Re: IML: How to ruin your day/ Weird Mental Image

[RandalPark@xxxxxxx]

There have been a lot of posts about a '60 Imperial with brake problems lately. For a while I thought I was reading about a 1960 Imperial that was destroyed by rear ending a KIA! I just could not fathom how this could be. 

As I read, I pictured the '60 Imperial front end dipping down during heavy braking to scoop the Kia up into its gigantic mouth! The image in my mind was rather odd('60 Imperial eating Kia's for lunch), but definitely worthy of a Stephen King horror flick. Should we call it "The Hungry Imperial"???

Sorry about your misfortune. The newest Imperial that I would drive, thinking that I had some sort of crash advantage over other cars on the road, would be about a 1975 model.

Paul

In an email dated 7/4/2005 7:30:03 am GMT Daylight time, Jason Wulf <jrwulf@xxxxxxxxx> writes:

>--Bad Things Volume XI. ?How to hurt your Imperial, and not feel so
>bad later. ?(Also available on Audiocasette)
>
>
>
>Well, it finally happened...
>
>Part of the problem with daily drivers is that you drive them daily. 
>And, with all things extrordinarily dangerous, like driving, you're
>bound one time or two to screw up.
>
>The other day finally turned out to be my moment to do just that, and
>I hurt my car in the process.
>
>Driving through some wet/muddy/who knows what pavement after a rain, i
>was pulling up behind someone at a stoplight, nothing out of the
>ordinary, and before i could even think to go "?!!!" i remember
>hearing the "schhhhh!" of tires sliding across asphalt, and i had hit
>her.
>
>In front of me was a newish Kia, who ended up with some scratched
>paint on the bumper. ?I, on the other hand, ended up needing a new
>front header, bumper, and hood.
>
>--There is no justice, sometimes. ?Isn't one of the reasons we drive
>Imperials to be the indestructible tanks on the road?
>
>When I locked the tires up, apparently the front of my car bucked
>down, because the grille above the bumper was really what hit her,
>causing a fair bit of damage to my car! ?My bumper had gone under
>hers, bending the brackets just slightly, which has forced my bumper
>down at an angle. ?In addition, the grille was shattered (literally! 
>There were enough small pieces I almost needed a Dustbuster...), the
>fiberglass header was cracked and broken, and this whole assembly was
>pushed just back far enough to bow the hood up at a crumple zone.
>
>--This all from an approximate 5MPH collision. ?I'm not entirely sure
>of my exact speed, as i was pulling up behind her at a stoplight.
>
>But that was just the beginning! ?After calling insurance companies,
>getting everything squared away, I went on with life and said "time to
>fix it!"
>
>I went to a reputable body shop in Vancouver, one that's actually
>fixed our cars in the past, and was promptly given a quote for...
>
>THREE THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS.
>
>Oh yes folks, i was told that the damage...the broken fiberglass
>header, hood, and various little plastic bits were going to cost me
>$3800 dollars. ?The main money makers (for them) were the $800 dollar
>fiberglass piece, a $600 hood, and an $800 dollar bumper! ?There were
>some miscellaneous small pices included in, and then there was that
>GIGANTIC labor fee...
>
>Armed with this in mind, i went to Foster Auto Parts (For those that
>know the area, it used to be U-Pull-It, then when bought by FAP it
>became a we-pull-it-while-you-watch-and-pay-us-more kind of
>junkyard.). ?They had a '93 imperial, blue, and it had all the parts I
>needed. ?$650 for everything? ?Well, I'll just be back on payday...my
>insurance deductable is $500 anyway, and I knew that I wouldn't be
>paying $650 for those parts....
>
>
>This, then, brings us to today. ?Unlike recently, today was a Very
>Good Day. ?Armed with only my wits, and $350 dollars in cash in my
>wallet, I went back to FAP. ?I went out to the car with what I assume
>was a manager, threw some numbers around for brand new parts the right
>color I had found online, and got the loaded header, bumper assembly,
>and hood for that aforementioned $350. ?It also helps to pull the poor
>college student card out of your wallet once in awhile...
>
>I just finished stripping the header panel apart down to the last nut,
>bolt, and headlight door, and so the prepwork will begin tomorrow
>night on all of these pieces to get painted white (it just can't do to
>put a blue header on a white car...this is an /Imperial!/) and
>hopefully everything will be completed in time for Rhody Days!
>
>I think the biggest challenge now will be settling down my insurance
>company enough so that they'll let me start taking apart my car!
>
>I do have some pictures of the car if you would all like, I can find a
>place online to stick them up and then post a link. ?Let me know!
>
>
>-Jason Wulf
>'90 Imperial (Charlie)
>
>
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