anyone know what happened with this car?? --- pnkmoore@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: > Someone needs to save this '63!! > > My brother sent me an email about two weeks ago > about a '63 "Chevrolet Imperial" that was for sale > at the garage where he and his wife buy all of their > gas and get their cars serviced in Fr. Lauderdale. > I immediately assumed it was a chevy, but wrote him > and asked for clarification. He ran an image search > and confirmed that it was an Imperial. $2000. > > I called, but they'd sold it. A few days ago my > brother called again and said the car was back on > the lot, for sale. > > I called again and spoke to both Jimmy and Wally. > Here's the story as I pieced it together from them: > > It's a '63 Crown four door, 85k miles. Cream/camel > colored. It was purchased new in Illinois and the > couple who owned it moved to Ft. Lauderdale in 1965. > They had it serviced at this same gas station ever > since. Mr. Owner died in about 2000 and Mrs. Owner > stopped driving it in 2002 and died soon thereafter. > It sat for the next four years in their garage, > where it was always stored. Now the kids are > finally closing up the estate and have put it up for > sale. > > The previous buyers were two. One guy heard about > it from a local friend and called from Atlanta. He > was going to come down and trailer it back. He > never showed, never paid any money, etc. While he > was still expected, a second guy wanted it and asked > to be "second in line" if the Atlanta deal fell > through. When Atlanta didn't show and they called > No. 2, he got cold feet and didn't buy it. That's > about the time I called for the second time. > > Condition: Jimmy told me that it had some rust on > the rocker panels because the owners drove it near > and around salt water and didn't rinse it off. The > floors and trunk pan are rusted too, but not all the > way through. He also said the front seat needed to > be re-upholstered. Air was operable when Mrs. > stopped driving it, and Jimmy told me the AC system > was still holding a full charge but needed a new > expansion (?) valve to cool again. He also said the > brake cylinder and bellows were shot, and the tires > had sat too long. It runs strong, shifts properly > and they are driving it in and out of the shop at > night but will not allow anyone to test drive it > without the brake repair. > > I really, really debated with myself over this. > It's a cool car and is plainly teetering between > reclamation and disaster. I have two play cars > already, my '58 Imperial project and my very > operable '69 Electra ragtop, and I've got too much > going on with the two of them (and our two daily > drivers) to take on a '63. I thought about it all > weekend, of course, but finally came up with the > conclusion that it should go to someone else. It > irks me because I do have the room or it, just no > more time right now. If my son was 15 instead of 9, > I'd be arranging the shipping right now. It would > be a great car for he and I work on together. Right > now between he and his two sisters, my wife, the > mortgage, tuition, cub scouts, aging parents, swim > team, job and everything else going on, I've got to > draw the line. > > Gary Luedtke very kindly went and looked at it for > me over the weekend but wasn't able to touch it > (locked in the closed shop). He sent me two pretty > good pictures of the rear end taken through the shop > window. I'll happily share those with anyone who > wants to ask off line. He also sent me the > description that I've copied in below. One of our > IML pals (Sharp-eyed Joe!) noticed that one of > Gary's pictures showed a fancy Shriner's badge on > the gas tank door, and we got all excited for a few > minutes until I pretty much confirmed that all > Shriner vehicles were parade cars, i.e. > convertibles. Maybe this is "The Lost Shiner > Hardtop?" Who knows? > > If it can't be me, I hope some cool IML person can > save and enjoy this lovely car. > > Patrick E. Moore > Covington, LA > Car is at: the Citgo Station at 2366 E Las Olas Blvd > Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 > (954) 463-8329 > ask for Wally or Jimmy > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "gary luedtke" > > <poppers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > > To: <pnkmoore@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > > Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2006 6:31 PM > > Subject: Re: IML: Can anyone look at a '63 Crown > Ft. Lauderdale > > > > > >> Patrick, > >> > >> >> > >> i found the crown in one of the > >> inside bays... > >> and could only see its hind-quarters thru the > window. JPG pix attached. > >> it's a tasteful "light caramel" in color, and yes > has rust. > >> > >> i'm the third owner of a 67,000-mile '63, stored > on my driveway 5 years, > >> and it has not a spot of rust on its > undercarriage. the crown has rust > >> behind the wheels on the bottom, which indicates > it got a lot of water > >> thrown up behind the wheels. > >> i would thus doubt the mileage figures quoted. > >> > >> it also has the back edge of the trunk worn thru > the paint. > >> the whole car's paint looks like it never got > waxed, having > >> permanent-looking differences, which maybe a real > good application of > >> the > >> three MaGuires wax procedure would bring back to > some life. > >> > >> but i'd say a body shop would need to eliminate > the rust first, and > >> then a > >> full repaint would bring this to a spiffy-looker. > >> the back bumper chrome was good, but looked to > have rust thru a 2 X 2 > >> spot > >> where some kind of bumper-sticker'd been. > >> > >> the interior looked dark, and that's all i can > say from what was > >> see-able. > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? 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