Rolled my new project in on Saturday. By far, the biggest car I've ever seen. Plans are to get it running (motor is currently stuck), brakes, lowered a bit of course, wide whites if I can find some that are big enough, seat belts for the kids and DRIVE!
Great car ....!!! Reminiscent of our family '59 Chrysler New Yorker from back in the days, only your Imperial is considerably cooler. What engine do you have? Our New Yorker had the 413. I recall it being pretty damn sporty at highway speeds, and knocking out close to 20 mpg on a quick trip to Daytona for Motorcycle Week. Not too shabby for a big luxo-barge! If I may recommend something .... do yourselves and the kids a favor by going with seat belts for everyone. It would be great if they survived a possible accident, but being orphans is pretty tough! Good luck with your car. Retro
those ancient black and yellow Jersey tags tell me that either someone owned that thing a long time or it hasn't been on the road since before the blue and white tags that have since themselves been replaced. Good looking ride!
Sweet! I love those big Mopars, especially the Imperials. Would like to find one myself (I've got a '63 Newport mordor). Good luck with her!
I've been after a '61 for a long time but have yet to find one. Even just a parts/donor car so I could graft the quarters onto my '62. Love these, I'm jealous.
Imperials only came with the 413 in 1961 for good reason, this thing weighs 4700 pounds. The guy that came to haul it didn't believe me when I first told him. He said he would know after a few miles with it on the flatbed. When we pulled up at my house, he got out and said... "you were right, that thing weighs 4700 lbs, no doubt." The car has been in NJ all it's life, but faired well over the years with the exception of the motor being locked up. Interior isn't too bad either...
Cool! That steering wheel is a high dollar item too, nice interior- well cared for no doubt. Sent from my iPhone using TJJ
Great dash and ultimate cool steering wheel. George Jetson .... eat yer heart out! I see it's got the push****on Torqueflite. Here's an old war story concerning that: Was turning off a 4-lane in the aforementioned '59 New Yorker when I was nailed in the *** by a Triumph TR4 that was busy doin' that traffic slalom thang. (Not a great idea when you're in something too low to see what's goin' on ahead!) Anyway ... had a slight bend in the Chrysler's rear bumper, the TR4 went off behind a wrecker with the front cap totally trashed and the front wheels pretty much pointing at one another. After the police reports & etc. I got back into the Chrysler only to find the "D" ****on missing in action. Just had an empty hole where it had been. Had to drive home in "D2". Found the ****on had been knocked inside the dash. Dad put it all back together and it worked fine. Strange ...!!!
I love the BIG cars, especially the Imperials! Nice project there. One thing about the 413 is they are more expensive to rebuild than a 440, or even a 426W engine. Price the pistons! For whatever reason, they are more than the 440 slugs.
yeah if you get a 440, you should be able to transfer all of the stuff from the 413 so it looks the same. Nice score!
Minor update on my project Imperial... motor is still stuck, so I may have to tear it down. Got some new to me whitewalls that make the car look 10 times better, and started on some minor body and paint work.
Looks like it's going to clean up nice. Big block Mopar engines are around, it'd be well worth a motor swap or a rebuild to put that car back on the road.
That thing is amazing. I hope the engine frees up for you. It seems that luxo-barges are the new thing. Our shop just bought a 58 Buick Limited 4 dr HT. I'm guessing the weight is pretty similar, although I must admit your tailfins are taller.
Gorgeous car! I agree with an above post... do NOT chop it! It's a killer beast as is! Keep those pics coming!
Imperials from 1957 to 1966 were the best road cars in America. Or as a friend of mine used to say, if you drove a Chrysler you never had to back off. Get that baby running right, with a set of new shocks, new tires and a front end alignment and you will think you are driving a Rolls with an afterburner. Did you know in those days an Imperial cost more than a Cadillac?
ok pet peve rant time it is a chrysler!!! mopar is the parts division calling a dodge,plymouth , chrysler, imperial,desoto, fargo a mopar is like calling a ford or a linclon a (motorcraft)
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