Author Archives: RussD

Inside Prep for Interior Work

Posted on February 5, 2024 by RussD

Since upholstery work is completely new the workshop needs to be reconfigured a bit to support it. The main features are a work table and an industrial sewing machine. I don’t have a sewing machine yet, but I have tracked … Continue reading →

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Opus 100

Posted on January 28, 2024 by RussD

Yup, this is the 100th post! When I started this blog in 2017 I really thought it would die of neglect after a year or so. While I was sure I could remember everything, She Who Must Be Obeyed pointed … Continue reading →

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Act III

Posted on January 22, 2024 by RussD

The original plan was to restore the Imperial in three stages: mechanical, paint and body, and interior. The original plan was also to accomplish each stage in a year, with three years for the total restoration. I’m now nine years … Continue reading →

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Mirror, Mirror, on the Fender

Posted on December 11, 2023 by RussD

The outside mirrors were some of the worst chrome trim on the car. The pot metal was heavily corroded and pitted. After painting the car and getting the rest of the chrome re-plated these were easily the worst part of … Continue reading →

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Travel

Posted on November 30, 2023 by RussD

Another big time consumer this summer was travel. In July we did something we’ve been planning for years – headed up to Alaska. I lived in Alaska for three years, but that was fifty years ago. My biggest question was … Continue reading →

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Deck Update

Posted on November 26, 2023 by RussD

It has been way too long since the last update. I have a weak excuse for this – I haven’t actually done anything to the Imperial… The summer has been consumed with other projects: The first major project was finishing … Continue reading →

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Re-Trimming the Car

Posted on May 2, 2023 by RussD

With the paint finally finished the next step was to reinstall all of the trim on the car – all 873 pieces of it. There are three types of trim pieces on this car – steel (mainly the bumpers), cast … Continue reading →

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Electrical 16: Headlighting

Posted on April 19, 2023 by RussD

Previous electrical: Electrical 15: Factory Wiring Diagrams. With the beautifully chromed headlight buckets ready to install it is time to complete the job of upgrading headlight wiring. You may recall from a previous post that I left the original factory … Continue reading →

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Paint Update Three

Posted on April 2, 2023 by RussD

It turns out that the third time is a charm! I ordered an airbrush kit – specifically the Neoeco Airbrush Kit. Next step was going to YouTube to learn how to use an airbrush. Amusingly I found a review of … Continue reading →

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Power Tools!

Posted on March 18, 2023 by RussD

I want to expand the scope of what I can build in the workshop. Today I have the ability to work with sheet metal and tubing and to weld things together. You can do a lot with this, but I … Continue reading →

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