That '75 Imperial I bought...

patrick66

patrick66

Old Man with a Hat
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Sees out from under the trees for the first time since parked in 1995! Got it home this afternoon. I'm pretty amazed at how straight this 70K-mile car is! The roller minus eng/trans has been sold to a guy near Omaha, NE as a parts car for his '76 NYB.

It dawned on me to do a YouTube video - "will it run after 25 years?" - and that's what will happen! My son is going to crank up the leaf blower and clean out the engine bay, and also power-wash the exterior with his new power washer. One door opens. The right doors have what's left of a small tree that grew up into the doors.

Assuming the wiring harness wasn't trashed by critters, we'll hook up a separate fuel source and a battery, and give it a shot! Worst that'll happen is "click"! The weekend looks great. This will be fun!

Pics to the car from today:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pmw2nW6DS9wYLkG17
 
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G'Day,
Don't mean to teach My Granma how to Suck Eggs, But I always have a Fire Extinguisher handy in case of Backfires.
Also I train people to NEVER Stand in front of a Automatic Car when first Starting, been almost Run over a couple of times by Vehicles with Crook Inhibitors.
Poorly Adjusted Linkages can Also allow an Auto to Drop into Drive / Reverse.
Also While I'm Rambling on, I had an Experience when I was Very Young & Stupid, (I'm Old & Stupid Now), I had an Old Ford Customline up on Ramps changing the Oil.
Found I had the Wrong Spanner for the Sump Plug & Climbed out from Under Cussing, went into the Shed to get the Right Spanner & Heard "CRUMP", wandered back out to Find the "K-Mart" Ramps had Folded Sideways & Dumped the Car on the Deck.
I'm not some Skinny Little Fella that might have Survived, So Ever since I Always have Double Back up. Even throwing the Rim & Tyre under the Car when changing a Tyre on the side of the Road is better than Nothing. I have Never been a Big Fan of Bumper Jacks.
Anyway Pardon My Rambling, I'm Getting into My Dotage. (That would make a Good Number Plate) LOL
Tony.M
 
Before attempting to start a car that has sat this long, be sure to put some oil in the cylinders so that they are not damaged by excessive friction. There are a whole lot of things that can go wrong, but start by trying to turn the engine over by hand with a socket and breaker bar on the crank bolt that holds the damper on. If it will move that way, you are off to a good start. If the engine is free, consider changing the oil so that accumulated crud on the bottom of the pan does not get sucked up into the oiling system. Remove the distributor and the intermediate shaft and prime the oil pump, that way you have oil to the bearings at start up. Be sure to note the position of the rotor and reinstall the intermediate shaft in the same position or your timing will be way off. Be sure to disconnect the input line on the fuel pump and run it to a clean source of fuel. If the carb is still free, prime it with an ounce or two of fuel for a quick start. Also check the coolant level. If the rotor and cap are corroded, replace them so you have good spark. Good luck.

Dave
 
Did the guy that sold you this '75 still have his '76 NYB? I only see a little rust on the rear quarters (mostly, drivers side. Interior's probably shot. Anyway, good luck
 
I just tried this with a car that sat since ‘04 and the valves were stuck. While you’ve got the plugs out to spin it over by hand have the valve covers off so you can watch the valves move or not move. If it turns out you have stuck valves your fun will fleeting.
 
I've done this a number of times over there past 40.or so years. Not my first rodeo. I want to see if it's not locked up. If it'll actually start, bonus points! Obviously, a couple of hours of prep before cranking it is gonna happen.
 
patrick66 said:
I've done this a number of times over there past 40.or so years. Not my first rodeo. I want to see if it's not locked up. If it'll actually start, bonus points! Obviously, a couple of hours of prep before cranking it is gonna happen.
Click to expand...

If any of the valves are stuck, yer gonna end up with a few bent push rods. . .
 
patrick66 said:
Sees out from under the trees for the first time since parked in 1995! Got it home this afternoon. I'm pretty amazed at how straight this 70K-mile car is! The roller minus eng/trans has been sold to a guy near Omaha, NE as a parts car for his '76 NYB.

It dawned on me to do a YouTube video - "will it run after 25 years?" - and that's what will happen! My son is going to crank up the leaf blower and clean out the engine bay, and also power-wash the exterior with his new power washer. One door opens. The right doors have what's left of a small tree that grew up into the doors.

Assuming the wiring harness wasn't trashed by critters, we'll hook up a separate fuel source and a battery, and give it a shot! Worst that'll happen is "click"! The weekend looks great. This will be fun!

Pics to the car from today:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pmw2nW6DS9wYLkG17
Click to expand...
This is like starting up a Time Capsule ! I can't wait to see if she starts. Go easy on The Old Girl . That is a Beautiful big Chrysler.
 
Ripinator said:
If any of the valves are stuck, yer gonna end up with a few bent push rods. . .
Click to expand...

Not the first time that's happened to anyone.

A couple of hours of prep is obviously the first thing.

The tires actually held air overnight! Very surprising for tires that are over 27 years old, and all four have been flat for a long, long time. None of the brakes were stuck. The car rolls easily...thankfully!

Honestly, had the windshield and driver front door glass remained intact to where the degradation of the interior not been so bad, this would be a decent-enough candidate for a restoration. Right now, it would need a rusty Northern car with a primo interior to even think that would/could occur.

Between getting my Fargo ready for delivery to the buyer in South Carolina, and getting the engine and transmission out of the Imperial so it can head off to Nebraska (both in the next 7-10 days!), I'm a bit of a busy, busy guy this week! And that's good.
 
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Took my new leaf blower and put it to work on that engine bay. Ran it until the battery died, which took maybe 20 minutes, and still got less than half of the engine bay cleaned out. Leaves are pretty packed in the driver's side, between the manifold, steering box, ps reservoir, and under the battery tray. The lower fan shroud is packed up, too. The passenger side was amazingly free of packed-in crap. Found four dead rodents in various stages of advanced decomposition inside. Oh, fun!

Inside, only one door will open. I shot the blower into that opening and shot most of the crap in the back seat out the hole in the passenger side rear floorboard. Yes, I had a mask on for this level of fun! The front has good factory floor mats. If I can retrieve them without risking certain death, I'll clean those up real nice and install those in the convertible, as it has none currently. It'll be back to the car after work for more chances at hantavirus!

Most of the engine harness looks good. There are rodent teeth marks on the plug wires, which are Mopar wires, date-coded 3-85 - last tune-up? The cruise control unit looks good. Even the drive belts are intact!
 
Took the power washer to the Imperial today...pretty big difference! NASA called to report a bright object...here it is!

20210424_154148.jpg


20210421_161139.jpg
 
It had a fresh oil change before it was parked. The clarity of the oil on the dipstick tells much. The tranny fluid is clean.

Removal of the engine and trans is this coming weekend, assuming the shipper shows up for my '68 D100, which has been sold as I await the shipper to pick it up. Once the truck is gone, I can roll the Imp in for the organ removal, as the big beast is getting picked up by the new owner from Nebraska on the 8th of May.
 
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I jacked up my neck and back last week as I was beginning to remove the 440 and automatic from the Imperial. Moved five degrees in the wrong direction, and my world friggin' stopped! If you've ever been hit with a ball bat, you'll have an inkling of the pain! I decided not to continue the effort, so the buyer is in essence getting a "free" 440 and auto for spares for his '76 NYB. He is wanting the complete rear disc axle and all of the four-wheel-disc-specific items, plus many small bits and body chunks for repairs to his car. It should be on the road to Nebraska tomorrow (Friday the 7th). It's just not worth the literal pain to remove that engine to me.

Pic on the trailer tomorrow, and that will close this thread.
 
She is off to York, NE. All of the engine brackets are going on his 440 in his NYB, and much under the hood will get swapped. He's pretty happy, so am I. Bumpers and other exterior bits are being swapped, too.

He said the derby guys in his area are big on Crown Vics, with tons to choose from. Big Chryslers are becoming a rare sight in derbies, it appears, at least in parts of the country. That is good to hear.

So, here she is. Fortunately, he'll have a tailwind today!

20210507_142259.jpg


20210507_142225.jpg
 
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Bummer you couldn't get the 440/727 out, but I hurt just reading about it. Back pain sucks, I hope you heal quickly.
 
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