some time now, and has finally acquired it. His next feat is to give it a full restoration and then to preserve it.
“When I was a teenager growing up in New Jersey, this car represented everything that was cool about America’s car culture – independence, coming of age, freedom and enjoying your life with your buddies,” said Evernham. “This car has been on my dream list forever. To now own it and lead the preservation of this incredible piece of American history is truly an honor. To me, it’s like preserving the ‘Mona Lisa’.”
Evernham is teaming up with Axalta Coating Systems, sponsor of NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr., to restore the Impala. The match-up is quite favorable, as it Axalta is a leader in the coating systems industry (read: a paint specialist). With the Cromax and ChromaPremier products, the Impala’s white paint and red striping will look as good as new.
“To save this car for future generations, we have to go back 42 years to its original movie condition,” noted Evernham. “It really is a forensic preservation. We have to completely take it apart, catalog every piece and then repair those pieces. Every piece of chrome will be straightened and re-chromed. The emblems will be re-chromed as well. The nuts and bolts will be re-plated. The interior has been entirely disassembled, cleaned and will be reinstalled. Everything we took off is going back on the car. Even the rear tires are original.”
The Impala will be unveiled at the 2016 SEMA convention in Las Vegas starting on November 1, and the restoration will be featured in the next season of “AmeriCarna” on Velocity. After that, Evernham plans to take it to a whole range of auto shows around the U.S. of A.
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Should not be too difficult of a restore. The car is pretty much un restored for the most part and the original engine that was in it from the movie was put back in by the daughter of the original owner that bought it after the movie was filmed and before it was in the theaters.
He cruised it past the theater when the movie came out.
I was pleased to know the car was pretty much unmolested. The Millner coupe is still in good shape and last I saw was in San Fran.
The black 55 was in Jersey and was messed up by the owner. He has turned down big money for it. The guy who owns the coupe is having the son of the guy who originally built the 55 for Two Lane Black Top build him a clone.
The 49 Merc was in poor condition at a body shop but at last report it was going to be restored.
The T bird was last I saw still owned by the same family who owned it when it was loaned to the movie. I had two of the cast from AG with me when I worked Hot August Nights a few years ago and the car was there with the original owners in prime condition.
It would be great to see all these cars back together one more time. Ray is the kind of guy who might be able to pull it off!.
Good news; glad that the car is being restored. I have always thought that the ’58 ‘One Year Only” style was great, and over shadowed by both the ’57 and the much more ‘in your face’ of the 59.
I had a magnificent Rangoon Red ’58 Pontiac Chieftain tri-power convert in 1958 thru 1961, until I traded it in for a black 1961 4 speed Impala 409 convert (with Atlas Bucrons, Sun tach, plumbers pipes, etc). I now find that those one-year-only 1958 GM models are extremely rare and most desireable–especially when compared to their garish 1959 successors–wish I still had that ’58—but probably recycled into paper clips and thumbtacks by now !!! DMD