| I don't wish to open a lengthy debate on the use of Imperials for other than enjoyment or restoration, I would just like to throw out some ideas of how to deal with something we can't change. I'm afraid that if you search the "Parts for Sale" section of the web site, there are many parts that are for sale that were pulled from Imperials headed for the Demolition Derby. I bought what was supposed to be a 413 (turned out to be a 361) from a gentleman in Wisconsin on my return trip from Iowa when I picked up my '63. He is connected with the people on the listed link. I don't remember for sure, but it seems like I got the lead for the engine from the IML. Anyway, there was a '64 in his barn being prepared for Demo Derby. The car was pretty well rusted, with previous body damage, and most all of the good trim and stuff had been removed. We talked about Imperial parts, and it seemed that they were selling the parts from the cars that they were to Demo. He did say that there are large stashes of Imperial parts around from cars that had been Demo'd in the past. I'll contact the guy and see if I can locate some of those. Sad as it is, this has been popular for a long time. The up side is that many, if not most tracks now forbid the use of Imperials for regular Demo Derby use. The fellow explained that the '64 he was preparing was for an "Unlimited" class, that is only run occasionally and had quite a large payout. As much as it pains us all, there is no way to stop the use of these cars for Demolition Derby. The market value of these cars in deteriorated conditions makes them prime candidates for Demo Derby, or as drivetrain donors for hot rods and race cars. I bought my '68 out from under a racer who was going to pull the 440 and transmission for a drag car and scrap the 47,000 mile body. I think the '63 would have seen a similar fate, probably the Demo Derby. I paid less than $1000 for each of these cars. On the positive side of things, I think we can do the following: 1. Contact as many Demo Derby contestants as possible, and locate any Imperial parts available, before they end up being scrapped. Put them up on the IML. Put them on eBay. Put them in your basement. Just save them from the scrap yard. 2. Consider sending older deteriorated Imperials to the reputable Mopar parts yards like Murray Park in Ohio, rather than selling them for bottom dollar. There are other yards like Murray's all over the country. This will keep parts available to those who need them, and help support people like Murray, who support people like us. 3. Offer up stripped bodies to the Demo Derby guys. I've seen more than one Imperial that has been parted, and not much more than the frame and body are left... this is exactly what the Demo guys are looking for. 4. Get the word out to members when you find distressed cars for sale. Better for someone on the list to control the fate of the car than let it go to someone who may not share our passion. Maybe I'm still suffering from years of Corporate Brainwashing, but it seems like this is the perfect opportunity to implement ideals that were nothing more than buzz-words like "Win-Win", "Synergy", "Networking", and best of all, "Recycling". My $.02 worth Steve Charette In a message dated 5/24/02 9:50:45 AM Pacific Daylight Time, mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes: From: "Boehme, Mark" <mark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>Demolition Derby Link to Imperial club.com
Thanks, Steve Charette Imperial Services www.imperialservices.net |
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