MarkV Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 (edited) As you all may recall about four years ago I found a 82 Sinatra Imperial complete with the original EFI. It had sat for 23 years and I got it for free. I’ve been a longtime admirer of these since about 20 years ago. it was in rough shape and needed the efi brought back and all the usual and of course paint, interior, etc. well I’m on my final rung of having the interior done so I thought I would show some photos! Edited March 8, 2023 by MarkV (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 Headliner 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 I really admire your patience , enthusiasm and determination. WG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Df824 Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 Wow. That’s fantastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 I have always admired the 1981-1983 Imperials, but I have stayed away from them, thinking that they had more than the average number of problems. Are they reliable cars? What problems do they typically have? I'm glad to see, Wes, that you're enjoying the experience, and bringing them back to a state of excellence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Df824 Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 3 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said: I have always admired the 1981-1983 Imperials, but I have stayed away from them, thinking that they had more than the average number of problems. Are they reliable cars? What problems do they typically have? I'm glad to see, Wes, that you're enjoying the experience, and bringing them back to a state of excellence. I want to say The big problem was the fuel injection. I think most other then this one have carbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61polara Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 Great work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 Well done. Those years Imperials were nice cars to own in spite of their not-quite-ready-for-prime-time EFI. You'd think Chrysler would have learned something from 1958... but Cadillac and Lincoln were floundering around with their electronic doodad gadgets too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 Fantastic! One of my favorite cars from the early 1980's...ever since you showed it to us back when you got it. They weren't on my radar before then. Thanks for the update! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 9, 2023 Author Share Posted March 9, 2023 Yes the efi was problematic back in the day. Mostly because of a lack of training and the early parts were trash. what people don’t know is Chrysler took back those parts in the mid 80s and rebuilt them with better tech available at that time. I have about a dozen efi systems on hand that can be swapped if needed. The efi has pump in the air cleaner along with the computer, etc. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 MARVELOUS! dave s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 Mark, GREAT JOB! and great determination! I found working on a mid-70's GM Bendix EFI unit pretty frustrating. That car looks fantastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 10, 2023 Author Share Posted March 10, 2023 9 hours ago, John348 said: Mark, GREAT JOB! and great determination! I found working on a mid-70's GM Bendix EFI unit pretty frustrating. That car looks fantastic The bendix is easy! (I have one of those too!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 10, 2023 Author Share Posted March 10, 2023 More photos from today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 10, 2023 Author Share Posted March 10, 2023 Front seats. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Looks fantastic! It looks like you reused the carpet. What was the cleaning process? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 On 3/8/2023 at 7:37 PM, John_S_in_Penna said: I have always admired the 1981-1983 Imperials, but I have stayed away from them, thinking that they had more than the average number of problems. Are they reliable cars? What problems do they typically have? I'm glad to see, Wes, that you're enjoying the experience, and bringing them back to a state of excellence. Mine had the dealer retrofitted 2 bbl carb conversion done by the original owner. He had another one, non FS Special that he put a high performance 340 in. They were as reliable as most early 80's car when the EFI was removed. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 1 hour ago, TAKerry said: Looks fantastic! It looks like you reused the carpet. What was the cleaning process? I have a Bissell cleaner the thing is we had to reuse the carpet as the furry carpet is unavailable unfortunately 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 On 3/8/2023 at 4:37 PM, John_S_in_Penna said: I have always admired the 1981-1983 Imperials, but I have stayed away from them, thinking that they had more than the average number of problems. Are they reliable cars? What problems do they typically have? I'm glad to see, Wes, that you're enjoying the experience, and bringing them back to a state of excellence. well most are now converted to a 2bbl or 4bbl. It was the efi system mostly the first round of parts was garbage, lack of knowledge etc. they can be brought to full running order if you have the parts on hand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 4 hours ago, MarkV said: I have a Bissell cleaner the thing is we had to reuse the carpet as the furry carpet is unavailable unfortunately I have the same problem with my trans am. They used a one car only carpet that is no longer available. I will give that a shot and see if I can save the piece I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivguy Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Great job, you've obviously got that car "under your skin!" Nice to see it getting the love that it needs. Old Blue Eyes would approve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepher Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 The interior looks great. A friend had a non-FS Mark V back in the early 90's and we used to tease him about driving an old man's car. But it rode great and was a very nice car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 They matched the stitching exactly! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 What is the 'box' on the centre console under the dash? This interior turned out beautiful, I can imagine it smells like a new car😁. I never cared for these cars when new, I was always partial to caddies (dad was a GM guy and my grandmother always drove a new caddy). I never really liked anything mopar. My tastes have changed over the years and the old mopar stuff from the late 50's through the 60's which in my opinion were about the ugliest cars ever made are now amongst some of my favorite looking models. I would prefer this Imperial over anything GM of the same class and era now. Not sure if I am maturing (I know that cant be, lol) or if its because I am closing in on 60, which I would presume was about the limit of the original target age of these cars when new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 The box is for Sinatra tapes and has Sinatra’s signature on it, as this is a Sinatra edition imperial. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 You should put a few shavings of this under the front seats. Sinatra was partial to this and Creed Bois de Portugal cologne. The Yardley lavender soap is considerably less expensive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 (edited) 21 hours ago, MarkV said: The box is for Sinatra tapes and has Sinatra’s signature on it, as this is a Sinatra edition imperial. Did it come with the 16 cassette tapes in the car? The majority of them either got tossed, or taken inside the house. Craig Edited March 13, 2023 by 8E45E (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 13, 2023 Author Share Posted March 13, 2023 6 hours ago, 8E45E said: Did it come with the 16 cassette tapes in the car? The majority of them either got tossed, or taken inside the house. Craig They were just the typical reprise releases I’ve purchased the correct ones and put them in the console. fun fact is that Warner/reprise demanded cash and carry for the tapes because of Chryslers precarious position in 1979,1980,1981,1992. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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