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When we saw this 1933 Chrysler Imperial and the chrome-clad Chrysler Firepower wedged under the hood, we had to talk to the owner and find out more about this awesome ride. The orange and black paint caught our eyes from across the show, and the shining engine compartment drew us in even closer. There are a few surprises lurking under the hood of this Mopar hotrod.
To get the engine to fit, Les had to cut the firewall and move it back two-inches.
“My dream was to build it all Mopar,” the owner, Les Williams of Hansville, Washington, told us. “It took the better part of ten years to collect all the parts.” Les succeeded in making his Imperial all Mopar and it is powered by a 392 cubic-inch Hemi engine with a Dodge 518 automatic transmission and a Dana-60 rearend.
This is true Chrysler firepower, and the engine actually came out of a 1957 Imperial.
Les rescued this coupe back in the ‘80s from a fate worse than the crusher at a wrecking yard in Texas. “I was thinking I would restore it original, but the back part of the coupe was totally gone,” Les explained. “It had been turned into a yard tug.” The wrecking yard had cut off the back half of the coupe and installed a steel A-frame for pulling engines.
We can't get over the looks and style of this car. It's so well built that it's hard to even compare it to anything else.
Obviously, a lot of work has gone into restoring this car after the tough life that it lead at that wrecking yard. Les didn’t cut any corners in building his car to make sure that it would be a good, fun cruiser by the time all was said and done. “It was meant to be a cruiser,” Les said.
The Chrysler Firepower under the hood wasn’t left naturally aspirated and features an impressive Procharger setup with a crank-driven gearbox that steps up the engine RPM 1.5-times before it goes into the charger and is stepped up another 4-times. The air is then blown through a modified 750cfm Holley 4150 carburetor. “Like I said,” Les continued. “It’s a cruiser.”
In the interest of reliability, Les also opted to convert pretty much everything to electric power over fluid power. The water pump, fan, power brakes, and even power steering are all electrically operated. He also upgraded the ride with a Kugel Komponents independent front suspension system and coil overs in the back.
The reverse-mount for the air conditioner compressor was a good trick to get it to fit.
The interior has not been left out and now has custom bucket seats, a full complement of classic instruments gauges in the original Chrysler insert, and air conditioner for cruising comfort. The Hurst shifter, modern steering wheel, and custom center console are also great custom touches that work really well with the rest of the build.
We absolutely love Les’ all Mopar build and would love to see more like it. That being said, we don’t discriminate, so we’d like to see your ride no matter what make or model you have. Just shoot us an email with a few pictures and a description of your ride. It may be our next Street Feature.
The classically styled American Racing wheels also add a great look to the build.
