1964 Chevrolet Impala for Sale

Body styles and the SS

The Impala came as a sport coupe (two-door hardtop), a convertible, a four-door sedan, a four-door hardtop sport sedan and a station wagon. The Impala SS was sold only as a sport coupe or convertible, normally with bucket seats and a console, and Chevrolet built 185,325 of them for 1964.

The sport coupe and convertible are the cars collectors and lowrider builders want. Four-door cars cost far less and share most mechanical parts.

Engines, including the 409

The base engines were a 230 cubic inch six at 140 hp and a 283 V8 at 195 hp. The 327 V8 came at 250 or 300 hp. At the top was the 409: 340 hp with a single four-barrel, 400 hp, or 425 hp with dual four-barrels. The two strongest 409s came only with a manual transmission.

The 409 is rare: a reported 8,684 full-size Chevrolets were built with one for 1964. Transmissions were a three-speed manual, a four-speed manual and the two-speed Powerglide.

Is it a real SS, and is it a real 409?

The VIN plate is on the driver-side front door hinge pillar. On a 1964, the first digit is 4 for the year and the next two give the series: 13 or 14 is an Impala SS (six or V8), while 17 or 18 is a regular Impala. The two digits after that give the body: 47 for the sport coupe and 67 for the convertible. A real V8 SS sport coupe therefore starts 41447.

That makes an SS easy to verify, and worth verifying, because SS emblems, a console and bucket seats are easy to add to a regular Impala. The VIN does not show the engine size, so a 409 claim needs an engine pad stamp that matches the car and, ideally, paperwork.

What to inspect before you buy

• The X-frame: look for rust, cracks and old repairs, especially where the frame narrows at the center.
• Rust: rear quarters, the trunk floor, floor pans, lower front fenders and the area around the rear window.
• On a lowrider: check how the frame was reinforced, the quality of the welds and the hydraulic plumbing, whether the springs and suspension mounts were cut, and how the pumps and batteries are mounted in the trunk. A well-built car has clean, documented work; a rough one can hide a damaged frame.
• Paperwork: a title that matches the VIN plate, and receipts for any hydraulic, air or engine work.

Related listings

• 1964 Impala SS for sale: cars listed by their sellers as SS.
• 1963 Impala and 1965 Impala for sale, or every 1961 to 1964 Impala.
• Built cars: lowriders for sale.
• Background: what is an Impala SS 409?