Author Archives: RussD

Differentially Enabled

Posted on June 17, 2020 by RussD

The rear end is back! Fresh with new bearings and seals and properly adjusted it should be good for another 100K+ miles. The only bad news was the price… Like many other things Imperial, the parts are hard to find … Continue reading →

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Tanks for the Springs

Posted on May 29, 2020 by RussD

Ahh, the soul satisfying feeling of progress and putting things back on the car! The first step was to install the new leaf springs, spring shackles, bushings, and struts. Other than wrestling 6′ long, 50 pound chunks of steel on … Continue reading →

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More Shiny Bottom

Posted on May 11, 2020 by RussD

I’m a glutton for punishment. That’s the only possible explanation! My plan is to get the Imperial back on the road in the summer of 2020. This means having the car mechanically complete – body/paint and interior will be later … Continue reading →

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Plastic Fantastic

Posted on March 9, 2020 by RussD

Making a plastic heater box presentable. Continue reading →

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Sway Sway Sway

Posted on January 10, 2020 by RussD

Installing a heavier front swaybar. New mounting brackets had to be fabricated. Continue reading →

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The WorcShop

Posted on December 23, 2019 by RussD

The WorcShop is an industrial makerspace in Worcester, MA, providing access to a complete machine shop. Continue reading →

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Stop It! Part Deux

Posted on December 16, 2019 by RussD

The previous post covered the installation of the new disk brake rotors and calipers. The next step is to hook everything up. As previously mentioned, I’m upgrading from the original single master cylinder to a dual master cylinder. This both … Continue reading →

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Stop It!

Posted on December 4, 2019 by RussD

5,000+ pounds of classic American steel requires substantial authority to both start and stop. The massive 13″ drum brakes that came from the factory were up to the task when the car was new. Today is a different story, unfortunately. … Continue reading →

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No Longer In Suspension

Posted on November 15, 2019 by RussD

Getting the frame and bottom of the car painted brings me to a breakthrough – I can actually start putting things back on the car! The first step is the front suspension. The starting point is to install the bushings … Continue reading →

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Shiny Bottom

Posted on November 15, 2019 by RussD

When I last wrote, most of the preparation of the bottom of the car had been done. All that was left was to actually get some paint on it! The first challenge is that the car is on jack stands … Continue reading →

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