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For some period of time I have been looking for a 1959
Imperial FDHT and I had hoped to acquire one with a silvercrest roof. Last month
I traveled to Washington, D.C. and bought a car with a lot of potential. The
exterior is dark ruby with a black landau roof (plus the silvercrest). The
interior is (maybe "was" is a better term) red leather. The car has dual
A/C, electric windows, electric door locks, electric swivel front seats,
a beam changer and a number of other "goodies". From a distance it looks
gorgeous but as you get closer the "warts" begin to appear. Most disappointing
is the condition of the dash as some of the damage did not occur as a natural
outcome of aging. The glass speedometer is cracked, there is damage from someone
prying near the glovebox, a lot of corrosion has occurred, gauges don't
work,.... I am not sure how I will approach this problem but I do know that
there will be many other problems (actually I like the word "challenges" better)
to keep this one company.
The drive train appears to be in good shape ( I actually drove
the car!). Don't know if it has sure grip and I'm not sure what number to look
for on the assortment of numbers near the radiator.
I want to comment on Curves Ahead Transport (Tim and Kim
Kelly). They hauled the car from D.C. to Pembina, N.D. and I transported from
there to Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada (about another 300 miles). They picked the
car up when they said (Sunday), delivered it when they said (yesterday), were
courteous, helped me load it onto my trailer, and charged a fair price for their
service. I would not hesitate to recommend them. Why didn't they haul it all the
way? Two reasons 1) customs and 2) they are not licensed to haul in
Canada.
It is my intention to restore this car to a # 2 condition (not
2.5 but 2.0) and I want to get it there in less than 12 months. It is
already in the restoration shop. Any advice with respect to long lead time items
( or anything else)will be greatly appreciated. I now consider myself to be in
the "wart removal" mode.
Mel
Dauphin, Manitoba.
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