Sadie - 1974 Imperial LeBaron

I will say, one thing I am nervous about is storing it in our home garage. I’ve alreay measured and the car should fit just fine, however the weather is my next concern. The interior of the garage doesn't get quite as hot as it is outside, but it still gets stuffy. I can't really afford to pay for it to be stored in a Climate Controlled Unit and TN usually has humid summers. If it's stored in our garage what measures should I take to prevent any damage to it, if any? I'd like to have every means possible to preserve this classic (I want to keep it looking like this for my entire life if I can). Any tips or ideas would be highly appreciated. Do I need a heater in the garage for the Winter (vice versa)? Dehumidifier/s?
I'll keep an eye on it in my temperature controlled garage.:poke:
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Thats to turn on the headlights automatically. As dusk approaches you can set the headlights to come on by themselves or the other way around they will shut off as it gets light in the morning. That dial is for fine tuning. Light sentinel is what is called. Post a pic of the headlight switch if you can. You should also have a time delay on the headlights also so you can shut the car off with the headlights on, and they'll turn themselves off automatically in a few minutes. Gives you time to get in the house and not trip over junk in the garage.
A '73 Imperial I had, had that and automatic headlight dimming. That would turn the high beams off automatically when a car approached. Not sure if the '74's had that available.
Cutting edge stuff back in the day.
You are one very lucky guy to have found such a beautiful car! Congratulations!
 
I read that keeping it waxed consistently (every few months if I read correctly) should help give the paint a layer of protection between it and the sun/heat as well and preserve it.

It really depends on the wax you use. The new polymer based products can be "layered" so they can be used on a more frequent basis.

The car is beading water right now, so there is a coating of wax on it. Being a black car, you are going to have more upkeep to keep it nice. A good detail spray is going to be necessary along with some good microfiber towels. Everybody has their preference of what to use for wax and I personally like the Duragloss line.

Some stuff for you to start learning about here: Auto Detailing Facts, auto detailing Tips, How to detailing Guides, how to polish, how to wax, DIY detailing, do it yourself guides . To really do it right, you have to learn some basics... Like even how to wash your car so you don't get swirl marks. YouTube has tons of stuff about it too.
 
Well Sadie’s going to be spending part of the week in Illinois! We decided to leave her with my great grandmother and bring the car to TN next week so we could avoid driving through another hurricane. We just barely got her to fit in the garage! I’ll send clearer photos once we drive it back. Once we get it here first thing I’m doing is waxing it again to protect the paint. I want to keep it as clean as it looks - it reflects everything around it (See fenders) Figure keeping her in the garage for now will be safe that way it won’t get rained on anymore.

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My $.02 cents on this is to say that I'd rather park a car under a large carport, under a quality cover, than in a garage. Garages trap moisture and have no air circulation.

Of course a museum quality, climate controlled garage would be the best, but there's just no way I'd spend the $$$ on that. Well, unless I could keep my womens in there like Dan Tanna. And the hot tub is bad for humidity.

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They’re really comfortable and visually appealing.
 
Thanks to everybody here for the welcomes and help! Feels great to be part of a family of classic Mopar enthusiasts :D. I did have another question. My Grandfather and I both couldn’t figure out what this ‘LATE - EARLY’ dial was. We didn’t have time to check the manual because we had to head out pretty early.

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Pretty sure that is the twilight sentinel auto headlight control. Same system as in Cadillac cars...

Early and Late refer to how sensitive you want the system to work. Early refers to early eventing twilight (still light outside) at dusk or... Late .... sun fully down and just before nightfall.

System also has adjustment to autodimming the headlights from high beam to regular depending on distance of oncoming traffick with lights on. Near or Far.... setting should be on headlight control knob.

Javier
 
Pretty sure that is the twilight sentinel auto headlight control. Same system as in Cadillac cars...

Early and Late refer to how sensitive you want the system to work. Early refers to early eventing twilight (still light outside) at dusk or... Late .... sun fully down and just before nightfall.

System also has adjustment to autodimming the headlights from high beam to regular depending on distance of oncoming traffick with lights on. Near or Far.... setting should be on headlight control knob.

Javier

I'm not sure... could be wrong, but I don't think the auto-dimmer feature survived the '74 redesign (and if I'm right, i'll bet it was because of that fine mesh grille).
 
The auto dimming is different, the Sentinel doesn't control that.
 
I will say, one thing I am nervous about is storing it in our home garage. I’ve alreay measured and the car should fit just fine, however the weather is my next concern. The interior of the garage doesn't get quite as hot as it is outside, but it still gets stuffy. I can't really afford to pay for it to be stored in a Climate Controlled Unit and TN usually has humid summers. If it's stored in our garage what measures should I take to prevent any damage to it, if any? I'd like to have every means possible to preserve this classic (I want to keep it looking like this for my entire life if I can). Any tips or ideas would be highly appreciated. Do I need a heater in the garage for the Winter (vice versa)? Dehumidifier/s?
Hey Colin! You can run a dehumidifier, that might help a bit. I installed a ceiling fan in my garage and I run it all the time. It helps to keep the air moving. That sure is a pretty Imperial !!
 
Pretty sure that is the twilight sentinel auto headlight control. Same system as in Cadillac cars...

Early and Late refer to how sensitive you want the system to work. Early refers to early eventing twilight (still light outside) at dusk or... Late .... sun fully down and just before nightfall.

System also has adjustment to autodimming the headlights from high beam to regular depending on distance of oncoming traffick with lights on. Near or Far.... setting should be on headlight control knob.

Javier
Thought I said that.... :poke:
 
Interesting shut-off valve for the heater valve.

As these valves are open under all modes except vent and off, it seems like a good way to help boost the cooling power of the system a few degrees.

Let me know what happens when you open it.

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I love this car!!! My dad had one and he was so proud of it. I took my driving test in her. It was black on black but with a white leather interior. The car was TOP of the line for its time and has lines reminiscent of many classics. Enjoy her!
 
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