1971 Chevrolet Impala "Ezamo"

(Picture above from when I acquired the car back in 2009)

I've attempted to start this thread three times. I get the title down and then I click back. No fault to the website. I have just legitimately been dreading this day for a very long time, and I'm going to cry... a lot. My father owned this car for as long as I can remember. I can almost bet that he owned it before I was born. We went everywhere in this car from Ocean Shores, WA to Wenachee, WA and all over the place. My dad, my sister, and any number of cousins that we could fit in the front and back seat (sometimes up to 9 kids). In 2001 my dad was involved in an accident and rear ended a car. Unable to pay the ticket, the car parked. In 2008 my dad was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, the shape of a donut around the base of the brain where it meets the spinal cord. Nothing helped, regular treatments, chemotherapy, experimental treatments, nothing. Right before Christmas he came to me, told me he wanted me to write down his last wishes. Told me that I was to take this car. Told him he was ridiculous, he was to stubborn to die. In reality we both knew. I will be completely honest. I haven't done anything with this car since it came into my possession July 2009. I look at it and I see my dad, and I miss him. With this last move though I've had enough. I'm going to bite the bullet, fight through the pain, hopefully fight through the trauma (PTSD) and get this done. My fiance proposed to me recently. What better way to represent my dad at the wedding then have his car drive me there, and take us away. I have until the beginning of May 2019 to finish the car to a good enough condition to get me there. My PTSD is partially caused by the trauma of loosing family throughout my life, or lack of family. "Abandonment issues" is what it says in my file. Obviously loosing my dad, and looking at this car is difficult. But I have to, I have to. Cars were my dad's life! It was something him and I shared. I look at this car and it just says "Drive me." I know how to work on cars, I have some people who are going to help me with things that are a little more work than your hand tools. Due to the stress I sometimes forget, I miss parts, key pieces to the puzzle. I know this blog post is short and really choppy compared to my other writings but I spent most of my time crying fighting my way through this.

I'll stop by the car tomorrow to take some new photos of the car. It needs a bunch of work, it really does. I don't even know where to start.

Edited to add:

At the advice of family we have started a GoFundMe account for the restoration of this car. Information for that can be found here. If you can't donate money, that's ok. Help spread the word and share it with your friends on Facebook or Twitter.

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