Yes, Marko, you are correct - 2 doors only in 1971.
For Sale Not Mine - 1971 Imperial on eBay
- Thread starter ANDRE LEITE DE BARROS
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Yes, Marko, you are correct - 2 doors only in 1971.
Marv
Senior Member
For my part I´m out. I just don´t dig the 71 grill. It´s my least favorite design of the fuselage Imperials.
It´s a well cared for example but even with just 2 doors the guy wouldn´t get 21k $.
It´s a well cared for example but even with just 2 doors the guy wouldn´t get 21k $.
Carmine
Old Man with a Hat
I owned a car with the ABS option. As Steve said, it just reverts to normal braking if it doesn't work. There isn't anything exotic that couldn't be repaired if you wanted it functional.
78Brougham
"Chump"
Hi Steve, I had a '73 Imperial back in '78 (5 years old!) and the damn thing wouldn't work. I tried everything and finally gave up. The automatic on and off worked as well as the timer for shutting the lights off after you exited the car off.
Golden Banana
Well-Known Member
that interior is fantastic! .....on a hot day with your shorts on ....ouch!!
Sometimes I am surprised at how much I can differ in preferences from another lover of Imperials, as I find the 71 models the most attractive of all the Imperials and that is why I still have 3 of them and "only" 2 of the 72-3 models. The shape of the 71s overall, especially the two doors, excells in my eyes to all of the others except for the 69s, which were just as good styling wise but those early models were released before they had most of the bugs worked out given all the new features/technologies they tried to introduce in 1969 on that specific model.
One of my 71 two doors is even tawny gold, one of my least favorite colors, but I live with it on this 71 with only 46K miles on it and this particular car also runs more smoothly than any other car of this vintage that I have ever owned. It is just remarkable, like a current new car at idle even. And it has gold bucket seats in it that are supremely comfortable.
The material from the factory described it as "computer controlled" so that is what made me wonder whether they would actually be able to function correctly without one of those being available as a replacement module?
Ripinator
Old Man with a Hat
I saw that too, but wasn't sure. . .
Marv
Senior Member
Isn't it a good thing that everyone's taste is different, I mean otherwise we would all hunting after the same cars. To me the 72 and 73 front end looks more massive with the drop shaped turn signals sitting on the outside. It underlines the overall majestic design of that car.
The double lined 72 grille is a better fitting design choice than the finer grille of the 73 in my opinion.
I think the 71 design with the Imperial logo implemented is also representing the high end design but it's not that appealing to me.
At least we can agree on the tawny gold color
Isn't it a good thing that everyone's taste is different, I mean otherwise we would all hunting after the same cars. To me the 72 and 73 front end looks more massive with the drop shaped turn signals sitting on the outside. It underlines the overall majestic design of that car.
The double lined 72 grille is a better fitting design choice than the finer grille of the 73 in my opinion.
I think the 71 design with the Imperial logo implemented is also representing the high end design but it's not that appealing to me.
At least we can agree on the tawny gold color
Well Marv, I guess we will not be bidding on the same cars ever then, so that is a good thing! For me, the 73 Imperial grille is light years ahead of the 72, as it is more refined and elegant - well suited to a luxury car. That is one big reason why I will be selling my 72 in the near future...........................and keeping the 73.
Kram Edyorloh
Member
Beautiful car, Interior is to die for IMO.
FYI, we had 4X4 Fury's over here in 1968, all with ABS and 4 wheel discs, trial vehicles for the Police in Finland IIRC
'67 Ford Mustang notch 4X4
Ever seen a '70 4X4 Dodge Challenger,? my friend had one and the shell still survives today, abeit, with all the running gear long gone.
FYI, we had 4X4 Fury's over here in 1968, all with ABS and 4 wheel discs, trial vehicles for the Police in Finland IIRC
'67 Ford Mustang notch 4X4
Ever seen a '70 4X4 Dodge Challenger,? my friend had one and the shell still survives today, abeit, with all the running gear long gone.
78Brougham
"Chump"
I agree completely Steve except for the HIDEOUS rubber tits on the '73. Those appendages across the entire line never should happened.
Another discussion which is very similar is how some folks like the '67 over the '68 and vice versa. I prefer the '67 over the '68.
Just personal preference.
Another discussion which is very similar is how some folks like the '67 over the '68 and vice versa. I prefer the '67 over the '68.
Just personal preference.
I've got a solid "seven" Imperials that have me pretty busy right now. There will be different ones emerge eventually. I've been mostly busy with work managing dental emergencies for last six weeks and we're back in roughly two weeks for elective under a new aerosol protocol that should be second to none. At least that's the plan to fully reopen mid-May.
The new "normal" in dentistry. It will never be the same as I remember and that's OK. I'll be dealing with the virus while at work for years to come like we all will. But, when I drive the Imperials I don't think about the virus. That's a good thing.
Xenon
Senior Member
So Doc,,, curious.. What will be the new protocols in your profession...?
As you noted, the virus isn't going away anytime soon and you are knee
deep into another persons mouth where respiratory exhales happen....
As you noted, the virus isn't going away anytime soon and you are knee
deep into another persons mouth where respiratory exhales happen....
Marv
Senior Member
My new OSHA protocol is eight pages long...
Are you getting one of these? About $3000 per op! I would need 6. I am having a hard time pulling the trigger on this technology.
Possibly...we have 51 clinics...160 docs...I run 2 op chairs with 3 hyg...my senior colleague is taking a medical leave during this pandemic...so I have to manage 5000 patients between the 2 of us...my Summer is over. I love work though...as long as I can drive the Imperials on the weekend.
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Carmine
Old Man with a Hat
I never opened up my computer, but even the most advanced electronics of the era at best utilized non-proprietary IC chips that could be found in the 2020 era of ebay and such. That would be a worst-case scenario. The Hagerty article mentions a mercury switch, and a pulse rate of 4x per second, so this is surely an analog computer. My guess is the worst you would find are dried-out capacitors, well within the ability of anyone who can fix a radio or TV.
I'm a member, and a lot of their writers are dunderheads, so call this payback. This is a better example:
The “holy grail” of automotive anti-skid technology was to also prevent the front wheels from locking up in order to maintain steering control during a full-brake panic stop. That’s exactly what the Sure-Brake system for Chrysler’s 1971 Imperial offered, despite a long-standing claim by Mercedes-Benz that its Bosch ABS system was the first electronically controlled four-wheel anti-skid system to reach production (1978 in Europe).
The Mercedes system probably had an advantage with more modern digital controls, but the Imperial’s Sure-Brake system, developed by Bendix, proved effective. The Sure-Brake option cost $351.50 on the 1971 Imperial, which started at just over $6,000. The option cost was reduced to $344 for ’72 and ’73.
A story published in Popular Science in November 1970, written by respected scribe and noted spy photographer Jim Dunne, described Sure-Brake in detail. The system had a speed sensor on each wheel, and, in the trunk, an electronic control box. Sure-Brake was a three-channel system: It used one brake-pressure modulator for each front wheel and one modulator to control both rear-wheel brakes. Modulators were vacuum canisters that operated cutoff and relief valves to stop hydraulic pressure from going to the wheels.
An anti-skid system, like Sure-Brake or modern ABS, does not “pump” the brakes. Rather, as the driver maintains brake pressure, such as in a panic stop, the system releases pressure in increments as lock-up is detected.
Did it work? According to Popular Science’s instrumented test of an Imperial equipped with Sure-Brake, the system provided “firm, steady stops – even when driving on glare ice.” The article cited a dramatic 40-percent reduction in stopping distance on slippery surfaces. That was a great benefit in itself, made possible by a two-speed braking-rate capability. A mercury switch in the computer could determine the surface friction, based on the car’s rate of deceleration, and then select the appropriate pulse rate.
That “pulse rate” and its resulting clunking sound could have frightened drivers into thinking there was a brake malfunction. In fact, the editors of Road Test magazine, which also tested a 1971 Imperial with Sure-Brake, cautioned about this very situation, stating, “In an actual panic stop you hear the clunk from Sure-Brake precisely four times a second. As this could add more juice to an already panicky situation, Chrysler wisely suggests in the owners manual that you practice with the system as soon as possible after taking delivery of the car.”
Did Chrysler salesmen pass along that wise suggestion, as well? Probably not.
If measured by sales, Sure-Brake was a failure, probably going on less than 5 percent of Imperials through 1973, so just a few hundred cars per year, at most. It did not return for 1974.
Some might want to blame the option’s price for the failure, but Sure-Brake cost less than a number of the Imperial’s other extras, such as the AM/FM stereo with tape player. As was often the case with new safety features, the manufacturer and its dealers probably failed to adequately market the technology and explain its benefits to customers.
As Road Test concluded, “At the very least, Imperial should be credited for pioneering what must be the ultimate in the current state of the art of braking as practiced by Detroit.”
I also found this SAE technical paper which you can download for $33. If I were actually troubleshooting one of these, it's probably a bargain. The free preview is worth a read...
The Chrysler “Sure-Brake” - The First Production Four-Wheel Anti-Skid System (710248 Technical Paper)- SAE Mobilus
Thanks Carmine, as I was unaware of the significance of the option even though I worked for the company starting in 1969. Good information!
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