The above picture was taken at the lake when we took the car on its first pleasure trip. Note the Saskatchewan 1957 lisence plate that I found in a friend's barn.
October 1999 - Just got word from Dad that the parts we ordered from Wayne at Maddox in Colorado have arrived. Four hubcaps, a spare rim, the hold down for the spare, two lug nuts, and a front signal light. Everything looks great. Apparently, the hubcaps are slighty different than the one we had, so I'm glad we ordered four. I don't know why they're different. Ours had three raised bars on the center cone and these ones are smooth. Dad is going to see about getting the car into Tilley's Body Shop on Monday.
August 1999 - Mom, Dad, my wife, and I all piled into the Imperial and headed for the lake. We had a great drive and a great picnic. The car never skipped a beat. New tires and shocks are a must though. I'm so impressed with the drivetrain. It's been sitting for a decade and a half and still pushes that 5000lb monster of a car down the highway without sounding like it's working at all.
July 1999 - Mom and Dad went to Kansas to visit my grandma. On the trip he found a 59 Crown Coupe about 5 miles from grandma's. For sale and needing a fair bit of work. I love the 59's look; I just wish they would have kept the hemi one more year. As well, Dad went to Bob Hoffmeister's Imperial graveyard. He picked up some chrome, the Jiffy bag, a few nuts and bolts, and about a hundred "chigger" bites. He was itchin for days. Note: Tuck your pants in your socks if you're ever out there.
June 1999 - Purchased the project in Winnipeg. Found it in the local classified paper listed at $2000. Offered $1500 ($1000 US) and got it. We felt like we got a good deal. She looked rough, but she was complete for the most part, and had a running original 392 Hemi under the hood. Dad came out and we got it running good enough to make the 420 mile trip to Dad's place in Moose Jaw.
Home
Discovered
The Car
Stage 1: The First Stage of Our Restoration
Stage 2: The Mechanical End of Things
Our Maiden Voyage
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