a lot of people say that you are hurting the value
of the car by modifying it but i have never owned chryslers to make money on
then and would never find a chrysler collector willing to pay top dollar for
mine.unless you have a low mileage perfect example you are already fighting the
odds.everything one does to keep them running is out of neccessity.yes some
people can wait to find an original part but many have to get it fixed and out
of the mechanics way asap.that has been my experience.no one wants a 20 foot
long car taking up there shop.when my axel broke it had to be fixed in my
driveway and i was lucky enough to find one at imperial motors and find someone
to put it on.one tow truck that came was smaller than my car so i requested a
flatbed from aaa and when that one came over an hour later they refused saying i
will gouge there aluminum bed and had to wait another hour for a steel flatbed.a
lot of people do not have the luxury of excess property and covered storage.it
is a financial and logistics issue that affects everyone in the hobby and not
just imperialists although our parts are harder to find or non existant .so we
do what we can to get them running asap.----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 6:06
AM
Subject: IML: design integrity
Everyone who is a car lover almost always will do something to
customize their car to their tastes. My best example is the Ruffalo 1959
Convertible, which is the most beautiful '59 restoration I have seen. I have
not been privileged to see this car up close and personal, so I have no idea
what is under the hood etc. What I can see in photos however are some elements
which do not belong on the '59, such as the hood ornament, wire wheel hubcaps,
and an Imperial script nameplate on the trunk, and I doubt that anyone would
criticize this beautiful example of a '59 for so called Imperial purity, and
this is a true show car. The only thing I would change on it if I were the
owner would be to remove the hood ornament which is something associated with
an earlier date. I like the sporty, but classy look of the wire wheels, and I
also like the Imperial script on the trunk, which is probably something I will
eventually put on mine since I have two of them sitting o n my kitchen
counter. I would not classify the Ruffalo as a custom, because of the few
things the owner liked, and wanted to use on his car. I see it as more of an
enhancement. As cars become more fuel efficient and smaller who knows what the
future will bring. In another 40 years after we, who know and love these old
Imperials, are gone, they might not even fit on the streets, and will all be
relegated to museums or worse. God knows, I have not found a parking lot which
will accommodate my '59 safely. I think we should all be glad for those of
us who have taken these fabulous cars, and are keeping them on the
streets in any manner we can. We are all from various financial backgrounds,
but we all love our cars and are making an effort to keep them going. For me,
I am not in this for resale value, since I'm not selling, but rather enjoying
my car! Bill '59 Crown
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