The Story
without end .. (3) |
or, the (lengthy) restoration of my Imperial
.Part 3
A want ad in the La Vie de lAuto (a French classic car
monthly) in 1997 stopped me in my tracks: "selling 64 Chrysler Imperial
for restoration
". A long distance call to Gard (another French
Department, located a days journey from where I live) and, as I asked for details on
the car, something didnt quite add up: it turned out not to be a 64 but rather a 57!
The owner had confused the date of licensing with the model year
it had been imported
by a Canadian in 1964. The photos which I received showed a 1957 Crown 4d Southampton in
truly pitiful shape but I went for it anyway and, with two friends, was soon off to bring
it home. The car, which had been stationary since 1968 because the transmission was out of
commission, turned out to be a gold mine of parts in excellent condition once they had
been cleaned. Most of the remaining chrome was in excellent shape; the coaxial steering
was fine as well and soon found a home in my car, the previously installed 59 steering
having required modifications to the steering column. As for the AC compressor, it was in
good shape and after a quick check it was soon in place. You can bet on one thing for
sure: when youre restoring you should always have a donor vehicle on hand.
Next came the decision to redo the engine and transmission. Given the condition of the
crankshaft and connecting rod bearings, which had already been redone the originals
were in the trunk it was plain that a master mechanic had not been involved in the
earlier restoration. But the parts I bought from the Chrysler 300 Club gave a renewed
feeling of youth and vigour to the FirePower V8. The TorqueFlite transmission was also
completely redone, with the help of a friend, because the clutches were no longer new.
The chassis, entirely stripped, was repainted in a shiny black. After we changed the
seals and the halfshafts, the rear axle was mounted onto the springs, with new rubber
bushings at each end. Finally it was time to mount the engine and transmission units back
into the chassis. A great moment it was too, with all the pieces in new silver or black
paint. Ignition
starter
a bark from the exhaust
a cough
it sounded
good: after a year and a half the FirePower had been reborn.
During all this time the body had gone from a friends over to a bodyshop.
Its still there today so for the moment the restoration is on stand-by, since
nothing more can be installed so long as the body is away.
Oh well, a few more months, or even years
my friend Gilles (Chrysler 300F) took
some 17 years for his restoration
.
Pages written in May 1999
Other pics (1997/98)
wrecked 57 Crown 4dr |
but with a lot of good stuff ! |
Sand blasting |
Sand blasting |
Front seat |
MIG welding |
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Torqueflite parts |
The frame after sanding |
and after painting |
Tightening the heads |
installing the hemi |
Rolling frame... |
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