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Soft Spot For Drop-Top by Fred Nelson<br />
There are various reasons for wanting a particular<br />
year or model of <strong>ca</strong>r.<br />
When Dale Monahan met his wife in<br />
Abbotsford (1979), he was driving his first <strong>ca</strong>r,<br />
a 1969 Chev Impala. His future wife Deborah<br />
was driving her first <strong>ca</strong>r too - a 1969 Chev Bel-<br />
Air. They had eight doors, between them.<br />
But, it was a great ice-breaker.<br />
When they married in 1981, Deborah sold her<br />
Bel-Air to pay for part of the wedding.<br />
In 1990, the couple moved to Kamloops.<br />
Dale was driving a grey '69 Caprice and<br />
Deborah was driving a blue '69 Caprice.<br />
This time, they only had four doors between<br />
them. That was better, for sure, but they<br />
thought it would be nice if they could ever find<br />
a '69 Convertible. Their dream was realized<br />
recently when Dale ran across this Canadianbuilt,<br />
rural BC <strong>ca</strong>r that had never been<br />
exposed to salt.<br />
Now living in Calgary, and many years after<br />
almost forgetting the dream, Dale began the<br />
restoration and rebuild.<br />
We know the <strong>ca</strong>r was a Canadian-built model<br />
be<strong>ca</strong>use it has the 327-V8. The 1969 327-V8<br />
was special, used for one year only.<br />
The engine was freshened, and all the<br />
mechani<strong>ca</strong>l systems were redone, one at a<br />
time.<br />
All the body panels were massaged to perfection,<br />
then painted separately. The color picked<br />
was Viper Red, and it was a good choice.<br />
A new pearl white interior was installed, along<br />
with extra Dynamat. Dale was able to use up<br />
some of the accessories he had been hoarding<br />
since 1982.<br />
Page 06<br />
The bright red convertible features tilt steering,<br />
wood three-spoke wheel, and optional 8track<br />
sitting under the ashtray. The hide-away<br />
headlights are a nice touch, and rarely seen<br />
on an Impala.The rebuild would take 30<br />
months, with Dale doing all the mechani<strong>ca</strong>l<br />
and bodywork.<br />
One particularly nice touch was the notching<br />
of the rear pan for the larger-than-stock dual<br />
exhaust pipes. These <strong>ca</strong>me out just behind<br />
the rear wheel in the factory version, but it<br />
looks much better with Dale's improved version.<br />
The couple has now moved back to Kamloops<br />
and are spending their time pampering their<br />
long-awaited rag top. Even complex problems<br />
<strong>ca</strong>n have a simple answer.<br />
Fred Nelson is an accredited<br />
lo<strong>ca</strong>l appraiser who owns<br />
and operates Nelson Racing.<br />
Reach him at 403-242-3856.
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