Hello!
I joined the IML a couple of weeks ago. At that
time I mentioned that I was thinking about keeping the 72 Imperial that was
part of my late fathers collection. Since that time I have spent a bit of time
reading on the IML web site, as well as reading the daily messages. I have
decided that I WILL keep the Imperial, and thought that I would provide a
little more information about myself and my Imperial.
I am located in Columbus, Ohio. My dad bought the
Imperial when it was only about a year old. He drove it sparingly, even in the
earlier years. It has been driven very little in the last 10 to 15 years. It
currently has 64K miles. It has always been stored inside, mostly in a heated
building. It has mostly original Chestnut Metallic paint, which still looks
excellent. The original vinyl top looks like new. The leather interior also is
in excellent condition. I recently installed new spark plugs, wires,
distributor cap and rotor, which eliminated a miss that the car had. It is
difficult to start, usually requiring the use of starting fluid, which I know
is not good. I plan to rebuild the Holley carb soon- see questions below! Once
started, it runs pretty well.
My grandfather also owned a 72 Imperial, which he
had equipped to pull an Airstream trailer. In his later driving years, his
Imperial was getting to be in fairly poor condition. My dad traded cars with
him for a few years, so that my grandfather would have a nicer car to drive-
he refused to give up the big car! After my grandfather died, my dad got HIS
Imperial back. The fact that both my father and grandfather owned and drove
this car was a major factor in my decision to keep it. Plus, it just looks so
beautiful!! It has a few mechanical problems, but I am sure that I will be
able to correct those conditions, with the help of fellow listers! I have been
very impressed with the amount of information that is available within this
group. Hopefully, some day I will be able to give something back!
I am fortunate in having the factory service
manuals that my grandfather had with his car. These are complete with his
notes in the margins, and underlined critical passages. I can certainly tell
what he had trouble with on his car!
And now for a few questions.
1. As mentioned, I plan to rebuild the Holley
carb soon. I would appreciate any recommendations on a good place to purchase
the kit from. I see that some of the speed shops list several different kits
for the 4160. I don't really know which one I need, and want to get a complete
and correct kit. I have rebuilt many carburetaors, although I don't have much
experience with 4 barrel Holleys. Any tips or suggestions will be
welcome.
2. Both battery cables are in pretty nasty shape.
I am sure that I could get something functional at NAPA or similar, but I
would like to try to keep the car as original looking as possible, within
reason. Any recommendations on where to purchase these?
3. The Auto Temp II is not fully functional. I
recall working on the servo units of both this car and my grandfathers car
many years ago. Although I haven't done any troubleshooting on this system
yet, I imagine I will need to do something with the servo. I read on the web
site that a gentleman sells new aluminum housing servos designed for Mercedes
that will work on the Imperial. I wondered if anyone else is using this servo,
and how it is working out? How different in appearance is it from the OEM
servo? Any pictures online?
Thanks in advance for any
suggestions!!
Tom
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