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Earlier this summer we asked our Social Media friends on Facebook to submit their restomod to be featured on our website and sure enough, the submissions came flying in. One in particular really got us psyched, a tough looking 1966 Chevrolet Impala. We reached out to our Facebook friend, Keith Lively, to get some more details and photos of his prized ride.

As it goes with most restos, the buyer needs to have a vision of what he wants his dream car to look like and what will be needed for that vision to become a reality. Lively, of Morris Alabama, had that vision when he laid eyes on the car he had been chasing for 10 years. Keith received a phone call from a friend at a local race car shop who knew that he was looking for a Chevrolet Impala, and said that they had a nice one that had just come in. “I went in thinking it was going to be just another cut up car but it turned out to be the car I had been chasing for years” Lively said. After going down to the shop, he knew it was the one he was after. The deal was made, the car came home and the project was on.

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As he discussed ideas for the car with his buddies, the question “what would you build if you could build something no one has done” was proposed. Thats a tall order but it got Lively started on a list. First, Keith decided that acquiring a big block for the speed of the build was key, then after a couple of days of pondering, he decided he wanted to go the route of building an AWD 60’s muscle car. With that revelation, the dream was about to become a reality.

Lively bought a GMC Denali as a donor car from a local auction and set up his driveway and basement as his work area. Lucky he has a cool wife because that kind of decision could put a strain on any marriage. His wife Toni would often bring him meals in the basement as he spent his nights, weekends and any spare time working on the Impala. It took 6 months to find all the parts then the 14 month build was started. His goal was to finish it time so he could make it to the 2013 Hot Rod Power tour in Texas. He kept a regular blog and posts of his build on his Facebook page and gained a nice following of fans who were excited to see the Impala take shape.

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Here are Lively’s own words breaking down the AWD Impala:

“It has a 6.0 LS motor, 4L65e trans, AWD transfer case, 3.73 limited slip axles, electronic body stability controls, dual piston antilock brakes, front and rear sway bars, hidden class three hitch for pulling our camper and rock crawler, it also has front and rear heat and air units with dual controls. The dash cover was built out of fiberglass and painted silver and the seats have leg and back massagers with built in heating pads.”

“The rear speakers and air vents were recessed in the hat rack. The hood had to be handmade due to no one offers a metal hood for impalas. The cup holders are automated and roll out with a touch .The hood, front fender opening , 1/4 panel with fuel door, firewall, inner-fenders… most every part of the car has been cut/moved/reshaped in some way. The rear ac unit can be switched to cool the trunk area when taken to the grocery store. There is a hidden class three hitch we use to pull our camper and other trailers.”

Wait..camper and other trailers?? Thats right, this is not just a show car, this is Lively’s daily driver and he informed me that he has put 35,000 miles on it since 2013.

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“I wanted a car that could run SCCA road course competitively, pull our other car to the track, pull our camper to the state parks, and pull our Rock Crawler to big events. I also use this as a company car and can be seen driving across the southeast  on most nice days” said Lively.

So you may be wondering if Keith made his goal of getting to the 2013 Hot Rod Power week? You bet he did. He left at 7:00am, the morning after the build was complete and drove from Alabama to Texas. “The guys from Spectrum/ KN air-intakes was following the build and when I arrived to Texas they found me and gave me the opportunity to be their display car for the week.”

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While Lively doesn’t have his own car business, he loves to be busy hunting down project cars and rebuilding them with friends and family. In fact, he recently helped his dad finish a killer unibody 66′ GTO and is currently helping him with a sweet Cutlass build. Well done Keith and thank you for being part of our restomod community!

See The Gallery of the build HERE!