1978 New Yorker Salon

The 3/4 inch whites are on my car. the 1 5/8 in (1.6 cm) were the factory offering.

Brochure pic of the 78 NY Brougham has the whitewalls on my car:

Front.jpg


This source - New Yorker Online - for an at-the-time 17,000 mile original (except for tires) has authoritative references about the car .. but I am not an expert and do not represent this to be the "truth" of things. just something i found on the internet.

It it consistent with my understanding tho -- every one I ever saw 40 years ago had the wide-whites from the factory. It also says there were no promotional materials for the Salon package officially from Chrysler .. I have looked and found nothing as well.

Interior From Passenger Side.jpg
Passenger Side Bed.jpg
RT Front.jpg

Enginee right side.jpg


This is my '78 NYB with the rare Salon package, which is listed but not shown in the brochures. In fact, I've never seen an official Chrysler picture of a car with the package, but since mine is a 17,000-mile original, I know this car is essentially reference material.

Enginee right side.jpg


The Salon package was optional only in 1978, and only on 4-door hardtops. For $630.60, it consisted of:
  • Exclusive "Silver Crystal Coat" paint (code RA3, with no swatch included in the color and trim guide even though the package is listed). This was Chrysler's first clearcoat paint ever, and it was hand-buffed at the factory, according to a code on the build sheet.
  • Red tape stripes (in the new-for-1978 placement along the lower bodysides).
  • Silver "Elk-grain" (smooth-grain) padded vinyl roof with formal backlight (reduced-size rear window like the '74-5 Imperials had, but as '78s were the only ones without the "halo" roof, it's a unique-to-the-Salon style and texture).
  • Exclusive "aluminum-fascia road wheels" (the finned cast-aluminum face bolts onto a unique, 7" wide steel wheel and is finished with a Salon-specific center dome and cap, plus flat trim rings with a reflective white stripe (even though the brochure says the stripes were to be red).
  • Padded leather-wrapped steering wheel with tilt/telescope feature (also exclusive to the Salon).
  • Red or Dove Grey "Verdi" velour or optional (for another $273.60) Corinthian leather upholstery.
  • There are no "Salon" badges anywhere (perhaps because there's no place left to put any more model name badges on an NYB). Only the styling cues and color reveal its identity.
In addition, four other options were required with the Package: Trunk dress-up, fender skirts (optional on NYBs for 1978!), electrically heated rear window, and JR78-15 wider-whitewall tires. With all of these options plus the leather, the Salon package added $1,130.25 to the $7,715 base MSRP of a 1978 NYB 4-door. That's 15% of the base price!

My car is 99% cosmetically original. I have only replaced the original tires (using the correct Firestone 721 in the modern-day equivalent of the original size, with the correct 1-5/8" whitewall) and reproduced the reflective white stripes for the wheel trim rings (in the exact same three sections per wheel). Its first coat of wax ever was applied by my hands in 1999.

My car has the 400-4bbl with ELB, Sure Grip differential, AM/FM/8-track, air conditioning, and literally every other available option except, thankfully, the problematic ones: Auto Temp, the sunroof, heavy-duty suspension automatic height control. Its total original MSRP was $10,946.80 including destination.

My photos also show a few of the new-for-1978 features that all NYBs received for the final year of the big Chrysler (and the last year any automaker offered a 4-door hardtop): Body-color tape appliques were added to the outside mirrors (with a Chrysler script on the driver's side) and door handles. The tape stripes moved to follow the lower body crease.

The grille was a new, segmented design. The taillamps received a chrome vertical center rib. The vinyl roof came all the way to the drip rails (versus the prior "halo" treatment).

The headliner was now molded fabric. And intermittent wipers were added (as standard equipment). Contrary to the brochures, the lock-up torque converter for the transmission never reached production for the C-bodies.​
 
300rag said:
Now you need to paste this into your archived thread "where is this picture taken". Probably not enough info in the pic though.
Click to expand...

actually i do know where this house is. grosse point michigan, on lake shore drive.

that thread was fun tho it sorta ran its course. the obvious places were ez ..the harder ones were just too obscure or even torn down long ago it made the pic unsolvable.

ended up only the diehards .. the same 5-6 people trying to solve ... wanted in on the action. :)

the newer cars ...this century's models anyway .. still could make a decent game so maybe that thread could still have legs.
 
amazinblue82 said:
4 P235 75R 15 INCH WHITE WALL TIRES (1" 1/2 WW BAND) THICK FAT WIDE GANGSTER NEW | eBay

Is this the tire spec i need for the Salon? "1 1/2" or "1 1/4" width from factory?

View attachment 316299


Btw, i hate the description "gangster white walls" for these tires above. they aint "gangsta whites" at all.

At least as I knew them growing up in the 70's when William DeVaughn was "diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin' the scene with a gangsta lean" in the hood below :). Those were gangster whites .. copied right from the 30's-50's

View attachment 316300

Big difference than the Salon
This mine. 12.800 original miles. Wheels and tires also. Because there 41 years old i took them off and changed the wheels and tires. I love the new look and so far so dose everyone else.
View attachment 316301
Click to expand...
9DDCE5B6-E240-40C1-92B7-44DB3E56E6D9.jpeg
9707AE96-09E9-42AD-9300-CF616B4F8139.jpeg
016B591D-AD46-4EA6-9326-C235F355B89A.jpeg
 
A little wider than I like, but they look good. The size of the car helps - it allows it to wear that size whitewall and still look well proportioned. I think they give the look a little more 'substance', in fact. Skinnier whitewall I still think would look better, but that's probably a personal preference.
 
U84 is the code for the 1.6" (1 5/8th) wider white wall that was a mandatory part of the salon package and was the only tire available on the aluminum fascia basket road wheel.
( this is a black painted road wheel that is covered by the finned aluminum basket).
the wider white wall was optional on all 78 c bodies
 
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Both my 78 NYB and Newport have the lockup torque convertor's. They were suppose to be available on all 78's but production for the lockup started late for some reason so I don't think any were installed until January 1978. My NYB was February and my Newport was produced in May. There are 2 ways to ID the lockup. The txsm input shaft end is knurled on the end of the shaft and the valve body is different and has a tube that isn't on the standard valve body. Both of my 78's are 400's.
 
amazinblue82 said:
She's home

SOLD - 1978 New Yorker Salon

Leaving Canada August 21

View attachment 313741 View attachment 313742

Arrival today (btw, this was a nice truck:))

View attachment 313745 View attachment 313744 View attachment 313746

Couple things ..

1. it really looks better in person than in photos (if you follow me .. looks like its got 10 coats of paint on it to the naked eye -- it doesnt, but for an older paint job it looks almost new)​
​
2. its one of the fastest C-bodies (including the cop cars) I have ever driven. a "luxo barge" with sportscar giddy-up. Six-speed automatic, in essence due to the GV set up, with the dialed-up 440 R/B's torque efficiently getting to the rear wheels with less RPM falloff.​
​
My plans? 1 inch white-walls. Keep the GV? for a while -- damn thing is just so much frickin' fun i gotta figure out (keeping shiny side up) its limits.

It isnt suspended or treaded for what it can obviously do -- so some of its limits are readily apparent (took a curve a little fast and she wallowed around a bit, steering was a bit loose, etc) unless I change that -- no plans to do so tho.

btw -- Kip sent me pics of the sunroof job .. i will post over this weekend sometime. That was really well done as @marko pointed out in the closed thread.

Kip did a good job with this car .. i thank (thanked) him for letting me caretake her for a while.
Click to expand...
Sorry Ray et Al, I woke up today and though, wonder what's happening with the old cars so I logged in. Glad you are enjoying the car.
 
Kip Gardiner said:
Sorry Ray et Al, I woke up today and though, wonder what's happening with the old cars so I logged in. Glad you are enjoying the car.
Click to expand...
Kip .. first, hope you're well man.

"Our" car is doin' fine. She's purdy, she's fast. and runs like a top ...all's good.

No ibig ssues of any kind, but dii d replace alternator belt - it started squealing even though it looked pristine - but that's it.

You did a fantastic job with everything you did with it boss -- proud to be taking care of it for while.

:thumbsup:
 
All original car 78 New Yorker with # matching built 440 With Holley Snipper EFI

52B99BBC-6DA5-4880-8206-E5F787A1332C.jpeg


F25A1C66-A672-4008-BA18-D1A4A7F6E839.jpeg


6A11C2BB-D84F-4B6F-8569-16386774222D.jpeg
 
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