1972 Y2 New Yorker Survivor

[rexus31]

I had a chance to check out your Duster build. Very nice! The experience you had with the first body shop was very unfortunate. I'm hoping he gets what's coming to him; armed robbery is a Felony in CA.

 

[Ripinator]

View attachment 90323 View attachment 90324 View attachment 90325 View attachment 90326 Greetings C body fans. I thought that I would introduce myself and our family's New Yorker. My father was a Mopar man since his first car. My older brother and I caught the Mopar bug early on. I am restoring my first car, a 1970 Duster 340:
Finally getting to it!!! 1970 Duster 340
and my brother has a 1967 Barracuda notch waiting in the wings for a restoration.

My father purchased this 1972 New Yorker in 1973. The car has been in our family and garaged since that time. Dad passed away in 1983. Early on, my mother would take the car out for occasional drives but as time passed it sat in her garage without going out on the road. My mother has kept the car as a reminder of dad.

I have a break in the action as the Duster is currently in the body shop having work done. I decided to get the Chrysler road worthy and spruce up the old girl. I did have the carburetor restored by Scott Smith at Harm's about 5 years ago. His work is excellent and I can't say enough about his detail of restoration. Fluids were replaced and vital components checked.

Last weekend, I purchased a new battery and fired up the old girl. The 440 started without any problems. No lifter noises and only a little smoke until the engine warmed up. My dad ran Mobil 1 in the engine from the first time he changed oil. The alternator has a bearing issue and wasn't charging so it is off to be repaired.

I intend to keep the car as a survivor. She is wearing her original paint complete wit few stone chips and dings. I washed and buffed the paint and I'm surprised how good she looks. I would like to touch up the chips and blend them in with the rest of the paint. The rear quarters are in need of work. I will remove the rusted metal and weld in some new steel.

The front suspension has a lot of slop in it. I will have the alignment and components check. The steering box might need some adjustment. The cloth interior is perfect but the upholstery needs a good cleaning. This a bare bones New Yorker without many options. Not much monetary value but priceless in sentimental value.

Welcome to FCBO. I really like the color of your car. Very classy.

 

[fjrdoc]

The color combo is certainly out of the 70s. I'll need to take some interior pics later.
I hope that i get some compensation from the first body shop disaster. It has been a very expensive lesson.

 

[fjrdoc]

I got some work done on the Chrysler this weekend. The local electric shop finished the alternator so I installed it today. I asked them to clean the alternator to try and keep it as original looking as possible. They did a great job and only charged me $88! The charging system is now functioning as it should.
I also started to clean up dirt and oil inside the engine compartment. It's getting there but there are lots of nooks and crannies that need attention.
The car is running great.....purrs like a kitten. Front suspension components are tight and seem to be in spec. Steering is loose. The pot coupler has a torn seal and I have components to rebuild it. I did the coupler on my Duster so it shouldn't be any different. I also want to remove the rag joint and inspect it for wear. I started to try and remove it but got frustrated and hot. Since I don't have a FSM, I think I'll post a question on disassembly in the Suspension forum.
Since I'm going to be updating this thread from time to time, I should probably ask the moderators to move it over to the Restoration forum.

 

[fjrdoc]

Replaced the voltage regulator today and finished tuning up the 440. Get the engine timing set and the carb dialed in. The old girl purrs like a kitten at idle. I also replaced the ugly aftermarket windshield washer reservoir with a factory unit.
This week will have the upholstery steam cleaned and I'm going to order new carpeting from Dante's.

 

[65sporty]

Nice, post some pic's after the carpet and steaming

 

[fjrdoc]

Will do.

 

[detmatt]

Looks great! You should get yourself a factory service manual for the car if you plan to keep it though. They really come in handy.

 

[glennb49]

Heres my 72 Town and Country, we use it to pull our camper, Has one year only vinyl top. Great that yours is original to your family!

 

[glennb49]

Here are some better shots, Wife Kathy hand painted wood grain in base coat and I cleared it. that was about 13 years ago! still looks great.

 

[bulldogchesty]

Welcome and awesome "C".

 

[polara71]

Here are some better shots, Wife Kathy hand painted wood grain in base coat and I cleared it. that was about 13 years ago! still looks great.

I love this car.....

 

[fjrdoc]

Man that wagon is looooong! I don't think that I remember seeing a NY wagon with wood grain. She's a beauty. Thanks for sharing.

 

[fjrdoc]

I had a productive day working on the Chrysler. The original carpeting was faded and worn. I purchased a new front and rear set from Dante's. Started working on the car early this am and finally have everything finished except for bolting the front seat in.
The color was a very close match to parts of the original that hadn't faded. The heel pad color is lighter than the original but it is sewn in place unlike the factory carpet. The rear carpet didn't fit as well as the front but it looks better than what I took out. This carpet set was made by Trim Parts. Front and rear carpeting cost me just under $200.
The floor pans were in beautiful condition. Not a speck of rust! I found 3 build sheets during disassembly. One on the passenger floor, one on the rear seat back and one on the rear seat bottom.

 

[fjrdoc]

A couple extra pics.

 

[Zymurgy]

Nice work, those floor pans look perfect.

 

[fjrdoc]

Finished installing the carpet today. I did work on the front seat bottom while the seat was out of the car. Over time, the foam padding that was sewn into the seat cover had shifted and bunched up. I peeled back the cover and exposed the pockets where the foam padding had been inserted. I opened up the pockets and saw that the double sided tape had disintegrated over the last 44 years.
I vacuumed out the remnants of the crumbling tape and used spray adhesive to secure it to the muslin material. The seat cover was stretched back over the foam and hog ringed in place. I'm happy with how things turned out. The interior looks much better with new carpet.

 

[fjrdoc]

Worked on the New Yorker this weekend. I purchased a used AM/FM radio to replace the AM unit it originally came with. Unfortunately, I was not able to get reception/ sound out of the unit when I tested it before installation. It has a DIN plug for integration with a cassette player. I don't have a cassette so I'm wondering if that is throwing a monkey wrench into the mix. I'm planning on taking the radio to a local repair place in the Lancaster area to have it checked out.
I replaced the worn front shocks with some new KYB units today. Once I bought some heavy duty zip ties, I was able to get them installed without a hitch. The new shocks made a dramatic difference in the New Yorker's road manners. It certainly will never be an auto crosser but , I'm very happy with the amount of improvement.The power steering pump is leaking from the front seal. I considered rebuilding the original pump but most of the time the shaft is grooved and will continue to leak even with a new seal. I decided to purchase a rebuilt unit from Auto Zone and intend to replace the reservoir with the original to maintain the survivor appearance. I hope to get the pump replaced next weekend.

 

[polara71]

I hope to see this car at some local events next year

 

[commando1]

Once I bought some heavy duty zip ties, I was able to get them installed without a hitch.

You've done this before. Lol