He’s Back, and He’s Badder Than Ever

Joe Samperisi’s ’61 Chevrolet Impala Bubbletop

When Joe Samperisi acquired this ’61 Chevrolet Impala, he knew he wanted to make some changes even before the money exchanged hands. Regardless of how much work has been done to a vehicle, a new owner will make changes to suit his or her taste. Sometimes these changes are subtle, but there are times when a new owner decides that a complete makeover is in order. Joe Samperisi’s ’61 Impala is no different. While a great deal of work had been done to the bubbletop, Samperisi felt that he could make some improvements. Judging from what we see, he made all the right moves.

Samperisi, a resident of Catskill, New York, was thumbing through a checkout-aisle auto sales publication when he saw a photo of the Impala. He admits that while it was not the greatest photo, he knew the car had some potential. However, the car was in Detroit, so Samperisi made a trip to the Motor City to see the Impala firsthand. After looking it over, he felt the work previously done to the car had been done correctly, so he arranged to buy the car. When he bought it, the two-door had already been considerably modified. It had a Pro Street rearend, it was powered by a 454 big block, and it had this fantastic PPG Porsche Red finish. Overall, it was quite a package. But what made it stand out even more was that the side trim was actually airbrushed on. It was so realistic that by standing a dozen feet away, it was difficult to determine if it was actual trim or paint.

Porsche Red Paint and Airbrushed Side Trim

Southpaw Motorsports in Toledo painted the car, including the bumpers, grille and airbrushed trim, to disguise the Chevy’s 43-year-old stock identity. R.E.W. Auto Body in Shelby Township, Michigan, receives credit for all of the bodywork completed before the car was painted. Al Bergler from Shelby, Michigan, made the inner fenderwells, fan shroud, the area behind the grille and the one-section under-hood piece from aluminum, and they were then finished in a contrasting body color.

468ci Big-Block Chevy Power

The big-block ’77 Chevy engine was bored 0.060-inch over to produce a displacement of 468 ci. Other engine modifications included a Comp Cams Competition Plus solid-lifter cam and rollers, a Chevy valvetrain, steel crankshaft, 11:1 pistons and stock rods that were reworked. Aspiration was provided by a Holley 930cfm carburetor atop an Edelbrock intake, and an MSD distributor provides the fire needed for this brute. Unwanted gasses exit quickly through Hedman headers and turbo mufflers. Backing up the engine is a GM Turbo 400 transmission with a TCI 3,000 stall-speed converter. In addition, TCI upgraded the valve body and installed a high-performance shift kit.

The interior was redone but was kept nearly original. The dashboard was finished in two-tone gray to match the color combination of velour and Naugahyde upholstery covering the original seats.

Pro Street Chassis and Suspension

Kreative Metal Works in Snover, Michigan, removed the X-frame and then boxed and reinforced the chassis, which negated the need for a two-piece driveshaft. A 9-inch Ford rearend with 3:73 gears and Detroit Locker traction control was combined with an Art Morrison ladder-bar setup to provide a good bite by the 33×21/15 Mickey Thompson rear tires. The ride was softened by QA1 Motorsports coilover shocks, and Strange axles were cut for the narrowed rear assembly. The front suspension was kept basically stock except for newer shocks and ECI disc brakes. The chassis, A-arms and suspension pieces were then painted to match the exterior. Rodlite wheels were 15×5-1/2 inches in front and 15×15 inches in back, the same way the car sat when it was unloaded in Samperisi’s driveway. A considerable amount of work had been done, but he felt the car needed finishing.

A Return to Hot Rodding

Samperisi is no stranger to hot rods, and he was eager to get busy. Twenty years earlier, he built a ’56 Chevy that appeared on the cover of Hot Rod magazine. He also had a custom ’51 Mercury, and his big-block-powered boat was featured in Hot Boat magazine.

Steering, Stance and Transmission Upgrades

He began by changing the stock-looking headlights to Euro tri-bar halogen bulbs. He thought that the car was too low in front, so he installed some 409 Chevy springs to make it sit at a higher level. He discovered that the car was hard to steer because of its weight, so he installed a GM 605 power steering box that connects to an ididit tilt steering column. Now, a new Grant leather-wrapped Collector’s Edition steering wheel handles the smoother turning. Wanting to improve the shifting, he turned to Pro-Built Transmissions in Poughkeepsie, New York, for a newer Turbo 400 and stall-speed converter, along with a heavy-duty trans cooler. A Hurst Pro-Matic shifter was selected for changing gears.

Next came a new driveshaft and universals, and Samperisi welded a driveshaft safety loop into the chassis. He also thought that the rearend needed some work, so he changed the coilover spring design so that the car would handle better. He also installed a Panhard bar, and so that the car would have even better steering control, he switched the front tires, opting for a larger size in Douglas 215/70/R15 rubber, and he replaced the big rollers in back with Douglas rubber as well.

Dual Edelbrock Carburetors and Custom Details

The intake and carburetor were removed and replaced with a pair of Edelbrock 600cfm Performer Series carburetors that are now mounted on a new Edelbrock intake. Other changes include an Accel HEI distributor, MSD ignition and a new Auto Meter tachometer mounted on the dash, while new Haneline instruments replaced the stock-looking gauges. The car was sent to Tint Wizard in Saratoga, New York, where tinted glass was installed to replace the original glass. Samperisi removed the clear backup lenses and replaced them with a red lens to give a different look to the back of the car, and to make them even brighter, he added halogen bulbs.

Interior Restoration and Finishing Touches

Because the front seat was broken, Samperisi took it to Deluxe Auto Interiors in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where the frame was replaced. He ordered all new interior trim pieces, door handles, window cranks and arm rest chrome from Late Great Chevys in Apopka, Florida. Let’s not forget some of the little odds and ends that needed to be done as well, such as finding a windshield wiper motor. Once he located a wiper motor in Montana, he then had to find all of the bushings and hardware for it. As Samperisi said, time-consuming things like finding a wiper motor are not usually seen and appreciated by people at car shows.

Making the Impala Bubbletop His Own

While it may sound good to buy a vehicle that has already been modified in order to save some time and money, no one realizes that it takes more time and money to make changes to suit your own taste. Samperisi spent about a year working on the car, and it felt good for him to be involved in the hot rodding hobby once again. Since the good old days of his ’56 Chevy and the Merc, work, family and other priorities were the main focus of his attention. But with the completion of this bubbletop, it’s clear that Samperisi is back in the scene, and he’s badder than ever.