Chevrolet Impala 1962 Street Machine SEMA 2015

This 1962 Impala arrived at SEMA 2015 with a backstory: a previous owner had already crammed a 502 cubic-inch big block under the hood before running out of money and patience. Hill’s Hot Rods took over the build, pulled the big block, and replaced it with a tuned LS3 416 stroker making well over 500 horsepower — proof that a smarter swap can beat a bigger one. Add an Art Morrison chassis, air suspension at all four corners, and a hand-stitched Ultraleather interior, and it’s easy to see why this Impala turned heads on the show floor.

We wanna hear your comments on this one…

We wanted your comments on this one, and honestly, so did everybody at SEMA 2015 — because Jason Hill’s 1962 Impala wasn’t just another red show car parked under the lights. This one had already lived a previous life as somebody else’s stalled project, complete with a 502 big block shoehorned in and dreams that ran out of money before they ran out of ambition. Hill’s Hot Rods took it over, and what happened next says a lot about what separates a good builder from a great one. Sometimes the right move isn’t adding more cubic inches — it’s knowing when to take some away.

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Out With the Big Block, In With Something Smarter

The Impala came to Jason Hill’s Lubbock, Texas shop already carrying a 502 cubic-inch Chevrolet Performance big block, courtesy of a previous owner who ran out of resources before finishing the job. Rather than picking up where that build left off, Hill pulled the 502 entirely and went a different direction — a tuned LS3 416 cubic-inch stroker making well over 500 horsepower, built for reliability as a real driver rather than just a trailer queen.

The Chassis and Details Behind the Red Paint

Underneath, the Impala rides on an Art Morrison chassis with a three-link rear suspension and air bags at all four corners, giving it a stance and ride quality nothing like the car left the factory with in 1962. Inside, Jimmy Davis of JD Glassworks in Lubbock stitched a tan Ultraleather interior, and the factory gauges were swapped out for a Dakota Digital cluster originally designed to fit a 1967 Chevelle dash.

Twelve Years of SEMA Cred

Hill has brought a build to SEMA out of his shop for twelve years running, and this Impala shows exactly why his work keeps earning a spot on the show floor — every inch of it was hand-fabricated, right down to the bodywork itself.

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