Opinions: 1955 New Yorker Deluxe St Regis

[DeltaV]

Seeking your opinions on this car. Anything to be particularly wary of for 1955 models? Not much scares me, but I would be annoyed if I found a ton of Bondo in this car.

The father of a coworker is going to sell this car. A prior owner died before finishing the restoration and the son who inherited it sold it to my coworker's father.

(1) All of the chrome (installed or not) is fresh and guaranteed for life I'm told. Yeah, right.
(2) There is a new dash pad in the car, but not installed.
(3) The engine was restored/rebuilt and runs.
(4) My coworker doesn't know if it drives...can move under its own power.
(5) The car is NOT normally sitting outside in the elements.
__________________________________
I'll admit up front that I really like the styling, but I'll also admit I know nothing about cars of this vintage. It's one year older than me!

The quarter panels look odd to me in a few places...waves or curvature is off?

I thought the St Regis came with "fancier" seats? The interior isn't a turn off for me, but I was expecting "something" different like leather? My only points of comparison being my parent's '56 Pontiac Chieftain and a neighbor's DeSoto.

Note: It is a 1,000 mile one-way trip for me to examine this car.

Thank you for your comments.

 

[DeltaV]

Another available car is this sedan; and I like it too.

 

[CBODY67]

The second car is an Imperial.

1955 should still be a 6V electrical system, as I recall. Might find some "What to look for" information on the Chrysler 300 Club website? Otherwise, walking around the car, tapping on the sheet metal with a finger knuckle, can indicate where body filler might be. Just as walking beside the car with a colored acrylic clipboard (90 degree angle to the car body) will show up body contour irregularities.

Seat covers in the first car are aftermarket slip-on items. Possibly from an auto supply store back then. No telling what's under them, so plan on getting that fixed/rebuilt.

Otherwise, plan on a brake system repair situation. From the age and idle situation AND I believe they are unique to those model years, if that matters. Same with the power steering system.

Need some whitewalls, even if they are the 1965-spec "thin" ones.

Either car, when done, will be neat cars to have and enjoy. The main thing is getting them into that condition.

Enjoy!
CBODY67

 

[413]

Isn’t that a GM booster and master in the car?
drivers Quarter has shadows, likely bondo.
from the looks of it it needs a lot of work, better be low priced.

yes 6 volt and 2 speed trans, no 8.75 rear axle, coil springs in front. Seat covers are aftermarket cheapies.

 

[cbarge]

The St.Regis option gave you more chrome trim and matching two tone paint and interior. 11,076 St. Regis were sold compared to the New Yorker Deluxe hardtop (one solid color and a plainer interior) 5,777 units sold.
Leather interior was reserved for the 300 letter series.
The Imperial sedan for 1955 became its own marque. Only 7840 sedans were built.
They were an expensive car and leather was optional in various combinations.
It has a longer wheelbase 130 inches compared to the Chrysler's 126 inches.
Both cars came with the same 331 Hemi and 2 speed Powerflite trans.
The only drawbacks that I can mention is both cars have one year only trim parts,and some parts are trim model specific making the search that much more challenging when they are missing.
The Chrysler looks it needs interior work and that is one of the most expensive things on a car of this vintage.
Good thing is the rest of the dirty work has been done. Obviously the mechanicals will have to be inspected and gone through to ensure it will run and drive safely.
Some parts are available since there is support for the 300 letter series.
The Imp looks it needs paint..that will not be cheap and try finding a shop willing to take on a behemoth that is almost 19 feet long csn be another challenge.
Hope this helps

 

[69PHOENIX]

O.K.
A Suggestion!
Over here in the Mystical Land of OZ, We have Something We Call the Sock Test.
Whenever We Suspect Rust May be in a Vehicle, We Load a Smallish Magnet
Into a Sock and Drag it Over the Surface of the Suspect Area.
The Sock Protects the Paint From Being Scratched But Obviously the Magnet Doesn't Stick to the Areas
That Have Filler.
A Simple Test That Works!
Regards, Tony.M

 

[Pete Kaczmarski]

I did not see a price mentioned on the first one, here is one to compare it to......1955 Chrysler New Yorker

 

[DeltaV]

I did not see a price mentioned on the first one, here is one to compare it to......1955 Chrysler New Yorker

My coworker told me firm $8,000 rock bottom price for the New Yorker. Also, he said $8k for the Imperial. Both cars have running engines.

The Facebook one you posted looks nicer and is $10,500.

For posterity:

 

[Justin Plant]

the left quarter looks FULL of plastic

 

[DeltaV]

I'm walking away from the NY'er. I might ask for some more pics of the Imperial.

Imperials are only 19 feet long?

 

[Eightstackhemi]

I'm walking away from the NY'er. I might ask for some more pics of the Imperial.

Imperials are only 19 feet long?

I owned a 56 New Yorker (not a st regis) 4 door back in the 70's & 80's & i loved that car. They are fabulous cruisers. Sold it to a long distance new car hauler in 1989. Still miss it dearly!
If i ever would have gotten another New Yorker, it certainly would have been the St. REGIS, for sure! Beautiful cars!!!!!
My point to all this verbage is that i'd PASS on both these two cars, for what he's asking for each one. CrazY expensive for what's there! Frankly, you can be sure there are others out there in much better condition, owned by realistic owners, with much better pricing. The wait is your better alternative! Just my opinion. Bests to you!!!

 

[1970FuryConv]

the left quarter looks FULL of plastic

Ditto

 

[1970FuryConv]

I'm walking away from the NY'er. I might ask for some more pics of the Imperial.

Imperials are only 19 feet long?

Hi Wayne,
Personally, I like the style of the New Yorker grill. The coupe may yield better ROI. I saw a 1955 NY coupe on ebay for $28000. I had to clear screen so I wouldn't think about it. Very good looking car. Too bad they're 1000 miles away, but that may keep you from buying something you don't really want. Ben

 

[DeltaV]

Hi Wayne,
Personally, I like the style of the New Yorker grill. The coupe may yield better ROI. I saw a 1955 NY coupe on ebay for $28000. I had to clear screen so I wouldn't think about it. Very good looking car. Too bad they're 1000 miles away, but that may keep you from buying something you don't really want. Ben

Hey Ben,

Good to hear from you! I was instantly addicted after seeing the '55 NY styling. Also, it's probably one of two, two-tone cars I find acceptable/pleasing to the eye. The other being the Magnum GT I saw at Lawrence Dodge (W. Broad Street) in the blue & grey color scheme used by the Virginia State Police. Speaking of being addicted, the fuselage 2 & 4 door models are sheer perfection to me.

I'm walking away from the NY and the Imperial. The owner isn't inclined to send more pictures of the Imperial and I am wary of the unknowns with the NY.

There are several '70-'72 Fury I cars from back in the day I'm trying to locate in the greater Richmond Metropolitan Area. I have only a tenuous lead on one of them at this time. The second one is going to take a lot more digging as the relatives may have moved away from Richmond. Some people just vanish into thin air without a trace. The third one I will most likely never find...too many people have passed away and my last contact for it will probably not remember (health reasons).

You've heard of Murphy's Law right? I figure one of the above Fury I cars in Richmond will show up if I were to bring the NY or Imperial home to me.

Wayne

 

[1970FuryConv]

Hey Ben,

Good to hear from you! I was instantly addicted after seeing the '55 NY styling. Also, it's probably one of two, two-tone cars I find acceptable/pleasing to the eye. The other being the Magnum GT I saw at Lawrence Dodge (W. Broad Street) in the blue & grey color scheme used by the Virginia State Police. Speaking of being addicted, the fuselage 2 & 4 door models are sheer perfection to me.

I'm walking away from the NY and the Imperial. The owner isn't inclined to send more pictures of the Imperial and I am wary of the unknowns with the NY.

There are several '70-'72 Fury I cars from back in the day I'm trying to locate in the greater Richmond Metropolitan Area. I have only a tenuous lead on one of them at this time. The second one is going to take a lot more digging as the relatives may have moved away from Richmond. Some people just vanish into thin air without a trace. The third one I will most likely never find...too many people have passed away and my last contact for it will probably not remember (health reasons).

You've heard of Murphy's Law right? I figure one of the above Fury I cars in Richmond will show up if I were to bring the NY or Imperial home to me.

Wayne

Hi Wayne,
Good luck with finding the Fury cars! I have 3 of them: 1970, 1971, 1972. I get the addiction.

It's always a good idea to walk away from something that's spur of the moment and walk toward something you really want.

Also, as I've gotten older, I've found that my mind thinks I'm capable of doing what I could do when I was 30, but since my body is double that, I often fall short of my expectations. Better to put what you've got into something that you really care about. Cheers! Ben

 

[DeltaV]

There are several '70-'72 Fury I cars from back in the day I'm trying to locate in the greater Richmond Metropolitan Area. I have only a tenuous lead on one of them at this time.

It's gone. It was left to the elements and was removed from its resting place when the property owner passed away within the past two years.

The second one is going to take a lot more digging as the relatives may have moved away from Richmond.

I haven't located the owner who is around my age. This Fury I was modified with a 6 barrel setup. An old neighbor of mine knew the guy, but my neighbor has vanished into thin air without a trace. Still digging with limited success.

The third one I will most likely never find...too many people have passed away and my last contact for it will probably not remember (health reasons).

I found him, but did not contact him. Life has not been kind to some people.

***
There is a 4th Fury I and my memory recalled it while searching for the Fury mentioned above equipped with the 6 barrel. The owner of the 4th Fury moved to Manhattan, N.Y. a long time ago. The Fury is probably long gone though. Life has treated him quite well though. This is the only bright spot in all of my searches.