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38:27 it wouldn’t be antique antique gift for anything over 100 years old. My car is not over 100 years old. And vintages for anything 20 years or older.
@HooviesGarage how about liking,or even replying to people who take the time to watch these. So many other content creators that do,and have more followers. Just remember, those of us watching are how you get these piles of garbage, and also paid for the farm. Just Sayin'
I actually always wanted a t top imperial totally pimped out ,You got the one off el dog , the imperial, now all you need is one of those weird Lebaron tc thing and a a Seville back Lincoln and you will have them all and a Seville you need a Seville pimp one out with white walls and spokes add the light up ceiling , go all out buy rolls stang no don’t do that lol
With how much Tyler (and other car YT's) get scammed makes me glad I have a company car that my boss pays to maintain. So many scummy sellers out there. God help anyone that buys at a dealer auction-- they seem designed to rip you off (and then the auction house also rips you off with all their addon fees). Yikes. What a racket.
My father bought one of these new, same color and everything just like yours. Beautiful car, it just never ran right! He ended up having the entire fuel injection/Leanburn system removed and replaced with a standard carbed induction system. Chrysler actually paid to do the conversion and it ran like a top once that was done. Good Luck with it Hoovie, you're going to need it!!!
Back in 1983 my company promoted me to Regional Manager and required I buy a new Cadillac at my own expense. On the way to the dealership, I passed the Chrysler dealership, and they were pulling out this gorgeous dark blue car. It glittered in the Ohio summer sun. I hung a U-turn and went to check it out and it was a new Imperial like this one. I fell in love with it, but my company said it had to be a Caddy. I always wanted to own one and a few years ago I started looking. I finally found a 1981 being sold by its original owner who had fallen in love with it when he saw it come off the car hauler. It was his baby, but he was going into hospice and couldn't keep it. I drove it 350 miles home without a hiccup and it got about 20mpg despite only having been driven twice in the previous year. I got a lot of horn honks and thumbs-up on the way home! I's a brochure car which just means it's equipped just like the one they used in the sales brochure - silver with the red leather interior and aluminum wheels with the ruby hub caps. It rides like a dream. It was carb converted at less than 6,000 miles. It has the sunroof option, and I initially wasn't pleased as old sunroofs can cause a lot of trouble and are prone to leak. This one doesn't, but I found out that the sunroof was only available in 1981 and was a $1,000 option! That's around $4,000 in today's dollars. I love driving it. It rides like a dream and is very quiet with virtually no squeaks or rattles. I can't fill it up without getting into a conversation with someone. Once I heard a horn honk and it was a guy in a truck who said he was going the other way and saw it and hung a U-turn and ran a red light to catch up to me and check it out! I'm very happy with it!
My dad had a 1984 delta 88 with seats like that. We drove out to Calgary from Toronto and I drove for 4 hrs and it felt like 30 mins...no butt numbness, no sore back, god I miss those days.
My Mother loved this car, she was a huge Sinatra fan and we grew up listening to Sinatra and always heard the story of how she wanted a Sinatra car. 3 years ago when Mom got sick I moved in to care for her and my step Dad. I spent hours and hours looking for a Sinatra Edition Imperial for her, I wanted to give her her dream car but life sucks at times and I ran out of time to fulfil her wish of owning one. I still want one now to remember her by.
Sorry about your Mom. You may have the chance to get one soon as hoovie spends a arm and a leg to fix his up and he decides to sell it to make room you might be able to grab it up
My grandfather was a big Chrysler guy. When it was time in the late 70s for him to buy a new Chrysler, his local dealer (where he'd bought cars over the last 30 years) convinced him to wait a year or two for the new Imperial that was in the works. When it came out, he said it was expensive and had a tiny interior compared to the previous Imperial and a flippin' 2-door. He said no way and kept his 1973 Newport until he passed on 5 years later.
It’s apparent to me that the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer is the modern day Chrysler Imperial. Something no one asked for, with a myriad of problems when the consumer is asking for cheaper Jeep products! History repeats itself.
The light dimmers potentiometers have a tendency to pit over time. You would see this alot on AC baffles as well - which have a wiper pot in them. If its serviceable you can usually open it up and with alcohol clean the contacts (as you would with a relay) and then drop in some grease on the shaft and put it back together. The ones that are mounted horizontally are really prone to the grease - over many hot Summers dripping onto the contacts as well. Its one reason why - even with new cars - you want to move everything to all possible positions periodically to exercise the works.
The headlight switch is probably corroded inside from age. It's usually a cheap and easy fix to replace it. When I got my 80s car, the gauge lighting didn't work. I replaced the headlight switch and they worked again.
*Freeze Plugs* : I saw a thing on engines and the guy explained that freeze plugs are really a bi-product of the casting processes ( the holes where the molten metal goes into the cast ). It's just a happy accident that they help prevent freezing damage
'freeze' plugs are really core plugs for the block casting process. I have seen many engine blocks cracked from freezing water and have never seen a 'freeze' plug prevent that damage.
I've seen plenty of engines that don't have freeze plugs and have never had an issue with coolant freezing. The only one I know of was in 1970s Derbi 50GP bike as you're not allowed to run coolant when racing, and it was left over winter with neat water in it
Never seen a 318 with a cracked block from freezing. I get that it doesn't mean its never happened. I am just saying it would be extremely rare. The only engines I have ever seen with a cracked block around the freeze plugs would be commercial diesel engines. I've welded some of them up.
Well, you haven't seen it but the block in my boat did that. I didn't drain it properly and one popped out. The reason they didn't pop out is most rusted in place. raw steel plug, and cast iron block = rust welding.
Come to think of it…I think you are right. I remember an old 38 Dodge that I bought years back, as it turned out it has a cracked block too and the “freeze” plugs remained in place. Ended up selling the car for what I had in it, which was 90 dollars :)
1:10 I suspect that the belts that drive the capstans inside the cassette player have stretched from age and they are starting to slip; causing Frank Sinatra to morph into Alvin and the Chipmunks. Only solution is to take apart the radio and replace them (if I remember correctly, Allpar’s Jeremy Schrag had several articles on early Chrysler radio repair and identification.)
He's probably going to need to find an old school audio and electronics guy to fix all that vintage tech. I'm sure all that old stuff needs to be recapped at a minimum. Finding schematics (and an old school electronics repairman) may be difficult.
You are so right! The situation became so bad that Chrysler had to hastily design a carbureted modification that also included a new instrument cluster with computer on the interior of the car, not just engine related components under the hood. A family friend of mine had one of these and had numerous fail to start or run poorly situations develop before he was able to get his car modified. It was a very frustrating time for my friend although he eventually did get it running well.
I'm happy that Hoovie is hooptying again. I like seeing them get fixed for no reason other than sentimental feelings. A w12 Phaeton, and a V10 TDI Touareg are on my bucket list.
My brother had one, just not the FS edition. Same color. Ran like crap. I tried to convince him to remove the FI and put a 2 bbl or 4 bbl carb on it. He finally gave up on it and gave it to me. By the way, you had to be the original owner for Chrysler to offer the recall. It was a lean burn fuel injection system.
Welcome to the Chrysler "Lean Burn" system. Take that computer on the side of the air cleaner off and throw it in the trash. Get rid of the distributor and revert back to vacuum/centripetal advance distributor. These lean burn systems were notorious for reliability issues.
One thing worth checking is the thermostat. I had a New Yorker with the Lean Burn and it ran fine for a few minutes until it warned up. Then, it wouldn't go over 45-50. Was also not getting much heat, Eventually discovered the thermostat was stuck open. The Lean Burn relies on several inputs to adjust the timing.
The seller was probably grumbling because he knows who you are. He was probably afraid you and the Wizard would open it up and show the patchwork here on TH-cam for everyone to see and then out him in front of the whole world.
Brought back memories of the used 86 or 87 5th Ave RWD with a 318 we bought for an across the states road trip. Car was ultra comfortable ride and crazy red velour comfortable seats. Absolutely no issues other than terrible fuel mileage and that 318 V8 only had I think 140hp but it cruised at 80 no problem. Sold it for what we paid for it after a year also.
Finally back to your roots. Love this content way more then the supercar shit. That grill is a pain in the ass to get fitted right. Still if its actually fixed and working it be a great addition to the fleet
If it's not broken, it's not a Hoovie hooptie. Work with Summit Racing for intake, 4-BBl carb and good flowing exhaust so you can get to highway speeds without a sundial.
Been following since the beginning and have always enjoyed your content, even the barn stuff, hypercars etc, but THIS is my favorite sort of material. Gotta love it.
The problem these cars had from day one was the poorly designed fuel injection unit. They were called Hydrallic Support Plates. At the dealership we would have to replace 3 or 4 in a row to get one good enough to drive the car. My technician got so good at working on these, he could take the parts off a couple units and make one good one. That was something the factory couldn't seem to figure out. As far as Hoovies car, it's probably a clogged fuel sock or the lean burn computer system attached to the air filter housing is bad. I think the factory bean counters lowered production costs about 50 cents a unit by locating the engine electronics on top of a hot engine instead of behind the firewall!
The Dodge Diplomats with the police package did locate that computer inside the car instead of on the air cleaner.They were a lot more reliable that way.
When I was in College Auto Mechanics class in 1985 the local dealer donated 1 of these cars to the school! Very low miles. You could actually stand beside it and say STOP! It would quit and not restart!
I was a mechanic at a CPDT in the early 80s usually something with a v8 or slant6 was not too bad but the 2.2l 4cyl were not dependable and short lived but when these came to our lot this was a whole new level of crap. We had a Imperial that died on delivery when the customer started to take his new purchase off the lot.
This car was marketed as fully optioned. The customer had the choice of leather or velour, wire hubcaps versus alloys, etc. The only option was a glass moonroof (1981 only)
EXCELLENT video! I am going through this NOW with my newly purchased Rolls Royce Fixed-Head Coupe! I have had the carbs rebuilt, new fuel pump, plugs/ wires, filters.....Following closely!
Cool find. I would go through the fuel system stem to stern. But the real thing I'd concentrate on is the ground side of the electrical. I'm sure there is crevice corrosion and salt bridge semi-conductors that throw false voltages at the electronics. Re-do the factory grounds, and add some additional. Crimped and soldered say #2 cable from Bat Neg to alternator area and to the firewall. That should help with the cluster and the radio, interior lights and such 😊
This car brings back memories. Really liked the styling. We had one in our family for many years and it still had the original fuel injection. Ours was actually pretty reliable as I don't recall anyone ever being stranded. We eventually did have the freeze plug problem too. It has like a 2.2 rear end in it for gas mileage so one won't be accelerating quickly. It was a very quiet and comfortable. I believe all sorts of sound deadening material was used in the car. My Dad gave some Mercedes employees a ride in the Imperial. They were very surprised as to how quiet an American car could be.
these 1981 Imperials were junk when new. Hoovie did a video called, "They didn't call the Imperial Crown the greatest of '66 for nothing!" That was a well made car
I used to use an oxy/acetelyne torch to pop a quarter size hole before the cat to test it then weld it back up. Far faster and easier than cutting it off or even unbolting it. And leaving the cap off will tell you if the fuel tank vent is bad. And lots of carbureted cars had fuel return lines, often with that three outlet filter. And that's probably a Chinese copy of the BBD carb, which are notoriously bad.
Tyler great car, well worth making it whole again, basically a fancy pants Mirada/Magnum. Last of the US two door all hood luxury cars as they all died around that time.
This is how Hoovies Garage needs to evolve, Tyler wrench on your hoopties as much as you can get away with and then bring to Wizard when you're stumped and then see if you can fix with his help. Then one day you can do the wrenching and the wizard will have retired.
@@OMGWTFLOLSMH How the heck could Tyler not see those new hoses in the filter box? I think Tyler has some ADHD where he has issues concentrating on tasks.
I've been watching these good fellows for years. This is my favorite video....as of yet. Hoovie, Wizard, you're too cool to be cool. And Daniel San, you are a most helpful, shining spirit. Reminds me of the lil cat on Hong Kong Phooey. Keep being you, all, and best to you.
Mr Hoovie that is your ultimate hooptie purchase ever . One can say you do expand their car knowledge thanks for that. Happy New Year and I'm with you and April's automotive journey this year .
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Quality build from Windsor Ontario Canada. Cant believe that it hasn't rusted completely out. They ended in 83 because the plant was tooling up to build the minivans
I’m positive Chrysler knew about the computer controlled spark ignition making the car stall. But in their true big company fashion just sent them out. Takeing the customer cash is priority.
even? I think you mean especially. I've been called un-american because I think it's silly that we bailed out Chrysler and they continue to build garbage that can't compete with with asian and european imports. but go ahead, try to keep this dead american icon on life support for another decade while they continue to fail.
Anything with the dreaded 2.7L V6 LH engine. That engine would literally destroy itself because of an idiotic design idea of having an internally mounted timing chain driven water pump which was prone to leaking coolant into the engine oil, causing the engines to flat out fail catastrophically. Ford had a similar dumb design with their Duratecs but they didn’t fail as badly as the Chryslers. They still had enough issues to land them in a class action lawsuit though.
This takes me back to my first car, the interior and the paint were very similar. I loved how comfortable the seats were, it was like driving while chilling on the couch. I had an '83 Plymouth Caravelle that had a turbo. The turbo made a noise that mimicked police sirens and was louder in the back seat for some reason. I loved watching people's reactions when they rode in back the first time... I'd start driving around and they would be looking all over for the police lol
I have to admit, I never knew there was a Sinatra edition of the Imperial, and I’m mildly fascinated by it. Yours is definitely a decent example for the age, even with the issues it has. Those seats though….my rearend begs to sit in them! It’s like having a Lazy Boy for a car seat!
"The most unreliable Chrysler ever made, that HUMILIATED the biggest celebrity in the world..." Just got those vehement Hoovistank senses all tingly. And I am *_here_* for the entire saga! 😁
I would argue that the original Pacifica is a worse car, since it’s basically an R-Class but with everything nice taken away from it. Not to mention the engine support disaster.
I am so happy for you hoovie to have all the fancy cars, the bugatti, the countach, the ferraris, but damn this is the sweet spot! Awesome video and lots of wizard!
@@OMGWTFLOLSMH Thats what these auctions do, they're absolute scum bags. I bought a really nice 300zx from one once and he said it had a brand new clutch and timing belt. Clutch went out in a week, found a brand new timing belt in the back tucked by the spare tire. The saving grace was someone hit me and totaled out the car within that week or two of ownership. Sad the car was damaged but at least financially I came out on top.
I believe you are correct. The lean burn system I bet initially will be in open loop for 10 or so mins after warm up then start making corrections about every minute or when you lift off the throttle. Adam of Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History talks about this system in this video. th-cam.com/video/JBmFF4WrqvA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Ujq_SNmXk211SNVv
I had an old dodge that used to die when going under power lines, finally diagnosed it as a failing pickup coil in the distributor. Also if a vent failure is suspected you can take the gas cap off or keep it really loose and see is that helps.
In 2005 I bought an 80s Corolla that hadn't been driven in 11 years. The fuel pickup screen was completely melted/gone and there were small rocks of varnish from 11 year old gas that kept getting sucked up in the pickup tube. Until I worked up the confidence to drop the fuel tank in my apartment complex I would pull over, disconnect the fuel line and blow in it to dislodge the debris, reconnect it and continue driving for another 20-30 minutes before it would get clogged again. Those were the days. lol.
My stepdad was into these bustleback Imperials. What a freeking nightmare of an automobile. Absolutely everything broke on them. My brother and I worked on his main one, the two others were parts cars. He finally gave up, sold them all and bought a V8 88 Thunderbird. That did stay together for the most part, other than constant brake issues with the 'Bird.
I had a new 1988 T-bird. I traded it in after a year. In the less than 15K miles I drove it the digital dash went out twice, I had to replace the front brake pads once, and the Firestones that it came with were nearly bald. The last straw for me was when a seat cushion spring broke, popped through the seat and stabbed me in the thigh requiring stiches!
Is it any wonder how and why Japan took over the market? The Japs are/were great engineers who didn't scrimp on the parts that mattered most. Honda transmissions were famously reliable....and their CVCC engine was a major accomplishment.
I have a neighbour who did a ground up restomod on one of these. He completely restored the body/interior and put a modern air suspension along with a modern front subframe and a 5.9 hemi underneath.
lol, it's (literally) a Chrysler Cordoba with a body kit. That's pretty hilarious, nice find!
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I converted a1981 Imperial, that still had the fuel injection. It ran fine, but had cold start issues. I used a 1978 Dodge Aspen 318 parts car, that had a carter thermo-quad 4 barrel. Car ran, and drove great. Silver, with dark red leather. The customer drove it for years. Guess it wasn't a hooptie.
This has the Chrysler lean burn system on it. That’s the biggest piece of junk they ever produced. If they ran that lean burn system with the fuel injection and then switched over to the carburetor, you can bet your bottom dollar that the lean burn system is bad. Good luck getting a new lean burn computer.
What an awesome car! and it looks amazing! been from the UK i never even know this car was a thing! and a frank sinatra at that! Great video as always tyler! Cant wait to see more on this and i hope you get it running right as a good example of one of these!
THE FUEL SOCK IS CLOGGED IN THE TANK. It was common back then. When you shut if off the crap floats off , it gets sucked back on it . We used to blow them off with the air compressor into the fuel line.
You may find that the Electronic Spark Control computer no longer functions and the distributor has been replaced with an earlier Mopar electronic unit with its own mechanical and vacuum advance. Regarding the fuel filter, the extra nipple pulls fuel vapor from the top of the filter and sends the vapor back to the tank to help prevent vapor lock. It likely has a small orifice in it to restrict the return flow.
Without going too far into the video , rust in the feul tank will do all that to your car's performance , once , I had a Rolls 20/25hp do the dying act on me , I opened the feul filter and removed a bucket of rust , got it back and pulled the tank , got is blasted and recoated , fixed the problem , after that I learnt exactly how to diagnose dirt in the tank without having to dig too deep
I would have started with looking at the ignition system then I would have added an in line fuel gauge that I could see in the window myself. I wouldn’t have cut off a cat! But I’m an old mechanic lol. Hey wizard. Get out your timing light. Check the ignition system. Put it on a scope if you have one. The way it pops like that. It’s not a lean pop that I would expect to hear from a leaning fuel system. Anyway that’s my advice. Use your usual way of diagnosing. You’re a lot like me usually on how you go about things. Fun to watch and comment as usual lol. Have fun and I’ll be looking for more vids on old blue!!! Chow
Excellent choice Tyler. This is a really special car. It should generate a lot of content for you. I was tempted to pick up one of these at auction. I'm glad i didn't. I can't wait to see this thing restored and running in tip top condition.
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Nah
38:27 it wouldn’t be antique antique gift for anything over 100 years old. My car is not over 100 years old. And vintages for anything 20 years or older.
Maybe you should lay off the hoopties for a month
so you can buy shirts that fit
@HooviesGarage how about liking,or even replying to people who take the time to watch these. So many other content creators that do,and have more followers. Just remember, those of us watching are how you get these piles of garbage, and also paid for the farm. Just Sayin'
I actually always wanted a t top imperial totally pimped out ,You got the one off el dog , the imperial, now all you need is one of those weird Lebaron tc thing and a a Seville back Lincoln and you will have them all and a Seville you need a Seville pimp one out with white walls and spokes add the light up ceiling , go all out buy rolls stang no don’t do that lol
This is the TRUE hoovie hooptie I'm here for
Likewise brother.
Some grade A entertainment.
Just when I thought he'd found them all he drags up this gem. What a fantastic story.
This is what I love to watch.
No sexual jokes etc.
Good clean video.
It checks all the pos boxes 🥲
The seller was upset he only got $6500 after he did a patch job and knew the car didn't accelerate? Screw him.
I'm sure he was faking his disgust to make the new buyer feel better. This thing is a $1500 pail, and most of the value is in the Sinatra tapes.
With how much Tyler (and other car YT's) get scammed makes me glad I have a company car that my boss pays to maintain. So many scummy sellers out there. God help anyone that buys at a dealer auction-- they seem designed to rip you off (and then the auction house also rips you off with all their addon fees). Yikes. What a racket.
@@TheJohn8765 If you buy cars at a dealer auction you know they are there because they need work. That is why you don't pay much for them.
Total rip off at $6500.
@@MrMustangrick Look at their value with these miles in good condition. Less than 300 cars were made and it won't take much to make it run well.
My father bought one of these new, same color and everything just like yours. Beautiful car, it just never ran right! He ended up having the entire fuel injection/Leanburn system removed and replaced with a standard carbed induction system. Chrysler actually paid to do the conversion and it ran like a top once that was done. Good Luck with it Hoovie, you're going to need it!!!
If your dad was rolling around in one of these in 1982, you have half siblings you don’t know about
Loved those seats. Total comfort,
I love how Hoovie is driving car with a big sticker in the windshield saying "DO NOT START VEHICLE". 🤣
I like the video format where we get intro’d to the car and see the wizard visit in the same video rather than having to wait for a 2nd video
Be grand if we could just leave the wiz out completely......
Yeah it's nice to see the wizard working on the vehicle.
@@Beauloqs Then how would he ever get any of his broken POS's fixed? Lmfao.
Back in 1983 my company promoted me to Regional Manager and required I buy a new Cadillac at my own expense. On the way to the dealership, I passed the Chrysler dealership, and they were pulling out this gorgeous dark blue car. It glittered in the Ohio summer sun. I hung a U-turn and went to check it out and it was a new Imperial like this one. I fell in love with it, but my company said it had to be a Caddy. I always wanted to own one and a few years ago I started looking. I finally found a 1981 being sold by its original owner who had fallen in love with it when he saw it come off the car hauler. It was his baby, but he was going into hospice and couldn't keep it. I drove it 350 miles home without a hiccup and it got about 20mpg despite only having been driven twice in the previous year. I got a lot of horn honks and thumbs-up on the way home! I's a brochure car which just means it's equipped just like the one they used in the sales brochure - silver with the red leather interior and aluminum wheels with the ruby hub caps. It rides like a dream. It was carb converted at less than 6,000 miles. It has the sunroof option, and I initially wasn't pleased as old sunroofs can cause a lot of trouble and are prone to leak. This one doesn't, but I found out that the sunroof was only available in 1981 and was a $1,000 option! That's around $4,000 in today's dollars. I love driving it. It rides like a dream and is very quiet with virtually no squeaks or rattles. I can't fill it up without getting into a conversation with someone. Once I heard a horn honk and it was a guy in a truck who said he was going the other way and saw it and hung a U-turn and ran a red light to catch up to me and check it out! I'm very happy with it!
Holy shit. I didn’t even know they made a frank sinatra edition. Looks like a couch on wheels omg
They are
Why do all yall say looks like a couch on wheels? It's annoying
I guess Frank didn't want anyone else to know
If that couch was made by IKEA. 😂
so you can be comfortable while stranded on the side of the road. Or waiting for a tow truck...
My dad had a 1984 delta 88 with seats like that. We drove out to Calgary from Toronto and I drove for 4 hrs and it felt like 30 mins...no butt numbness, no sore back, god I miss those days.
My Mother loved this car, she was a huge Sinatra fan and we grew up listening to Sinatra and always heard the story of how she wanted a Sinatra car. 3 years ago when Mom got sick I moved in to care for her and my step Dad. I spent hours and hours looking for a Sinatra Edition Imperial for her, I wanted to give her her dream car but life sucks at times and I ran out of time to fulfil her wish of owning one. I still want one now to remember her by.
I remember seeing one in 1983 with my babysitter. I was in love and spouted on about it for days.
Sorry about your Mom. You may have the chance to get one soon as hoovie spends a arm and a leg to fix his up and he decides to sell it to make room you might be able to grab it up
SOLD!
You can by this one in about a month!
My grandfather was a big Chrysler guy. When it was time in the late 70s for him to buy a new Chrysler, his local dealer (where he'd bought cars over the last 30 years) convinced him to wait a year or two for the new Imperial that was in the works. When it came out, he said it was expensive and had a tiny interior compared to the previous Imperial and a flippin' 2-door. He said no way and kept his 1973 Newport until he passed on 5 years later.
It’s apparent to me that the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer is the modern day Chrysler Imperial. Something no one asked for, with a myriad of problems when the consumer is asking for cheaper Jeep products! History repeats itself.
And that thing cost 70k plus, complete waste of money
I think at this point the consumer is just asking for any Jeep product that doesn’t break.
That's Chrysler for ya
I love it! Cheap, and lots of potential. Looking forward to seeing this 40+ year old car working as good as it looks.
0:35 No dash lights on when the headlights are on sounds like a classic "interior light dimmer is turned down"
100%. Old school
The light dimmers potentiometers have a tendency to pit over time. You would see this alot on AC baffles as well - which have a wiper pot in them. If its serviceable you can usually open it up and with alcohol clean the contacts (as you would with a relay) and then drop in some grease on the shaft and put it back together. The ones that are mounted horizontally are really prone to the grease - over many hot Summers dripping onto the contacts as well. Its one reason why - even with new cars - you want to move everything to all possible positions periodically to exercise the works.
Oh oh oh, I remember this.
The headlight switch is probably corroded inside from age. It's usually a cheap and easy fix to replace it. When I got my 80s car, the gauge lighting didn't work. I replaced the headlight switch and they worked again.
*Freeze Plugs* : I saw a thing on engines and the guy explained that freeze plugs are really a bi-product of the casting processes ( the holes where the molten metal goes into the cast ). It's just a happy accident that they help prevent freezing damage
I read the same, saying that every block will crack if frozen, calling them freeze plugs has duped people forever.
'freeze' plugs are really core plugs for the block casting process. I have seen many engine blocks cracked from freezing water and have never seen a 'freeze' plug prevent that damage.
I've seen plenty of engines that don't have freeze plugs and have never had an issue with coolant freezing. The only one I know of was in 1970s Derbi 50GP bike as you're not allowed to run coolant when racing, and it was left over winter with neat water in it
Never seen a 318 with a cracked block from freezing. I get that it doesn't mean its never happened. I am just saying it would be extremely rare. The only engines I have ever seen with a cracked block around the freeze plugs would be commercial diesel engines. I've welded some of them up.
Well, you haven't seen it but the block in my boat did that. I didn't drain it properly and one popped out. The reason they didn't pop out is most rusted in place. raw steel plug, and cast iron block = rust welding.
Come to think of it…I think you are right. I remember an old 38 Dodge that I bought years back, as it turned out it has a cracked block too and the “freeze” plugs remained in place. Ended up selling the car for what I had in it, which was 90 dollars :)
They were too cheap to put in copper plugs that wouldn`t rust,hopefully the Whiz puts in the good ones.
Love the "do not start" sign in the vehicle window and Hoovie jumps in and takes it on a road trip.
1:10 I suspect that the belts that drive the capstans inside the cassette player have stretched from age and they are starting to slip; causing Frank Sinatra to morph into Alvin and the Chipmunks. Only solution is to take apart the radio and replace them (if I remember correctly, Allpar’s Jeremy Schrag had several articles on early Chrysler radio repair and identification.)
Also hardened rubber on the rollers could cause it
@@БранимирПетровyup, that cassette player is 43 years old and rubber is not meant to last that long.
its the rubber
He's probably going to need to find an old school audio and electronics guy to fix all that vintage tech. I'm sure all that old stuff needs to be recapped at a minimum. Finding schematics (and an old school electronics repairman) may be difficult.
You are so right! The situation became so bad that Chrysler had to hastily design a carbureted modification that also included a new instrument cluster with computer on the interior of the car, not just engine related components under the hood. A family friend of mine had one of these and had numerous fail to start or run poorly situations develop before he was able to get his car modified. It was a very frustrating time for my friend although he eventually did get it running well.
Finally a car more luxurious than the Bugatti.
It's actually more classier than a Bugatti 😅
The Batmobile before Batman and before Mobiles
I'm happy that Hoovie is hooptying again. I like seeing them get fixed for no reason other than sentimental feelings. A w12 Phaeton, and a V10 TDI Touareg are on my bucket list.
You must have deep pockets.
I'm glad you buy these so we don't have to lol...
I think they gave it to Hoovie 😂
I'm mostly grateful that he buys old foreign cars that seem like good buys but are also terrible.
What a great comment. The best
No one has to
😅
My brother had one, just not the FS edition. Same color. Ran like crap. I tried to convince him to remove the FI and put a 2 bbl or 4 bbl carb on it. He finally gave up on it and gave it to me. By the way, you had to be the original owner for Chrysler to offer the recall. It was a lean burn fuel injection system.
Welcome to the Chrysler "Lean Burn" system. Take that computer on the side of the air cleaner off and throw it in the trash. Get rid of the distributor and revert back to vacuum/centripetal advance distributor. These lean burn systems were notorious for reliability issues.
That’s the problem with the bucking. It’s pulling the timing to the point it can’t run.
One thing worth checking is the thermostat. I had a New Yorker with the Lean Burn and it ran fine for a few minutes until it warned up. Then, it wouldn't go over 45-50. Was also not getting much heat, Eventually discovered the thermostat was stuck open. The Lean Burn relies on several inputs to adjust the timing.
The seller was probably grumbling because he knows who you are. He was probably afraid you and the Wizard would open it up and show the patchwork here on TH-cam for everyone to see and then out him in front of the whole world.
I thought I was crazy @ 2:47 when I thought this part looped. Ran it back. Nope! It really did loop. lol
Tech issues.
TH-cam editor should have it fixed momentarily. Thanks for pointing it out!
Yeah, that threw me for a loop as well, thought I was going crazy.
Time travel is real
lol happens all the time on youtube
Brought back memories of the used 86 or 87 5th Ave RWD with a 318 we bought for an across the states road trip. Car was ultra comfortable ride and crazy red velour comfortable seats. Absolutely no issues other than terrible fuel mileage and that 318 V8 only had I think 140hp but it cruised at 80 no problem. Sold it for what we paid for it after a year also.
Finally back to your roots. Love this content way more then the supercar shit.
That grill is a pain in the ass to get fitted right. Still if its actually fixed and working it be a great addition to the fleet
Yeah, and they are usually attached with springs so they are less likely to be damaged by hitting birds and such.
@sjgoff more of a retainer clip. VGG just did a Imperial over the summer. I think he had same fuel issue. He swapped it out for a 4barrel
If it's not broken, it's not a Hoovie hooptie. Work with Summit Racing for intake, 4-BBl carb and good flowing exhaust so you can get to highway speeds without a sundial.
@@bryduhbikeguy - "so you can get to highway speeds without a sundial" LOL
Are you sure that when they told you it drove well they didn’t say “it drove,well?”
Been following since the beginning and have always enjoyed your content, even the barn stuff, hypercars etc, but THIS is my favorite sort of material. Gotta love it.
Really enjoyed all the troubleshooting in the video, rather than just "here's what we've done / will do"!!
The problem these cars had from day one was the poorly designed fuel injection unit. They were called Hydrallic Support Plates. At the dealership we would have to replace 3 or 4 in a row to get one good enough to drive the car. My technician got so good at working on these, he could take the parts off a couple units and make one good one. That was something the factory couldn't seem to figure out. As far as Hoovies car, it's probably a clogged fuel sock or the lean burn computer system attached to the air filter housing is bad. I think the factory bean counters lowered production costs about 50 cents a unit by locating the engine electronics on top of a hot engine instead of behind the firewall!
The Dodge Diplomats with the police package did locate that computer inside the car instead of on the air cleaner.They were a lot more reliable that way.
Was that a Renault Fuego in the background?! I had one for years in the 90's and it never let me down.
I bet those napa shocks are lifetime
warranty.
When I was in College Auto Mechanics class in 1985 the local dealer donated 1 of these cars to the school! Very low miles. You could actually stand beside it and say STOP! It would quit and not restart!
I was a mechanic at a CPDT in the early 80s usually something with a v8 or slant6 was not too bad but the 2.2l 4cyl were not dependable and short lived but when these came to our lot this was a whole new level of crap. We had a Imperial that died on delivery when the customer started to take his new purchase off the lot.
That's crazy that the most expensive Chrysler of the time on the Cordoba platform didn't come with Corinthian leather
Cordoba's are B bodies, just a slow Charger till. 1980 then they are built on the J body platform that is based on the M body aka the Diplomat.
You mean “rich Corinthian leather.” 😉
It was called "Mark Cross" leather by this time and it was an option on the Imperial
This car was marketed as fully optioned. The customer had the choice of leather or velour, wire hubcaps versus alloys, etc. The only option was a glass moonroof (1981 only)
EXCELLENT video! I am going through this NOW with my newly purchased Rolls Royce Fixed-Head Coupe! I have had the carbs rebuilt, new fuel pump, plugs/ wires, filters.....Following closely!
this with a Hemi swap would be such a great cruiser
If he got a Scat Pack engine ... he could change it to Brat Pack!
@StevenDurette-bq7zd the Rat Pack, F.A.S. wouldn't have been in 80s movies for teen age girls lol
My '70 Imperial LeBaron had a 440 4 Barrel.
a modern engine swap would probably be cheaper and easier than figuring out what's wrong with the ole hunk that's in there now lol
I forgot about these. Most cars were terrible at that time. It looks like a nice survivor anyway, for how rare it is. I like it!😊
Cool find. I would go through the fuel system stem to stern. But the real thing I'd concentrate on is the ground side of the electrical. I'm sure there is crevice corrosion and salt bridge semi-conductors that throw false voltages at the electronics. Re-do the factory grounds, and add some additional. Crimped and soldered say #2 cable from Bat Neg to alternator area and to the firewall. That should help with the cluster and the radio, interior lights and such 😊
Why am I such a fan of Hoovie and this channel? This content is awesome and exactly what I like to see!
I would put a edelbrock carb , manifold and a msd ignition on that 318 . it will run so much better .
swap in a 5.9L
Holley Sniper or just LS swap it
318 s are pretty awesome. Small cam , free flowing exhaust, edelrock intake and carb. You'll be surprised how well it will go.
Even a quadrajet
Frank is probably blocking the fuel line saying keep my name out of it
Hoovie putting out an instant classic
This is one of my favorite Hoovie purchases. Great job, Tyler.
I love the look of those Imperials. I always thought they wore the "bustleback" trunks the best, compared to Cadillac and Lincoln.
These are the Hoopties I subscribed for and want to see, Hoovie
This video has a certain level of unhinged you don’t usually see from wizard/hoovie videos and I love it. Laughed so hard watching this 😂
This car brings back memories. Really liked the styling. We had one in our family for many years and it still had the original fuel injection. Ours was actually pretty reliable as I don't recall anyone ever being stranded. We eventually did have the freeze plug problem too. It has like a 2.2 rear end in it for gas mileage so one won't be accelerating quickly. It was a very quiet and comfortable. I believe all sorts of sound deadening material was used in the car. My Dad gave some Mercedes employees a ride in the Imperial. They were very surprised as to how quiet an American car could be.
In the words of Derek from VGG "I can't wait to hear the sound of the Mopar starter, which sounds like a sick dolphin on a good day."
Gear reduction starter....haaaaaaated them!
Signature Noise addition!
This guy loves that fella. 😊
these 1981 Imperials were junk when new. Hoovie did a video called, "They didn't call the Imperial Crown the greatest of '66 for nothing!" That was a well made car
Classic Hoovie, missed these real hoopties!!
This is why I watch your channel Bro!
I love that car Hoovie! Hoovie’s Garage is the best TH-cam channel!
Never knew such an 80's top shelf automobile existed! Thanks Tyler for the education and BIG THANKS for keeping the glorious 1980's alive!
This is the real hoovie videos we need. Thank you Tyler.
I used to use an oxy/acetelyne torch to pop a quarter size hole before the cat to test it then weld it back up. Far faster and easier than cutting it off or even unbolting it. And leaving the cap off will tell you if the fuel tank vent is bad. And lots of carbureted cars had fuel return lines, often with that three outlet filter. And that's probably a Chinese copy of the BBD carb, which are notoriously bad.
Couldn't the oxygen sensor located on the left exhaust manifold be removed to test back pressure?
Tyler great car, well worth making it whole again, basically a fancy pants Mirada/Magnum. Last of the US two door all hood luxury cars as they all died around that time.
This is how Hoovies Garage needs to evolve, Tyler wrench on your hoopties as much as you can get away with and then bring to Wizard when you're stumped and then see if you can fix with his help. Then one day you can do the wrenching and the wizard will have retired.
Let’s hope the wizard will occasionaly jump in after he’s retired.
@@SunshineSailing84I’m sure he will, they are friends
In 2050😅
LOL. He maxed out his technical skills by changing the world's simplest fuel filter, and still didn't do it right.
@@OMGWTFLOLSMH How the heck could Tyler not see those new hoses in the filter box? I think Tyler has some ADHD where he has issues concentrating on tasks.
I've been watching these good fellows for years. This is my favorite video....as of yet. Hoovie, Wizard, you're too cool to be cool. And Daniel San, you are a most helpful, shining spirit. Reminds me of the lil cat on Hong Kong Phooey. Keep being you, all, and best to you.
Mr Hoovie that is your ultimate hooptie purchase ever . One can say you do expand their car knowledge thanks for that. Happy New Year and I'm with you and April's automotive journey this year .
Quality build from Windsor Ontario Canada.
Cant believe that it hasn't rusted completely out.
They ended in 83 because the plant was tooling up to build the minivans
I’m positive Chrysler knew about the computer controlled spark ignition making the car stall. But in their true big company fashion just sent them out. Takeing the customer cash is priority.
This car is sick! Derek at VGG got one not too long ago. Congrats sir!
This,Aprils lincoln,and a cad square back Seville would complete the plush collection. What a rare and fabulous bragging point !!
The plugs in the side of an engine are to get the sand out when they do the casting not freeze protection
Surely there's a Chrysler that's less reliable than this one, even among the newer ones...
My 2012 Wrangler just said, "hold my beer"
Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
New Grand Wagoneer
even? I think you mean especially. I've been called un-american because I think it's silly that we bailed out Chrysler and they continue to build garbage that can't compete with with asian and european imports. but go ahead, try to keep this dead american icon on life support for another decade while they continue to fail.
Anything with the dreaded 2.7L V6 LH engine. That engine would literally destroy itself because of an idiotic design idea of having an internally mounted timing chain driven water pump which was prone to leaking coolant into the engine oil, causing the engines to flat out fail catastrophically.
Ford had a similar dumb design with their Duratecs but they didn’t fail as badly as the Chryslers. They still had enough issues to land them in a class action lawsuit though.
“Three holes… kind of like a human” caught me so off guard 🤣🤣
This takes me back to my first car, the interior and the paint were very similar. I loved how comfortable the seats were, it was like driving while chilling on the couch. I had an '83 Plymouth Caravelle that had a turbo. The turbo made a noise that mimicked police sirens and was louder in the back seat for some reason. I loved watching people's reactions when they rode in back the first time... I'd start driving around and they would be looking all over for the police lol
This is the type of hovie cars I love❤
Dude the intro with the ad playing over them repairing it is amazing
My old Fifth Avenue would behave like this thing would. I wouldn't be surprised if the Lean Burn system conked out. They all do.
Hoovie starts the video driving a car with a big DO NOT START sticker on the windscreen… this is going to go well lol😂😂😂
I have to admit, I never knew there was a Sinatra edition of the Imperial, and I’m mildly fascinated by it. Yours is definitely a decent example for the age, even with the issues it has. Those seats though….my rearend begs to sit in them! It’s like having a Lazy Boy for a car seat!
"The most unreliable Chrysler ever made, that HUMILIATED the biggest celebrity in the world..."
Just got those vehement Hoovistank senses all tingly. And I am *_here_* for the entire saga! 😁
I found a reason for meeeeee
To buy another old Hoooptieeee
Awesome!
I would argue that the original Pacifica is a worse car, since it’s basically an R-Class but with everything nice taken away from it. Not to mention the engine support disaster.
I am so happy for you hoovie to have all the fancy cars, the bugatti, the countach, the ferraris, but damn this is the sweet spot! Awesome video and lots of wizard!
The thing is a bucket..I wonder why the owner was pissed at 6500. He should have been jumping for Joy.
HA! I thought the same thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He probably bought it 6 months ago for 12k!
I wouldn't pay 1200 for this thing
I also wonder why he lied and said it ran great when it clearly runs like shit.
@@OMGWTFLOLSMH Thats what these auctions do, they're absolute scum bags. I bought a really nice 300zx from one once and he said it had a brand new clutch and timing belt. Clutch went out in a week, found a brand new timing belt in the back tucked by the spare tire. The saving grace was someone hit me and totaled out the car within that week or two of ownership. Sad the car was damaged but at least financially I came out on top.
HOOVIE YOU GOTTA RELAX! WE ARE HITTING HOOPTIE CRITICAL MASS!
It’s very obviously an ignition issue. Get a distributor manifold and carb and just get rid of all the lean burn nonsense
I can't believe Wizard cut the cat off. I'm like, "that ain't the problem dude".
Do these still have ballast resistor ignition? If so that's definitely the issue.
I believe you are correct. The lean burn system I bet initially will be in open loop for 10 or so mins after warm up then start making corrections about every minute or when you lift off the throttle. Adam of Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History talks about this system in this video.
th-cam.com/video/JBmFF4WrqvA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Ujq_SNmXk211SNVv
I had an old dodge that used to die when going under power lines, finally diagnosed it as a failing pickup coil in the distributor.
Also if a vent failure is suspected you can take the gas cap off or keep it really loose and see is that helps.
In 2005 I bought an 80s Corolla that hadn't been driven in 11 years. The fuel pickup screen was completely melted/gone and there were small rocks of varnish from 11 year old gas that kept getting sucked up in the pickup tube. Until I worked up the confidence to drop the fuel tank in my apartment complex I would pull over, disconnect the fuel line and blow in it to dislodge the debris, reconnect it and continue driving for another 20-30 minutes before it would get clogged again. Those were the days. lol.
Awesome Video! Very entertaining and also nice to see you doing some work on the car by yourself.
My stepdad was into these bustleback Imperials. What a freeking nightmare of an automobile. Absolutely everything broke on them. My brother and I worked on his main one, the two others were parts cars. He finally gave up, sold them all and bought a V8 88 Thunderbird. That did stay together for the most part, other than constant brake issues with the 'Bird.
Oh no, I thought just GM adopted the bustle-butt!
@speedster29 Believe it or not, Ford did too with the early 80's Lincoln Continental!
I had a new 1988 T-bird. I traded it in after a year. In the less than 15K miles I drove it the digital dash went out twice, I had to replace the front brake pads once, and the Firestones that it came with were nearly bald. The last straw for me was when a seat cushion spring broke, popped through the seat and stabbed me in the thigh requiring stiches!
Is it any wonder how and why Japan took over the market? The Japs are/were great engineers who didn't scrimp on the parts that mattered most. Honda transmissions were famously reliable....and their CVCC engine was a major accomplishment.
I have a neighbour who did a ground up restomod on one of these.
He completely restored the body/interior and put a modern air suspension along with a modern front subframe and a 5.9 hemi underneath.
lol, it's (literally) a Chrysler Cordoba with a body kit. That's pretty hilarious, nice find!
I converted a1981 Imperial, that still had the fuel injection. It ran fine, but had cold start issues. I used a 1978 Dodge Aspen 318 parts car, that had a carter thermo-quad 4 barrel. Car ran, and drove great. Silver, with dark red leather. The customer drove it for years. Guess it wasn't a hooptie.
Wow, Tyler doing some work. i wasn't aware you had any tools, lol 😂
He is the biggest tool on the channel.
I loved these in the day, the looks just work. I'm glad you're saving it. It's still striking.
This has the Chrysler lean burn system on it. That’s the biggest piece of junk they ever produced. If they ran that lean burn system with the fuel injection and then switched over to the carburetor, you can bet your bottom dollar that the lean burn system is bad. Good luck getting a new lean burn computer.
What an awesome car! and it looks amazing! been from the UK i never even know this car was a thing! and a frank sinatra at that! Great video as always tyler! Cant wait to see more on this and i hope you get it running right as a good example of one of these!
THE FUEL SOCK IS CLOGGED IN THE TANK.
It was common back then. When you shut if off the crap floats off , it gets sucked back on it . We used to blow them off with the air compressor into the fuel line.
It's common in ANY car that has fuel in it longer than 2-3 years...(ask me how I know) when I pulled my 3 Shelbys out of storage a few years back
This is what I subscribed to this channel to see all those years ago! Glad we are back to American, affordable hoopties!
You may find that the Electronic Spark Control computer no longer functions and the distributor has been replaced with an earlier Mopar electronic unit with its own mechanical and vacuum advance. Regarding the fuel filter, the extra nipple pulls fuel vapor from the top of the filter and sends the vapor back to the tank to help prevent vapor lock. It likely has a small orifice in it to restrict the return flow.
Without going too far into the video , rust in the feul tank will do all that to your car's performance , once , I had a Rolls 20/25hp do the dying act on me , I opened the feul filter and removed a bucket of rust , got it back and pulled the tank , got is blasted and recoated , fixed the problem , after that I learnt exactly how to diagnose dirt in the tank without having to dig too deep
I'm definitely a Mopar guy. The bustle back looks so much better then the Seville.
With the exception of the c-pillar/bustleback, the sheet metal is identical to the 2nd generation Cordoba, but for the front and rear end caps.
Your Imperial is running in the '80s version of 'limp home mode,' referred to back then as, 'run like shit mode.'
Why didn't the Wiz just remove the fuel cap first, to check for a clogged vent? Especially before removing the cat.
Content
Good one. Looking forward to seeing everything fixed and that beauty out on a cruise!!! I think April will also like it!
I would have started with looking at the ignition system then I would have added an in line fuel gauge that I could see in the window myself. I wouldn’t have cut off a cat! But I’m an old mechanic lol. Hey wizard. Get out your timing light. Check the ignition system. Put it on a scope if you have one. The way it pops like that. It’s not a lean pop that I would expect to hear from a leaning fuel system. Anyway that’s my advice. Use your usual way of diagnosing. You’re a lot like me usually on how you go about things. Fun to watch and comment as usual lol. Have fun and I’ll be looking for more vids on old blue!!! Chow
Excellent choice Tyler. This is a really special car. It should generate a lot of content for you. I was tempted to pick up one of these at auction. I'm glad i didn't. I can't wait to see this thing restored and running in tip top condition.
What a great hooptie! Based on the Cordoba. Well done Hoovie. My faith in you has been restored LOL. That thing with an LS conversion....sahweeet!