Tu Revista Latina Magazine

Impala Nation

From the barrios of Las Cruces to East LA and every barrio in between, Impalas have been dropped to a street-scraping low since the late 1950s. Yet, low rider enthusiasts have come a long way from the old tradition of temporarily lowering their cruisers with sandbags in the trunk. Present day, classic Impalas undergo the automotive equivalent of massive cosmetic surgery. Many of these cars have had every nut and bolt restored, doors and trunks replaced, metal siding patched up, brand new chrome covered engines installed, custom sewn upholstery and paint jobs that take up to three years to complete. Every part has been installed by what seems to be the precise hands of a surgeon.

Low riding is far from exclusive to Mexican-American pachucos sporting zoot suits as it was back in the day. Take the McCormick brothers; El güero, Travis, and his kid brother Trent moved from California to Las Cruces as young boys and have been around the low rider scene as far as they can remember. This phenomenon has not only crossed ethnic borders, but geographical ones as well. As far as Japan, enthusiasts are paying upwards of $100,000 for custom dropped Impalas from the states; and still taking on the cost for shipping them overseas. This multi-million dollar industry is ever growing and for those who take it on as a hobby, it’s a very expensive lifestyle.

Since 2005, Paul has spent approximately $8,000 on this metallic blue beauty. His classic style low rider Impala boasts a $4,000 hydraulic system, a spotless traditional white vinyl interior and very impressive 13 x 7 - 85 spoke triple gold, authentic Dayton’s.

To date, Paul has done most of the work on his Impala himself including replacing the headliner and carpet. Paul, his wife Christina, 4 year-old daughter Kayla and 8 year-old son Paul, Jr. all enjoy cruising and parading their low rider on Sunday afternoons.

John was born and raised in Las Cruces and is part of the Drifter’s Car Club. He and his wife Kathy have 3 children; Annalizia-10, Jacyania-9 and Jonathon-12.

His Impala, Show & Tell, has been in the works for the last 10 years and its unique features include custom window etchings, a mural style paint job that took 3 years and $10,000 to complete, black tweed upholstery and a hydraulic set-up worth $2,300. John’s investment on Show & Tell is well over $40,000.

Trent has been a resident of Las Cruces for the last 16 years, most of which he and his older brother, Travis, have spent in the mist of low riders. Having recently acquired his ’66, Trent has already put in about $7,000 including a little TLC on the body. The paint job, Artesian Turquoise, was freshly done to match the original color. He plans on rebuilding the interior as original as possible and admits that he has a long way to go before he is content.

Travis has been re-building cars as a hobby for the past 10 years and has only had his ’67 for about 6 months. During this time, he has already put in over $15,000 dollars on the car including matching the original exterior paint and interior vinyl upholstery. A little different from other low riders, this is considered more of a low rodder–a new phenomenon hitting the scene. The difference is that his car rides on staggered 20x10’s in the back and 20x8.5’s in the front, giving it a distinct look with the wider and deeper wheels.

By Gloria Vaquera

Fall 2010