1982 Chevrolet Impala Base from North America - Comments

The carburetor is ruined. There is no choke and fast idle and I live in Canada.

The fuel pump leaks out of the weep holes.

Rear wheel bearings whine a little.

Vinyl top was slightly damaged on drivers rear side from theft.

Ignition tumbler destroyed from same theft.

Even though only the primaries on the carb work *somewhat* properly, the car will pass other vehicles quickly on the highway.

The car is restorable with time and some money.

The interior is in great shape and doesn't smell like a rats nest. Even the ceiling inside isn't sagging or torn.

Having a car whose interior doesn't smell like a rat's nest is always a plus.

But what does your living in Canada have to do with your carburetor problems?

The choke doesn't work, so it's hard starting in the cold, and gas has just shot up to 88 cents a litre here in Canada. I am considering a propane conversation.

Also, at first I thought I got a good car, but lately it's been sucking my will to live. I've gone through 3 carburators each one worse than the last and now the transmission is slipping in high gear. Sadly this was a fixer upper for when I'd be working, but it's been a month since I bought the car and I still don't have a job. I pretty much drove it until it died.

Before fuel injection replaced carburetors, you used to be able to buy a kit to convert the automatic choke to manual; it was just a cable that attached to the choke plate, that you could control from the dash, like cars from the 1950's and earlier used. You might still be able to find one at auto parts store or JC Whitney.

For the transmission problem, try a bottle of Lucas Transmission Fix; I have known a lot of people who have used Lucas products with very great success.

The things still wrong up to date: The third carburetor which was rebuilt twice doesn't work. It runs rich and lean at the wrong times and no one knows how to correctly fix a quadrajet in this city, along with other things that were destroyed by mechanics such as the transmission pan and governor cap. Upon returning to the garage to complain, they also pointed out a hose on a transmission line was about to burst (and it did) and that the transmission wasn't shifting right, which was my original complaint at the start, but they never told me in the first place about the hose or replaced a broken vacuum modulator, all of which I did myself. (sigh) Is anyone else dissatisfied with mechanics today? They can't even get my (carbureted) Horizon to run properly. Unless it has fuel injection, it's a lost cause was what I was told.

I know what you mean about the carburetors on these cars. I have a 1981 Bonneville and it took two shops the first who rebuilt it and the local dealer playing around with it to get it to run properly. It seems they are either "right" or "wrong" and getting them right is a challenge. Otherwise the Bonneville like the Impala will run forever.