66 Imperial - data plate details?

[cbod2100]

Your 300 looks amazing! I bet you've invested a LOT of effort into keeping that engine bay looking that nice! The reflection on the hood underside really adds to it - don't ever install insulation.

The 60 tbird is unrestored, but has newer seat covers. It had a water pump go out that threw the fan into the radiator - that is what scared my wife about driving it. It's in great condition with everything working on it from the radio to the AC.

The 57 Imperial engine fire happened from an explosion in the crank case. Somehow fuel or something got in there and combusted making a very large boom that pushed pressure back up through the carb causing the fuel bowls to blow gas out and ignite down the back of the engine. Thankfully I had the hood up because it was the first start of the season in March and I like to hear and see what's going on when the engines start for the first time each year. It finally paid off as I was able to get an extinguisher and put out the fire. (took 3 extinguishers) Had the hood been closed, the car would be a total loss and may have burned my house down as it was in the garage. Even caught it all on video with the garage security camera. The 57 is not all original - it's had new carpet, new seats entirely (swivel from the 59 year I believe) with new upholstery, some aftermarket cruise control that I'm likely to remove, and now it will have a rebuilt engine and I'm getting the transmission done as well since it has been slipping for a while.

The 66 is the newest and is all original from what I can tell. Unfortunately we are not getting much of a fall here and it has gone straight to winter weather complete with salt all over the roads. If we get some rain to wash that off, I might take the 66 out for a few more drives.

 

[300C]

You're very kind, thanks...Yes, the 300C engine is clean and a PITA to keep it that way...LOL! Misery loves company so you understand. My Imperial is the same way, my 300G is getting there.

I'm amazed that you're ok with the Imperial calamity! You're not alone.....This past summer there was a major house fire close enough so I could see thick and dark smoke. I drove over to where the fire seemed to be, about 3 minutes from here. Flames were coming out of the house. Cause? New model BMW simply caught on fire, don;t know why but it was a nightmare. Car was in the garage. Adjacent houses were fortunate to escape with only minor damage, principal home was not so lucky..

Many years ago I had a black cherry LeBaron convertible parked in the garage, a 1990, that I bought new. I kept a trickle charger, not a Tender, on it. One day I opened the hood, got in the car, turned the key and BANG! The battery exploded. It sounded like a shotgun going off in the garage! Thinking super quick, I grabbed the water hose that I installed in the garage, then flushed the paint and the engine. The only damage was to the plastic fan shroud and rubber hoses, which were somewhat spotted with gray dots from the acid.....I cannot imagine having stood there with that explosion. Lord knows what might have happened to me. I threw out my trickle chargers and have Tenders on all vehicles....UGH!

Thanks for the update, always cool to hear about other owners and their experiences! Enjoy, been cold here in NJ, too!

bob

 

[jct]

I have a dysfunctional courtesy light in the right rear quarter of my Imp. To repair it means the rear seat has to be come out, the side panels have to come out and the bulb serviced. It doesn't seem to be something worth attacking

Take it to the dealership and let them deal with it lol

 

[300C]

Take it to the dealership and let them deal with it lol

Reminds me of a story. My buddy actually runs a small but busy repair shop which I use when I cant get things done on my daily drivers. Not long after bought my 300F I brought it to show him, sometime about 5-6 years ago. I opened the hood and there sat those glorious red cross rams with the two Carter carbs nearly sitting on each fender; his "mechanic" came out (actually an oil/tire jockey) and asked, "What are those things under those gold circles?" "Carburetors, and the gold circles are air cleaners..." My friend looked at me, I at him, I closed the hood and went home. Sad....and that tech had gone through some sort of training. I think he last about two months on the job........

Dealer? The last time I took the Imperial for a wheel alignment the two service writers (maybe 45 years, combined age, and that scared me!), asked me "What's an Imperial? I left......I eventually found a shop with Bear equipment and a pit....they knew what an Imperial was/is and how to do an alignment! And I got to sit in the pit with the MECHANIC...What a hobby!

 

[cbod2100]

Yeah, about 10 to 20 years ago you could find older mechanics that understood these cars as the same technology was used in the 70's and 80's. Since the mid 90's though, it's all computer driven. There's several cars today that are doing away with the dipstick entirely and just rely on the sensors to tell you if things get low.

The only training mechanics get today is to plug in an OBD-II reader and let the tablet tell them what's wrong, then start replacing those parts based on service details shared between shops.

 

[jct]

Thankfully A&A transmission is a 30 minute drive from where my car is at

 

[300C]

Thankfully A&A transmission is a 30 minute drive from where my car is at

When I booked a wheel alignment for my ‘57 300C I asked for the senior tech in the shop. A gray haired gent appeared dress neatly in shop attire. First thing he said was that he knew all about the 300 Letter cars and.....they did not have any shims in the shop for my car. Really?? I opened the trunk and produced a box full of them. Pays to be prepared! He did a great job and I let him drive the car. You would have thought he died and went to heaven. My way of thanking him for a job well done. I’m guessing we all have similar stories.....and he did a great job!

 

[chrysler_fan]

Thanks and well done, and you are absolutely correct, 101% on all of this! Since my Shriner is a Sept build I do not have the AM/FM radio or the tilt wheel. I do have the latch-spring controlled door storage units and the word "IMPERIAL" over the dash speaker grill, both items later discontinued. I was tempted to install the AM/FM and tilt wheel as I had the chance to get these but I decided to keep the restoration pure.

I appreciate the time you took to write this, it's very informative for me and other Imp owners. I'm wondering how many others out there own Shriner Imps of ANY year? To date, I know of only two other 64's, have met one of the owners, and the other car was seen on eBay. Neither was restored.

I especially appreciate the seat info. THAT will help me fix that light! I was dreading this!!!!

Please do offer any other IMP info....like who repops brake drums?????? " The Jeopardy answer is, (What is NO-ONE?) Correct me if I'm wrong....and the '64 drums, at least the rears, are '64 ONLY? And the fronts?

Thanks for the info!!!!!!!!

bob

I think I know of a 66 Shriner's convertible that will be for sale soon. I am interested in acquiring it if I can sell my 68 Hemi Road runner to make room for an Imperial. I have trouble finding much information on the Shriners cars of that era. I can see 4 1966 pictured on the Imperial on line club website but only one shows what steering wheel (T&T there but wondered if that was too early a build to have T&T and would have been the standard 66 wheel instead) and only one has a VIN to compare since they normally were close to sequential if not fully sequential numbers. If anyone has information on the 1966 Shriner cars, I would appreciate knowing to better verify authenticity of this particular car. So few of us even know what a Shriner IMP is so maybe it is not important anymore.

 

[300C]

I think I know of a 66 Shriner's convertible that will be for sale soon. I am interested in acquiring it if I can sell my 68 Hemi Road runner to make room for an Imperial. I have trouble finding much information on the Shriners cars of that era. I can see 4 1966 pictured on the Imperial on line club website but only one shows what steering wheel (T&T there but wondered if that was too early a build to have T&T and would have been the standard 66 wheel instead) and only one has a VIN to compare since they normally were close to sequential if not fully sequential numbers. If anyone has information on the 1966 Shriner cars, I would appreciate knowing to better verify authenticity of this particular car. So few of us even know what a Shriner IMP is so maybe it is not important anymore.

Hi, first thing you want to check is that VIN tag...should be a "999" trim code which is Chrysler Corp speak for "special order." You can try writing to Chrysler Historical but when I wrote to them in 2019 for my 300G history I rec'd both my check and a note saying that due to staffing they were unable to produce any more historical data letters or build sheets. Damn! I guess Fiat could care less!! This was an excellent service that gave you provenance on your Chrys Corp car. Beyond that there really isn't much info on the Shriner cars. My build sheet is actually marked "Omaha Shriner Car" and it was provided to me back when the historical services folks were doing their thing. I have only seen two or three other '64 Imps like mine and one owner had the tilt/teles wheel and FM radio, clearly later options. I have two items on my '64 that do not appear on later builds, the plastic emblem "Imperial" located above the radio grill and spring loaded door compartment lids.

Of that on line website, while it provides a wealth of info I'm not sure how current it is and of course, like the 300 Club regsitry(s) one can only assume that those of use who own 300s actually report them. I suppose all of the registries provide a faily good accounting because the websites are critical in learning about these cars and sustaining them. The folks that host them are doing a great service to the hobbies. And thus, one would like to think that any owner of said car would be inclined to register it. I did so.

Parts are another issue...........

Good luck!!!

bob