Continuing now with some additional information involving the '62 Impala.
As previously mentioned the car is largely original with about 31,000 miles. Here it is seen just after the original owner's daughter opened the garage door after it was purchased and I went to pick it up several years ago.
This is the garage that car has always been garaged in since new in December 1961.
Several years after her parents had passed away she finally decided it was time to let it go to another new home. I knew it would be difficult for her seeing it leave and it was. We spent a couple of hours together talking about her memories of it and looking at any pictures of it she could find. She put together all the old paper work associated with it including the original bill of sale, dated December 23, 1961. It was a Christmas present from her father to her mother and was her mother's car.
Back then I only had an open trailer to move cars with...
...so here is, the 1962 Impala Super Sport on its way back to Illinois. This was in October I believe.
Since it's so original I have every intention to keep it that way. It still needs to be maintained to function correctly. In 1962 they never bothered with putting much paint on the engines so over the last 1/2 century (the car is now 51 years old if you can believe it!) this is what an original engine compartment from that era will look like. Hardly shiny but it has a patina that many find endearing. I've been cleaning it as best I can without removing any original paint. It's only original once. BTW, some of the components pictured are incorrect, notably the oil filler tube cap and brake master cylinder. Those and other items are being addressed and corrected with proper 1962 parts as I continue work in the engine compartment. Over the years as the car was maintained "back in the day", people weren't too concerned with correct factory appearance, only that it operated correctly.
Some of the original gaskets were leaking so I've been working my way through the engine and maintaining it as necessary. I did a compression test and 6 of the cylinders showed identical readings of 176 psi (pounds per square inch), one at 174 and the last at 173. Internally the engine is sound with regular maintenance such as oil changes having been performed on a routine basis.
Since I was going to replace the intake manifold gasket I had to remove the distributor. Note the orange over spray 3/4's of the way up the shaft. That's correct factory over spray.
With the distributor out and I made use of the Sun 600 distributor machine.
After the distributor was cleaned, new points, condenser and rotor cap were installed.
The distributor was clamped in the Sun and tuned up setting the points, dwell and checking the advance. Utilizing the Sun machine makes that type of work so much easier and Bob T's overhaul of the Sun machine last year worked like a champ.
With the manifold gasket replaced and the distributor all tuned up and ready it was reinstalled in the '62.
Chevrolet put those distributors at the back of the engine near the firewall, not a very handy spot. One advantage of 60's Chevy Impalas however, is the engine compartment has ample room. As you can see I really get into my work!
It really was easier to just stand next to the engine, rather than lean over it.
My buddy Lou, of Bonneville Salt Flats speed record fame, was in town visiting so he willingly lent a hand. Speaking for myself, doing a project like this is so much more enjoyable with a friend. Not only is it nice to have another pair of hands but I find the comradeship between friends, the shared bond of doing a project together has an intangible quality I find most satisfying. This isn't work, it's going through the journey of life and making the most of it.
To be continued.
Thomas
Dennis
) Practice it a time or two when quoting and then preview your response before submitting it. If you don't do it correctly you can always start over. As always I invite anyone and everyone who can add to this or do a better job describing it to jump in here. 
I've been browsing this thread from there just last week, and will likely soon do do again. I've actually shown this thread to some of my colleagues there - turns out to be quite a few petrolheads there - so you may well get more visits from there.
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