🔧 BUILD Shawns 1971 Impala Donk

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Interior/Top
LS Swap
Wheels
Sounds/Music
Suspension/Brakes
Paint
BOOST TIME!!!!

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Well boys and girls my new project is finally home. Ive always had a hard on for the Donks (71-76 Caprice or Impala) and always told myself since 1994 that I was eventually going to build one. My buddy mike at the time had a 74 Caprice Vert with 30's and Vouges (google them if you dont know what they are) basically 30 spoke cragars and vouge tires. Its a classic old school gangster look. Over the years he built a few more and sold them and always offered them to me first and I declined because of my love of G Body's as well. When I bought the Regal a couple years ago, I really looked hard at the Donks and believe it or not they were going for half of what they are going for now. Even last summer they coulda been had for about a 1/3rd less maybe a little less for what they are going for now. I was set on a 71 or a 75 for 2 reasons. 71 is the most sought after and fetches the most money as its known as the ACE. 75 because it was the year I was born, and thought that would be pretty cool. Didnt care if it was a HT or Vert, kinda preferred that HT as I dont think Chgo weather is weather for Verts. Pay a extra $10k for a Vert, no thanks.

So when my buddy and I made a deal for the Regal months ago and I knew he was serious. I got serious in my search for a donk. As most of you know I went to Miami for 4 days last month. Had a shit load of them lined up to look at and found either garbage or guys that wouldnt move off what I thought was too high of a price. Few that I thought were too high, have actually sold since then, so I'm thinking price wasnt too high. While in Miami I met this dude Josh and him and I clicked and became friends. Super cool white boy who is in to donks as well, not generally something you see white boys building. He told me he would keep his eyes and ears open and if close enough would do the leg work for me. But told me if he found something I would have to hi-tail my ass down there asap as when they are priced right they sell in hours. Just so happened we decided to go down to Orlando this weekend because we found $61 RT airfare and the biggest donk/g body show just was going on. Figured I might be able to buy something there. Called Josh to tell him we were coming down and if he planned on taking his car to Orlando. He said he might know of a 71 going up for sale with a motivated buyer. I said well fuck let me know asap.

Touched down in Orlando Friday night and had to be up early Saturday to cruise to Ft Lauderdale to see this 71. Pull up to this gated community with $1m+ townhomes and get buzzed in by security. Pull up to the house and she was sitting in driveway and looked as clean as the pics I was sent. Took it for a ride, BSing with Josh, my buddy Ralphy and the owner of the car. Talking about everything from sports to woman to cars. Come to find out this rich fuck is a collector and has 2 other 71's besides the one I bought, and just purchased another on top of 6-7 other cars he has. I guess the Wife has a rule, every time he gets a new one something has to go lol. While BSing I kinda feel him out and get the idea he doesnt want this car going to a black guy who is going to ruin it with big wheels and a LS swap lol. So I played my white privilege card with him. He was asking $25k and very easily had him down to $20k. My final offer was $17.5k and he said he would sleep on it. Told him if he agreed in the morning then it was his job to get it to Orlando before Sunday night. He woke me up about 8am saying the car was mine and was on the way to Orlando. He showed up, we exchanged cash and paperwork, took it off the trailer and parked it at my Airbnb. We were going out for the day/night, so I pulled the coil so the fucker wouldnt start in case someone wanted to steal it lol. Also backed it in so a tow truck would have a hard time stealing it as well.

Talked to a few of the Chgo guys down there for the show and got lucky as one of the haulers had room for me to get her home. Car was dropped off in Midlothian today at $how and Go Customz and turns out Playboy a friend of mine just opened that shop up. Does nothing but suspension and motor work. Talked pricing about shortening my rear end, coilovers all the way around, new axels and adjustable control arms to squat this car. Basically a "California Lean". Front end will sit at stock height with a 26" rim and the rear end will squat 3-4" lower. I have some 26" Billets but probably going to put new barrels on the rear rims. Right now they are a 5.5" lip and I want that 7" lip on the rear, hence the reason for shortening the rear end. Most of you think of Donk and think of those 71-76 sitting on fucking 4x4 suspensions with 30" wheels. Yes those are donks as well, but not the look I'm shooting for.

FESTER665

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Same wheel/tires, MFers were too damn expensive to change them. I've heard prices have went up on them now as well.

I brought my car and talked to a few different paint shops back in October and all were in the same neighborhood cost wise. They were all pretty much identical on body work hours including blocking. Every single shop figured about 25hrs of just block work. All the shops I went to, I personally seen their work as well and all of them were very good.

I went with Rolandos in Elk Grove for a few reasons. My buddy had his 86 C-10 (pretty much frame off resto) done by them a couple of years ago. He has raved about their customer service and they have addressed every and any issue he had. He hasnt had many, just little shit he knit picked. Guy in the Elgin area has a 75 Buick or Olds and they painted his a few years back and his car still looks really good. I dont know him personally but talked to him last year down in Florida about Rolandos and he raved about them as well. They are not just a shop that specializes in insurance work. They are gear heads and do a ton of custom shit. Last, I just felt comfortable with them, I felt they were 100% straight shooters. I gave them a deadline of April 1st and asked if it was possible. They assured me it was, barring any unforeseen shit they find. As of now I have no reason to doubt them. Back in October they told me drop the car off Jan 25th as they just took on an older Camaro for full paint job. They 100% stuck to that schedule had that car done and mine in Jan 25th.

Good to know!
 

Limey

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Shawn1112

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Well, I found a place to take my bumpers and he is actually going to do all my trim as well. Millenium Plating in Melrose Park will be doing it all. Friend of mine with a 74 Caprice Glass House had all his shit done there and is very happy still 3yrs later. Turns out Tony, the guy that owns the shop and myself knew of each other back in 98 as we both had lowriders and we were competing at the same shows, lol. We actually have mutual friends that we both still talk to today. Small world! He also talked me into adding a touch of candy to my paint. I'm going to run it past my painter, order the HOK candy concentrate and have my painter mess with it. Do a few sample pieces first and see what I think. So its not a full blown candy paint, but will have a hint of candy. Tony has a 84 C-10 that is very similar in color to what I'm going with. He took me next door where he keeps his cars to show me and it looked really good.

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Shawn1112

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Stopped in yesterday to grab 2 of my rims. These boys are moving, I’m going to have to tell them to slow down. Owner of the shop said my car is insanely clean. He thought they might find all kinds of shit under the paint especially on the qtrs. Also talked to him about using the candy concentrate during the mid clear. He knew exactly what it was and what I was talking about. Said to bring the stuff in when I get it and they will play with it on a test panel.
 

Shawn1112

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Damn Shawn you ain’t fucking around with this thing!
Its been a car I’ve wanted to build since I was 18. Guy I worked with at Ziebart had a 75 back then and that’s pretty much when I fell in love with the 71-76 Caprice/Impala. So yeah I’m all in with this build lol.
 

Shawn1112

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No shit man, you're really getting after it!
I love those trunk lids, so cool that they're louvered like that.
I'd be curious to see the after pics on those wheels, the process for repairing those has to be interesting.
He is going to send me pics, but no time soon. Ill share them when they are done
 
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Shawn1112

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Did you say what the paint job is costing?
In the neighborhood of $13k when all said and done. My balance right now is $3k as I have been making payments since late October or early November.
Ton of overtime over the last 2 months has helped tremendously in getting that balance down. Every single penny of OT went to them lol.
As mentioned in my post earlier this week. Out of the 5-6 shops I went to, all were in the same neighborhood price wise. All also pretty much quoted the same amount of hours on body/block work.
 

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