1966 Imperial Crown convertible

[patrick66]

Well, it looks like I developed a leak at the power steering cooler. I had put new PS hoses on the high and low-pressure sides a few months ago. I noticed a bit of leakage at the cooler itself yesterday. My oil pan has a nice dent on the bottom of it. No leakage, and I'm figuring the oil pickup tube is not affected; as my oil pressure is good and I'm not losing any oil or pressure. I have a replacement pan. Does anyone know if the pan can be removed/replaced without lifting the engine at all? I have a new windage tray I've had for 25 years that will likely get installed, assuming there is not one already on the 440.

That new tank looks so good under the Imperial. I could look at that fine car *** all day long! I've decided to coat the visible portions of that tank with a non-glossy clear; to keep it looking nice and to keep any future rust from getting a foothold. I might get the original tank fixed, just to have a spare, or if I ever come across a nice '64-'66 that would make a nice garage-mate for the convertible.

Page ten! Damn!

 

[patrick66]

I love this car!

Last Saturday was our club's annual Mopar show and swap, plus racing! I was among the first there, getting everything set up and such, and spent the night prior cleaning the Imperial. No time to prep the car day-of! Got a nice 2nd place in C/D Class.

 

[65sporty]

Congrats

 

[patrick66]

The PS leak on the Imperial appears to have been fixed successfully. Drove it a few miles last Wednesday, just to keep it good.

Since fixing the brake issues I've had on the Coronet for a few months, I've been driving the Imperial almost exclusively until about a week ago. Sorted the brake problem with a new master cylinder and a fluid purge/replacement. Took the Coronet to its first car event since October on Saturday - a couple of hours at the local cars-n-coffee klatch. Then, home to care for my doggie.

I was going to do a bunch of work on the D300 this past weekend, but my dog Ro is very sick with some sort of liver ailment, so I'm spending most of my free time right now with her. She is a 9-1/2 year old Black Mouth Cur. She started getting sick last week, losing nearly nine pounds off her normal 66 pounds, and I'm afraid she isn't likely to get better. She is back at the vet this morning. She has been drinking water only, not eating at all, and sleeps a lot. My wife and I took turns over the weekend, staying up overnight with Ro and tending to her when she needed it. Taking lots of pictures, too.

So, for the next few days, I'm not gonna pay attention to what's in the shop, but what is in my heart. I'm a huge dog guy, and losing one always hurts. I'm dealing with that likely outcome as well as I can. When it comes to my dog, I get very emotional, and unapologetically so.

 

[azblackhemi]

Dogs are part of the family for sure and it really hurts when you lose them. Nothing you can do about their life span but as long as you have given them a great life you'll have plenty of great memories of them. I'm dealing with our dog Misty that some of you met a couple of years ago at Carlisle showing her age. Sounds like you're doing everything you can to make her comfortable.

 

[detmatt]

What a beautiful dog! Hang in there Ro and you too Ro’s pack.

 

[3175375]

Dogs have been a clear demonstration of unconditional love for me. I never had a dog growing up and finally got 2 German Shepards, who have since both passed.
Best animals and I am sorry for you having to deal with yours, but you are doing the next right thing in spending time with your dog!

 

[patrick66]

I went outside and sat in the Imperial after we went to see Ro for the final time today. Just sat. It was amazingly quiet and serene in the shop. I'll probably closer my head a bit by running a few errands in the Imperial on Friday, as I have every other Friday off. It is such an effortless car to drive!

I found a basic disc brake conversion from AAJ Brakes. For $279, you get a pair of brackets, along with a few small bits, and a list of parts. Shipping is big $$$, as we all know, so the basic kit is what I'll get, acquire the rest locally, and do the swap. This fits '58-'66 Imperial.

 

[patrick66]

I did a little bit of fartin' around under the Imperial dash on Sunday morning, before the shop temperature got too hot. Got the air conditioning/defroster vents hooked up, finally. Still figuring out what went wrong on my radio...it worked fine one day, and the next, not. The new gas tank is working out beautifully. And my new glove box is the next thing to go in. Might do that tonight after sunset.

I still have to dye my seat belts that are going in the D300. One set is from that truck and very faded. and the other is an extra set I had from my old D100 I recently sold. Then the newly-redone seat and visors will go in. Never-ending series of things on all three.

I'm doing what I can to help my grief over the loss of my dog. It was a tough last few days, gotta say.

 

[cantflip]

I did a little bit of fartin' around under the Imperial dash on Sunday morning, before the shop temperature got too hot. Got the air conditioning/defroster vents hooked up, finally. Still figuring out what went wrong on my radio...it worked fine one day, and the next, not. The new gas tank is working out beautifully. And my new glove box is the next thing to go in. Might do that tonight after sunset.

I still have to dye my seat belts that are going in the D300. One set is from that truck and very faded. and the other is an extra set I had from my old D100 I recently sold. Then the newly-redone seat and visors will go in. Never-ending series of things on all three.

I'm doing what I can to help my grief over the loss of my dog. It was a tough last few days, gotta say.

Sorry about your dog.

 

[patrick66]

The saga of my '69 D300 cab & chassis is coming together. The brakes are done, and done right! This is the most expensive brake job I've ever encountered, adn with good reason. Several parts were broken, incorrect, or really backyard-engineered. Shoes, and master and wheel cylinders were the easy part. The drums were undamaged and turned easily to spec. I'll post a few pics of the work while it was in-progress in another thread. My mechanic had to fabricate four parts, as they were either wrong from the box, or no longer available new or used. The distribution block was the bizarre part. No fluid would flow through it, other than to one rear brake. Also, from the factory, there are three different-sized fittings that go to it! So, re-engineering that, making a couple of new lines to work with the new, redesigned distribution block, and ensuring it was going to work ate up quite a few hours. The rears were not near as bad, but they were their own story.

Needless to say, the bill was about 50% more than I expected on a complete brake overhaul/restoration (it was not just a repair at all!). But I'm happy. This was not a job for the local brake guy, who also dallies in heat/AC, alignments, stereo installation, and scented trees hanging from the mirror! My guy builds hot rods for a living, and has over 50 years worth of experience. He also got my Imperial brakes right, after the previous guy "missed" a couple of things! My wallet took a Taser blast right to its heart, so now I need to save a couple of bucks to find a flatbed that fits the truck. In the meantime, I'm going to paint the metal parts of the dash, the door panels, and the seat tracks; change the rear diff lube and install a chrome Dana 70 cover, and install a reverse light.

It stops on a dime and leaves nine cents change! I yard-drove it on Sunday. Goes through the gears without issue, and Reverse works well, too. Still need to get the windshield glass installed - that happens on the 23rd. Then, it's off to the window tinting guy for the doors and rear glass to get done. She's coming along.

Now, what did I do on the Imperial? Oh, yeaah, DRIVE IT! Sunday afternoon was pretty "cool" for August, so I drove it about 30 miles or so. Top down, with my hair fluttering in the breeze. OK, maybe not "fluttering"...just standing up in the breeze.

 

[patrick66]

Not a lot going on with the Imperial currently. I keep delaying installing the glove box and the defroster/air conditioning hoses under the dash. I did get the radio issue solved - it was the grounding rod from the back of the radio to the dash...It was missing, so I found it and installed it. The radio knows the tunes now! She might be the ride for me for the Hot Rod 100 run this Saturday, only if the weather permits. The DS quarter window is stuck down, currently. Not fun if it rains!

The '69 D300 has been taking up much of my time since acquiring it back in April of this year. It runs and drives great! Definitely NOT Imperial ride quality, I can guarantee that! If you've ever ridden in a horse-drawn buckboard, the D300 is quite similar, but with a much softer seat!

 

[patrick66]

Went out to the shop Saturday morning to move the Coronet so I could take the Imperial for the HR100 run. Neutral safety switch decided it was time for it to die...no clicky clicky. No anything when it came to the starter. Crap. And the Imperial is blocked in by...the Coronet. Spent all afternoon Friday getting both cars ready, in case I decided to drive the Coronet, instead. I drove neither.

So, I moved my stuff into my Passat. Yes, that was way out of place for the HR100. Screw it. Nice thing was the 44 mpg I got, I'll not complain! There were about a dozen or so '80s and '90s cars participating, so I figured "WTF?", I'm in. Got some really great video that I'll get up on YT, and post a link here to it.

 

[patrick66]

I drove the Imp on a little Halloween candy run for a Trunk-or-Treat today, getting home at dusk. I generally dislike driving at night, just age catching up with me. I noticed "damn, the lights sure seem dim!"...in nearly eight years of ownership, I had not noticed the car still has the original sealed-beams! I'm going to look into getting modern-style lights for it. NOT halos, just brighter lights. What are you guys with upgraded lights running?

 

[cantflip]

I drove the Imp on a little Halloween candy run for a Trunk-or-Treat today, getting home at dusk. I generally dislike driving at night, just age catching up with me. I noticed "damn, the lights sure seem dim!"...in nearly eight years of ownership, I had not noticed the car still has the original sealed-beams! I'm going to look into getting modern-style lights for it. NOT halos, just brighter lights. What are you guys with upgraded lights running?

That's what the button on the floor is for...

Seriously has less to do with how dim your lights are than how bright everyone else's are. Some brake lights seem brighter than original sealed beams.

 

[patrick66]

Brights? Yeah they work. Like four large candles. I hadn't realized how truly shitty OEM incandescents are. They truly suck. Put any of my 2000-up cars alongside it and point them at the wall. Then side by side in the driveway. The old lights are truly terrible.

 

[azblackhemi]

Brights? Yeah they work. Like four large candles. I hadn't realized how truly shitty OEM incandescents are. They truly suck. Put any of my 2000-up cars alongside it and point them at the wall. Then side by side in the driveway. The old lights are truly terrible.

Isn't it funny that back in the day when we didn't have anything better they didn't seem so bad?

 

[cantflip]

Isn't it funny that back in the day when we didn't have anything better they didn't seem so bad?

Remember when they'd steal the halogens off the new cars?

 

[garyh]

I put Halogens on all my old cars.Helps a Little bit.

 

[patrick66]

The Coronet has them, but even those are quite inadequate to me these days. With my old cars, I refrain from night driving as much as I can.