69CoronetRT
Senior Member
"Early"
Bought this 1974 Imperial LeBaron 4dr today
- Thread starter Moparmania
- Start date
The 1975 Automatic Height Control on a 1974 car is also interesting. Sometimes Chrysler would put advanced features on cars used by employees to gather feedback. As by 1974 Alan Loofbourrow was the Vice-President for Engineering, who could have had more interest in the functionality of a feature to be introduced in the next model year?
polara10x500
Member
Amazing what a little TLC can do, more pics please.
Moparmania
New Member
Will do. On vacation, will post more paper work and pics of the car.
Robert Saigh
Senior Member
^^ You're lucky.... I made an offer to the guy about 6 hrs. after you did! If it doesn't work out... PM me!
Moparmania
New Member
It was for sale a couple weeks ago and I called the guy and asked him to text me a pic of the body tag. Got a text 15 minutes later saying he sold it. Fast forward a week later I was waiting for a buddy at a restaurant and was looking online at cars for sale and the ad was there again. I called the guy and said I was on my way. He said he made a handshake deal with someone and he never came back. I bought it instantly, gave him a deposit, and towed it out the next day.
Robert Saigh
Senior Member
I never had his phone number and text him for it, never got it! There's a few two doors for sale right now.... All maroon and a green one. Just curious, how does the front drivers seat look for wear?
Moparmania
New Member
They look good.
Moparmania
New Member
Buildsheet
Moparmania
New Member
Company Owned Vehicle Receipt
Moparmania
New Member
A.G. Loofbourrow was Chief Engineer for Car, Chassis Design in 1953 (see org chart). My dad was a Chassis Designer for Chrysler starting in 1957 working in that same department. It's possible that my dad worked under Loofbourrow.
Interesting pieces of paper!
As far as I can see, the broadcast sheet does not contain a sales code for the Automatic Height Control. In 1977 that code was S54.
The Lease/Bid/Sale slot has Y28. That may have something to do with this being a company-owned car, but I don't know the exact meaning.
If I understand the receipt correctly, it says that Mr Loofbourrow handed in his beautiful car for another one on July, 9, 1974. That's exactly three months after the build date. If that was common practice, it makes you wonder how many Loofbourrow-driven Imperials there have been!
As far as I can see, the broadcast sheet does not contain a sales code for the Automatic Height Control. In 1977 that code was S54.
The Lease/Bid/Sale slot has Y28. That may have something to do with this being a company-owned car, but I don't know the exact meaning.
If I understand the receipt correctly, it says that Mr Loofbourrow handed in his beautiful car for another one on July, 9, 1974. That's exactly three months after the build date. If that was common practice, it makes you wonder how many Loofbourrow-driven Imperials there have been!
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These were Product Evaluation vehicles, they were basically given to execs to drive for 3 to 6 months and fill out an evaluation sheet at the end before getting another. In my dad’s time as an exec, basically ‘70s into the ‘90s, these cars had little gold pentastar decals on the drivers side of the front windshield. This decal got them in and out of corporate parking structures quickly but it was also used by porters to id cars that they needed to gas up and wash as needed during office hours.
Given that this car has a 3.23:1 rear axle, might it also have either trailer tow or HD suspension?
I'll be keen to see what you do to revive the auto height control. Especially sourcing air shocks.
Moparmania
New Member
The build sheet has a D51 code which is a 2.71:1 rear axle, though it was not offered on the Imperial. The dealer data book and the 74 Imperial brochure says that the 3.23:1 is standard and no other ratio option is offered. So I'm not sure why the build sheet has the D51 code and the car was built with a 2.71:1. It should be D53 for the 3.23:1. Since it was noted on that card, maybe they changed it too? I'm really confused about this one.
It does have a dealer installed, accessory tow hitch seen here.
I did confirm that it has the Auto Height Control installed. Here is a pic of one of the air cannisters.
Moparmania
New Member
Here is the Security system stuff in addition to the horn in a previous posted picture under the hood.
69CoronetRT
Senior Member
U68 TIRE (LR78X15) and PIN 25 (line 4) = 2:71 axle ratio = D51
Moparmania
New Member
Funny, literature says 3:23 is standard. But the buildsheet says different. Was it special ordered, or was it an option not stated in the literature? Anyway, I'll look for a tag on the axle or count it the old fashioned way. Thanks!
I'm intrigued by field 2 of the company-owned car receipt:
The available boxes are:
"Assigned Car"
"Do Car*"
"Emp. Lease Car"
"Prod. Plng. Car"
Do Car is explained and Assigned Car and Emp. Lease Car seem pretty clear to me. But what category is Prod. Plng. Car? Product Evaluation Vehicle maybe?
The available boxes are:
"Assigned Car"
"Do Car*"
"Emp. Lease Car"
"Prod. Plng. Car"
Do Car is explained and Assigned Car and Emp. Lease Car seem pretty clear to me. But what category is Prod. Plng. Car? Product Evaluation Vehicle maybe?
There must have been a notion "Product Planning Car" around by then, see this reference to the 1973 Plymouth Intermediate Car Product Planning Car Group. It still is unclear to me whether "Product Evaluation Vehicle" covers that same notion.
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