After careful consideration, he decided to take the entire car apart once again, and this time, he prepared the frame and painted it as well. Adrian and Sal worked for two weeks straight, and they molded the hood, trunk, firewall, and dash. As if that was not enough, they decided to mold the headliner; a difficult task considering that they had to do everything upside down! They also hooked up the trunk of the car by building custom molded woofer and wheel housings too. At the close of the two-week build, Sal got back to painting custom graphics under the hood, which flow into the front dash and travel to the headliner, reverting into the back dash and then into the trunk and trunk lid.
The “Magnificent ‘62” was refinished in time for the LRM Vegas Super Show in 2010, where it got the attention of many car builders, even though it was built in Adrian’s back yard! While proud of his work, Adrian cannot expresses enough the fact, that if not for his wife Raquel, two daughters Amor and Gloria, his son Adrian, God, and especially Sal Manzanado and the Goodtimes Car Club Family, he would have never been able to build this amazing and “Magnificent ’62.”
Tech Specs
“Magnificent ‘62”
Owner: Adrian Escalante
City/State: Chula Vista, California
Vehicle: 1962 Chevy Impala SS
Club: Goodtimes Car Club San Diego, California Chapter
Engine/Drivetrain: Powerglide with a custom built 350 with plenty of show and shine. Chrome flex hoses, hard lines, Edelbrock dress up kit and valve covers, with a polished carburetor and Intake manifold along with a custom painted air filter. The fan cover and wheel wells were also custom painted with graphics to match the exterior.
Body/Paint: Molded hood, trunk, headliner, firewall, and dash. The car was painted with Candys, flakes, and pearls, with graphics running throughout the entire car.
Interior: Custom-made center console painted to match the car. Dakota Digital Dash reupholstered with multicolor suede and ostrich skin. The paint graphics run through the car from the dash to the headliner, then down the rear package tray.
Sound System: Mario Mendoza from National City installed an Alpine Head unit with Alpine Amp’s, 6X9’s, and Rockford Fosgate woofers.
Setup: The airbag set up was already on the Impala when it was purchased. It was then taken off and replaced by Chalo Mercado at Street Fame in San Diego, CA. Four switches control the Impala’s movements.
Wheels: Powder coated 13-inch Wire Wheels with custom painted Knock Off’s.
Tires: 13-inch Cocker 5.20’s.