part 1 Previous history of the car; how I found and bought it (1994) ..

part 2Diagnostic inventory, dismantling, survey work to be done (1995-96)

part 3  Mechanical matters (1997-98)

part 4 Body repairs (1999)

part 5 Painting (1999-2000)

part 6 Begin reassembly (2000)

part 7 Reassembly continued

     

Click on the required page

    

part 8 Problems with the top

part 9 At last the upholstery!

part 10 Getting wired for music

part 11Still more reassembly (2001))

part 12 Seats and door panels go in

part 13 First venture out of garage; lining the top

part 14After 7 years, roadworthy!

The Story without end .. (3)

or, the (lengthy) restoration of my Imperial….Part 3

 Very important, priming the engine before starting when you've rebuilt the mill.A want ad in the La Vie de l’Auto (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 day’s journey from where I live) and, as I asked for details on the car, something didn’t 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 you’re 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 friend’s over to a bodyshop. It’s 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
L'épave 57 qui va se révéler être indispensable ! The wrecked Crown with a lot of good parts .. A côté d'une autre Impérial 57, l'épave fait grise mine ... Along another 57, my wrecked 4dr 57 Sablage de la carrosserie ( à noter que le résultat est excellent pour débusquer la rouille mais les panneaux, capot, coffre n'ont pas aimé...). Sanding the body. Le soleil d'Afrique a eu raison de la sellerie. The old upholstery was literally burnt with Africa sun. Un ami en train de réparer le plancher au semi-automatique. Mig welding on the floor.
    
Torqueflite parts The frame after sanding and after painting Tightening the heads installing the hemi Rolling frame...
La BA Torqueflite a été entièrement refaite par mes soins. The Torqueflite has been completly rebuilt. Chassis "nu".. The frame after cleaning and scrubing Peint en noir brillant c'est mieux. The frame after painting (glossy) Un autre ami (mécanicien) serre les culasses au couple. A friend of mine tights the hemi heads. En plein effort ! Pic of the engine and his owner Philippe Courant ! Prêt à démarrer. Le "tableau de bord" permettra de vérifier les miles parcouru et la pression d'huile. The frame is ready to "drive" with his "dashboard"..

scrubing ..

   

Thanks to "Tony" (Magister Max on the IML) for the translation ...

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