El Patrn, is known to many as the saint, the ruler, the lord of the land. The term carries many different meanings, connotations, and references. But for Joe Esparza of El Paso, Texas, it has only one definition; his 1959 Chevy Impala. Living up to such a lofty nickname would be a difficult task for any automobile, but when Joe laid his eyes on this classic beauty, he knew it could carry the weight. Starting from a partially built chassis in California, Joe took on the challenge of making the car his own by adding his own style and personality to carve out a big body masterpiece. Over two years in the making, Joe poured blood, sweat, and tears into the machine that would eventually become known as El Patrn, a one-of-a-kind representation of Texas' finest.
This 1959 Impala was originally a frame-off restoration built by John Kennedy's Bowtie Connection in Artesia, CA. The clean '59 hardtop had minor body work to be done, but was a solid starter car with a great foundation to work with. From top to bottom, Kennedy's crew took inventory of every square inch of the body, restoring every single bolt and screw in a process that would take over a year and a half. Once the frame was off the car, the body was put on a rotisserie stand which allowed the car to be turned sideways so the floorboards could be rebuilt. This process allowed the Bowtie crew the advantage of cleaning up the under belly of the car without the headaches that come from traditionally working underneath the frame.
With progress already underway in refurbishing the body, the frame was shipped out to Homies Hydraulics of Paramount, CA, who took on the task of providing a full-frame reinforcement on the fragile original. The guys at Homies used a bead-welding technique to fully anchor the frame, leaving every piece of it fully reinforced and tough as nails. They used a grinder to smooth out the frame for paint preparation, then shipped it so that it could be powder-coated to match the fern green exterior of the car. This also allowed time for Anthony from Homies to design a custom pump for the heavyweight, finned-out Impala. As he was designing the hydraulic system, Anthony also coordinated with Gordo of 562 Customs to begin work on a matching trunk interior and JL Audio sound system that would complement the materials he was already using in the car. The full JL Audio system consisted of two 10-inch W6 JL subwoofers and amplifiers that power up the JL midrange speakers, giving El Patrn a thunderous voice to match its soon-to-be powerful look.
Since the suspension and hydraulics of the car were already receiving the attention they needed, Kennedy sent the exterior of the car to Bowtie's paint shop to get the car ready for its cosmetic facelift. After a month of prep work, the Impala was sprayed in a two-stage paintjob. The car was sanded and buffed and given an elegant fern green finish that gave the car a classy look. Now that the exterior of "El Patrn" was beginning to take shape, it became time to go under the hood and build the engine to give the car its muscle and spirit.
Taking no chances, the Bowtie crew purchased a GM Performance crate engine that would be sure to provide the power the big body would need to rumble through the desert streets of El Paso, Texas. This engine was dressed up with street and performance components that included a serpentine kit, valve covers, breathers and air cleaner. The crew also used an Edelbrock Endura Shine intake and carburetor combination to finish the motor off. Since the car had such a high volume of chrome, a Matson Radiator with dual Spal electric fans was added in order to keep this bad boy cool during its performance in the hot Texas summers. Other goodies put inside the engine compartment included a Pertronix distributor as well as an ABS braking system so the crew from Bowtie could modernize the car, making it more practical and ready to drive.