At 09:45 AM 2/24/2002 -0600, you wrote:
>Its only flaw, if one can call it that, is somewhat reluctant engine
>braking. Maybe the mass of the car makes the work doubly difficult, but
>using the engine to slow down seems to be the only time the car is under any
>kind of pressure. The engine note changes considerably and one is tempted
>to use the brake pedal more than one would in another car. Maybe its the
>automatic transmission, a means of engine power delivery I always find to be
>less than satisfactory.
Interesting. Both my 68's, and especially the green sedan have extremely
effective engine braking. On the freeway for example, I often see brake
lights on cars in front, and all I have to do is back off the gas. I
suspect other late 60's Imps are similar. However, I recall reading that
earlier Imperials may have had this "deficiency". The road test crew
(Car-life, posted in the site) of a 61 with a 413 and a relatively low 3.23
gears complained about this lack of engine braking. I think the reason is
the torque converter. Earlier Imperials had higher stall converters
meaning that allowed more converter slippage under acceleration to improve
engine response. The geometry of the converter that allows higher slippage
under acceleration, also causes more slippage when you let off the gas and
expect engine braking, and allows the engine rpm to drop too fast. Later
Imperials with the higher torque 440s had lower stall converters, which
might be responsible for the improved engine braking. Ironically, the
later Imps need engine braking less because of their disk brakes!
D^2
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