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For the past five weeks, we here at Power Automedia have been conducting the MSD My LSx Contest to showcase some awesome LS-engine-based projects. Hundreds of people from all over the U.S. have had a hand in determining who has the coolest project car out there.
From classics to imports to modern-day models, it’s been quite a ride seeing what people come up with. We’ve still got a few more weeks to go, but the editorial staff here at Power Automedia have decided it’s time to present the winner of Editor’s Pick.
The car has lasted the length of Brent’s parents’ marriage, so it’s only fitting that the car be restored.
We narrowed our choices down to five: Eddie Salinas’ C3; Brent Robbins’ 1963 Impala; Eric Tschudy’s 1977 Impala; JB Bice’s Camaro; and Adam Haack’s Toyota pickup. It was a hard determination, but the resounding winner had to be the ’63 Impala.
Brent Robbins, of Benton Harbor, Michigan, has been in the process of fixing up his parents’ four-door Impala since last month. The car has been in the family since 1976–around the time when Brent was born–but it hasn’t seen the light of day since it was locked away twenty-three years ago.
It holds a special place in the family’s history, not only for the memories of schlepping the kids to and from school, but also for its year, which happens to share the same year of marriage as that Mom and Dad Robbins. And since 2013 marks the 50th anniversary for the couple, it’s more than fitting that Brett and his associates (with some nudging by his mother) do a complete frame-off restoration.
First Things First
At left: the busted 327 had to go if it was to be drivable again. At right: the LS4 sits sans manifold and cleaner.
The plan, according to Brent, is to have the car more or less completed by next summer. As of right now, the car has had its original yet unreliable 327 cu.-in. V8 swapped out for the 325 cu.-in. 5.3L LS4.
Unmodified, the fresh motor should put out around 300hp and 320 lb.-ft. of torque; more than suitable for cruising around the country roads, but still capable of feeding Mom’s penchant for competition against “better” opponents, like the Camaro she challenged while driving a Pontiac Phoenix. Suffice it to say, on that occasion, she lost when the shifter broke coming out of second, but the woman’s need for speed has never been quelled since.
Doing the Job Right
In order for this project to be a success, Brent has been forced to summon all of his skill and finesse in AutoCAD and drafting and design, along with help from the guys at his shop, Halo Super Cars. Brent’s no stranger to project cars, however.
To date, he’s made three of his own over the years and, through his company, done a few more for customers since setting up shop in 2008. Metal fabrication, engine building, suspension, body work, interior design, and much more count as the skill sets that Halo Super Cars brings to the table.
As it stands, the car has had new engine mounts installed, and will very soon have powder coating on the pulleys, pumps, and mounts finished. The firewall will be painted black, too.
Atomic EFI and the Impala
It’s a heck of an anniversary gift, but to be complete, Brent wants the car supplied with an Atomic EFI by MSD Ignition. Stripped of messy wires and self-learning to its paired particular engine, the system is definitely the icing on the performance cake for this cream-colored, four-door Impala.
Before the restoration, the car sat in squalor for 23 years. But all that’s going to change for the better, thanks to Brett’s determination and skill.
We wish to congratulate Brent on his mission to give back to his parents, and we encourage you to check out his company’s website to see more of his work, like the truck he hopes to have ready for the SEMA Show. Stay tuned, though, because we still have one more Atomic EFI to give away at the end of November, and there’s still weekly winners being selected for the MSD Facebook Contest.
