1960 Biscayne
 

I like all the older big Chevy's and when across a good deal on this one, I couldn't pass it up. Although my wife seems to think I should've but that's another story.

I'm not sure yet what's in store for her. She's remarkably original, has a six cylinder / three speed. I'll probably keep the mods limited to bolt-ons, like new shoes at first.

If anyone has leads on where to find parts or decent forums, let me know. It would be great to find a resource like this one.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Very nice, those have so much style. I really want one, although my wife would probably make me sleep in it too.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

I like Ecklers for full size chevy parts.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

I think impalas.net is the web site to go to...

There's a long thread on there about an full size 63/64 convertible that got an amazing amount of work.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

That is beautiful as is.
"I'll probably keep the mods limited" Good call!
I have one of those caps in my shop(to stay for ever:chevy:)

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

The trunks on these rascal are huge. Plenty of sleeping room. :mm:

Thanks for the leads guys.
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Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Nice! Keep it as is, that's a peach!

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Very Nice .. I wouldn't change a thing....

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Just beautiful! I'm subscribed.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

That car is freakin awesome.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Here's a pic of the trunk. Some of you are probably old enough to remember sneaking half a dozen friends into the drive-in.

Also a few pics of the engine compartment. As you can see, it's pretty much the way it left the factory. And a pic of the interior too. I've always been real fond of the dashes in the 59-60's.

Thanks for all the compliments guys. This one is going to be fun to see where it wants to go.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

what a sweet car! 60 Chevys are my absolute favorite.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

wow thats a nice ride!!!

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Spent the Labor Day weekend making a 1800 mile round trip to Wyoming and back to Oklahoma to pick up Miss Daisy. Gawd, what a gorgeous place where she lived - on a ranch with sweeping views of the Rockies.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a1...D720/ry%3D480/

Got back this morning and gave her a thorough going over and I'm quite pleased with her condition. The floors and trunk pan are rock solid. According to the owners manual, the 232 CI 6 was rated at 110 horsepower. I can tell you, she's quite leisurely in her pace. She has that great old car smell too. What a step back in time!

She just needs a good detailing and weatherstrip for the trunk. The gaps in the panels are real good. The doors close with a solid thunk. For being 51, she's in real good shape!

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Beautiful car!

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

I started the clean up process a bit - starting with the trunk. I purchased new weatherstrip and a mat. When I pulled out the old carpet and cardboard inserts, there was mouse bedding everywhere, and three of the dead rascals still in there. I got the wetvac out and got as much as I could, then cleaned the living crap out of it with Simple Green and then flushed with clean water.

Here's how the floor looked. Just surface rust, not a single pin hole in it.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a1...D720/ry%3D480/

Here's how it looked after scrubbing it with CLR...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a1...D720/ry%3D480/

Sorry for the crappy pic, but you can still tell there was a huge difference.

Next I sprayed rust converter on it, just to make sure it doesn't have a chance to get worse...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a1...D720/ry%3D480/

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

nice car. For parts Ecklers is a good one.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

That thing is beautiful; amazing find/save!

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Very nice!

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Thanks for the compliments guys!

Today I ordered up some shocks and a complete tuneup kit. Surprisingly my local O'Really's? didn't have the parts in stock, so I will get after it tomorrow.

The first few miles I drove the car, it seemed to be just fine, but now I can't keep it running at idle. I checked the plugs and the fuel filter and they seem fine, but I'm going to replace it all anyway. Not sure what's going on but if it keeps up, this may be what it takes for me to pitch the I6 for something else. Could be a case of bad gas - it's been sitting a looooong time.

I have to tell you though, this is the first time I've actually been tempted to keep a car the way it came from the factory. I bought it because I've always loved the big finned Chevy's and thought it would be fun to rod one up, but this one is so nice I feel guilty even thinking about it.

There's a 60 Impala for sale on evilBay right now that originally was a 348 car but now has an I6 in it. I'd have no qualms about making a boat anchor out of that six, but this car has the matching numbers drive train in it. D@mn. Love the originality of this thing, but you time 0-60 with a sundial. Man, would this be cool with an LS3 in it?

Hey, great cruiser though.

Plenty of time to decide. I've got two other projects that I really need to finish first anyway.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

With a car that original and in that kind of condition -- I would keep it original but hey man, it's your ride so if you want to go all Jay Leno on it and put in a 502 I'm not going to make a fuss! lol

Wyoming is awesome in the summer but you need butane powered underwear to keep your cheerfull demeanor in the winter. It's dry as all get out though which is part of why that old gal looks so sweet. :)

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Holley put an LS in their shop truck project and went to great lengths to disguise it as a carb'd bbc. I wonder if you could make an LS look like a W-motor?

Edit: Here's a thread with a pic of the engine, in case you haven't seen it: link

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

I like the way you think - that would be way cool!

Today I did a complete tuneup on it. New dist cap, rotor, plugs and points. She's much happier now. I figure she'll get better with a bunch of fresh gas and another dose of Seafoam.

I took her on a 40 mile drive today, most of it highway. She has a wind assisted top speed of 80 mph. She's pretty happy cruising at 65-70. The choke needs to be adjusted - the transition from cold to warm is not smooth. Probably is gummed up a bit.

Here's a funny story about the radio. I turned it on and I heard a crackle on the radio, then nothing. Turned it back off and started doing other stuff. Came back and was cleaning the dash and knobs and I turned it on by accident - and after about 20 seconds it started to work!

And the dadgum cigarette lighter still works too!

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Beautiful ride! Nice choice.
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Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

A belated thanks, BMF!

Beautiful weather means its time to get after freshening up the old gal. Completely detailing the engine compartment, trunk, and putting new carpet in. Technically, she's only supposed to have rubber mats, but what the heck, right? Someone can put mats in it later on if they want.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a1...D720/ry%3D480/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a1...D720/ry%3D480/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a1...D720/ry%3D480/

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

What's the process you're going through in detailing under the hood?

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

It's pretty easy, given how clean the rascal was when I got it.
Used several cans of Gunk and then power washed it. Then I removed all the accessories off the engine and painted them satin black. R&R all hoses and clamps. Took the radiator out and had a small hole welded up and flushed it, painted. Re-taped all harnesses. Primed and painted engine, firewall and inner fenders.
Bought a new battery tray.
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Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

She's really looking good all freshened up!

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Heres a pic. of my old original paint 60 Biscayne with 30,000 miles rockin' the Blue flame six and a three on the tree!

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Awesome! Let's see the BF6!
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Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

All stock except Pertronix ignition. This car ran and drove like a brand new car! I had a LS2 and T56 sitting in the garage and just couldn't bring myself to do the deed.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Great car and great thread! I have a 65 impala SS and am part of impalas.net, which is a great resource. As you know, Year One, Classic Industries, Impala Bobs, and a few others have almost everything you could want for your car. (I say almost because there are always exceptions!)
I look forward to seeing what you do with this car! Perfect as it, but so much potential if/when you change anything!

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

I'm on a mobile device so I can't post pics right now, but you can look at page 1 of this thread to see what I mean, but there are a few differences in your car and mine that I'm curious about. My seat covers are different and I'm sure yours are the way they should be. My steering wheel is different. It's not the Impala wheel, but it does have a horn ring which yours does not. The upper door frames that surround the windows on mine are painted the same color as the roof, where yours are the same as the body color. I suspect yours is correct since it's original paint and mine has been repainted once.

Yours has a Blue Flame 6 decal on the valve cover, which I thought mine should have, but when I went to Ecklers, the catalog says High Thrift Six. It looks like your engine compartment has been freshened up since the inner fenders have a gloss to them. Do you know for sure if the BF6 is stock or not?

Whats the info on your tires and wheels and suspension? Your car looks fantastic with them.

I know exactly what you mean about hesitating to put an LS engine in there - it would be cool, no doubt, but on the other hand these cars have made it all these years without getting messed with, so I hate to be the first to do it. I bought the car with the intention of modifying it, but it turned out to be so much nicer than I anticipated.

Thanks for the info on your car - it's great to hook up with someone that has one in such great original shape.
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Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Hey Nicke, thanks for the list of sources. This is the fun part of getting a different kind of car - tracking down all the sources and learning about them. I didn't get my first 67-72 truck until a couple of years ago and ran across this site doing research. This place has been a real treasure trove of info, and now it even is a great source for these cars too.
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Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

I agree! Let me know if you ever need help tracking down a part. I bought my impala when I was 16, and have learned of quite a bit of "unpublished" sources for parts over the years, especially near me. Happy to help if needed!

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

My motor was bone stock including the valve cover Blue Flame stencil. The inner fenders were repainted but everything else was OG. I detailed the engine bay on a 61 Bel Air with a Blue Flame and used a decal i bought off ebay and original color engine paint from Hersh and it came out great. If you decide to put original seat covers or interior i would use Cars Inc. they are probably the best and most accurate on the market. I deal with Hubbards, Impala Bobs for alot of nick nacks. I bagged this car along with 13" CPP front discs and dropped spindles. The first pic was with 20x8 1/2's in front and a 245/35/20 Nitto 555 and a 20x10 out back with a 275/35/20. After looking at the car for a while i changed to a 18x8 Front wheel and a 225/40/18 tire...which i like the staggered look alot better! The great thing about the 58-64 big Chevs is they are so easy to bag on the cheap and they ride super! Thats why i'm allways looking for more of them since i can't seem to find a 67-68 short wide!!:lol: I dont want to keep posting my junk in your thread...but heres a pic. with the 18's on the front. PM me if you have questions or if i can help.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Feel free to post all you want on this thread - maybe it will help the next guy that comes along.

Did you have to modify or swap the a-arms to install the bags?

I found another web site that has some interesting tidbits, like VIN and trim taf decoding, colors, etc - www.60impala.com

After looking at that site, I think your steering wheel is correct for the Biscayne, and mine came off a Bel-Air.

Do you happen to have the backspace info handy on your rims?

Thanks!

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

Looks like another super sweet project Steve! Subscribed and looking forward to seeing in person.

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

You guys are killin me with these super sweet rides....

Re: 1960 Biscayne
 

crawdadfox, that thing is dead sexy.