Richard,
There are many Imperial parts that are not in reproduction that might be worthwhile to consider, and we as a club welcome your attention and skills!
Currently the mailing list is debating how to go about getting reproductions of disc brakes done that might be a perfect fit for someone like you, since this could be casting only of a part that is not the braking surface, using a prefabricated rotor that a club member has found and modified successfully for his car. There is a writeup on the club website here:
www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Brakes/mike.htm
There are several paths to take on that, from recasting an entire two peice assembly, to creating something that will mate to a Toyota Supra Rotor that's been slightly machined. Info is on the website, and the cars in question are the 1967-69 Imperial which has a brake rotor specific to that car only.
There are probably 30+
people that have raised their hand, and there are probably many more that will need such a part in the future.
Some time ago, another member made an inquiry with another vendor about this, but we did not have enough people to make it cost effective at that time. This may have changed at this point? We have also been solicited by companies in India and I wrote back and got a quote of $11 per rotor as a projected cost, but am uninterested in following through with this, and don't trust a foreign manufacturer to make a part for me that folks depend on as is the case with a brake rotor, but there is definitely a pronounced need and a hungry group of potential customers out there, so there you have it.
I am forwarding this message to our entire email group. You may want to consider joining so that you can see people's responses (you won't unless they write to you personally at this point). I think that would be the absolute best
way to communicate with Imperial owners and to solicit ideas for other gadgets and trim that are needed.
The one other place that represents absolute gold is in stainless steel trim parts for the 1957-1963 Imperials, 60-63 especially. The door hinge keepers were questionable, failed often, and allowed the front door to flail open and then crimp the trim spear on the front fender. These and the wheel well moldings regularly fetch $150 each, and the price is climbing as scarcity increases. The 1962-63 Hood ornaments are also an area worth researching
I encourage you to contact both Lowell Howe and Bob Hoffmeister via fax (Bob may see this - I think that he's on the Mailing List?)
Their info is located at: Imperialclub.com --> PARTS --> Salvage Yards (bottom of page). The others are not as focused on Imperial, but there may be some good leads there too.
To join our mailing list:
See: www.imperialclub.com --> MAILING LIST --> JOIN
We generally discourage commercial solicitation on the mailing list in this age of spam and too many commercials. Please read the Rules of Etiquette before starting down this path - we'd appreciate it if you'd conduct transactional, interpersonal business off-list and directly with individuals unless the information is something that would be of interest to the entire group.
Also: there is a classified ad area on the website under IMPEIRALS FOR SALE with a "Services Offered" section that you'd do well to keep updated every so often (ads expire there).
Hope to see you well received in the club and making the last widget that folks need to complete their vehicles.
-Kenyon Wills
club website vollunteer
Starkers <hemichrysler@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hello sir.
I did not know whom to send this e-mail to, so I send
to the webmaster in the hope that you will redirect to
the appropriate person. Thank you.
I have started a small business remanufacturing
obsolete parts for antique automobiles. We make metal
parts such as aluminium and brass castings, also
chrome plating, and stainless steel machining.
I have never owned an Imperial (separate marque),
although I have briefly owned a 52 Chrysler Imperial.
Chrysler is my favourite make and I have 2 keepers, a
58 300D and 60 New Yorker, both 2 door hardtops.
Are there any hard-to-find/always pitted/always broken
Imperial parts that you would like to see
remanufactured? I would be delighted to consider any
metal parts, regardless of decade.
Best wishes
RS (Richard Starkweather)
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