Re: IML: car show

[Charles Hansen <hansencw@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Some details about my Imperial at the Car Show in Nebraska (follow-on  
to Bill Miller's email):

Ron's restoration shop is in northern Kansas, not too far from Grand  
Island, so Ron has displayed cars at the annual Tri Cities (Grand  
Island, Kearney & Hastings) Street Rod show every year since it  
started 35 years ago. Ron got into the restoration business through  
his early days building hot rods. And his restoration shop has turned  
out many custom rods over the years, but he also does normal  
restoration of classic cars. He has done several Chrysler 300s, but  
my car was the first Imperial he has restored. In fact he even  
entered it in the show as a Chrysler LeBaron in spite of my efforts  
to emphasize during the restoration of my car about how Imperial was  
a separate make back in 1959.

Ron started working on my car in August 2004, after I pulled it out  
of a shop in Colorado that had started the restoration project a few  
months earlier (another story that I won't elaborate on now). So his  
willingness to take over after it had already been partially torn  
apart, really saved my car.  The mechanical work on my car was  
basically complete by October 2005, but Ron waited till it was almost  
done before he got busy on getting the interior components (door  
panels, etc.). going. Since he had used Gary Goers to do some of the  
interiors for the 300s he had restored, he decided to get Gary to  
fabricate the interior components for my car. It took Gary 2 years to  
get it done. Many of us know that it is not uncommon to wait a while  
and my interior was relatively complicated so I think Gary had some  
difficulty in getting all the needed materials. But in the end Gary  
did outstanding work.

Ron uses a shop in Scottsbluff, NE to install the interiors, so once  
they got Gary's shipment they finished my car at the end of November  
2007. I went to their shop just before Thanksgiving to see the work  
in progress. At that time it was almost complete except for  
installing the seats. When they were done, Ron took my car back to  
his shop in Kansas. I could have probably had it delivered to my home  
in Colorado in late December or early January, but Ron asked if he  
could keep it a few weeks longer so he could enter it in the show. I  
thought it would be fun to do that, plus I wouldn't be likely to  
drive it during mid-winter in Colorado.

I traveled to Nebraska last Friday and stopped at Ron's shop in  
Kansas on the way. I knew I wouldn't get there before my car had left  
for the show, but I wanted to see David's 57 Imperial (David joined  
our online group this past January). Ron has the body back on the  
frame and there are gleaming chrome pieces laying in the trunk, just  
waiting to be reattached. So the 57 is coming along and as Bill  
pointed out, it will be heading to the interior shop soon. (After  
experience with my car they got the interior components ordered right  
away). It's also rather interesting that David's Imperial and my  
Imperial are the first cars each of us ever purchased! (I got mine in  
1967 for $350 when I was a poor college student. - Then you know the  
scenario - drive it for a few years - get a new car, store the old  
one & in a couple years get busy restoring that old Imperial - yeah  
right - life intervenes and a couple years becomes more than three  
decades.)

I went to the car show on Saturday and it was first time I have seen  
my car since everything was complete (only thing missing is the radio  
- still being worked on but it's almost done). Ron does exceptional  
work and Old Baron looked fantastic! Ron had it positioned on the  
show floor in a location that got a lot of traffic, so many people  
stopped to look at it. I made a 2x3 foot poster that gave a technical  
description of my car and a brief history. I also included a picture  
I scanned from a '59 advertising brochure - so it was pretty eye- 
catching and many people stopped to read it.  Ron had the hood and  
trunk opened, and the driver's door open with the swivel seat  
partially swung out. That seat was the feature that intrigued people  
the most and many of them asked me if that was customized. The  
autopilot and the Mirrormatic also received a lot of attention. My  
Imperial was very unique (of course it was the only Imperial at the  
show) among the customized hot rods, Corvettes, Mustangs, Chevies,  
Chargers, etc. But there were some other classic and antique cars -  
'48 Lincoln, '59 Mercury for example. And Ron had a beautiful '33  
Huppmobile parked next to my LeBaron. Hastings, Nebraska is my home  
town and I got to visit with  some friends who came to the show to  
look at my car. So the show was a fun experience and I was surprised  
my Imperial got so much attention from an audience that I assumed was  
mostly interested in customized street rods.

In a few weeks I'll travel to Ron's shop and do the final checkout of  
my car before Ron delivers it to Colorado. And I will finally have  
accomplished the goal of turning Old Baron into the newest '59  
LeBaron on the planet (at least for a little while).

Regards,
 Charlie Hansen
1959 Imperial LeBaron Southampton
     - Formal Black - Black Landau Roof  -  FliteSweep Trunk Lid -  
Ruby Interior - always known as "Old Baron" - after all it had 80,000  
miles on it when I bought it on July 7th, 1967

On Jan 20, 2008, at 7:03 PM, William Miller wrote:

> Hi All,
> Went to a car show today at Grand Island, NE.  Ron Kester, our  
> local restoration artist had Charlie Hansens' 59 LeBaron there. Big  
> and Black and Beautiful.  I know it got at least 2 votes for  
> Peoples Choice.  He is also working on a 57 Convertible , also  
> Black , it will be ready for the interior before too many weeks.   
> Ron had 5 cars and a rolling chassis at the show.   Most of the  
> cars there were street rods but the Imperial was the best in my mind.
> Bill Miller
> 68 Crown 4dr HT
> 64 300K conv.


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