Patrick, we are glad you have joined us. I have a 58 hardtop myself and
they are fabulous cars. I have yet to experience a better riding car, and I
am lucky enough to have a wide experience with different cars.
What I want to do is answer some points in your e-mail, so here goes:
>
> " . . . neither of them ('62 BelAir/'70 300)were quite as cool as this
one!"
Agreed. The 58 is remarkable. So good, infact, that Cadillac ripped off
the design, hook, line and bumper for 1959.
> "I haven't even had time to confirm whether it's a 393 Hemi or a 440, that
latter of which I suspect since the block is enormous with bottom spark
plugs."
The car should have a 392 Hemi (not 393, by the way). I'm not sure what you
mean by bottom spark plugs. To access the plugs on the hemi, you must first
remove a plug wire cover that is attached to the valve cover. If your valve
covers say Imperial, you are probably looking at a hemi. The 1959s have the
413 and I don't think these engines don't have Imperial on the valve covers.
The 440 was not introduced for a few more years. Your car may have been
re-engined at some point, of course, but given the car's provenance, you
almost certainly have the 392.
> "No rear air, so I'm not sure it's a Southampton."
Southampton refers to a body style, not a trim level. It is Imperial speak
for hard top. Therefore there are two and four door Southampton's. Also,
the provision of A/C is not dependent on trim level either. I have the base
model but it has both front and rear A/C. It seems it was a matter of what
was ordered by the customer. There are ceratin other ways to determine the
trim level. If it says LeBaron on the side, that's what it is. If it has
small gold crowns above the Imperial script on the side and above the chrome
headlight 'eyebrows' plus there are crowns embossed in the leather, you have
a crown. If it lacks all of the above and it has cloth seats, you have the
base model, which has no name as such. I am starting to think you could
only get cloth seats in the base model - I could be wrong - and as leather
is not always so great in the heat of Texas where mine came from and still
is, I think that is why my car's original owner chose it.
> I've been reading up on Imperials for years, and have been a frequent
visitor of this sight since I started negotiating for this car. I held off
on joining until I actually had it in my posession, which happened
yesterday. Thanks!
And thank you for joining us. It is wonderful to be reminded of how
exciting it is to finally get your dream car. There will be a lot of work
and money involved in getting it running. I wish you nothing but success.
Hugh
58 Imperial
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