Imperial Home Page -> Mailing List & Club -> Member Spotlight -> Ken Lang
Here is a brief interview we recently had with IML member Ken Lang. If you have any other questions for Ken, please feel free to send him a message!
1) When did you purchase or acquire your first Imperial?
6/28/04 A 1967 Crown 4 Dr Ht2) What motivated you to purchase or acquire that car?
I spotted it while attending the annual Mopar event in Sacramento that year. It looked clean and the interior was near perfect. During the course of the day I walked back to the car several times and the owner still had not sold it, so I took his number. Later in the week I called him and set up an appointment to see the car again and take it for a spin. I was pretty sure I was going to make the purchase so I took the cash with me to make the buy. Once I got there, the guy�s Father starts in about how they�ve been doing some checking on the web and car is worth a lot more than what he was asking. (his asking price was $3500) So I laid out 35 One-Hundred-dollar-bills on the table and that ended the attempt to drive the price up. A few minutes later I was driving the car home.3) What, if any, restoration did you do to that car? How much of the work did you do personally? Did you have the help of a colleague or did you pay a restoration shop to do the work? Was there a combination of all of the above?
When I purchased the car it had a bit of a steering problem. It wouldn�t turn left while stationary. You had to be rolling to get the car to make a left turn. Plus, when going down the road in a straight line, the steering was very sloppy. So I rebuilt the entire front end. It took me 3 days to bust out all the bushing and ball joints, then reassemble with all new parts. Then I sent the steering gear-box and power steering pump out to be rebuilt. Also pulled rear axles and replaced wheel bearings.I also pulled out the radiator to have it rebuilt and changed all the hoses, belts, thermostat, water pump, spark plugs & wires, fan clutch, ignition parts, voltage regulator and brakes all the way around.
Other than the radiator and steering gear box, the only other thing done by someone else was the new vinyl top.
4) Do you have any other Imperials that you currently own?
Yes, a 68 LeBaron 4 Dr Ht5) Do you have a favorite year Imperial? This does not have to be one you own, and why would this be your favorite?
There are several. The 31 Imperial Roadster, it�s just pure class. The 56 2 Dr Ht, the imperial with muscle. The 66 4 Dr Ht Lebaron, such clean lines and it�s the Black Beauty. The 69 2 dr LeBaron, it�s long and sleek. And the 81 thru 83�s, very clean lines.6) Is there a style feature or gadget that you like best on the Imperial? This does not have to be one you own.
I�ve always liked the small back window on LeBaron models.7) If you had a choice of installing one modern day feature on your Imperial, what would you like?
Multi-Point Electronic Fuel Injection.8) Is there a book that you have read relating to Imperial or Chrysler that you enjoyed reading and would suggest to others to get?
No books, but Mopar Collectors Guide magazine is a great source for articles and information.9) Do you have other collector cars that you currently own or would like to own, or have owned in the past that you would like to mention?
If money were no object, there are several. Top of the list is a 1960 300F. Then, in no particular order:I�ve often thought since I was born in 1953 it would be cool to get a 1953 Imperial. Then I started taking that thought a little farther and thought, it would be really cool to then get an Imperial from 1963, 1973, 1983 and 1993.
- 1968 Lincoln Mark III
- 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix with the 421 Super Duty engine
- 1969 Buick Riviera GS
- 1962 New Yorker Station Wagon
- 1967 Pontiac GTO
- 1967 SS 427 Impala
10) Considering all the collector cars you�ve currently own or have owned, is there one that you would consider your favorite and why? (I strongly suggest you don�t answer Cadillac as I�m sure Kenyon will tag your name on the membership list)
I would say the 81 Imperial I bought brand new in 1981. (I shoulda kept that one) It rode and handled better that any of my other cars. The all digital dash was the next best thing to the electroluminescent dash of my old 62 New Yorker.11) Do you have any short term and/or long term plans for your present collection?
Keep them running. And maybe a fresh paint job for them.12) What do you enjoy the most about working on or owning collector cars?
I love driving them and hanging out with other people who like to do the same.13) Do you currently belong to any car clubs? Are you a member because you gain knowledge of the trade or is it more of a social gathering?
I love driving them and hanging out with other people who like to do the same.14) Do you have someone that you can pass your knowledge of collecting and restoring cars onto? How important of a factor is that for you?
15) Do you have any local, regional, or national car show(s) that you have enjoyed attending that you would like to mention?
I always like going (and showing) at the annual shows of Mopar Alley and Capitol City Mopars.
For more pictures of Ken's 67 go here or here to see more pictures of his 68 Lebaron.
This page was last updated 9 April 2009. Send us your feedback, and come join the Imperial Mailing List
