Category Archives: Restoration

If I want tunes in the Imperial the current radio has to go. There are several ways to do this. The cleanest approach would be to get another 1963 Imperial radio. A working one one be expensive. And this still … Continue reading →

Time to upgrade the Imperial radio. Before talking about the new radio and the overly complex installation process let’s take a minute to look at the “original” radio. Once again I would really like to know more about the history … Continue reading →

With the jack ready to go there was a gas tank that needed to be dropped! It is a lot easier to handle an empty gas tank. And this replacement tank has a drain fitting. The gas gauge is reading … Continue reading →

At the end of the last post we had a pretty well destroyed dash vent with a broken off cobalt drill bit buried hopelessly deep into it. With nothing to lose we might as well destroy it further and see … Continue reading →

Step one is to remove at least one of the roll pins. Which are installed flush with the opening in the vent assembly. No way to grab onto the roll pins. Since roll pins are hollow, maybe thread something into … Continue reading →

Any 10 minute job is one broken bolt away from two days of hell. I’m not sure who originally made that observation, but there is a lot of truth to it. The Imperial has an interesting AC design. There are … Continue reading →

The Imperial has been running hot ever since the engine rebuild. It isn’t overheating, but running on the Interstate it goes to the top of the normal range – sometimes just a bit above. Running on back roads at slower … Continue reading →

Like most car collectors I have a cover for the car. Even in a garage dust collects on cars, so you throw a car cover over them for protection. The cover I’m using for the Imperial was originally for a … Continue reading →

A few of years ago I picked up a couple of yards of cheap indoor/outdoor carpet and (somewhat roughly) cut and fitted it to the trunk. The plan was to replace it with something better when I actually finished the … Continue reading →

It’s with great relief that the interior is finally done! No more seats, door cards, trim, door switches, lights, or other tasks! Yeah, about that… I’ve seen some designs for custom trunks that I rather like. Basically the same kind … Continue reading →