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12/15/02 Demo Derby Car:
A 1963 Imperial closed on Ebay for $150 and was sold locally to a guy in San Jose. I managed to talk him into selling me as many parts as I could pick from the car. I really, really made out. I got non-corroded aluminum door-sill covers in good condition, which is terribly rare; I got a spare windshield, and a whole host of interior items with great chrome on them. This will save me quite a bit of money when it comes time to inventory what needs to be re-chromed vs. what I have ready to go right back into the car. I also scored BIG on the doors.
1960 and 1963 interchange!! This means that the ratty doors that I agonized about getting the rust off of are going to be smashed up in the demo derby and I got a nearly perfect set of doors with no rust anywhere! They also have 2 good power window motors, and those are scarce indeed.
I pillaged a bunch of other parts that I subsequently sold on Ebay and made great money on, allowing me to pay for most of the paint materials that I will need. If a defunct car comes up near you and you need money to pay for your project, parting out a car on eBay seems to be a great way to raise cash quickly and make a bunch of other Imperial owners happy at the same time. All but one of 15 items sold.
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12/28/02 Dashboard Removal:
I just removed the entire dash from the car. Despite reports that it is a challenge, I had an easy time of it. There are two major bolts at the lower outside corners and two bolts up inside near the steering column. After these were loosened, I removed the Phillips head screws that were under the trim pieces that curve around the upper edge and the mass came loose. Having already disconnected the wiring for the engine compartment and having it pulled into the passenger compartment did simplify things. The heating and cooling systems are actuated by vacuum, and I cut all hoses in place so that I'd know what color-coded hose goes to each. The car that I am taking apart was a non-air conditioned car, and my other car has AC, so I'll be taking that dash apart most carefully to ensure that all hoses and wiring are not cut. AC cars have neat-o vents that pivot up in little turrets, while the non-AC cars had fixed vents. I'll be transferring the AC compressor and all of the AC gear over to this car part by part to keep that portion of the other car for the final result.
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Pause in the story at the end of 2002
The car is pretty much as taken apart as possible right now, and I end this first portion here as 2002 ends. I plan to work on painting the car myself, starting into the interior and fixing the body so that I can star
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