69 Imperial LeBaron sedan

C

ctbrooklyn

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Hi all. I am a brand new member and am enjoying reading the threads.

I am restoring a mostly well-preserved 69 LeBaron sedan, aquamarine in color - in and out. This is my first restoration of an old car even though I've owned a few Mopars in the past. She's at the body shop for a respray right now. I had the rear bumper (which had the only dent on the whole car) sent off to Tri-state(?) in Tennessee and it came back looking wonderful.

My big surprise was that these cars had sequential rear signals. Mine didn't work when I got the car - that and the a/c and one rear window. Anyway, my confidence got a big boost when I managed to fix the tail lamp mechanism and get it working like new. All those damn relays!

The trunk key was missing so I took out the back seat, crawled through and popped it. I had the lock re-keyed to work on the turn signals . Wish I'd found a bag of gold back there, but alas it was full of religious tracts, old cosmetics and a pair of hideous old high-heeled shoes - but the trunk floor was dry. What a life the Imp must have lived! Door-to-door sermonizing by Tammy Faye Bakker perhaps, the Imperial sucking gas as she went along her way.

Anyway I hope to post with progress as I go along. Wish me luck as I've been bit by the C-body bug!

Thanks,
Joel
 
Hello and welcome aboard Joel! Sounds like a beautiful car you have! Pictures would be great!
 
Welcome. That's a nice introduction.

You know what would make it a great​ introduction? Pictures!
 
Here she is upon my first acquiring her.

407158_10100292012656274_953697201_n.jpgimperial 007.jpg1969 imp.jpg

407158_10100292012656274_953697201_n.jpg


imperial 007.jpg


1969 imp.jpg
 
Yeah, my niece saw that and couldn't help but take the photo. She thought it looked pretty damned upscale, too. :laughing4:
 
Yeah, I think that's where I found it. As it had zero rust on it and decent miles (and ran and drove once the tires had air), I couldn't help buying it. The 69s are my favorite so now I've got one. I'll be using this site for help, no doubt!
 
Welcome Joel. Very fine Imperial. I also have a 69 Imperial - it is a Crown Coupe with low miles and like yours the sequential turn signals did not work when I acquired it earlier this year ( I think there was a reason this feature was dropped after 1969!). I saw the tangle of wires and relays for the sequential tail lights on the left wheelhouse in the trunk. I have not been able to do much with the car yet, but was wondering just how bad it was for you to sort out the cause of the problem with your turn signal lights in the back? How many relays did you end up replacing and how did you diagnose the problem? It looks like these original relays are very hard to find and expensive if you do. I was wondering whether it might make more sense to just leave the mess back there and use a late model Ford sequential turn signal control box that is simple, reliable and up to date, but hidden out of sight? Thanks for any experience you can share.
 
You should also check out http://imperialclub.org and the Yahoo! Groups Imperial club. For Imperial-only stuff, they can't be beat, but this site has more activity and general C-Body knowledge. I'm guessing that this site is also better for 69-up Imperials than for 66-and-earlier, because so much more of the unibody and other parts were shared across the C-body range.
 
ctbrooklyn said:
Yeah, I think that's where I found it. As it had zero rust on it and decent miles (and ran and drove once the tires had air), I couldn't help buying it. The 69s are my favorite so now I've got one. I'll be using this site for help, no doubt!
Click to expand...

You will definitely find help here! A lot of competent, same thinking and first of all nice people around here!

saforwardlook said:
Welcome Joel. Very fine Imperial. I also have a 69 Imperial - it is a Crown Coupe with low miles and like yours the sequential turn signals did not work when I acquired it earlier this year ( I think there was a reason this feature was dropped after 1969!). I saw the tangle of wires and relays for the sequential tail lights on the left wheelhouse in the trunk. I have not been able to do much with the car yet, but was wondering just how bad it was for you to sort out the cause of the problem with your turn signal lights in the back? How many relays did you end up replacing and how did you diagnose the problem? It looks like these original relays are very hard to find and expensive if you do. I was wondering whether it might make more sense to just leave the mess back there and use a late model Ford sequential turn signal control box that is simple, reliable and up to date, but hidden out of sight? Thanks for any experience you can share.
Click to expand...

My '69 Coupe is still on its odyssey to germany but just a few more days and I will have it here!

About the sequential turn lights; I have read a lot about the problems with this feature. If your relais are too far gone or missing, there is another option with this replacement kit ->

http://www.thuntek.net/cougars_unlimited/ce1chry.htm
 
Hi! Congrats on your own '69. As to the tail lamp system on these cars, it is indeed daunting. If I recall, 5 relays in all - some under the dash and then those contraptions in the trunk. Before I even tackled it I too looked at the newer systems. If mine goes out again, I very well may buy one of those new ones that folks are putting on late model Chargers and such. Anyway, as to mine...
I could hear the pieces in the trunk 'trying' to work when I had the signals activated. I just figured then that the relays under the dash must be working or the trunk pieces wouldn't be ticking as they were. So I took that thick, dark piece if insulation (tape and all) off and took a look. Yikes! Talk about wires! I saw immediately a sticker from a dealership dated 1976 on one piece so I knew they were not original and hoped the replacement incorporated better engineering. I took photos and notes before removing the pieces, first one and then the other. They were not completely clean so I took them inside and used canned air from my computer supplies. While they were out I went after the tail lamps themselves. Each side had issues with dimmed/unworking bulbs. I said 'screw it' and replaced the eight sockets - reverse sockets and all. I made sure the parking and brake light sides of both worked correctly. I then replaced the two mechanical pieces in the trunk, made sure the connections were solid, and voila! They both were sequencing just fine! I'm not sure which solved it, but probably some of both. Dirt and corrosion are so often the enemies! If you find you hear the clickety-clack of the trunk pieces working, I'd suggest what I did. If not, it's likely one (or more) of the dash pieces. Good luck and keep me posted! Joel
 
That's a great story about your first project was to take on that turn signal situation. Welcome aboard!!

Posted via Topify on Android
 
i had a 68 cougar and the turn signals were 'music box' style where a cam turned and made electrical contact at staged intervals. i didnt know mopars had em. can you put up a pic of the mess?

i also would check out the new kits, all electronic of course, if you dont mind that.

with the knowledge here in fcbo, i bet we could rebuild the relay system as it is.

.... i just read, you got them working. well done. ill go away now...
 
Last edited:
If anyone doesn't know the sequential turn signals or just the sound of the relais, the following video in 3 parts show how they work.

 
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