🔧 BUILD Shawns 1971 Impala Donk

Thread
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.

Shawn1112

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Hell yes Shawn that looks fantastic!
How do you find these guys that do what they say they'll do?
Thanks dude!
This dude JB I've been using since like 2008. He use to advertise on CL and thats how I found him. I took a chance with just sending him some seats and since then he has done 3 full interiors for me. Now is he the best, nope, but he is good. He is a 1 man show who uses an old school sewing machine and sews everything by hand. Other interior shops that can cut 1 piece custom door panels and go absolutely retarded on center consoles with designs. They all have $100k+ in fancy equipment. But those guys are $10k walking in the door and I know guys that have dropped closer to $20k on their interior. I'm probably going to bite the bullet next year and have one of those shops do 1 piece custom door panels for me, they just look sooooo god damn good.

Other shops I either know them as I've been building cars since 1998, or word of mouth thru guys who are into the same shit as me with big wheel cars.
But I have learned the hard way with this build and my Regal, that guys you think you know and guys who you thought are friends will be the first dudes to fuck you.
four buckets is always a good look especially in the older full sized cars!

Can see Shawn driving around with “ way two sexy “ playing super loud or “fuck the police “
Back seats are actually the factory bench will the middle cut out to give it the 2 bucket look.
 

Shawn1112

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Picked up my bitch from Milwaukee today. I’m really happy with how it turned out.
Back to painter, he is shooting for completion on Friday May 20th. The paint pops so hard in the sun. It was like a rolling photo shoot the whole way back. Everyone taking pics of it on the trailer and a million thumbs up. Car looks darker than it is pending how the sun hits it.

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Shawn1112

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How we looking for tomorrow??
Negative on tomorrow and I'm not mad as I have to work Saturday and possibly Sunday. They just couldnt get as much done as they thought due to other scheduled work. My polisher taking 2 weeks longer than promised on the trim and my interior guy taking 2 weeks longer than promised kinda put the body shop in a bad position scheduling wise.

I was in there yesterday dropping off my rims, and the passenger 1/4 was repaired and repainted. Car was like 75% wet sanded, he wanted to wait until tomorrow to wet sand that 1/4 panel. Should be buffed by EOD tomorrow, I'm bringing the guys Cuban Steak sandwiches for lunch tomorrow and we are going to go over the final list.

They will start on that list Monday which includes, adjusting drivers door, adjusting drivers door window, adjusting 1 piece of rocker trim, figuring out why the drivers door handle isnt working, drivers taillight not working properly (aftermarket sequential LED tails), fuel gauge not working. Then they have to finish the AC, basically just make the custom fit lines, fog the car as for the life of me I cant trace down an exhaust leak (might be a bad muffler). Then they have to put black vinyl inlays in some of the trim and the door handles. The trim comes with painted black inlays from the factory, but getting all that shit polished fucked up the black paint and we knew that would happen. Fuck painting that shit, vinyl will do just fine.
 

Shawn1112

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So Fourth of July is the new ETA
It will be next week sometime, most of that shit can be complete in 2 days tops. The fuel gauge is a 2 minute fix, the tail lights is just a matter of popping the bulb back in. AC shouldnt take more than 2-3 hours. Vinyl inlays a couple of hours, window adjust, door adjust and door handle, 2 hours at most.
 

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