Every custom car owner's biggest fear, aside from "baby mama drama," has to be having their ride stolen away from them. Chris Heatley of Olympia, Washington, almost had that dreaded experience come true when thieves attempted to coolly lift his very nice "Ice House" '63 Chevy Impala. Luckily for Chris, due to the rear of the car being lifted too high and the driveshaft breaking, the would-be robbers were unsuccessful. This was a good thing for Chris, because after spending thousands of dollars and eight years of his life on the car, he wouldn't have been too happy.
Chris, a professional painter and member of Royal Image C.C., rebuilt the '63 Impala from the ground up. He started with the paint and body, which was finished at S.I. Customs. They sprayed out a few red patterns on the side of the car under nice "burple" House of Kolor paint. S.I. also handled the hydraulics with a high-hopping, low-cruising setup to keep things bouncing along. "Taz Roc" then laid down a magnificent mural to finish things off.Chris wanted to stay nice and comfortable in the driver's seat, so a new interior was just what the doctor ordered next for Ice House. Kevin Evans installed the new interior in his own backyard, stitching up new seats and even installing new door panels. Exotic Upholstery put on the top. Bowtie Performance cranked out the 350 under the hood with lots of chrome goodies and even a performance manifold.
Trials and tribulations gave Chris a run for his money, but in the end, he had a true lowrider testimony. He was also truly rewarded with many car show winnings, including at Lowrider's very own Portland, Oregon, Tour stop (where it's frequently seen next to Travis Pfaff's 2002 Lincoln Town Car, another ride maintaining the Royal Image). A few thieves thought that they could make a quick buck selling this ride "hot" on the street, but it was Chris who made out in the end by keeping his cool.
Ice House
Owner: Chris Heatley
Vehicle: '63 Chevrolet Impala convertible
City/State: Olympia, Washington
Club: Royal Image C.C.
Engine/Drivetrain: Bowtie Performance in Sumner, Washington, busted out the finely tuned engine. They added chrome valve covers and air filter, performance intake manifold, and a slew of other goodies for the stock 350.
Body/Paint: Olympia, Washington's own S.I. Customs handled the paint job, starting with smoothing out all of the dings and dents in the body. House of Kolor "burple" paint was sprayed with red patterns laid underneath. "Taz Roc" laid down a magnificent mural to finish things off.
Interior: Kevin Evans installed the interior, giving it a new feel but with the OG look. Jaime at Exotic Upholstery in Olympia stitched up a new top and added a Plexiglas rear window.
Sound System: Chris installed an Alpine head unit along with Infinity speakers.
Setup: S.I. Customs was called on again to handle some suspension work that could really rock the house. Two More Bounce pumps were connected to 6-inch cylinders up front and 12-inch cylinders out back. Eight batteries power everything, and control is provided by five switches located on the dash.
Tires: P155/80-R13 Remington
Wheels: 13x7 Crown