Hugh, its easier to maintain originality on a car you do not drive
daily. Many of us are combining our "hobby" with daily transportation, so
we do not have to "waist" our money in modern cars (which I have expressed
few times how much I respect them!). In this case, functionality is more
important. Most 68's are equipped with Carters rather than the original
Holley (in fact my LeBaron has a Rochester). I 'd rather have reliable
Carter (my Sedan's Carter never had any problems through the 70K miles of
my ownership) rather than a leaking Holley. There are many other examples
of deviation from original. Imperials were good cars from the factory, but
not perfect. On the other hand, there is a practical reason to try to
avoid excessive deviation from originality. The reason is that the
after-market parts are often not comparable with OEM in terms of
reliability. So, that's one of the reason I drive Chrysler products:
because they were properly engineered from the factory and meet my needs
better in terms of performance, handling, etc. So, the need for
"improvements" is relatively small, compared to say a Chebby.
Bottom line, Imperials for many of us are machines that serve us, not the
other way around. We like their distinctive looks, performance, and safety
but also we like/need to drive them. In fact, all of the above are
irrelevant if the car sits for 3 months at a time waiting for the
"original" carburetor, or original oil filter, or.... Unlike say an
"original" Corvette, or Cuda or Cobra, Imperials are useful and practical
machines that "earn" their living by serving their owners. So, the term
"purity" is a relative term.
D^2
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