Cruising "paradise" in style is an understatement for this pair of Timeless Classics C.C. members. During a recent visit to Hawaii, Jimmy Galam and Wilson Montemayor were ready to show us how they roll, along with the rest of their club. So off we went to the perfect location for a photo shoot. Along the way, the duo enjoyed a cruise along the famous beaches of Waikiki with Honolulu's Diamond Head as a backdrop.
We spotted the first car, Jimmy's '62 Chevy Impala convertible, at a local car show. Jimmy has owned a few rides, including a '64 Impala SS, before building the ragtop. He originally got into the '62 when he was seeking to start another project, this time a convertible (a hot commodity in Hawaii).
Remembering a few years before when a friend told him of a '62 Impala convertible for sale in Hilo on the "Big Island" of Hawaii (some 200 miles away from Oahu), Jimmy was on a mission to locate the ride. After going through a couple of connections, he found out that the car was sitting in the owner's body shop. "I made the call to the owner and asked if I could fly down to see the car," Jimmy remembers. "The owner said, 'Yes, but the car's in pieces.' That same week, Wilson (a fellow club member) and myself flew to Hilo."
Sure enough, the '62 was sitting in pieces and Jimmy wasn't too sure if he wanted to invest in the wreck, but then Wilson said, "If you're not going to buy it, I'm going to buy it." Jimmy immediately told the owner, "I'll take it!" "Being that the guy selling the car owned a body shop, Ron's Auto Body," Jimmy says, "I got him to paint the convertible in a fawn color before shipping the car back home to Oahu."
It's been about three years and counting for the "6Deuce" build. When Jimmy bought this Impala, he never thought that he would go through the complete car. Next up for this work in progress is to "chrome out" the engine and install a entirely new molded chrome suspension from Hoppo's.
The second car in our Honolulu duo is Wilson's '64 Impala convertible. This local lowrider has owned a few cars, including a '63 SS convertible, '64 Impala convertible and '65 SS hardtop, but this time around he wanted to try his luck with a '64 SS convertible. Unfortunately, when he started to add up the charges, it was going to cost him more to build it himself in Hawaii than it would to ship it over complete from the mainland.
Wilson decided to sell off all of his other cars and have this ride be built on the mainland. Wilson had heard that Black Magic Hydraulics in Las Vegas, Nevada, was the place to go if you needed hydraulics, so he called up Ron at Black Magic to see if he knew where there was a car to pick up. Ron told him to try his buddy Shaun Wilson. Shaun happened to have a '64 SS ragtop, but wasn't sure if he wanted to sell it. Shaun ultimately agreed to sell Wilson the car, but, as with Jimmy and his '62, Wilson was told that the car was in pieces.
Rather than ship a container full of parts to Hawaii, Wilson struck a deal with Ron at Black Magic, who agreed to put the car together and install one of his custom hydraulic setups. The car was completed within 10 months as the hardest parts of the build had already been done.
"Blue Magic" is now ready to hit the cruising scene on the beautiful island of Oahu at a moment's notice. The '64 has also helped Wilson fulfill his dream of being featured in LRM. We're happy to spotlight both of these two clean Hawaiian ragtops. Their appearance just goes to show that lowriders are still rolling in Hawaii. Aloha!