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Other Imperial info |
Where to find parts ? |
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Chrysler Corp. took a breather in 1958. Its competitors, for their part, did not remain idle, but they had been caught off balance by Chrysler's bold 1957 models, and in 1958 couldn't counter with anything better than more chrome and eye-catchers. On the whole, 1958 was a bad year for the American car. The factories couldn’t keep making preceding models seem obsolete so as to present "new" cars every year; customers just couldn’t follow that rhythm. The ’58 Imperial in fact presented few innovations to distinguish it from its immediate predecessor. The front bumper and grille were restyled. The rear-view mirror, oddly placed in the middle of the dashboard in 1957, was moved closer to the driver. Decoration of the interior door panels was changed. That was about it. On the engineering side, the 392-cu.in. engine gains 25 horsepower from a higher compression ratio. The camshaft was refined, and the two valve-train covers were stamped "Imperial" instead of "Chrysler Firepower." Automation appeared in certain options, one of them the "AutoPilot," first cruise control offered in a production car, and centralized door-lock control with a key (not yet a remote control!) Double air-conditioning systems, for front and back, |
| These were not the improvements that might have brought more customers into Imperial showrooms. Sales in 1958 were half the total for the previous year. It’s also notable that body-rust problems hurt Chrysler cars generally starting in 1957 (to see the solution promoted by the company, click here). Anti-corrosion treatments hardly existed at the time, and were ineffective. Deplorable quality control in the factory, and frequent strikes by the work force, explain both the reluctance of buyers and the relatively scant survival of Chrysler cars from 1957-’59 - they were eaten by rust like cheap imports. As for Ghia-made limousines, they trickled slowly from the Italian plant that built them, unchanged from 1957 except in price, which was $3000 higher. |
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Engine V8 Hemi "Firepower" 392 CI (6425 cc) |
Transmission Automatic transmission "Torqueflite" 3 speeds |
Suspension, brakes Front, type independent, torsion-bar with ball joints,
power steering : "Constant Control Power steering". |
Dimensions Wheelbase: 129 in. (3,28 m) |
Production, prices LY1-L sedan 4dr: 1926 at $4945 |
Options (some of them..) - A/C "model 901" |
Serial number
(on
right front door post): |
| Ghia Crown Imperial limousines | |
| 58 ad (courtesy IML) | Reading the data plate |
| Rust and rustproofing 1957-’59 | NAPA part numbers for 57/58 |
1958 IMPERIAL photo
gallery |
| Crown 4 dr H/T | Dashboard | sedan LY1-L | prototype ! | owner manual | "auto-pilot" knob |
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| Crown 2 dr h/t | Guarantee document | 1° afghan minister + Crown convert. | Crown upholstery | a scarcity: the 260 km/h export speedo | location of the emergency brake light (w/autopilot) |
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| Mick Maxwell's 2dr HT | Patrik Strub's 1958 Ghia Imperial | Robert Dervin's LeBaron | Mark Shetley's Southampton 4-door | ||
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