'69-'73 Imperial Idler Arm; was Re: IML: part numbers

[Elijah Scott <imperial1971@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- W Bell <cbody67tx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> The other side of the deal is that I suspect that
> Chrysler would not have the resources to tool up and
> warehouse two complete steering linkages for the
> same body series of vehicle (as the fuselage C-body
> and Imperials were of the same suspension
> architecture, typically).

Actually, Chrysler DID have the resources to design
completely different steering linkages for Imperials
from '67-'73.  :o)

If you have a look at either an actual Chrysler Parts
Catalog or service manual from this time period,
you'll find that the Imperial steering linkage and
front AND rear suspensions are COMPLETELY different
than other C-body cars of this era.  Virtually all of
the Imperial parts are unique to Imperial.  And the
front suspension makes use of a stub frame assembly
and steering linkage that is totally Imperial, and
provides completely different driving and handling
characteristics than the C-body cars.

Last year, I had to replace the idler arm on my '70
Imperial.  Fortunately, I had a '71 Imperial parts car
with a good idler arm, which saved me the $200+ of
having one rebuilt.  At this time, I compared the
Imperial idler arm with a '67 C-body idler arm, as
well as a '67-'68 Imperial idler arm -- and the
'69-'71 Imperial idler arm is quite different than
either of the others.  The C-body idler arm looked
NOTHING like the Imperial idler arm -- it was of a
completely different shape, and was about 1 inch
shorter.  And I'm sure that the idler arm from my
parts car was the correct part based on both the part
number and the fact that it matched the idler arms on
my '70 and '71 Imperials.

No doubt the C-body idler arm could be made to fit an
Imperial, and I'm sure that a perfect front end
alignment could be obtained with the steering wheel in
the center position -- but as soon as you start
turning the steering wheel, the geometry of the
steering and front suspension is going to be out of
whack.  In other words, everything might be fine on a
straight stretch of road, but as soon as you make a
tight turn on a wet stretch of pavement, you may be in
for a big surprise.

Frankly, I'm surprised that some folks seem to be
willing to take such a risk with their Imperials.  My
Imperial budget is always tight, so I try to do things
as inexpensively as possible (which means I do almost
all the work myself), but I'm not willing to cut
corners where safety is concerned.

Elijah

=====
http://www.imperialclub.com/~imperial71/
1965 Imperial LeBaron
1970 Imperial LeBaron
1971 Imperial LeBaron


        
                
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