A scrub brush, Comet cleanser, and lots of Spray Nine!
In 2008, my brother said to me, “A friend of mine is selling a 1962 Chrysler Imperial–I think you should go check it out!”
I went to the address and found a long, mysterious gravel driveway that led straight into the woods. It looked semi-abandoned–untouched by the passing decades. A likely place to find an interesting and rare old car.
Recent Google streeview: A lot has changed since I was there–the land has been redeveloped and large areas of woods have been cleared. A surviving pine tree is seen in the distance.
It was a cold and drizzly spring day. I made my way up the drive, and then, over on the left, under a grove of pine trees, I saw it–the weirdly distinctive shapes of an early ’60s Mopar. The car looked forlorn and dejected. The hood was open, and the owner was disconnecting the battery from a battery charger. I felt like I was approaching a crashed flying saucer. This wasn’t Roswell, but a dreary wooded area in Parsippany NJ.
“Will it start?” I asked. “We’ll try!” The owner reached inside, turned the key–“Wrrr, wrrr, wrrr…Voooommmm!” The car settled into an even, smooth idle. I was impressed! I got the sense that this car hadn’t moved in years. The body was covered by a thick layer of pine needles, leaves, and crud.
Dashboard, after cleaning and detailing. The ovoid steering wheel looks odd in anything but straight-ahead position.
I sat behind the wheel. Instantly I was enveloped in that damp, moldy smell we all know so well. The carpets were moist. The engine continued to purr. The only sign of life on the dash was the red parking brake warning light flashing on and off. I stepped on the service brake–rock hard, no movement. I tried a power window switch–nothing. At least I could open and close the vent windows.
I pushed the “D” button. The transmission engaged, but a horrible groaning, grinding noise emanated from somewhere. I pushed “N”–the noise stopped.
“Sounds like a bad trans” I said.
Now most reasonable, sensible people wouldn’t touch this car with a ten-foot pole. But “reasonable, sensible” people are often quite boring. And I didn’t bring my pole with me–I was fully hands-on. All the “experts” (“schmexperts”) who write books and articles, “How To Buy a Used Car” would say, “Run!” It was starting to rain harder now, and it seemed like the Imperial was sinking deeper into the mud.
“Okay, so . . . how much to do want for it?”
“$800, plus an extra hundred to tow it out of here.”
“SOLD!”
So began the clean-up and restoration process. Granted, the car had a lot of problems, but there were a lot of good things too: the body was virtually rust and dent-free; the engine ran; and there was no cracked glass. The dash was decent. Once cleaned up, the interior looked quite nice and was mostly free of damage. After a LOT of scrubbing and polishing, the paint was, in most places, decent and presentable. The Imperial was immediately dubbed “The Green Monster”.
I can’t do major repairs, but I’m good at what is called TLC (Tender Loving Care), and I have a lot of love to give. I did a lot of small things that really made a big difference, and my brother and my dad helped me with some harder stuff. Dad and I replaced wheel cylinders and the master cylinder, and we discovered how difficult Mopar brakes are to work on. The return springs are hard to put back in place, unless you know “the trick”. Bleeding the system took a long time. But eventually everything worked.
The differential had problems and had to be taken apart. My brother was highly skilled at cutting a piece of hardened round stock to make a “pin” in the differential. I remember going to buy gears at a company located in a seedy industrial section of Linden NJ. The guy behind the counter said, “See d’ose 55 gallon drums across the street? That’s where Jimmy Hoffa is buried. Don’t tell nobody!”
I bought several hard-to-find parts from Johnny Rosen who lived on Behrend Drive (which he wrote out as “Bare End Drive”) in Phoenix AZ. Johnny had a yard full of junk Imperials he was parting out.
And remember the grinding noise in the transmission? Turns out it was a bad trans mount which was replaced. The transmission itself was fine.
After doing so much work to get a car like this driveable, one of the most exciting things is to go out and drive it for the first time. Which I did, and everything seemed hunky-dory, until after about 15 minutes when the engine overheated. It seems that all the cooling passages in the engine and radiator were caked with crud. Dad and I did a cooling system flush, and after that I never overheated.
Over the next several months, more work and repairs were done; some by me, some by professional mechanics. At the end of it all, what sort of car did I have?
In the right setting, from the right angle, these cars are beautiful!
Cruising through the night, afterburners aglow, maybe playing Frank Sinatra…
A pretty nice one actually–
It was inevitable that I would compare this ’62 Imperial to the ’58 Cadillac I owned at the time–two different “takes” on luxury motoring from about the same time period.
I would sum it up this way: On style, craftsmanship, refinement, and that jewel-like feeling of class, Cadillac wins. The Imperial kind of comes off as an oversized ’61 Plymouth, but with somewhat different styling.
However, on the road Imperial showed its superiorities. Consumer Reports called these Imperials “the best riding cars CU has ever tested.” The Torsion-Aire Imperial rides flat yet cushioned–very satisfying. The power steering is very easy and quick, with fewer turns lock-to-lock. So Imperial’s ride and handling ease are better than Cadillac’s, in my opinion. Imperial’s V-8 also has more power, and the TorqueFlite transmission seems more responsive and less “fussy” than Cadillac’s Hydramatic.
Imperial Custom interior looks pretty lush for the base-level series. The pricier Crown and LeBaron series were even more luxurious.
Details:
The mind-bending (and metal bending) complexity of front fenders that are designed to accommodate free-standing dual headlights. The lights are set in futuristic “bomb-like” chromium pods.
By 1962, fins are out, so the stylists shaved them, thus throwing off the balance and proportions of the original design. However, we are compensated with these incredible rocket taillights, which are heavier, more securely fastened, and harder to break off than you think.
In 2014, after having driven the Imperial around with no significant problems for several years, I saw an ad on Craigslist for a car that was in many ways similar to my Imperial, but in much better condition. So I sold the Imperial to someone who bought it, sight unseen, for $5500. Given all the expensive repairs, I probably still lost money on it, but my goal is to enjoy a car without losing too much money on the experience. If I make money, great! But not everything has to be a “profit center”.
My former Imperial, at its new home in Brooklyn NY.
Durability:
A real atom smasher of an engine, 413 cubic inches; 350 horsepower. “Your engine is smoother, quieter, because it never need race or strain for power.” (From the 1959 brochure, the year this engine was introduced).
In closing, I have to say that these Imperials have to be among the toughest, most durable cars ever built. Even after years of sitting neglected in a harsh environment–the engine ran with no problems, the body never rusted, and the seats and headliner suffered no damage and still looked virtually new after cleaning. To me, this shows that Imperial quality was real. Add to this Imperial’s specific technical superiorities, and it’s surprising that Imperial didn’t sell more cars. I guess Cadillac had that certain “special something” that Imperial couldn’t quite duplicate.
New car:
So what did I get? A 1962 Mercury Monterey (bullet taillights Part II) with 60,000 original miles! I’ll write about my experience with this car in my next installment.
What a spaceship! I never quite got the odd Exner front-end with free standing headlights but with the that direct head-on picture above it starts to make some sense, coming across ans very distinctive. He had a thing for throwback classic design that was very evident in his later “revival” style custom cars like the act 2 Duesenberg.
I remember seeing Johnny Rosen’s ads in Hemmings going back to the ’70s, he came across as quite a character, if not a nut. Iirc some folks wrote about being shafted by him in some ways, hope your experience was better. I think I recall reading later that he had to liquidate the collection and property, perhaps involuntarily?
Firing up a forlorn Imperial in the woods and bringing it back to life is the kind of thing many gear heads dream of doing but don’t follow through with. I’m glad you saved it from permanent retirement as it looks like a really solid car, not to mention the weird factor and its rarity.
I have poor recollection of the circumstances, but I have vivid memories or being out with my parents as a kid, and we had a ride in one of these Imperials. My memory is that of being brought in the Imperial to where our car was, and I glanced out the window of our car to see those taillights beaming in the black night, sitting atop those black fenders. I loved them then and seeing this car reminds me of that. Still love em today.
Great read!
Your Imperial resurrection is a little like my beginnings with my 63 Cadillac, except for mine at least being a a (damp) garage.
The comparison between the Cadillac and Imperial are interesting to me because I had two to compare as well, with a 64 Crown Coupe being my Imperial reference. I mostly agree with your impressions, though I suspect that a 63 Cadillac was a better driver than a 58, which is why I did not experience the gulf between the two driving experiences as great as what you did.
A guy could spend weeks taking in the visual details of this car.
Also, it looks like that paint color was called Willow Green. I wonder if it was a later addition on Chrysler and Imperial because it doesn’t show up in all sources.
ANY Imperial is worth saving, as a MONUMENT to Exners fabulous finned fantasies for Chrysler, as well as an era unfortunately never to be seen again. My ultimate dream cars are 61 Final DeSotos and 61 LeBaron. The most INCOMPARABLE of all INCOMPARABLE Imperials. Next up? That 58 Cadillac Sixty Special. Love those vintage LAND YACHTS? 👍
The Imperial kind of comes off as an oversized ’61 Plymouth,
Ha; that was exactly my first thought when I saw the top picture. That windshield is so distinctive as well as the general feel of the shape and styling of both.
Frankly, the interior isn’t much nicer than a top-trim Plymouth. The dash is a disappointment after the wild ones in Imperials a couple of years earlier.
I commend you on your rescue efforts. You’re an automotive hero in my book.
Admirable. You brought it back from the brink, repaired and refurbished rather than restored. The car was running and driving but kept it’s soul, for me at least the sweet spot.
My car experiences are much like yours, I was a young guy that liked big old cars! That Imperial certainly cleaned up well, sometimes it’s best to listen to our hearts instead of the “experts.” Of course, many times we get burned and end up in over our head. But what fun would life be if we always took the safe and easy route?
These cars are certainly distinctive, and one has to admire how much work was put in to achieve the results. That front end set up is impressive, the finely detailed grille that is predictive of the approaching “Brougham Era,” the intricate free standing head lamps and all the curvaceous sheet metal that was crafted to accommodate them. The design reminds me somewhat of the ’59 Buick, with the blade fenders on top on the head lamps that sweeps back to the rear. But the Chrysler actually put those lines in high def 3 D.
The Imperial was moving away from the fussiness of the late 1950’s, the simpler interior indicates this. A ’58 Cadillac was at the high point of that garish era, I had a ’64 Cadillac, and the interior and even the exterior was moving to cleaner designs.
Steve, a great story, and I look forward to reading about your “new” Mercury. I really miss those days when great old cars could be found and bought at reasonable prices.