I drove to the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Chicago today to inspect the 69 Imperial, to weigh the possibility of making the purchase.
First thing was to see if everything was there, i.e. trim, engine components, interior, etc, and they all checked out. I did notice it was missing the bumper jack, but the spare with the Imperial rim/tire was in the trunk.
The interior is black with the bucket seat option, and the leather was in good condition. Only noticed a small section on the seat back where the seam looked like it could be stitched back, but no tears and the power seats work. The headliner was intact and no sign of rodent infestation or holes. The carpet needs to be replaced, as it was worn through to the floor on the driver's side. The steering wheel had a small crack at 12 o'clock, but other than that it was nice, and the horn worked.
The body has 1 rust hole on the bottom of the driver's side rear quarter, just past the wheel opening. there are several door dings along both sides of the car, as well as a small dent on the right-side fender. Both bumpers have dents and need to be straightened and re-chromed. The DS rearview mirror is pitted and there is no PS mirror.
No rust in the trunk floors was seen after pulling the carpet back a little, or any rust along the trunk rails or dutchman panel. Cardboard dress up panes and the rear defogger components were also still present in the trunk. Trunk carpet was ok.
The vinyl top is in really good condition, with only about a 1" separation at the bottom of the rear window next to the trim.
The car will need a new paint job if a resto is the goal, but the E7 Dark Briar Metalic / burgundy will look really nice IMO once repainted.
The underside of the car looked solid, and I did not see any rust through spots on the floor or any stub frame rot.
Mechanically, the driver side front wheel studs were replaced, as the seller broke them off not knowing about the reverse threaded studs. The exhaust from the manifolds back is shot from sitting for 30+ years, and the gas in the tank has turned to varnish.
Everything in the engine bay looked to be there, and all original with no modifications that I saw. Engine does not run but will turn with a socket on the crank bolt.
The radiator needs to be flushed and maybe recored too. The fan shroud is there and not broken.
We jacked up the rear end and took it out of gear, but the wheels wouldn't turn. Probably rusty shoes and an easy fix. I was hoping to find out if it was a sure grip or an open rear end. I forgot to look for the factory tag on the differential housing.
The seller had hooked up a battery while I was there and did see some of the lights were getting power, however the headlight door motor would not function even after confirming it was plugged in. The seller told me the windows went up with help, but the battery was too weak to confirm the were actually working. No cracks or delamination in the tinted windshield.
The seller is firm on his price at $6,000, as he repeatedly said he could get it running as a driver and sell it for $10K to $14K because he had seen the valuations for this model on the interweb. (I think he's sticking to the $6K price because of the interest his car has generated)
I was on the fence about buying this Imperial as it is pretty solid and has a complete interior, but I told the seller I was going to take a pass.
This car wouldn't take too much to make it road worthy, and to use as a driver while doing a restoration.
It's worth the $6K. And in today's C Body world of cars being sold, this one has a great foundation for somebody to Make a C Body Great Again.