Final Imperial
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- Despite 1970 being the Imperial’s final year as a stand-alone marque, this LeBaron Hardtop shares many items with cheaper Chrysler cars. The wheels are NOT among them. Find out what makes this Imperial’s wheels - and suspension parts - so unique.
In 1984 my father bought a 1972 Imperial from an estate auction. I believe he paid $900 dollars. The car sat many years without being ran, but was in great condition. After replacing 4 bent push rods the car ran great for many years. It was more of a cruise ship than land yacht and to this day remains the favorite car of my childhood
I remember seeing a 1970 Imperial -- a real beauty --- on a used car lot in 1978. It was $600, lol.
My father had a 71 it was definitely the favorite of my childhood!
4 bent push rods? 🤣
I love this show.. i know im way too unhealthy to ever own or build a classic again.. but this show gives me just enough feel good classic car stuff to make me smile. Im depressed most of the time.. so anytime i can get enjoyment ill take it.
Ty Steve.
I truly appreciate your show.
Ps.. love the scale models too
☮️❤️♾️👍
Hello Private Private, I dig the depression stuff. I used to allow The World to drag me down a bit but have come to terms with it all. I figure "any day above ground is a pretty damned good day". Thanks for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante
I hear ya
Cheer up! 😊
Steve, This Imperial may have seen better days but your presentation was imperious. 😁
Not technically correct, it was still a "separate" brand through 1975 and again from 1981 to 1983, although, yes, it was watered down as they were sold alongside lesser models in a Plymouth (and in some cases a Dodge) dealership. No, the 1981 to 1983 Imperial was the J body platform, not the M body, but it was closely related. Radel Leather Company of Newark, NJ was the supplier of the "Rich Corinthian Leather" so spoken about later on by Mr. Montalban in the commercials he did for Chrysler. No, that's not correct as others have stated. The 1973 literature for the Imperial clearly states, "No engine options available. 440 V8 is standard". I do not believe the Imperial could have had any other engine but the 440 V8 until the 1981-1983 model year, when it got the 318 V8.
No VIN, can't win, but easy to figure out, no doubt: Y for Imperial, M for Medium price class, 43 for four door hardtop, T for 440 V8 with four barrel, standard performance, 0 for 1970 model year, C for Jefferson Ave, Detroit, MI assembly, and the rest is the production sequence. The Jefferson plant that assembled this car operated under Chrysler from 1925 to 1990 and then the "new" Jefferson plant opened in 1991 and still operates today under Stellantis. It's like a "C" body, because this IS a "C" body. LOL. Chrysler's powertrains were among the strongest in the industry, but their carburetion and to a lesser extent their ignition systems were lackluster at best.
No tag, can't brag, but might have codes such as: YM43 for Imperial (Y) Medium price class (M), four door hardtop (43), possible Y4 for Mystic Gold exterior paint, D32/D34/D36 for A727 Torqueflite automatic transmission, possible Y4 for Gold interior trim, V1X for Black vinyl roof, among other codes. Clark Chrysler-Plymouth I believe is still around and located at 175 Pelham Street, Methuen, MA, 01844. Chorches Motors is now Manchester Mazda at that same address shown on the brochure.
ok
Great that you did a video on the 1970 Imperial, very interesting. However, here are a few corrections and clarifications:
All fuselage era Imperials had a 440 engine. The 1971 model was not available with a 400, and the 1972 model was not available with a 360. (The 400 was not even on the market in any Mopar in 1971).
The 1970 Imperial radiator is not 26", it is 28".
All 1970 Imperials were hardtops, 2 and 4 door. The only fuselage era Imperial 4 d sedan (4d post) was available in 1969.
All 1970 Imperial LeBarons had a standard vinyl top. Only the Crown model, with its larger rear window, had a vinyl top as an option.
The Imperial was considered a C body in the years 1967-1975.
The TNT 440 U code engine with dual exhaust was not available on the Imperial.
The Imperial production in 1970 was not around 20,000 units, it was 11,822 units.
A buddy of mine once hit a culvert in his New Yorker. It wiped out the left front suspension. After he purchased the parts I helped him do the repairs. We picked up a wheel at a local junkyard. We were baffled as to why it wouldn't quite fit and had to go back and get a different wheel. We brought a wheel with us to make sure. He had one other like it in his stacks of " full size mopar wheels" and promptly removed the "oddball" wheel from the stack. I remember the owner saying " must be some sort of weird metric wheel. I guess he was half right, it was an "Imperial wheel". Decades later, Mysery solved, Thanks Steve!
Dad had a 56 Chrysler wagon when we were kids and had snow tires mounted on some steelies he got at the junkyard. Went to put them on the car and as they were Imperial wheels they wouldn’t fit
Great video. You got a couple little things wrong though. No imperial was ever available with anything less than a 440 up to 75. Except early imperials with the hemi and 413. There are block off covers that block the headlight doors so you can’t see the headlights when closed. They’re just missing on this car. I have a 70 triple black lebaron coupe with almost every option available. Finding parts for these cars is almost impossible!
There is your parts car right there.
@@mexicanspec No, it's mine as it's the same colors as mine! 😉
I have a black '71 LeBaron coupe. Thanks for the video, mang.
My grandfather had a scale on his farm. Had a 74 Imperial and weighed the car on the scale and the car weighed around 5000lbs if I recall right.
At one point you couldn't find those in a junkyard. They were perfect Demo derby cars. I knew a guy back in the day who had a fleet of them. He built them and would actually use them over again for many derbys. He bought every one he came across. In fact they were so good, most derby promoters ban them, even to this day!
So true Greg!
The thought of them getting squished and banged up like that, even though I'm not a Chrysler fan is cringing.
Now they have an Imperial class.
@@danw6014 That is what I've heard but wasn't sure if it was true.
@@THROTTLEPOWER Its true. You pull up with one of these bad boys on trailer and the looks you get are not pleasant 😂
My dad had a 70 Imperial. You are bringing back the memories !
BTW in 1982 me and my buddies drove it to a Who concert at Folsom Field! 😅
Great job Steve. It may be an intuition but I think that car weighed more than 4300 lbs. Probably closer to 5K. What a monster!
Maybe 4300 lbs before all of the extras were added on..... Extras is referring to items such as engine, transmission, windows, interior, paint, bumpers, grill, etc. lol... I love those luxury cruise liners
I did not know they were just called imperials.I learned something today as I do watching all of your videos. You are definitely a wealth of knowledge
Beauty of the vent windows was getting your ashes out without as much blowback LOL.
The older I get the more I long for some of the car features of the past the "emission extraction system" could sure come in handy these days. Love watching your show every day Steve.
I always liked this 69 - 71 fuselage body style. Smokers loved the vent wings that sucked the smoke out when slightly opened - maybe not as much as their passengers. I've seen the gold leather as far back as 1964, it's so unique and appears to hold up well. Interesting old car, but long gone!
The Imperial always came standard with the 440 4bbl from 1966-1975.....I have never heard of any of these years having a 400 optional,let alone a tiny little 360.And when Imperial did come back in 1981 it lasted through 1983.And it was built on a modified J body called the Y body.
Yeah. The 400 wasn’t even introduced until 1972 and even then not in Imperial. I don’t think the 360 was available in the New Yorker either until later in the 70’s. Only in the Newport.
I've never heard of one ever coming with anything but a 440.
About 1988 my friend's brother had two 1973 Imperials and was taking the engines out. These were the ones with the made date bumpers. I remember driving in one and it has to be one of the biggest cars in history.
This goes back to the 1965 Malibu video you mentioned the GM assembly plant in Framingham Mass. I grew up in Reading mass about fifteen miles north of Boston. I attended Northeast Metropolitan vocational high school in Wakefield Mass class of 76. Ya 76. Our auto shop class went to the Framingham plant on a field trip in 1974. I just thought it was funny you mentioned that plant. We were just glad to get out of class for a while. Anyway thanks to you and Shane for your devotion to this channel I watch the videos every day. Keep up the excellent work.
We toured the Framingham assembly plant around 1975 with our Automotive Technology group from Springfield Tech. Huge plant. I believe Bose also had a plant there, my cousin who lived in Westboro worked there
Thanks Steve, for another great show. About the knob on the hideaway headlights; the C4 Corvettes also had an 'emergency open' control knob located on each of the motorized headlight units. Good stuff, thanks again!
Those were mandated by the federal government. Starting in 1968 the covered headlights had to have a way to be opened if the system failed. It wasn't that Chrysler, as Steve said, didn't trust their system. You can blame the 1967 Cougar for the new regulation.
That car must of bin beautiful when it was new!Great colors!
Double shot of Imperial videos today. One from UTG & Steve. What are the odds?
Hey Steve my mom had a 1973. Electric wind vent , dual exhaust and would smoke thr tires. That car had everything
Electric wind vent? 😂 That's luxury
I miss the little wing windows.
I agree they need to bring them back!
Along with dimmer switch on the floor.
I wish my c body had those. But I have a 2 door with massive windows 😂
They were a blessing on a sweltering Summer day. Once you got rolling they'd direct fresh air right on you. And even with AC cars turn into the Mojave desert when parked in the sun. Pop the vents open once you're rolling and voila! Hot air all gone. 👍
@@lilmike2710 I would do that with my G6 convertible on a hot day, but I would drop the top, let the air out and then fold it back up, put on the AC and ride. Most days though I would just drop the top and go for a ride.
Mr. B. Here ! Morning to all ☕️☕️ ! The last of the land yachts ! LOL ! This vehicle you could have a party and 9 friends . That said ; still very cool car . Thanks Steve very informative. 🇺🇸☕️☕️
Morning
@@tomwesley7884 ☕️🥐☕️🥯☕️🥐 👍
That auto wrecking yard is massive, seems never ending.
My mother had a early '70's Newport when I was a kid. I would swear it had those vent windows...am I remembering wrong? Anyway the thing was huge. It was traded in on a Honda Accord in '79 due to the fuel crunch. Going from a Newport to an Accord was quite the family adjustment as Dad only had a pickup truck.
That's like going from eating steak at Peter Luger to McDonald's. LOL.
Your family went from the penthouse to the outhouse……..😂
@Jason The 1972 Imperial and Newport brochure shows that power vent windows were not available on the Newport as an example. They were available on the Imperial and New Yorker Brougham.
@Jason Longer for me. LOL.
@Jason That's what they get for buying Motorcrap. LOL.
Vent windows. You can direct wind, road debris, large bees......I had a 68 charger with the bee sucking vent windows. On Rt 29 in Burtonsville, MD in 1984 I got hit in the face with a carpenter bee. I was really afraid of bees at the time(stepped on a nest a few years earlier and got stung a dozen or so times) and by the time the dust had settled I was sitting in the medium strip facing the wrong way. Good times. and the car was fine.
These were used in the final seasons of the original "Mission Impossible". Gasoline was cheap, so fuel economy wasn't a big concern in those days.
I have a pic of me and my dad sitting on the trunk of a 66 imperial convertible when i was a infant. that was one good lookin ride
I love the Imperial in 9th grade my best friend's dad bought a brand new one just like the one you're showing it had vent windows not only did it have the AM FM star 8 track with a Reverb it had a hump mounted cassette deck it was quad and it had a microphone you could record direct from the radio or from the microphone and it was gold like the one you're showing it was a great car we had a lot of fun in that car when he turns 16 and got his license we'd Cruise the boulevard it was fun to load the car up with girls and cruise what a great car was one of my favorites have a great day thanks for the great video those are super cool oh yeah and it had a Sure Grip to his dad wanted everything he always bought cars with every option
Just like the B-52s song, "Hop in my Chrysler, it's as big as a whale...and it's about to set sail....."
Or the 1981 song "Precious" from The Pretenders debut album. The line goes: "I had my eye on your Imperial....you're so preeeeeeecioussss". Chrissy Hynde is a legend! Thanks for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante
I absolutely loved the seating in the Imperials that had that recessed tire design on the trunk, especially in black ❤
I remember reading that Jimmy Addison's "Silver Bullet" used Imperial mufflers (4) to be exact to keep it quiet on the street because of their superior flow after testing several different mufflers they performed the best. Great video Steve.
Vent windows = the smokers friend
Or if you are eating a can of beans while driving your Imperial.
gotta ash
Cough, cough, cough.
Man I can only imagine how nice that imperial was in its prime...wow that beats my 73 ltd hardtop
I miss vent windows. I'd definitely pay extra for them. I need a classic car.
F series pickups had them pretty late
Get some Jalousie windows for your house, or better yet, garage, as they don't seal very well.
I had a 74 Chrysler Imperial 440 and I added dual exhaust with relatively quiet mufflers and it was a noticeable change easy 20 30 horsepower
I'll take a Black on oxblood leather 2 dr. 1969 Imperial LeBaron coupe! IMO, the BEST looking Imperial ever. I would add true dual exhaust and headers to that 440. Subtle turn downs tucked under the rear bumper and maybe redlines on Torque Thrusts for a modern "lead sled" look. Save the skirts!! Too bad these ended up demolition derby champs.
One of your best videos this year!! LOVE Imperials !
Love the (long) metal panels they put in those cars late sixties - mid seventies. Probably the longest ever! ... AMERICAN MADE yeah baby!
I was lucky enough to own a 69 Le Baron 2door when it was only a couple years old, what an experience, and an unusual purchase for a guy that was only about twenty years old at the time. I drove it for about 4-5 years, and one major road trip, it was like flying first class.
Yes indeed.I bought my Imperial at age 22.Still have it 35 years later.I wish it ran right now.
My parents had a 1969 Imperial LeBaron hardtop (Gun metal gray metallic, black vinyl top, WHITE leather interior) and it also had vent windows... but they were POWER vent windows! It was a great car!
I always feel proud of Steve's knowledge & Comments . He remembers every little detail including the notches in the axels . What a Treasure trove of knowledge Steve .
Oh wow, I remember when those everywhere on the road!
I paused at 10:54... Am I the only kooky fool who saw that 72 brochure with Steve's doodles on the cover and thought... "This is the Zodiac speaking"... If you know about the Zodiac case and can figure out what I'm talking about you get an exclusive membership in the junkyard crawl kooky fool car club! LOL! Love old Imperials!! Great content Steve!
There have been many shows on YT trying to figure out who that person was. Many claim it was this one or that one.
A great review of the Fuselage Imperials. There were beautiful cars in their day. I certainly like the addition of the brochures and magazine articles. I didn't know about the wheel differences between Imperials and other C-bodies, an education. BTW, I thought the 1981-'83 Imperials were J-bodies? Granted M, F, and J bodies were very similar. Thanks again Steve!
Correct, all similar, but the 1981-1983 Imperials were J body cars.
The "81-"83 Imperials were classified as a "Y" body.....The J body was the "80-"83 Cordoba/Mirada twins.
@@pennywise8182 "Y" model on the "J" body platform. They are every bit a J body.
The dual air conditioning was expensive in 1970 dollars.
In the '60's the air conditions option in a car was generally 10% of its price.
11 55 am in UK 🇬🇧. Imagine being in the meeting at Chrysler in 1969 where they decided to fit different wheels to a lengthened Imperial. I wonder who costed all that?
Cool, Uncle Tony did a 67 Imperial today. I’m now fully schooled on the model.
Great Stuff Steve, never miss one of your segments! Fantastic show, your the tops!😊. Tom
Whoever grabbed the 440 should of grabbed the rad too.
Can you imagine a carmaker now telling customers to unplug wires on their new car? Lol
Learn something new every time I watch one of your videos Steve. Go well mate.👍🏽
Must have givin a great ride, especially with that long wheelbase..
Awesome episode
Those early 70’s Imperials were grand cars made for the upper crust of America. Love those early mopars with the fuselage bodies.
I loved that C cab Ford in the background at about 9:00. I'm sure that was a Sears delivery truck when new. Those were an unbelievably common sight in the 70's and 80's when Sears was at its peak. They were the Amazon of their time. Great truck.
Indeed. My uncle's neighbor worked at Sears for 40 years, so that was our "go to" place for many items for our house. I can remember those trucks and trailers in the store parking lots for many years.
Wouldn’t it be fun to have one of those rigs just to tool around in on the weekend? Any dope can pull into Lowe’s in their SuperDuty - but show up in an old Ford COE medium sized truck? Well, that would just be plain COOL……👍
@@ddellwo Not like you can pull into a Sears anymore. LOL.
Hello Joseph DiPalma, if you'd like to see the Junkyard Crawl on that Ford C-series cab over, check it out on the Channel Playlist. We shot the video on December 31, 2021 and it ran within a week after that date. I think you'll like it. The truck is a 1975 C600 with LEFT HAND LUG NUTS! Really! They weren't just a "Mopar thing". Thanks for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante
Morning Steve enjoying another good video in the junkyard crawl thank you Randy Monroe Michigan Peace
Would be my choice car for a cross country drive.
I had a 70 New Yorker, same cept different 🙃
I miss those vent "wing" windows.
I have a 69 Imperial LeBaron 2 door. Same outside color as that one, but has fairly rare black bucket seats.
Does yours have a center console with an auto on the floor? Just curious
@@jaymartell2967 No, it has the usual column shifter. I've never seen a stock floor shifter on an Imperial that I can recall. I have on many Chryslers, especially 300's.
The last Imperials were in production from 1990 til 1993. They did part sharing with the long wheelbase New Yorker, and came as a 4 door only.
I don't think Steve acknowledges the front wheel drive models.
Yes, I have a sort of mental block to most of the K-Car based stuff. But I do respect their role in keeping the lights on at Chrysler. Without those "bricks in the foundation", we'd have no modern Hemi Mopars. I do occasional Junkyard Crawl videos on (what I feel are Dark Age) front wheel drive Mopars. I try not to poop on them...too much. Thanks again for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante
I owned a 1969 Imperial Crown (1 of 1,617) for a while. One of the cars I regret getting rid of, but it was a great car. Tons of power with that 440, mine however had electric vent windows and didn't have that knob. The Imperials also had sequential turn signals which is pretty cool.
I noticed on that gold 70' that it has the AM/FM 8 track, rear air, etc which were also options I believe. I also didn't know the vent windows were an option, as I thought that was standard equipment.
You're also 💯 correct on them being called just "Imperials" as a lot of people say "Chrysler Imperials". Also, a little fun fact, but if I remember right those are also banned in demolition derbies except for a specific Imperial class as they're too tough, and kept winning.
Grab that cruise control for me and the headlight motor for me.
Back in the day when I was a smoker I loved the vent window.... Kept the car from getting smoked up and a great place to flick your butt out into traffic.
My favorite car I ever owned. It was always giving me trouble like all Chrysler/dodge products but I could always hack or repair it and get it back on the road. Get well Steve. Stay out of barns and glove boxes! And you know those side vents were really a good idea.
The leather on the front seat looked to be in amazing condition.
My brother's father-in-law had one of those same color and trim. He's was in perfect condition he rarely left the New Castle Delaware area so it didn't get high miles of driving.
Thanks
I'm not a Mopar guy guy in any way shape or form.....but so much info in some of these videos that I had no clue on. Keep up the good work and I hope you're doing well.
Great video Steve! 👍👍💯🇺🇸
They did away with a lot of pop up headlights for safety concerns but those grille hideaway ones are still valid, and they are always cool. And I wanna believe in the golden cows
Nice glass in that MOPAR yes those vent windows were the best . MOPAR was still the better car by far . 👍🏻🇦🇺💯⛽️.
Vent windows compliment the A pillars.
Was the knob not because of redundancy mandated apon headlights that are mechanically hidden? Even the newest pop up light cars have a secondary manual way to get them up. Not necessarily Chrysler's lack of assurance in the product.
They were beasts in demo Derbys. Pull the 440. Weld in a small block Chevy engine. We won quite a few trophies. And had tons of Fun )
Man I can imagine how smooth of a ride that land yacht was! And quiet!
That dual diaphragm Bendix booster is worth a pretty penny.
Tons of great info, yet my sophomoric humor homes in on - vent windows if you were eating beans! Nice one Steve.
Gotta love that scalp raking hood latch. I think I have several scars on my head from old cars I've owned.
There was a black blocking panel behind the headlight doors. It's missing on that car. The vent windows on my Father's 1970 Imperial were power.
Who remembers Willie Mays driving a bright red Chrysler convertible in an add for Chrysler? Willie was cool
It's such a huge car. I wonder what the profit was on these.
You taught me something new on this video! Great job!
True about the vent window on the 68 camaro. You did get a side marker light on the front fender though.
I applaud the fact that you protected that dog's identity, but you could of petted him!
I'm thinking the 8 track was playing Herb Alpert or Frank Sinatra.
On the TV show Marcus Welby MD the Dr Welby character drove one of those Imperials.
When he shows the interior for a junkyard car it doesn't look bad especially based on its appearance it's been there for a while
I believe the manual override to raise the headlight covers was a gov’t mandate. I also had them on my 84 Celica
Yes it was. Blame the 1967 Cougar for that.
Those vent windows are dope!!!
Good morning.
Good morning from western Washington, watching early in the morning
i miss luxobarges we just don't have anything that is whisper quiet on the highway with silky smooth suspension.. miss big cars..
My favorite Mopar are the Imperials. I would love to put a 350 Hemi out of a late model Charger or Challenger. Mainly an early 50’s with those beautiful dashboards!!
Come on now, there were no Imperials with a 360 or 400🧐 A 440 was standard.
Until the 1981-83 M body with the fuel injected 318 that worked so poorly they had an expensive recall to put a carburetor on it.
@@jeffrobodine8579 Correct, although technically the 1981-1983 Imperials were J body cars, not M body, but they were very closely related platforms.
I remember as a kid looking at the Imperial at a dealer. It looked enormous and was black. I think dad bought a Lincoln Premier.
Get well Steve.
Good point on the vent window......depending on who your travelling with and what they've been eating. Personally, I think it would be more 'up scale' to equip a car like that with activated charcoal in the bottom seat cushions....I'd definitely pay extra for that!!!😂
My wife would opt for that one in a heartbeat!
@@ScottDLR Imagine a tv ad featuring that option afterwards
.....and we'll have all the Chrysler owners sit in this other section....
Even though Chrysler branded the Imperial as a separate make almost everyone always called them Chrysler Imperials just because of their advertising that called them "Imperial By Chrysler". It always stuck in everyone's mind as Chrysler Imperial.
All Imperials from ‘69 - ‘75 came exclusively with a 440 4 barrel; also, the marque *was* considered a separate division right until ‘75.
have ridden in a few of these final fuselage Imperials, and owned a '75 Imperial, and while good looking and good performers, they all shared an excruciatingly cheap dashboard, that got worse as they edged to the final year...my Imp had huge pillow seats that were pretty striking, but hated to look at that awful dashboard. so different from '68 and earlier...
I like my 75 dashboard.Its still in good shape.Covered in multiple layers even after 35 years of the baking AZ sun.