Not such a great day

I feel for you Hugh. Just a year ago my Imperial was taking me on a beautiful dream cruise up the California coast line, and now after receiving that horrendous bill from the mechanic who returned the car in worse condition than when I brought it in, I will have to relegate my Imperial to trips around my condo parking lot, or to the grocery store just down the hill. I have decided to wait till after the holidays to do anything with the car, and in the meantime I will detach the booster hose and see if the engine runs any better. If it does, then I will take off the booster and take it out to Upland to get it rebuilt, that is if Upland is still there after all of the fires we had out near that area. I kind of have a sixth sense about the car, and really don't think the engine needs a rebuild at this time, since I can pretty much relate the time that the brakes started feeling weak to the same time the engine started running so poorly. What I can't understand is why mechanics would not want to work on these older cars. It is certainly much easier than working on today's cars with all that extra junk in the engine compartment. Good luck with your '58, and with your perseverance, I'm sure you will figure out a way to get it going again. I just wish I had the funds to do what Mel is doing to his '59 right now, that would be a dream come true, and he must be having the time of his life! I should have bought the Coral '59 I found Online when I was looking for my car, it was fully restored and they were asking $20,000 for it, and the way things look, I will be spending much more to get mine into showroom shape. I guess should haves and could haves don't cut it anymore, I picked my project, and will eventually have the satisfaction of putting this car back on the streets in grand form once more, and someday I will be having the fun Mel is having right now. It makes me very happy to know that another '59 will soon be cruising the streets in it's original beauty. In the meantime, I will continue to browse through my paint chips, look at interior pictures, and buy parts every now and then, so I will be ready when my Imperial day finally comes!