Congrats on your success! Once you do finally get to drive it you will know what had everyone so excited about the Imperial, and Chrysler Corporation in general back in the mid-50's and for many years afterwards. If I had to sell everything, including my daily driver, I would keep only two, my '55 Imperial Sedan and my 1948 L.C. Coupe. Other than my dog, they are my most prized possessions.
Paul W.
The '55 returned to life again today.
I've been chipping away at it for the last 3 weeks.
The carb was sent out and rebuilt.
The water pump was too.
While they were gone, I gave the block a sponge bath
with solvent and then repainted the engine, returning
it from day-glo orange to stock silver, a tremendous
difference!
The car was dosed with a bottle of Dick B's
recommendation - CD2 to address the lifter knock.
Engine compartment is now detailed and clean, the
engine looks like it's been freshly rebuilt! Spay
paint sure is a good thing.
Oh, and those have to be some of the most handsome
valve covers ever!
I reinstalled everything, taking my time over a few
nights after work, and tonight I dumped some starter
fluid down the throat and fired the car up. It is now
incredibly smooth, and I have high hopes for it once I
get my 6v tail light bulbs and actually get to drive
it. I had installed 12v bulbs by mistake, and must
order 6v ones.
Upon startup, the clanking lifter was still present,
but upon buildup of oil pressure, the noise
disappeared, and I can't thank Dick and the IML in
general enough for tips like that. What a nice
short-cut around a lifter replacement!
A few weeks ago, when I had the carbs rebuilt, the
shop that did it advised me that they don't do tuning
or adjustments, just rebuilds. There are a pair of
guys that do a clinic on saturdays using an exhaust
gas analyzer to tune cars that they referred me to.
They have an old SUN scope and can diagnose a car's
ills very well.
I took the 1966 there and came out of the experience
with the smoothest idling engine that I've ever had on
an Imperial.
The idle adjustment was lean, inducing some shake, and
the vacuum line to the parking brake release has a
fault that I have not chased down yet. It is plugged
into the 7 intake runner, and was leaning out that
cylinder only, creating a shake at idle.
Removing that line and capping it off for the mean
time and adjusting the idle screws created the silky
smooth, very low idle that I am really crazy about now
that I know about it. I set the idle down so low that
the car almost refuses to creep when the car is in
gear and the brake is released.
If you have access to or are inclined to seek out
someone with an exhaust gas analyzer, I encourage you
to get that service performed. Carb rebuilders in
your area may have some advice in that area.
I'll get the 55's top painted soon, reinstall the
rechromed trim, and will be down to just the trans
rebuild and possibly a gas-tank redo, although with
the new filter, the gas seems to be clear, and perhaps
I can get away without doing that? We'll see. I'm
getting really impatient about getting to drive the
darned thing and get to see what the engine at full
strength feels like.
Photos of it posted when I get the car driveable
sometime this week.
-K
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