The center console runs from...
The center console runs from the middle of the dash to the backseat. Beneath the Auto Meter gauges, an Alpine monitor displays feed from the DVA-5210 DVD player in conjunction with the DHA-S680 DVD changer. For sound, the CDA-9835 CD/MP3 player utilizes the CHA-S634 CD changer.
Not surprisingly, the V8 rocked the International Automobile show at São Paulo, Brazil, where it was first unveiled to the public. "This car provokes a big muvuca [Brazilian slang for a messy jumble of people] wherever it goes," installer Carlos Martins, the Sorriso (Smile), reveals. Martins not only installed the A/V system, but also influenced the entire interior because it was transformed to accommodate the A/V equipment. Everything took place at the ATW shop.
The Restoration
Before letting Martins get to work, Federico needed to get the Impala in good working order. For the restoration, he sent it to Premium Garage. "We did all disassembling and re-assembling work," says Nello Bini Júnior, the Nelinho, owner of the shop where the car received repairs and replacement chassis parts before the light transformation of the 8-cylinder 350-cubic-inch engine. "We made an engine upgrade that increased the power from 190hp to approximately 250hp," he affirms. "This exhaust system helps increase the power and has a very interesting sound," says Júnior. Premium Garage also prepped the installation of the retro-look Auto Meter instrument gauges. Suspensound installed the air suspension. "We used air cushions and an Air Lift compressor with 1/2" hoses," explains Carlos Valadares, the Pipo, owner of the company.
The body received a special paint job by Artmix. "Cristiano was at the SEMA show in the United States last year and decided that the car would have to have the same colors as one of the cars he saw there," comments Martins. "It took us several months just to find the right paint shade." You can imagine how much work the process required. "Cristiano wanted transparent orange, but that would not have been as cool, so we developed a paint job with more than 20 layers," explains Bruno Theil from Artmix. "We applied the metallic base of silver, layers of orange and the super-thick glitter, which, because of the thickness, requires a layer of isolating varnish, then more orange and a varnish to finish." In all, the Impala received more than 20 coats.