As many of you know, I am associated with the Texas Transportation Museum in
San Antonio. The museum currently owns two Imperials. It used to have two
more but they "disappeared" long before my time. The Imperial I usually
refer to as mine, a 1958, is on the front page of the museum brochure but
has lived in my garage ever since we bought this house. The other one is a
sorely neglected 1973 four door.
I have been using my own money to run and maintain the 1958. There is some
method in my madness. I don't have to pay for insurance and I get to claim
any purchases for it as a gift to a charity. Regrettably, no one pays even
so much as attention to the 1973. In fact it arrived on a trailer and the
engine has never been started since we got it. At one point, some folks did
try but the effort came to nothing.
I am not entirely sure why I became so attached to the 1958 Imperial. It
started out as a weird retort to those who thought that none of the cars at
the museum needed to be able to run. "Let's take the most useless, most
neglected, car and get it running. That'll show 'em." It is relevant to
mention it is primarily a train museum. Anyhoo, one thing led to another,
somehow, and here I am, a full blown 1958 fanatic.
I resigned as Board Chairman this week, after over three and a half years in
the position, to become the museum's first paid employee in its 39 year
history. I am now the manager and my principle duty is to try to raise
revenues at the museum. It is a part time position and I have another job
as well. These are jobs five and six for the year, so you know what fun I
have been having in 2003.
Which gets me back to the Imperials. We have decided to sell the 1973
before it gets too much worse. I think I have a buyer in the local Mopar
club. He has a Plymouth GTX but now also two young children and he wants a
distinctive luxo-boat. The early 70s is his favorite era for cars and he is
very familiar with the engine and transmission already. That will leave the
1958, which almost everyone regards as mine anyway.
As you may know, it is not in good shape. Its appearance is close to
shocking and it needs a ring job at the very least, which will necessitate
the removal of the engine. Good sense would dictate putting it to rest, one
way or another. Good sense is not, however, what has driven me to find a
way to work at the museum. Lets just say that between the two jobs, I don't
make nearly as much as I was this time last year in the credit union
business.
So, the required work on the 1958 will get done, one way or another. I am
reluctant to approach one of our main backers for help with this car. The
company is a privately owned trucking firm, one of the few independents
left, that has been very helpful with most of our vehicle needs in the past.
I will need to be a little more creative than that. I won't know how bad
the engine situation is until it has been removed, stripped down and
inspected. I hope it will just be a ring job. I fear that at least one
cylinder will be bad enough to force a re-bore and then all bets are off in
terms of money. There will, of course, be a flurry of might-as-well
opportunities as well.
Money from grants is usually very specifically given, so diverting some it
to a lovely old Imperial may not be advisable. I have never heard of a
grant to fix up an old car. The museum has tried to use some local colleges
for work on cars, but these efforts were unsuccessful and led, in one case,
to the destruction of one car that was actually running before it went to
the college, a rather nice 1967 London taxi. It was foolishness on the part
of the museum that caused 99% of the problem, but nobody was listening to me
at the time when I advised sending the car out there in the first place.
Under my guidance, I have had two old fire trucks completely restored, but
that was the trucking company I already mentioned.
So I am not sure how things are going to resolve when it comes to the 1958.
I am sure that they will be resolved, however. In my own weird way, I am
looking forward to pulling the engine and seeing how much I can get done
myself. The museum lacks an engine hoist at this time, so I have not even
got that much figured out. It will be a great adventure, I'm sure.
I guess, therefore, I am back where I started. Like everyone in this rather
wonderful worldwide group of Imperial enthusiasts, it will be up to me to
try to make the impossible happen. It is a miracle that these old cars are
still here. It is truly bizarre that there are people like us who care
enough about them to try to go above and beyond the logic of economics in
trying to keep them alive. My daughter is nine. She recently reminded me
that I promised to have the car in "Prom-worthy" condition by the time she
goes to hers. At the rate I'm going, that may not be enough time.
Hugh
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