Stone Cold

There's something about the attraction of a lowrider that makes people from the hood to the barrio gravitate towards them. That something digs to the core of the street. In every neighborhood, people relate to these cars on a level that's both subliminal and outwardly decadent. Lowriders are often looked upon as the "bad boys" of the automotive world; outlaws representing their hood.

Tony Mitchell was drawn to lowriders about 10 years or so ago and built a '62 Chevy Impala hardtop for his first car. The car took on a life of its own after being featured in Young Hog videos and gracing magazine covers. When Tony sold the car to some overseas enthusiasts, the seed money for his next three projects was well in hand. Apparently, Tony is like many of us who complicate our lives by having simultaneous projects going. This '60 Impala convertible was four years and many dollars in the making, completing a third of the trilogy.

Tony came across this car while looking for parts for his '67 Impala. A guy named Dennis was selling Impala parts, and during their conversation, Tony mentioned that he was looking for a '59 or '60 Impala. Dennis referred Tony to Dan, and upon arrival, was shown what really wound up being just a shell. Not one to be easily scared away from a project, Tony wanted to do a frame-off restoration anyway, so the car was picked up and the work began.

G's Autobody started the transformation into the car that you see here. The perfectly straight body and naturally long lines of the car give it that floating on water type of feel. The frame was sandblasted and powdercoated along with the underbelly. Then great care was taken to mold the underbelly along with the firewall. The brakes received a well-deserved upgrade to a set of slotted discs and the rebuilt 350 makes sure that the brakes get put to good use.

The double whammy setup gets the '60 digging up the pavement and looking like something out of the movie American Me. When it's all said and done, it's "Stone Cold," chillin' it out on the hottest of Summer nights and coming soon to a hood near you.

Tech SpecsStone ColdOwner: Tony Mitchell

Vehicle: '60 Chevrolet Impala convertible

City/State: Los Angeles, California

Club: Damu Riders C.C

Engine/Drivetrain: "Big Man" at Bowtie Connection in Artesia, California, equipped the stock 350-c.i.d. engine with serpentine pulleys, Edelbrock manifold, ceramic-coated stainless steel exhaust and Flowmaster mufflers.

Body/Paint: Nothing is more classic than silver paint and this beauty is covered in the elegant color. Stone Cold leaves them all with a chill when they look down the side of the body and see nothing but smooth sailing. The bodywork and paint was performed by Greg and crew at G's Autobody in Long Beach, California.

Interior: The interior is a custom kit for the '60 Impala and was installed by Den at Supreme Upholstery in Inglewood, California. The silver vinyl and charcoal gray, silver and off-white cloth inserts are a smooth complement to the silver and charcoal gray cloth top.

Sound System: An Alpine head unit and EQ in a specially built pod underneath the dash control the signal. Two JL Audio amps located in the trunk power up the 511/44-inch component set in fiberglass kick panels. "Feedo" at California Car Sounds in Culver City, California, made the install a clean affair.

Setup: It's a clean affair with Stone Cold and the setup continues in that vein with a double whammy pump for starters. The square dumps and hard-lines get powered by the multiple battery setup. The setup was installed at Homies Hydraulics in Paramount, California.

Tires: P155/80-R13 all-season radial

Wheels: 13x7 L.A. Wire