Guest
1972 Chrysler Imperial LeBaron. A benchmark in its day, that still holds true. This particular vehicle is a wonderful example of good taste. Ordered new on April 10th 1972 by a woman in her mid 40’s, she picked out a glorious combination of colors and options. Standard options included: - Light package - Front seat side shield - Front foam seat cushion - 70 Amp battery - Tinted glass - Tinted windshield - Remote controlled mirror - Single air conditioning - Electric clock - 3 Speed wipers - Undercoating with hood insulation - Cornering lights - Fasten seatbelts reminder light - Wheelhouse opening skirts - Power windows - Rear seat speaker - Power antenna - Rim blow steering wheel Choice options on this car: - Imperial accessory group - Rear window defogger - Single with ATC (Auto Temp II) - Electronic ignition - Automatic speed control - Power bucket or 50/50 seat - Power vent windows - Power door locks - Power deck lid release (Vacuum) - Radio AM/FM search tuner - Standard size white walls - Coral Turquoise Metallic exterior - White vinyl top Other options equipped on this car that have unknown origin: - Safeguard sentinel lighting - Automatic headlights beam changer - Cassette Once in Joe’s possession, he got the car running after a stint of 5-6 years of sitting. Installed a new battery and began to shake out any nonworking items. After a few hours we found the list to be quite short. Not much in the way of nonworking items on this car. The engine ran fantastic, however needing new gaskets. The cassette player did not function, and neither did the antenna. The air conditioning system was not fully operational, but the rear A/C did work. It had a full charge of R-12 (removed with the engine, later details on that). Once moving again, driving the car was a wonderful experience. The power disk brakes operate flawlessly and also are beyond excellent at higher speeds. The underside of the car is “Northern Clean” not southern Arizona clean. There is a difference. There is rust on the original untreated, ungreased areas of the chassis and floor. No rot, no holes. Just a solid old car that was not driven much in its life. It is a driver quality underside, not a museum piece. The engine was removed, along with the A/C charge, compressor and lines had to be moved out of the way to get the engine out. It was degreased along with the engine bay and chassis components up front. Disassembled the engine leaving the cylinder heads on. Replaced all the freeze plugs, gaskets, sparkplugs, timing chain and water pump. All bracketry and hardware was cleaned up and detailed or repainted along with the engine bay. Once reassembled, the engine received a new coat of Chrysler blue. It still sports the original spark plug wires! The cassette player had broken belts, so ordered new and replaced. Cassette is operational, and is IPod ready with a cassette adapter. The car is a real head turner, and would say it stacks up among the nicest ’72 Imperials in the country.
