Barn Find Impala with 39000 miles.

Thomas Jonsson resides in Hudiksvall Sweden. At first glance, you never know what someone may have hidden in their basement, In Thomas’s case he’s got the making of a pretty cool little collection, and to say the least the last edition in my opinion is the icing on the cake! by Lars Krantz . Translation Stefan Blautzik

August, the warmest part of a swede’s year. A time of year where warm air sweeps the Swedish countryside, it warms and moves the deep blue water of the creaks. Fish fully awake, the beautiful Swedish flowers being moved like a wave by the wind.

The countryside speaks the same story from past childhood memories. The smell, the feel of a swedish august day blowing through the Windows of a 1958 Impala. The sound of the tires rolling across an old country roads pavement, the settle roar of the V8 echoing across the country side. A moment that will forever remain in time,  a rolling Time Machine that repaints your memories as if the car left the swedish country roads and cruised through your minds memory lane.

Click pics

As a young boy Thomas glides through these same roads, maturing with every turn. Life passing by just as the wind passing through the open cab of the 58. A wind that remained off the lines of this classic since 1970. The young 58 Chevy only saw 39,000 miles and at age 12 was forgotten for 43 years.

Locked away like a princess in a dungeon, the 58 lives a life of solitude. Stowed away and forgotten in a texas barn, removed from the cancerous texas sun, lying dormant till it’s owners passing in 2013.

Thomas Jonsson missed a low milage buy in the past. With an opportunity of a lifetime he wasn’t dumb enough to make the same mistake again.

Nina from Järudds called and this time he capitalized on the opportunity.

Just over the first couple of words exchanged over the phone he was already decided. The car, matching numbers, untouched, and had a 348ci(Chevys first big Block). Spoiled with options it came with a power brakes, power steering,  A/C, and of course a power antenna. The 58 still sat on old Bias Ply’s! The bad news was that the garage had been humid, nevertheless still a rust free car. The owner also took the vin plate off and the distributor cap to avoid theft. Regardless, still a chance of a lifetime buy!

5,000 dollars later he was now the owner of this untouched Chevy…Stop banging your heads against your work table Vise, just having a little fun! In reality, the estate handling the owners death did their homework. They knew what they had and they knew what they wanted. Breaking open his piggybank, and a wire over the Atlantic he got the car!

“Hows it feel Thomas”

“There were no surprises. I’ve purchased cars in the past and I have built a trusting relationship so I knew what I was getting” Thomas says. Sitting on his sofa wearing a satisfied grin on his face while his cat nonchalantly jumps off the couch and strengthen her legs .

A country home that hasn’t been poisoned from modern societies spoils. TV and radio are off and life is brought to you in one simple channel. Sounds of birds chirping, the horses creeping through the meadows fill your ears will music. Your eyes fixed upon the Swedish landscape, yet peaceful and lovely theres only one distraction to this perfect utopia. Distributed by the sounds of a garage door opening I casted aside my tree hugger moment, and was lost again by a different elegance.

 

A rodded out P1800, 68 camaro, and a 70’s challenger fill in the seen. Every Swedish mans fantasy, and with the cherry on top being his 58 Impala barn find.

“The car came on a transport truck, other than no brakes and the motor turning over slowly it was the most complete and untouched car I’ve ever owned”

 

Playing it safe he takes out the 348ci. With a light hone, rings, and bearings the bigblock was fresh and ready. Backing up the bigblock was a tired powerglide, with a little TLC and new gaskets the 348 and trans were mated up and put back to work in the Chevy.

As Thomas and his computer savvy friend wishing the fix would have been as easily as rebooting a harddrive and having all your problems solved. But it’s never that easy when it comes to cars. With a clean and adjustment to fuel and air mixture. Chevy’s first bigblock sings to life. With brakes installed, fluids changed, the 58 peaked its long forgotten body into daylight. Thomas smiles, but then soon runs into another dilemma.

“The windshield wipers were electric on this model, this was Chevy’s first year switching over from a vacum assisted set up”. Looking back in his experienced mind he asses the problem. With an ocomplished grin, “Working on old cars is interesting”.

Open the doors to this 58 and 1958 welcomes you in with an a new car smell. The interior is in mint condition. The feel of the leather, the perfect chrome trim, the touch of the steering wheel with the Impala’s Instrument cluster staring you in the face. Lost in 1958 I was completely overwhelmed with the preservation of the interior. Thomas then drops open the glove box. Inside lays the cars documents, untouched just as the car was he carefully places them back in.

The keys swaying in the ignition as Thomas climbs out of the passenger seat and into the driver seat. Hypnotized by the grandfather clock like movement, I watched the keys movement in the reflection. Interrupted by Thomas’s hand, with a twist of his wrist I snapped back to reality. Should we take it for a test drive? Before he even finished I was already in the soft arms of the 58’s bench seat. Soaking in the cars sensation, I suddenly look over. Thomas rolling steady drops a gear, like a dormant volcano the big block awakens with an eruption. The pedal suffocating the carpet, and landscape flying by Thomas lets off the gas.

Surfing through the country roads I’m truly lost is the experience. The Impala effortlessly makes it’s way up a long straight road. My eyes staring out beyond the long hood at the road ahead and I see no end. The trees and road become one, spilling into the horizon.

There was no need for a conversation. For us car guys the open road and the right car is all we need. The road and car do all the talking.

At this point I’m almost in tears over the scenary. A quick spin around the block will surely be with me for life.Music now flooded the car, echoing across the acosit back window.

We see farmer on the side of the road doing the old stuff by hand like back in 63. I just couldn’t resist. The beautiful old style farmer, the 1958 Impala, and the landscape describe alot of Sweden better then I could in one picture.

-Thomas Jonsson… thanks for the experience!

Looking over the car, I’m glad that the garage was a little humid. 43 years of solidtude gives the happy sky blue paint job time character. A patina finish the no body man can recreate.

The motor was put back in the same way in came out. How cool is that!  He resisted the temptation to paint.

A true rolling time machine, Thomas Jonsson your one lucky man and Worldkustoms salutes your love and passion and careful hands! Absolutly breath taking!