Hi everyone -
Thought I'd bring the group up to date on my Imperial's transition from barn fixture to living breathing (and God knows gas drinking) automobile.
A week ago Sunday I went out to the "Rust Farm" to bring my baby home. Gary was all ready with the tilt bed and I got busy getting it running to drive it to position to be loaded. I came armed with a new Group 27 battery, coil, new plug and coil wires and various fluids. I rigged a new fuel supply system by stealing my lawnmower's 2 gallon gas can, 4 feet of rubber fuel line and a new clamp; running the hose from the can's place between the grille and radiator support to the fuel pump. I pulled the plugs, hooked up the battery and ran the starter for about 2 minutes sporatically to get the oil flowing in the engine. I then reinstalled the plugs, swapped out the coil (the old one was leaking oil out of the tower) and plug wires crossed my fingers, gave her a dose of Starting Fluid and turned the key. Nothing. We tried it again and on the third attempt - my creature came alive! The lifters took a few minutes to quiet down, but there was no blue smoke out the pipes. It wasn't long before the auto choke kicked down and she settled down to a nice quiet, even idle. Even the guages were working. The transmission was a little more reluctant but after a while even that got with the program. I then got behind the wheel and drove her over to the tilt bed shut her off and loaded her up and we headed for Portland with lots of stares and finger pointing along the way. About 45 minutes later (Gary doesn't mess around behind the wheel - it usually take me an hour to make the trip) we pulled into the alley beside my house, unloaded her and I started her up and gingerly backed her into the garage. I say gingerly as one system that definately did NOT come back to life were the brakes. Needless to say the push buttons on the transmission got quite a workout.
Last Thursday, armed with a new master brake cylinder I attempted to correct the braking issue. I replaced the master cylinder and attempted to bleed the brakes but all in all I pretty much wasted my time. The lines are hopelessly clogged and corroded as I pretty much though they would be. My next main project is to replace all the lines and wheel cylinders when the weather gets a little warmer (I'ts supposed to snow tonight here).
On a lark, I decided to see what the engine was up to so I reconnected the battery, gave the gas pedal three slow trips to the floor turned the key..... and she fired right up - with silent lifters and no smoke. The transmission was back to normal too - at least as far as response goes. Naturally with no brakes I haven't had the guts to go around the block to see how the upshifts are doing, but I'm hopefull.
Later this week I'll replace all the fluids and drop the gas tank which thanks to this group I now know how to drain.
Just before today's sunset, I gave her a much deserved and much needed bath and I must say she cleaned up pretty good.
At some point in the future I'll send this story along with some of the many pictures I taken of this project along to the website, but for now, I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing.
One interesting sidelight out of working on this car again is pain, or should I say the lack of it and memory. I have been all over and under this car in the past two weeks doing things that when working on my other cars and with my arthritic back usually lays me up at least a coupe of days. Also I spent a lot of time working on this car when I was in my early twenties and a lot of time has passed since then. Interestingly enough when working on her this past week, my poor old brain was able to recall what size sockets and wrenches went with what bolt and nut. I couldn't tell you what I had for breakfast yesterday, but I remembered the bolt at the top of the master cylinder cover took a 7/16th box. Now I know we tend to make a lot of claims for our cars in this group and I'm not quite ready to say that with this Imperial I've found the Fountain of Youth, but when I'm working on her I'm thinking better and in much less pain than I experience doing simular things on other projects.
But enough of that. More to come when time, money and progress permitts.
Thanks for letting me rattle on
Jim L. in OR
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