Installing the motor and transmission didn’t finish the job – transmission controls had to be installed and the drive shaft put back in.
Connecting the transmission controls is more complex than you might expect. Chrysler used a pushbutton cable operated shifter on these cars which is completely different than the usual lever operated linkage.
Fortunately the factory service manual has instructions for installing and adjusting the shift cable. This seemed to go fairly well – we will find out when it is time to start the car and put it in gear!
The actual shift cable didn’t want to lock into place. After following the service manual instructions to put the selector into REVERSE before inserting the cable end into the transmission it properly engaged.
1963 was the first year for a parking lock in the TorqueFlite transmission, which is also cable operated. Again, the factory service manual came to the rescue, providing instructions on how to remove a plug from a service port, insert a screwdriver and pry on a spring loaded retainer, and lock the cable end connector into place. After, of course, putting the transmission selector into PARK. The instructions actually worked!
The biggest problem with installing the speedometer cable was finding where I had left it. Once located it was just a matter of sliding it into place and tightening the lock bolt. There will be more to this story: the Imperial has two speedometer cables: one going from the transmission to the AutoPilot cruise control and the second going from the AutoPilot to the instrument panel. Yes, the speedometer goes through the AutoPilot and requires the AutoPilot to function. The AutoPilot is a complex electro-mechanical mechanism which is currently disassembled into several dozen pieces. I suspect there will be an entire article dedicated to this in the future…
The last step was to install the drive shaft. On the Imperial this is a two piece drive shaft with a center carrier bearing. It is also extremely heavy…
It was finally time to dig out the center carrier bearing that had been rebuilt in 2017. This is an Imperial specific part that hasn’t been available for decades. There is one company that rebuilds these. The good news is that you can get them rebuilt. The bad news is that it is expensive. I choose to focus on the good news.
The process is to disassemble the two pieces of the drive shaft, insert the bearing and carrier onto the front section of the drive shaft, and reassemble. You then install it in the car.
After mating the drive shaft with the transmission (the fixed length part of the drive shaft) I discovered that the bolt holes in the bearing carrier didn’t line up with the crossmember. Yes, I had managed to install it backwards!
So, take it out of the car, take the drive shaft apart again, turn the bearing carrier around, and reassemble the drive shaft. Then crawl back under the car and wrestle this heavy, floppy, overlength chunk of steel back into place.
Success! The front of the drive shaft bolted to the transmission, the carrier bearing lined up with the cross member, and the rear of the drive shaft lined up with the differential. To use an earlier phrase: “and there was much rejoicing!”.
While under the car I added two quarts of gear lube to the differential so that it is ready to go.
This marks the point where the drive train is largely finished – suspension, brakes, engine, transmission,rear end, and drive shaft are all installed. The next step is to connect all of the accessories and wiring.