Category Archives: Restoration

While sewing is needed for the seats and door panels there are a couple of trim pieces that don’t require sewing – I can start with those. The back seat has a trim panel that goes between the seat and … Continue reading →

With the shop and materials for upholstery work coming together I ran out of room for stalling on what material to use. Time to make some decisions and place an order. The first big question was leather or vinyl? Leather … Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Two paint problems on top of the front fenders… First, I managed to drop something and leave a large chip on top of the fender. Applied some touch up paint with a small brush which stuck up. When I tried … Continue reading →

The title of the previous post Light at the End of the Tunnel? was prescient. Yup, the light was an oncoming train. Polishing the paint left a lot of pig tails – small loops gouged in the paint. I kept … Continue reading →