Re: IML: Someone Save this '63 Crown!!!

[Joy <jecny75@xxxxxxxxx>]

anyone know what happened with this car??

--- pnkmoore@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Someone needs to save this '63!!
> 
> My brother sent me an email about two weeks ago
> about a '63 "Chevrolet Imperial" that was for sale
> at the garage where he and his wife buy all of their
> gas and get their cars serviced in Fr. Lauderdale. 
> I immediately assumed it was a chevy, but wrote him
> and asked for clarification.  He ran an image search
> and confirmed that it was an Imperial.  $2000.
> 
> I called, but they'd sold it.  A few days ago my
> brother called again and said the car was back on
> the lot, for sale.
> 
> I called again and spoke to both Jimmy and Wally. 
> Here's the story as I pieced it together from them:
> 
> It's a '63 Crown four door, 85k miles.  Cream/camel
> colored.  It was purchased new in Illinois and the
> couple who owned it moved to Ft. Lauderdale in 1965.
>  They had it serviced at this same gas station ever
> since.  Mr. Owner died in about 2000 and Mrs. Owner
> stopped driving it in 2002 and died soon thereafter.
>  It sat for the next four years in their garage,
> where it was always stored.  Now the kids are
> finally closing up the estate and have put it up for
> sale. 
> 
> The previous buyers were two.  One guy heard about
> it from a local friend and called from Atlanta.  He
> was going to come down and trailer it back.  He
> never showed, never paid any money, etc.  While he
> was still expected, a second guy wanted it and asked
> to be "second in line" if the Atlanta deal fell
> through.  When Atlanta didn't show and they called
> No. 2, he got cold feet and didn't buy it.  That's
> about the time I called for the second time.
> 
> Condition: Jimmy told me that it had some rust on
> the rocker panels because the owners drove it near
> and around salt water and didn't rinse it off.  The
> floors and trunk pan are rusted too, but not all the
> way through.  He also said the front seat needed to
> be re-upholstered.  Air was operable when Mrs.
> stopped driving it, and Jimmy told me the AC system
> was still holding a full charge but needed a new
> expansion (?) valve to cool again.  He also said the
> brake cylinder and bellows were shot, and the tires
> had sat too long.  It runs strong, shifts properly
> and  they are driving it in and out of the shop at
> night but will not allow anyone to test drive it
> without the brake repair.  
> 
> I really, really debated with myself over this. 
> It's a cool car and is plainly teetering between
> reclamation and disaster.  I have two play cars
> already, my '58 Imperial project and my very
> operable '69 Electra ragtop, and I've got too much
> going on with the two of them (and our two daily
> drivers)  to take on a '63.  I thought about it all
> weekend, of course, but finally came up with the
> conclusion that it should go to someone else.  It
> irks me because I do have the room or it, just no
> more time right now.  If my son was 15 instead of 9,
> I'd be arranging the shipping right now.  It would
> be a great car for he and I work on together.  Right
> now between he and his two sisters, my wife, the
> mortgage, tuition, cub scouts, aging parents, swim
> team, job and everything else going on, I've got to
> draw the line.
> 
> Gary Luedtke very kindly went and looked at it for
> me over the weekend but wasn't able to touch it
> (locked in the closed shop).  He sent me two pretty
> good pictures of the rear end taken through the shop
> window.  I'll happily share those with anyone who
> wants to ask off line.  He also sent me the
> description that I've copied in below.  One of our
> IML pals (Sharp-eyed Joe!) noticed that one of
> Gary's pictures showed a fancy Shriner's badge on
> the gas tank door, and we got all excited for a few
> minutes until I pretty much confirmed that all
> Shriner vehicles were parade cars, i.e.
> convertibles.  Maybe this is "The Lost Shiner
> Hardtop?"  Who knows?
> 
> If it can't be me, I hope some cool IML person can
> save and enjoy this lovely car.
> 
> Patrick E. Moore
> Covington, LA
> Car is at: the Citgo Station at 2366 E Las Olas Blvd
> Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
> (954) 463-8329
> ask for Wally or Jimmy
> 
>  ----- Original Message ----- From: "gary luedtke" 
> > <poppers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > To: <pnkmoore@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2006 6:31 PM
> > Subject: Re: IML: Can anyone look at a '63 Crown
> Ft. Lauderdale
> >
> >
> >> Patrick,
> >>
> >> >>
> >> i found the crown in one of the
> >> inside bays...
> >> and could only see its hind-quarters thru the
> window. JPG pix attached.
> >> it's a tasteful "light caramel" in color, and yes
> has rust.
> >>
> >> i'm the third owner of a 67,000-mile '63, stored
> on my driveway 5 years,
> >> and it has not a spot of rust on its
> undercarriage. the crown has rust
> >> behind the wheels on the bottom, which indicates
> it got a lot of water
> >> thrown up behind the wheels.
> >> i would thus doubt the mileage figures quoted.
> >>
> >> it also has the back edge of the trunk worn thru
> the paint.
> >> the whole car's paint looks like it never got
> waxed, having
> >> permanent-looking differences, which maybe a real
> good application of 
> >> the
> >> three MaGuires wax procedure would bring back to
> some life.
> >>
> >> but i'd say a body shop would need to eliminate
> the rust first, and 
> >> then a
> >> full repaint would bring this to a spiffy-looker.
> >> the back bumper chrome was good, but looked to
> have rust thru a 2 X 2 
> >> spot
> >> where some kind of bumper-sticker'd been.
> >>
> >> the interior looked dark, and that's all i can
> say from what was 
> >> see-able.
> 


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