I live in Southern Nevada (no road salt) and drive a '59 Plymouth at least
several times per week, sometimes daily. I also own a '59 Impala, which I used
as a daily driver from 1986 until mid-1988. No, they aren't Imperials, but it
is interesting to compare a third year Forward Look Mopar to a second year GM
X-frame car.
The Plymouth certainly handles and rides much better than the Chevy. The Chevy
has less squeaks and rattles than the Plymouth. The Plymouth's "Full Contact"
brakes seem as good as the conventional Bendix brakes in the Chevy, that is,
when I can keep the former in adjustment. The Chevy's brakes certainly perform
with more consistency than the Plymouth's. I am installing an AAJ front disk
brake/ dual master cylinder conversion kit on the Plymouth. A reversible
modification if I ever plan to do a proper restoration on the car.
Both cars have column shifted manual transmissions. Mopar installed a grease
fitting on the shifter, something GM didn't do. That may explain why the
Plymouth's shifter is still tight after forty four years and the Chevy's will
have to be rebuilt with a N.O.S. tube and sleeve assembly. The Plymouth's
transmission and drivetrain are certainly huskier than the Chevy's. The Chevy's
interior is a bit more comfy than the Plymouth's, but both cars' seats remind
me of my spinal arthritis after a long drive. Fit and finish (body panels and
trim alignment) on both cars is nothing to write home about, though the Chevy's
doors close with a solid sounding "thud." This would certainly register with a
potential buyer when the cars were
new, especially given the bad press Chrysler received during the 1957 model
year.
As noted by another list member in a previous posting, the GM X-frame cars
('58-'64) also had serious rust problems, though their '58-'59s seemed to be
the worst. Growing up in Southeastern Wisconsin, I can recall that '57-'61
Mopars and '58-'61 GMs were becoming a very rare sight on the street
(especially ones with solid bodies) by 1965-66.
When my father took delivery of his new Imperial sedan in mid 1968, he was
impressed with its manners at highway speed and the riding quality. But this
car also had teething probems. The hose that fed the vent on the far passenger
end of the dash kept coming loose and falling off at one end. The A/C cycled on
and off too frequently and needed adjusting. The spare the car was delivered
with was a fourteen incher with the smaller lug bolt pattern, as used on "A"
body cars with six bangers (he found this out while trying to change a flat
along the Pennsylvania Turnpike after an unscrupulous service station attendant
cut a valve stem, figuring somebody with a new luxury car wouldn't attempt to
change his own tire and would call
for help.) The trim at the center of the steering wheel didn't fit properly.
There were other minor irritations as well.
It took several trips to the dealer to iron them out, but once these problems
were handled, the car performed well for over six years and was used
extensively by the family for traveling.
One final point concerning '57 Chevies. They also had rust issues, but their
vent intakes were through the front fenders, from small grilles surrounding the
head light assemblies. This helped keep salty sludge from gathering in this
area on those cars. The rust along the bottom of the front fenders and rear
quarter panels were evident after several years, but it wasn't as "in your
face" as the rust around the headlights on '57 -'59 Mopars or '58-'61 GMs. I
remember seeing eight to ten year old '55-'57 GM cars running around Milwaukee
with no rocker panels and the rear bumpers rusted through.
Ken Josephson
'68 Crown Four Door Hardtop
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