1969 Imperial progress thread

bajajoaquin · Sep 29, 2014

vdk2010 said:
And today, I removed the torsion bars and the k-member. I've read a lot about problems removing the torsion bars lately, but mine came out pretty easy by hand!

View attachment 39154

Is this the subframe that the torsion bars mount to, and are the inboard pucks the rubber isolators? If yes and yes, there is a rebuilder here in the US that I used for mine.

detmatt · Sep 29, 2014

I was wondering what you've been up to. Nice to see you back at it.

commando1 · Sep 29, 2014

This is incredible photo documentation.

Posted via Topify on Android

vdk2010 · Sep 30, 2014

bajajoaquin said:
Is this the subframe that the torsion bars mount to, and are the inboard pucks the rubber isolators? If yes and yes, there is a rebuilder here in the US that I used for mine.

Yes and Yes ;) The torsion bars are mounted to this bracket, and the bracket is mounted to the rear of the Stubframe (rear transmission mount bracket). The pucks are the rubber isolators!

Is this rebuilder selling the parts also?

vdk2010 · Sep 30, 2014

detmatt said:
I was wondering what you've been up to. Nice to see you back at it.

It's the time of the year when I'm on one fair after the other for work. Not much time for anything... But I'm still using every available hour besides my social life for the Imp!

vdk2010 · Sep 30, 2014

commando1 said:
This is incredible photo documentation.

Posted via Topify on Android

Thanks! That's the only way to get this puzzle back together someday ;)

bulldogchesty · Sep 30, 2014

Keep up the good work.

detmatt · Sep 30, 2014

I'm going to try and do my isolators this winter if I can find the time. I've already been in touch with the vulcanizer.

vdk2010 · Sep 30, 2014

Keep us in touch about the vulcanizer and the isolators please! The rubber on my isolators looks pretty good, but it's nevertheless a good idea to renew them when everything is apart!

bajajoaquin · Sep 30, 2014

Unless you're having some issues with your budget, I'd do it while the car is apart. The rebuilder (name escapes me at the moment, but it's in my thread) doesn't sell new ones, only rebuilds your cores. So that means you have to take your car off the road, make it immobile, and wait for the parts to get there, be rebuilt, and get back. Mine took something like a week. Depending on his work load, it may take considerably longer. Add to that the shipping to and from Germany, and it would be a major hassle.

Now, however, you could wrap them up, get them to my friend when he travels to Bad Durkheim this winter, and get them back before the car gets back together. 6 months of transit time doesn't affect the rebuild time on the car, I'd imagine.

Just my two phennigs.

vdk2010 · Sep 30, 2014

Meanwhile somewhere in Germany...

kmccabe56 · Sep 30, 2014

bajajoaquin said:
Unless you're having some issues with your budget, I'd do it while the car is apart. The rebuilder (name escapes me at the moment, but it's in my thread) doesn't sell new ones, only rebuilds your cores. So that means you have to take your car off the road, make it immobile, and wait for the parts to get there, be rebuilt, and get back. Mine took something like a week. Depending on his work load, it may take considerably longer. Add to that the shipping to and from Germany, and it would be a major hassle.

Now, however, you could wrap them up, get them to my friend when he travels to Bad Durkheim this winter, and get them back before the car gets back together. 6 months of transit time doesn't affect the rebuild time on the car, I'd imagine.

Just my two phennigs.

OR:

Could somebody here find a pair of cores, get them rebuilt and ship them to Germany? What was spent on buying cores would be way less than half of the round trip shipping.

Would the rebuilding process be similar to getting engine mounts redone? Not sure what the difference in the specs on the rubber would be though.

vdk2010 · Sep 30, 2014

bajajoaquin said:
Unless you're having some issues with your budget, I'd do it while the car is apart. The rebuilder (name escapes me at the moment, but it's in my thread) doesn't sell new ones, only rebuilds your cores. So that means you have to take your car off the road, make it immobile, and wait for the parts to get there, be rebuilt, and get back. Mine took something like a week. Depending on his work load, it may take considerably longer. Add to that the shipping to and from Germany, and it would be a major hassle.

Now, however, you could wrap them up, get them to my friend when he travels to Bad Durkheim this winter, and get them back before the car gets back together. 6 months of transit time doesn't affect the rebuild time on the car, I'd imagine.

Just my two phennigs.

Fount it! Then and Now Automotive. Thanks! I will try to find a rebuilder in germany first, but will come back to them and your great shipping offer when I can't find one here!
And time is not an issue... I have a lot of it and will need it ;)

vdk2010 · Sep 30, 2014

kmccabe56 said:
OR:

Could somebody here find a pair of cores, get them rebuilt and ship them to Germany? What was spent on buying cores would be way less than half of the round trip shipping.

Would the rebuilding process be similar to getting engine mounts redone? Not sure what the difference in the specs on the rubber would be though.

Good idea, but finding imperial specific parts can be a ***** ;)

Stormer · Sep 30, 2014

Nice work.

Big_John · Sep 30, 2014

detmatt said:
I'm going to try and do my isolators this winter if I can find the time. I've already been in touch with the vulcanizer.

bajajoaquin · Sep 30, 2014

kmccabe56 said:
OR:

Could somebody here find a pair of cores, get them rebuilt and ship them to Germany? What was spent on buying cores would be way less than half of the round trip shipping.

Would the rebuilding process be similar to getting engine mounts redone? Not sure what the difference in the specs on the rubber would be though.

I think we have avoided round trip shipping.

Also, Then and Now has a piece of equipment that was used by Chrysler back in the day to build the prototype pieces, so they build them to the same spec as original (they claim better, since rubber formulations have come a long way). Maybe these things are simpler than I'm giving them credit for, but if there's someone who already knows how to rebuild them....