1961 Chevy Impala Optional One

There are a handful of lowrider shops in Southern California's Inland Empire that just seem to turn out more than their share of feature-worthy cars. One such shop is B&B Classics in Upland, California, owned by Billy and Mosie Garland Hernandez. Specializing in restoring '58 to '69 Chevy Impalas, through the years we've featured many of the brothers' masterpieces in LRM. This sweet '61 Impala convertible is one of Mosie's latest and greatest to date.

Actually, the frame-off restoration took nearly five years to complete because Mosie did most of the work himself in his off hours and weekends. And, since he is an active member of Hard Times-Fontana C.C., loves sports, backyard barbecues and has two young sons, his time is always tight. Still that didn't stop him from creating a car worthy of center-spread coverage.

Mosie has owned a passel of Impalas in the past, so he decided to take this ragtop to the next level. "I wanted to build a car for the future of lowriding, one that had every factory option offered for '61 Impalas and more," says Mosie. That's the reason why he named the car "Optional One." Looking at the finished product, we'd say that his goal was accomplished.

Like all good restorations, Mosie started by taking off the body. Then he replaced the original frame with a stronger Canadian counterpart "boxed" for even more strength and powder coated for aesthetics. "With a convertible you have to rely on the frame to keep the car from buckling since you don't have a hard top to hold [the body] together," notes Mosie.

Next, B&B's ace mechanic Jose P. installed the fully chromed and polished "built" 283-c.i.d. V-8 (bored .030 over) with twin Edelbrock carbs, Edelbrock intake, Mallory distributor, MSD ignition, RV cam, solid lifters and 13/4-inch polished aluminum headers. Then Jose bolted up the Turbo 350 automatic to a chromed extended driveshaft (from Inland Empire Drive Line in Upland) and mounted a narrowed Ford 9-inch rearend. For the finished features, Harris Air Conditioning installed a factory A/C unit and Jose added a serpentine belt drive system.

The body had received a major metal massage and was ready for the spray booth. So, after applying proper primer, several of coats of DuPont silver blue metallic topcoat were applied. Factory rocker moldings, door guards and front and rear bumper guards were also added, along with a set of Harley-Davidson headlights with bullet rings. For the finishing touch, Mike Lamberson came in and pinstriped the body, engine bay, doorjambs and several other spots with thin-line designs.

The interior makeover was the next priority, starting with the installation of a gray and white vinyl factory reproduction upholstery kit over power seats and matching gray carpet. Then, literally every factory option was added including power side and vent windows, vacuum trunk release, twin spotlights, day/night mirror, automatic headlight dimmer, four-way flashers, remote driver's side mirror and air conditioning. For sounds, Mike at G&M Stereo in Ontario, California, installed a "stealth" system including an Alpine AM/FM/CD player (in the glove box), hidden Kicker amps and crossovers, and custom kick panels with Kicker tweeters and mids. A sunken compartment in the trunk was created to cradle four MTX subwoofers.

Meanwhile, Mosie was busy installing all-new chrome suspension and steering components and four-wheel disc brakes. A set of 15x8-inch Star wire wheels with skinny whitewalls. (Mosie credits Charley Thompson of Thompson Plating in Pomona, California, for all of the chrome work.) Then, it was off to A-1 Hydraulics in San Bernardino, California, where John Valdez did his thing.

The spare tire well was filled with speakers, so John built a super sano show setup around that area consisting of two A-1 pumps with aluminum blocks, Marzocchi gears, three square dumps and hard lines. Six OG solenoids were wired up to six Trojan deep cycle batteries, with four switches in a panel under the dash near the driver's fingertips. A set of A-1 cylinders and 3-ton springs were installed for lift and better bounce.

To date, the Optional One has met with considerable success in the show circuit, including Best Mild Custom at several Southern California shows, plus a featured spot in Snoop Dogg and Bad Ass's "Wrong Idea" music video and now the ultimate honor: Lowrider of the Month