The Dismantling Begins

Last week, my dad called to give me the good news. The engine re builder had finally removed the 440 engine, and Torqueflite transmission from Red, and has started to strip it down, and rebuild it. Dad then delivered the 3 speed transmission to the transmission shop for a rebuild. In no time at all (one day, in fact), the transmission was rebuilt, with heavy duty parts, so it can handle higher horsepower. However, from what I understand, that transmission didn't need much in the way of new parts, as it had been engineered to handle higher horsepower. We'll see.

I have not talked to my dad in several days, so I do not know what kind of progress the engine re builder is making on the 440. Hopefully, it's moving along nicely. On a side note, I subscribe to the Online Imperial Club's email list, so I get all sorts of information regarding Imperials on a daily basis. I have been considering converting from a carbureted system to an electronic fuel injection (EFI) system. Just my luck, someone started an email trail concerning the availability of new EFI kits for Mopars, in particular, for the big block 440. Most Imperial owners, especially those owners with some engine technical background, didn't see the value in replacing a carb with an EFI system, as any gains in fuel economy would not offset the cost of installing the EFI system, and wouldn't provide any real gains in horsepower. The general consensus was 'don't bother with it'.

So I won't. I'll keep it naturally aspirated, and see what happens. It does have four barrel carb, so fuel will not have a problem getting to the ignition chambers. I could go all out, and find a six pack, but I'll keep it as it is now, rebuilt for more performance, and see if I am happy with that.

Back to the body shop. Both cars are now at the custom re builder shop in Lubbock, Texas. Hills Hot Rods on the Loop are currently stripping both cars down, taking the best parts from the two, and then will haul the necessary body parts to Arlington to have them media stripped to see where the problem areas are for rust. It will be interesting to see which car they chose to build with as a basis. While Red's lower body parts are relatively rust free, the roof has holes rusted through, due to the old vinyl top being in very poor shape. Blackie, on the other hand, has a great roof, in spite of the vinyl top, but has rust issues around the bottom of the car (door sills, front and rear fenders). Plus, Blackie's had some body work done in the past, so some of the body panels will probably not be usable. While Hill's is a relatively new shop, they do have experienced car restorers and custom builders in their employ, so at this point, I am not that concerned with quality or workmanship issues. We'll see if this holds true as the project moves forward. You can find Hill's here: http://www.hillshotrods.com .

There is one thing I am including is this restoration, and it's a center console from a 1970 Chrysler 300, with automatic stick shift. The early 1970's Chrysler's shared the same body style and basic body dimensions with the Imperials of the same period. The only difference being the Imperials were longer (longer fenders and hood). The interiors of both Chrysler's and Imperials had the same basic dimensions. The only differences were the trim level (of course, the Imperial had the top-of-the-line interior materials). 36 years later, tastes and needs have changed, so I am attempting to bring the more relevant changes to the restoration and customizing of this car. While there are some nice interior features (there are storage compartments underneath the arm rests in the doors), it is sadly lacking any other storage areas, especially in the floor area, where one would expect cup holders, and another storage area. I am attempting to change that by including a center console, which is from a 1970 Chrysler 300. Since the console also came with a floor shifter for the automatic transmission, I plan to convert the shifter from the steering column, to the floor shifter in the console. I like the idea of the floor shifter, especially since the car is a 2 door coupe. It should add a more sporty feel to the car. I have included pics of the console to give you a better idea of how it looks. Also, instead of the fake vinyl wood grain appliques that were used throughout the interior, I intend to replace those with real wood. The fake wood is supposed to be 'Rosewood'. I intend to replace it with real Rosewood, something like the Madagascar Rosewood sample seen here.

And last, while the decision for rims selection is a ways off, the owner of Hill's Hot Rods suggested this style rim for the car. I have been looking for something similar to these for quite awhile. I really like these, as they are styled for a luxury look, that the usual 'blade' style rims. These are definitely keepers, however, I want either a 17" or 18" rim, not a 20" rim. Mr. Hill thinks 20" rims would fit fine on the car, but I have my doubts. I do not want the rims to over take the overall style and look of the car. We'll see how that works out.

Thanks again for reading. Now that things are moving forward more quickly, the updates to this blog should be more frequent. Especially since both Hill's and the engine re builder promised to take pictures during the restoration process. Once I receive those, I will definitely post them here.