The original may or may not have been broken in the accident mentioned. Even though they were used for two production years, and on all Chryslers and Imperials in both 1955 and '56, finding a good one is next to impossible. These are weak where the ring meets the bisecting spoke connecting it to the center hub.
In another post about '61 through '63 horn rings, I described changing the way that I prepared myself to operate the horn in order to place less strain on the ring. I also did this with my '56, after destroying my original in an angry moment, after being severely cut off in traffic by a city bus. That was in 1972. In addition to attempting to change the way that I react to such situations, I forever keep my thumb close to the spot where the spoke meets the ring. This seems to be a perfect place to activate the horn without stressing and potentially damaging this scarcely available part. Though I seldom honk the horn, I want to be ready to do it in the correct spot should it be necessary. It only takes one moment to ruin it, and replacing it can be as costly as a replacement front fender! This habit has carried over nicely into occasions behind the wheel of my '55. When I purchased it and it's twin back in 1997, I was amazed to find that the horn ring in both cars undamaged
! Both had been parked since 1964.
The replacement for my '56 back in the '70s came out of a 25,000 mile original '56 Windsor Sedan that was in a wrecking yard over needing a set of tires and a brake job. Since then, I have purchased two extras via classified ads in old car mags, only to find that they were already damaged in this weak spot and held together with super glue. With 300 B restorers looking for the same part for many years now, good originals have been priced through the ceiling. If you find a good one, buy it. Now and then, one might slip though Ebay unnoticed for a reasonable bid. I have seen them offered at swap meets for as high as $500.00.
Hi,
Someone was asking about the front license bracket on the 1956 Imperial.
On my 1956, the license was mounted from the bottom at the center point
of the bumper, with the license plate and bracket bent to mimic the shape
of the bumper point.
I think I bought another bracket from an ebay seller some time back, but
have not installed it (or even compared it to the one on the car). The
front end of the car needs a fair amount of help anyway, as it seems to
have been hit pretty good in a collision at one time or another. (The
front fender is creased slightly where it meets the passenger door, and
the whole underbody on the left side was apparently beat up a bit.) But,
I really make it sound worse than it is, as the car is fairly solid and
better than most unrestored examples I see on ebay.
I really haven't done much with my Imperial except for accumulating spare
parts and literature. Last week, I did install a replacement horn ring
that I got awhile back, and the Interior looks so much better! (The horn
ring was probably broken in above surmised collision, as the actual
steering wheel mount has a crack as well.) While sitting in the car, I
took a glance at the Colorado State Inspection sticker on the windshield,
which was performed in October 1970. A glance at the odometer and quick
arithmetic showed that the car has been driven a grand total of 36 miles
since then!
One day I will make more progress, and start adding a few more miles to
it.
Joe S.
Colorado Springs
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