Pete Kaczmarski
Senior Member
He probably needed that many to make one start and run...….
Royal Flush: Twenty Four 1980's Chrysler Imperials
Royal Flush: Twenty Four 1980's Chrysler Imperials
For Sale Barn Finds person has 20 plus '81 era Imperials For Sale
- Thread starter Pete Kaczmarski
- Start date
- Status
C Body Bob
Old Man with a Hat
Bucket list car for sure. Mine won’t be stock though.
I still want this one:
75LandYacht
Yank Tank
Love love love the styling.. very classy and elegant. Shame they were so plagued with issues....
CBODY67
Old Man with a Hat
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2011
- Messages
- 9,874
- Reaction score
- 6,715
As I recall, in order to quality to sell them, the dealer had to purchase a particular tool to diagnose the electronics (?) or similar. Not every dealer opted for that, unless they were in a larger metro area market. A local doctor wanted one and the local dealer finagled one from another dealer, I believe.
I might be wrong, but if things were like other Chrysler electronic advances, they were poorly understood by the technicians and customers. At that time, few understood what a "mass air flow sensor" was, why the need for the band clamp around the edge of the air cleaner, OR why that when you took the top off the air cleaner, the engine died. Several years later, what those things were WAS more readily-known as GM and Ford had some of those same things on their EFI systems. No doubt, some techs tried to diagnose problems that weren't really problems . . . they just didn't fully understand how the systems operated. Be that as it may.
The other issue with the cars was that it was close to 4000lbs and probably too much weight for a 318 and 2.4 axle ratio (with the taller tire size they had, which didn't help matters much). I knew of one older couple that had a dark brown one. At about 20K miles, she was looking to trade it before anything went wrong with it. Not sure what "stories" she had heard, but there were allegedly some already floating around at that time.
Although the cars came out in a leaner economic time, the hi-tech 318 probably didn't get stellar fuel economy. She claimed "only" 20mpg on trips, when my '77 Camaro 305 2bbl would do. I'd figure the Imperial EFI should do a little better than that. In reality, it probably was not that bad for a heavy car and small motor with a normal intake manifold on it. In a time when "high performance" was generally frowned upon and "MPG was KING". Not really the right time for that car to have come out, I suspect.
Still, a nice car, but not fully-appreciated. A later-model 5.9L pickup TBI V-8 with the 4-speed OD automatic, and a 3.21 axle ratio would probably run better and do better on fuel?
CBODY67
I might be wrong, but if things were like other Chrysler electronic advances, they were poorly understood by the technicians and customers. At that time, few understood what a "mass air flow sensor" was, why the need for the band clamp around the edge of the air cleaner, OR why that when you took the top off the air cleaner, the engine died. Several years later, what those things were WAS more readily-known as GM and Ford had some of those same things on their EFI systems. No doubt, some techs tried to diagnose problems that weren't really problems . . . they just didn't fully understand how the systems operated. Be that as it may.
The other issue with the cars was that it was close to 4000lbs and probably too much weight for a 318 and 2.4 axle ratio (with the taller tire size they had, which didn't help matters much). I knew of one older couple that had a dark brown one. At about 20K miles, she was looking to trade it before anything went wrong with it. Not sure what "stories" she had heard, but there were allegedly some already floating around at that time.
Although the cars came out in a leaner economic time, the hi-tech 318 probably didn't get stellar fuel economy. She claimed "only" 20mpg on trips, when my '77 Camaro 305 2bbl would do. I'd figure the Imperial EFI should do a little better than that. In reality, it probably was not that bad for a heavy car and small motor with a normal intake manifold on it. In a time when "high performance" was generally frowned upon and "MPG was KING". Not really the right time for that car to have come out, I suspect.
Still, a nice car, but not fully-appreciated. A later-model 5.9L pickup TBI V-8 with the 4-speed OD automatic, and a 3.21 axle ratio would probably run better and do better on fuel?
CBODY67
Yeahrightgreer
Senior Member
If it was me - I’d have to buy an 83’ Lebaron. Did the Imperials also have the magic talking car feature like knight rider?
Carmine
Old Man with a Hat
Site not working for me. Is this in Port Huron, MI? If so that must be about a year old. If not, who knew there was another guy hoarding these?
Pete Kaczmarski
Senior Member
Site not working for me. Is this in Port Huron, MI? If so that must be about a year old. If not, who knew there was another guy hoarding these?
Site article is still there. I suspect your filters are blocking it. The cars are in California.
Site article is still there. I suspect your filters are blocking it. The cars are in California.
Carmine
Old Man with a Hat
Probably a bunch of snarkiness about "malaise" and disco. I suspect my security filters are doing me a favor.
There was a collection around 20 cars and parts that was sold last fall in Port Huron, about an hour north of Detroit.
There was a collection around 20 cars and parts that was sold last fall in Port Huron, about an hour north of Detroit.
- Status
Similar threads
