Re: IML: Being a Big Imperial Owner/Backyard Mechanic

[randalpark@xxxxxxx]

Being 6'10" is a very big problem when it comes to trying to fit into 
tight spots. Everything else is just time and patience. There is no 
such thing as electrical gremlins. There are switches, wires, 
connectors, relays, and components. These are all subject to 
deterioration from use and age. Narrowing them down when faced with an 
issue can be tedious, but it isn't magic.

With the right tools, the brakes are easier to work on than most with 
fewer parts and very simple adjustments. I have found that in addition 
to time and patience, having the correct tools, and a complete 
understanding of the system PRIOR to starting any work is an 
un-quantifiable advantage. It also helps if you know of someone who 
still knows how to "arc the brake shoes".

Paul W.


-----Original Message-----
From: santiam oregon <santiamoregon@xxxxxxxxx>
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 4:40 pm
Subject: Re: IML: dealership attitudes to Imperials back in the day



The part aboiut the difficulty in working on these cars struck a chord 
with me. My dad

took a 59' Imperial 2HT in midnight blue in trade for a valve job back 
around 1977.  I was

enamored with the car even though they were considered ridiculously 
flamboyant at the time.  A few years later, as it sat in the field 
(still in fairly good shape at that point), I would make trips out to 
work on it and attempt to resurect it back onto the highway.  It was an 
incredibly difficult car to work on under the dash and the 
electro-mechanical gremlins that accompanied such things. 

I conveniently forgot that part several years ago when I started

to look for another 57-59 Imperial.  Having one in the garage now, I 
have to say that they can be a real pain w/ some of the oddball-complex 
stuff that doesn't interchange to other mopar.

Not to mention the brakes and of course working under the dash again.  
Not easy for someone who is 6'10".  

"Hugh, 58 Imperial" <imperial58@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

While I briefly sold new MOPARS a few years ago, I was working with a
semi-retired former dealership owner whose establishment was in Karnes 
City,
Texas, the county seat of Karnes County, a rural and none too affluent 
part
of the state maybe half way between San Antonio and Corpus Christi. His
business dealt mainly with Plymouths. It is important to note that 
Chrysler
Corp. never had a separate Imperial distribution chain. Imperials were
tacked onto existing dealerships. The guy who started this thread 
actually
enlightened me as to who sold Imperials in San Antonio as I could not 
find
that out going through old business directories and stuff like that. 
Often
there was some arm twisting involved in getting a dealer to carry, and
therefore service, Imperials.

My friend from Karnes City refused to carry the name plate for a number 
of
very good business reasons. He mainly sold Plymouths. A Plymouth buyer
knew he was at the low end of the spectrum and his or her demands were
relatively manageable. An Imperial buyer was a different breed 
altogether.
Much fussier and more particular about every aspect of the car. It took 
far
more time and effort to sell an Imperial than it did to get a Plymouth 
off
the lot. I went through this myself with the Dodge Viper. In my seven
months at possibly the worst job I ever had in my life, I could sell 
new
Dodge Ram pick ups all day with little hassle. I finally managed to 
unload
the dealer's one and only Viper, but it took months and months. Loads 
of
rotten test drives involving way too much testosterone and far too 
little
actual skill but that's a different story. The second reason why 
selling
Imperials was bad deal was servicing them. He would have to send his
mechanics for additional training, at his own expense, plus carry a 
whole
different set of parts in his already crammed service area.

So, even back then, dealerships were trading off the prestige value of
carrying the Imperial against considerable additional extra costs. The
dealership where my car was originally purchased sold Plymouths and 
used
cars. I was told by the niece of the original owner he bought a new
Imperial every year, which made the additional effort worth it for the
dealer.

Hugh Hemphill
58 Imperial
San Antonio, Texas



----------------- http://www.imperialclub.com -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please
reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be
shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to iml.webmonster@xxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm




------------------------------------------------------------
Don't be flakey. Get Yahoo! Mail for Mobile and
always stay connected to friends.


________________________________________________________________________
AOL now offers free email to everyone.  Find out more about what's free 
from AOL at AOL.com.
=0

-----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com  -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please
reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be
shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to iml.webmonster@xxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm