New guy, looking for an Imp and have some questions.

[Eldervampire]

Well as the title says I'm looking for an Imperial but have a lot of questions. Since I'm looking to purchase between late February and early April, I don't think I should post up in the wanted section just yet. But here's my series of completely ridiculous and noobie questions.

Aside from the DFI that seems to terrorize everyone, is there any problems specific to the cars.

I plan on putting buckets in the car. Aside from the Cordoba, are there any other cars that would be good to source. New or vintage.

My plan is to keep the 318 and if it still has the DFI, to fix it work properly. I'm sure others have tried this, but are there any success stories?

If, the car I end up with needs a new motor, are there any modern MOPAR transplants out there. And how were they done.

Lastly, I'd like some opinions on what the base car should cast. Not being familiar with this model, I have no idea what the realistic values are. So I'll post up what condition the various points I look at should be and hopefully some of you gurus can lend me a hand.


Engine - if it runs and moves, I'm good. I'm not looking to take this thing on a cross country tour any time soon. If it has noises and buns some oil I can live with that.
Trans - If the gears engage and move the car, I'm good.
Brakes - It has to stop, needing brake work, lines, pads / shoes is fine. Having no brakes is not, but might pass if the price is low enough.
Body - Coming from Chicago, I've seen the horrors of rust. Fenders, quarters, etc..I expect to have rust. I just don't want to have huge holes everywhere. Color doesn't matter at all, condition of the paint doesn't matter either.
Wheels - I need five of them. They don't even have to match.
Interior - As long as it has seats, any seats. A clean dash cap would be nice, but not a deal breaker. Working door handles are a must and the windows all have to be there, only the driver's side must work. Everything else is considered optional.

When I say I want a project, I mean a project. Most of the car will be gone through. I just need it to be able to titled, tagged and insured. It won't be a daily driver, but I would like to drive it around town some.
Thanks for reading the novel I've written here, and any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. And even though I'm looking to purchase in the time frame above, feel free to post or PM me if you have a car that fits the bill.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[alf44]

welcome to the family!!! you will find you will get alot of help and good advice here. glad you want to stick with MOPAR power

 

[tim berry]

welcome and like wise

 

[NoCar340]

A friend of mine had a number of Imperials a few years back (including a 3,600-mile original that still had the factory plastic on the seat belts and floor mats); I can see if he still has any of them other than my old one (I'm buying it back). I know of another two locally, one still in the hands of the original dealer (something like 18K on it), and the other one doesn't run. Neither of those two are available for sale, as far as I know. The non-runner has two complete DFI setups, the OE one on the engine and the other in the trunk. It's silver with a red interior, but you'd definitely need a trailer. That guy's a friend of mine too; I'll see what his plans are for it if you're interested.

Welcome aboard!

 

[Eldervampire]

That would be awesome NoCar. Like I said, I'm really about a month and a half out from seriously trying to pick up a car, but the right deal would change my plans. The ideal car would be a running project that needs minor / moderate mechanical work and major cosmetic work. I know I'll get kicked in the teeth for saying this, but, I'd like to save as much as I can on the base car itself. The cheaper it is the more I can sink into the project itself. I've seen a few in the sub $1,000 range, but there is no-way I can justify a trip to New York to save a few hundred bucks I'd spend in fuel. And getting a trailer is no problem so a non-running car isn't out of the question, I'd like it to have the original engine though.

 

[NoCar340]

Well, the one that might be available was bought as a parts car, but as far as I know no parts were taken. If they were, they were small bits of trim or correct clips, stuff like that. It's the original engine, unconverted from the DFI. I can't swear to it, but the yard owner where we found it said it was junked because they couldn't get it to run reliably. Rather than do the conversion, the guy found another whole DFI setup (the one in the trunk) but then couldn't find anyone to work on it. No one knew anything about that stuff. To my knowledge, no attempt was ever made to get the thing running once my friends got ahold of it. It was in pretty nice shape for a northern car, though, being junked relatively early in its life.

 

[Bryan M.]

Without knowing where you're at, all I can offer car-wise is that there are two Imps in the Phoenix area. One is a Sinatra car that has been off and on CL for over a year. The other, last I checked, was at a Scottsdale "classic car" dealership and I passed on it because they couldn't get it running but were asking $7K. The Sinatra car is reasonably priced.

As far as your questions...The only 3rd Gen Hemi swap I've seen for an FJM was a full floorpan conversion. Search "SRT-8 Mirada" for all the info you could want. Cool car, I've talked with both owner and builder. But that might be a touch...uh...extensive.

Newer engines can go up to about the early-2000's Magnum 5.2/5.9's with just the fuel systems and computers. Harder part is backing it with a decent transmission. 727/904/999 are no problem, but in my eyes, don't offer enough forward gears and aren't highway friendly. A518's require floor modifications, but I've seen it done in a Fifth Avenue. Manual trans require a kitbash of Dakota, Dart and Aspen pieces, but I've seen it done: I had a 4-spd Diplomat in my past. For my Imperial I'm looking at a 408ci stroker LA and I'm in talks with American Powertrain to convert it to a 5 or 6 speed transmission so deeper gears can be put into the rear end. As heavy as the Imp is, I want at least a 3.55 or deeper.

Interior and Electrical: Check your potential project carefully! Most Imperials are pretty much unmodded, but that era Chrysler wiring is, in my eyes, subpar. Check everything. You can still get window motors easily and such. Dashes...only way I've seen to repair the padding is to send it to Just Dashes (re-read: $$). For seats, I'd recommend sporty K-car buckets, LeBaron or Daytona. I've also done Subaru Legacy buckets, reskinned in factory materials.

Wheels: I'd find a good set of 15x7 or 15x8 wheels of any type but the factory Imperial originals.

 

[NoCar340]

The 4-speed conversion is straight-up Aspen parts. I've done it twice, once on a Mirada and the other time a LeBaron. If you want to use a long-tail B/E-body/pickup style trans, though, you need a shifter mount from a '71-'74 B-body to get the shifter to come through the factory floor opening.

 

[My imp]

I have the short tail shaft out of my Duster, & all the linkage except for the gearshift interlock from an Aspen. I will need to find a suitable shifter, as all I have is a Hurst Indy, & a short shaft pistol grip from an E body. Neither of which would look good in an Imperial. I'd like an extremely short leather covered shifter, similar to the one in my Stealth. If needed I can fab one up. I have the floor hump from an Aspen also. Steering column & console from a floor shift Cordoba. There's another company that manufactures a trans that fits better than anything else out there. There's a post on it, but I forgot their name.

 

[Eldervampire]

Hey thanks guys, I really appreciate it. As for where I'm located, I live in a small Kentucky town called Hickman. It's an hour S/E from the Illinois border and 20 minutes N from Tennessee. I am keeping the car an auto, maybe an A500. And I really want to keep the original wiring and DFI. If I can't get respectable power from it and keep the original set-up, I may try and adapt a modern set-up that will allow the power and the best MPG I can get. My Dakota currently gets around 22MPG and I'm good with that, living in the country it's all highway driving. There are 2 stop signs and no traffic lights to speak of where I live, plus no big brother to tell me what I can and cannot do.

MyImp, is it a t-handle or a cobra style shifter. If it's a T, I've always been a fan of the Fiero shifter. It's nearly identical to the 3rd gen GM F-bodies, but a little thicker.

 

[My imp]

Viper style, but shorter, with the shift patern embossed in the leather, matching leather boot. I haven't measured it yet, but may possibly be able to use the "Mark Cross" embossed leather to cover the console lid. Really tie the whole thing together.

 

[NoCar340]

Like The Dude's area rug? The armrest is quite a bit wider in the Imperial than on the J-body console, but a good upholsterer could narrow it up using the original (or original style) piping. I think that would look pretty cool, really.

If the Duster was an A-car with the close-ratio trans, the 3-4 linkage won't work from an OD transmission. The pistol grip that works perfectly in the FMJ car is the '71-'74 B-body bench seat/CFA unit, but you'll have to make a custom shifter offset mount to get it to come through the hole in the console (just a Z-bracket that bolts to the shifter on one end, with the handle bolted to the other). It puts the shifter in a somewhat uncomfortable spot, though... it's too far to the right and doesn't feel natural. I've thought about making a custom handle, following the F/R shape of the '71-'74 shifter but with a double offset like the '70 B-body console pistol grip... I just need a big chunk of thick 304 stainless at this point to try it (I have a J-car console as well).

If you want a short throw with a short handle in a comfortable spot, there's always the Supra Turbo R154 trans with a Dakota AX15 bellhousing, but sayonara to the console. The situation is the same with any T5/T56-based trans, such as the Tremec 5 & 6-speeds. i love a short throw, but I also love the pistol grip. I'd like to try building my above one, then maybe making custom levers for the transmission and/or shifter to get the shorter throw (shorter levers on the trans, longer on the shifter). I'd fire any F-body or other shifter mechanism in the trash if it uses the bayonet-style (push-in) shifter handle retention and/or has the "Push to Reverse" feature. If anyone's looking for one, I've got it for sale (no linkage, original handle still in it). I'm using a Super Shifter II mechanism, because I foolishly sold my original Super Shifter (I) mechanism years ago. That one had an over-center spring to assist the mechanism into the next gate; they seem to have disappeared off the planet.

I have a pair of grips covered in red vinyl from a previous project that I'll probably recover in black for the next one. I'd love to use leather, but the local shops will only sell it by the square yard and it's insanely expensive that way.

 

[Bryan M.]

NoCar, I'm somewhat close to you. Once you get this thing rolling, I may want to take a look and get some ideas...17mpg out of a Carter carb is decent, but I'd like to get FI back on mine too.

 

[My imp]

I know it's wider, but haven't measured to say if it's long enough. I've never done covers as complex as car seats, but I did bus seat covers. Quite easy. My sewing machine isn't strong enough to do leather, & when I retired, so did making or repairing seat covers! I don't have the OD std shift, just the regular 4spd out of my '70 340 Duster, er a Valiant 2dr. Special. So stock linkage will work. Isn't the '71-'74 B & E body w/console the same? The short pistol grip I have came out of aChallenger w/console. I don't think it'll fit the theme of the car. I have the console to go with it also. I also have a console out of a '75-8 B body as well. I'll see if I have enough room between the seats for it, as it's wider than my J body console. I like the beefier looking console better than the J body one. I may need the room for the shifter offset.

 

[My imp]

Passon Transmission offers a bolt on, no mod 5 spd trans. Bull the 883, drop in their 5spd. No cutting whatsoever! Just like downtown, but less non-Caucasions & pigeons!

 

[Eldervampire]

Just like downtown, but less non-Caucasions & pigeons!

I have to tell you, that statement offends the hell out of me.

 

[My imp]

What is offensive? What did YOU read into it?

 

[ramenth]

Passon Transmission offers a bolt on, no mod 5 spd trans. Bull the 883, drop in their 5spd. No cutting whatsoever! Just like downtown, but less non-Caucasions & pigeons!

If they ever get it ramped up to full out the door production. The last time I read they were still trying to get customer orders figured out and it might be a while before they can offer it as an "off the shelf" product.

 

[NoCar340]

NoCar, I'm somewhat close to you.

Might want to rethink that statement. I'm about 650 miles northwest of Lousiville. You'd have to go through WI to get here.

The other downside to the Passon transmission, other than non-availability, is the cost. Though I haven't looked recently, when I checked into it the price was about 150% of the cost of a TKO600 modified for a Mopar shift location. It was well over $4,000. The Toyota R154 swap is great--big power capability, fits on a Mopar bellhousing (early Dakota 3.9L with the AX-15 trans), reasonable shifter location w/a direct-rail shifter... but try and find one, and they're not cheap when you do. It's often less expensive to buy a whole Supra Turbo from the unknowing, and yank the transmission.

My Imp, if your stock linkage is from an OD transmission, no, stock OD linkage will not work on the 3-4 lever. Period. It's way too long, plus it's bent incorrectly. We put an early '70s A-body close-ratio trans into a '66 Valiant, but didn't have a shifter or linkage. The guy ordered all brand-new stuff from Hurst for the OD trans. It was the only linkage available at the time. Because the 3-4 lever was flipped for the OD (which is actually in the 3rd gear position inside the trans), there was no way to make that linkage fit without heating, bending, and welding. A non-OD lever at the trans would've been helpful had we tried to make it work. Ended up just going with the correct 3-4 rod from a close-ratio trans, lever and all, pulled from a junkyard. We didn't have access to a welder or oxyacetylene at the time; now both are sitting only yards away in my garage. Of course, the Hurst linkage is now long gone, though I believe any of their linkage can still be specially ordered if you want to open your wallet wide enough. You also need a vintage catalog with the part number to have it done if they still offer that service.

 

[My imp]

No, the OD trans I was talking about was an automatic. My 4 spd is the stock 883 out of a '70 Duster. The OD was a glorified 3 spd with OD & reverse. Moot point, as I sold the linkage with the shifter. The linkage was worn & getting sloppy when I bought the car. Never thinking 35 yrs Ito the future, but I hope the replacement linkage is as good, or better than the factory stuff was 44 yrs ago. I got my wrenches from Motech! The ones for rebuilding the P/S gearbox. Ohhhhh, Ahhhhh! Ohhhhh, Ahhhhh! So that's the next part of the saga, rebuilding my factory Firm Feel out of the '83 Gran Fury cruiser! Little bit, by little bit.