c18-38 Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 Come on you lot , introduce you'r self and say hello.Would love to hear from some Imperial & Royal owners and swap some pics to show off what we have and have a good chat.Don't be shy ,i want bite. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CutterCoasty Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Hey, I'm April, and I have a '37 Royal. Here in Oregon, USA. I bought it in September '04 while on Military leave from my unit in Alaska. I just spent 12 months at an isolated duty station, so I can not wait to start working on it here this month. So far it still has its original engine (28,000 miles) and manual transmission. The entire thing is still original, but needs some major work. The salty air from the Oregon coast took its toll on the body, and the rear fenders and bumper areas are suffering from rust. When I first bought it, it took me over 20 minutes to figure out how to open the engine compartment.I have a bunch of pictures of my Royal, but will have to wait to upload them until I get them out of storage when I complete my tranfer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrbartlett Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 I have a '38 Royal convertible coupe, running and "fixed up" in the 1960s. I also have a '38 Imperial sedan parts car. I intend to restore the convertible body and Imperial chassis, and combine the two. I've been told that this is feasible, and in fact has been done. This will probably be a retirement project (I'm 57 years old). My name is James Bartlett, of Houston, Texas, jbartlett1@houston.rr.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c18-38 Posted March 14, 2005 Author Share Posted March 14, 2005 Hi April,Thanks for you'r Call.There is a guy here in NZ with a 37 royal too.Mine is a 38-c18.There is all so a lady in this forum who has a 38 and has a friend that has a 37 royal.They have the same bodies and running gear, but the 37s have different grills and dash.You have had a good score there getting a royal with such little milage.If you restore it don't throw anything away that you think is stuffed.If your guards are to bad to repair, the 38 royal guards should fit (if you can find any).Can you do your own welding or have a friend who does?Don't be put off by lots of rust,welding can fix any holes.There is only one other 38 royal here that i know of,so are quite rare here.If you click on to my user name C18-38 you will see my e-mail adress.Please feel free to call again.If you do i can put you in contact with the 37 owner here who is doing a full resto and has some pics.There is a club in the yahoo club sites called 37 royal restorers.I'm sure they would like to hear from another 37 owner.You will have to explore the yahoo site to find them.My 38 was a rust bucket when i brought it back in 1990-91? The body was all ready off it and completely stripped out.(basket case).A good friend is a panelbeater,mechanic, so the car got a good start at getting a resto done.It is about 95% finished.I can send some pics as well.This model has been a hard one because of it's rareity here for parts .All my grills and some other cast pieces had to be re-cast. I have done about 1100hrs of my own time on the car so far. Just recently got a factory radio from the USA for it.There are a lot of good people on the internet for our hobbies, you just have to spend some time looking for them.Your job sounds interesting,do you get to go out on the coastguard ships? Please call again and i can send you some pics of mine. Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c18-38 Posted March 14, 2005 Author Share Posted March 14, 2005 Hello James ,Good to hear from a convertible owner,that sounds real nice. I like the sound of the body going on to the Imp chassis.I presume it still has the 8 cly eng ect?Is it the C19 or 20? Dont wait to retire James , start it now.There was a guy in California trying to sell a C19 ,I tryed to get it but the cost of it all was beyond me.Would have been a good combination with the c18 for wedding cars <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> . He might still have it .He had spent a lot on it but then fell ill.Can you send me any pics of both cars? Love these 38s , Wish i had a shed full of them <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />. I Have the eng bay side shutters with the cast air vents still in them and complete dash from a C19 that i got from a swap meet some years ago ( in NZ of all places).I was lucky ,the dash had a clock so put it in the royal. I will send some pics of my C18.I had to get them scanned by my boss and forwarded to me to send out .Thanks for your interest.Brian ,NZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CutterCoasty Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Hey Brian,I can do the welding myself. I am a Machinery Technician in the USCG and work on all types of engines, electrical, hydraulic systems etc. I have actually been stationed on two different Coast Guard Cutters one down in the Carribean (110 feet long, crew of 18)and one out of Washington state (378 feet long, crew of 170). I have sailed from the Arctic Circle all the way past the equator and back. I recently was stationed at an isolated duty station in the Arctic. ( kind of like the movie The Thing, but without the aliens <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I went on leave for a few weeks in September and just happen to look in the Auto trader magazine and found the 37 royal. I guess it sat out on the last owners property since '77. But he said it still runs and the transmission shifts smooth. I actually had been looking for a '37 since around 1999. I had 2 different ones in the works, but for some reason or another, they never panned out. One was a plymouth and the other a desoto. All of them 4 door models.I planned on using the original engine and tranny, and anything else I can salvage. The only rust seems to be right where the rear fenders meet up with the body, and where the rear tail lights are. The trunk still looks good and all the door handles close tight. All the glass needs replaced, but they all crank correctly. I think I made out like a bandit on this deal, got it for less then $2,000.Of the entire car, the only thing I can see that is missing is the rear left brake light glass (or plastic I guess). The rest of the trim, glass, hubcaps, ect are still there from what I can see. It even has a wooden shelf in the trunk which I thought was odd until I saw it on another '37 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c18-38 Posted March 15, 2005 Author Share Posted March 15, 2005 Hi April,You sure are talented with all those skills.They will come in handy.Good to read you have been looking for a 37 .I like the 37 Desoto too.and the 38 desoto.Sounds like you have rust in the same places as mine had.You might find some on the sides of the cowling where the front guards bolt on down at the bottom,just in front of the front door posts.My whole trunk floor was rusted out.The car had been sitting in an old open faced shelter with it's ass sticking out in the open and the boot lid wide open since the 1970s <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> some kids must have been playing in it .My friend Percy has clocked up over 150 hrs of welding and hammering ect, he re-wired it as well. I'm not sure what you mean when you said- planned on useing the original engine ,tranny. What for? The brake light lens is glass.and are hard to find. They are the same as the 38 lens and the 37 Desoto? but i think the trim that holds the glass is different? I got one from Andy Bernbaum at www.oldmoparts.com ,he has a lot of stuff.I love the sea .my family chain are in the fishing industry. Its a great life.Must go , call again if you need some info.Cheers ,Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CutterCoasty Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Brian,By using the original engine and tranny, I meant I will be fixing them and reusing them in the car. I do not want to turn this into a "hot rod", since it seems everyone I have seen is a fake car. My car will use as much of the original equipment as possible. The cars I see rolling around town are either fiberglass or totally customized that the only original part is maybe the body. I will update the wiring, battery system, brakes, and interior. I am going to find a way to input these pictures. Give you an idea of what I have to work with.April Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c18-38 Posted March 16, 2005 Author Share Posted March 16, 2005 Hi April, I know what you mean about hot rods.Stick with your plans to keep it original. send the pics to my e-mail , brian.sera@xtra.co.nz then i can send some of mine to you <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />I'm looking forward to seeing them. Do you go to swap meets? They are a great way to meet and make contacts with people with the same cars. Keep an eye out for that brake light glass. I have a book called Special Interest Autos ,from June 1987#99 that has a story on a 37 convertible ,it has a shelf in the trunk as well.Have you had a look for the 37 royal restorers club in the yahoo sites,if you can't find it, let me know and i will see if i can find it again . Bye for now ,Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now