Alternative parts for Mopars

["Hugh & Therese" <hugtrees@xxxxxxxx>]

I'm not sure I agree with the idea that we may be "reduced" to the point
where we have to use Ford and GM parts in our cars if they were not
originally installed by Chrysler, that is.  (I have a Chrysler with a
Mitsubishi V6, but that's another story, except to underscore my point that
some parts on our cars were made by other manufacturers.)

Owning a car like an Imperial is a challenge in and of itself.  I welcome
all approaches to the hobby and some people on this list have made some
radical changes to their cars, which is their right as owners.  With a 58
and the 392, you get to ride piggy back on the Chrysler 300 crowd, whose
greater numbers create a healthy demand for parts.  I have not had much
difficulty, with one exception, in getting parts for my car.  The part in
question was indeed the carburetor.  With diligent search, I managed to
track one down and just recently Philippe Courant e-mailed me a link to one
that was for sale.  So, some out there, including my spare "new" one, which
is in the box, unopened, that it came in.

I have had several parts rebuilt, such as the water pump.  I have
encountered clever ways to use non Imperial Mopar parts on my engine, such
as the Dodge truck mechanical fuel pump I have been using for years.  I
finally replaced the brake booster having found a way to field rig my old
ripped one quite successfully for several years.  I have been told they are
not repairable - bellows brake boosters that is - which is true, but if you
try hard enough you can find a way to make them operable nonetheless.

The benefit of using Mopar parts for upgrades, like the 69 Dodge Charger
master cylinder installed on my car this summer is that very often they bolt
right on.  That does not mean adjustment don't have to be made, just that
the finished result is almost imperceptible to just about anyone who knows
enough to know the difference.

The cars are nasty to work on, in my opinion.  I have been struggling for
days to, of all things, change a light bulb!  Just last night the remains of
the old light socket crumbled away as I tried to put it back together.  I
was left, literally with a pile of parts, and not all of them intact.  In
this instance I am obliged to use a quick replacement part from AutoZone.
As it will be recessed inside the bumper no one except an expect with a
mirror on a stick will ever know it is not correct.  No one except, of
course, me.  And it bothers me more than all the trouble it has already
caused me that it won't be correct.  I will set out to find a correct
replacement and probably will find one.  I dare say it will be a nightmare
to obtain one, not to mention installing it.  But for me, this hobby is
about trying to keep the thing I have brief responsibility for as original
as possible.  The old light unit came this far and I'm sorry it cannot go
any further.  The least I can do is replace it with another surviving part
that may otherwise be destined to rot away in a field somewhere.

Hugh



> Though I hope that I can keep my '58 totally Mopar, I see a bleak future
for
> Mopar repros. That's why most catalogs that deal with early Hemi parts
sell
> mostly conversion kits to use GM components. As sickening as that sounds,
in
> the future when you can no longer get Mopar water pumps, power steering
> pumps, pulleys, and other miscellaneous you'll have two choices. You can
put
> your Imperials out to pasture or you can buy some of these conversion kits
> and keep them running. Right now you can't even find a correct carburetor
for
> a 392 Hemi without driving yourself nuts. The same goes for an AC
compressor.
> Unfortunately, the new owners of Mopar have enthusiasm for retro-styling,
but
> none for restoration of their own products. On the other hand, GM and Ford
> both manufacture factory-built reproduction parts for people who restore
> their products. As much as it may sicken you sir, there will come a time
when
> you will have to buy a GM alternator, GM p/s pump, GM a/c compressor, and
GM
> water pump to keep your Imperial on the road.
>
>              Doug
>              58 Crown coupe
>