Re: IML: body identification

["Bill Watson" <wwatson5@xxxxxxxxx>]

Chrysler Corporation considered them C bodies - the 1972 parts catalogue has
the Imperial listed in the C body group, which is clearly listed as such.

Chrysker Corporation stylists and engineers referred to the 1967-75
Imperials as a C body as they shared their basic body structure with
Chrysler, Polara, Monaco and Fury.

No Imperial body was called Y body prior to 1981.   The Imperial car LINE
was called "Y", but the Imperial BODY was called C from 1967 through 1975
and D before 1967    Do not confuse car LINE with car BODY.

The basic problem here was that Chrysler did not mention the car BODY until
1971 or 1972, but always referred to the car LINE.

And the BODY definition does not rest on whether or not a car has a
different front stub frame, or different sheet metal, or different rear
spring hangers or different U-joints.    Those are all add-ons to the basic
body.   What matters are the support bits and structure - the front cowl,
the floor (front, centre and rear), and the reinforcing pieces.   The
1967-75 Imperial shares the  cowl with the related Chrysler, as well as the
floor pan sections (although the Imperial's rear pan has different side and
rear additions in 1967-68 to accept the longer rear quarter panels).  As
well, except tfor the eztention between the froint and centre pans, all of
the above are shared with the Polara/Monaco.

If you have a parts catalogue from the 1967 to 1975 era, compare the hidden
parts - the basic structure.  Ignore the exterior "dressing".   Chrysler
spent the money to make the Imperial different where people could see it.
No sense on spending a couple of million dollars to tool a new trunk floor
where nobody will notice it when the  Fury/Polara/Monaco/Chrysler floor
will, with some modifications,. do the job.  Instead spend the money where
people will notice the difference.  After all, that is what GM did with the
Cadillac- the deVIlle of that era was a Chevrolet Biscayne with an extended
floor, extended trunk, revised roodline (shared with the Buick Electrra 225
and Olds 98) along with a longer hood, and had been since 1959.   Prior to
that it shared B and C bodies with various Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Buick
models..  Even the Eldorado shared its body with the Riviera and Toronado
and the first generation Seville started out as a Chevy Nova carcass.

As I said, Chrysler Corporation engineers considered the 1967-75 Imperials
as C bodies, as did the stylists.    After all, they brought the Imperial to
life, so I would think what they called the Impeial is what counts.  What
anyone else thinks, quite frankly, is immaterial.

Bill
Vancouver, BC


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rob P" <fristpenny@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <aa9charcoalgray@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2006 8:54 PM
Subject: RE: IML: body identification


> I don't think many Imperials are considered c-bodies.  Maybe the NYB era
> cars or late fuselage, but mostly I believe Imperials were d-bodies or
> y-bodies.
>
> a-bodies are compacts: Dart/Valiant/Duster/Demon/64-69 Barracuda
> b-bodies are intermediates: Satellite/Roadrunner/GTX/Charger/Coronet/Super
> Bee
>    Late b: Cordoba/Magnum/75 Charger/circa 77 Fury & Monaco(that era Gran
> Fury was c body)
> e-body: '70-up Barracuda/Challenger
> c-body are full size: Newport/New Yorker/Monaco/Fury/etc
> F/M/J body are Aspen/Volare and their progeny-(Diplomat etc.)
> The 80's Imperials are J bodies like the same era Cordoba and Mirada
> although there is reason to consider them y bodies (vin designation)
>
> Despite often seeming similar to the c-bodies, the Imperial was usually
> different enough to warrant a different designation D I believe.
>
>
>



-----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com  -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please 
reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be 
shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm