Hard decisions will pay off! '68 will be for sale

Isaiah Estrada

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Location
Santa Maria, CA
I know what you're all thinking. It has been a very hard decision for me as well! I've been praying on this and going over options for a good future and a good start to my upcoming marriage. I know in the end, this will be the best decision I could make now at this time in my life. There's always going to be a spot in my garage for another '68 down the line. When the time comes, it will be perfect. I have done ALL of the hard work to this New Yorker, it will be ready to go anywhere. My hope is that I will be able to get a good amount for the '68 to help pay for some of this wedding, and add some $$$ to our savings.

Don't mind any sentences that might sound weird, I wrote this from the perspective this car will have when it's finished (very soon.)

For those who may be wondering the extent of the work done to my New Yorker, here goes nada...

To start out, there have been many SAFETY upgrades done to the car. Some of these upgrades include: Factory C-Body disc brake conversion (from a 72), Correct C-Body disc brake booster rebuild, Upgraded headlight relays / harness for LED or Halogen lights, Ammeter bypass, Steering gearbox rebuild, Steering pump rebuild, 26" aluminum radiator w/ heavy duty clutch fan, Hi Flow thermostat - and the list goes on and on...

THE DRIVETRAIN / SUSPENSION
440 is the ORIGINAL motor for the car. I had it completely torn apart rebuilt back to stock spec, save for the .030 over pistons. It has the stock 4BBL intake with a modest Edelbrock AVS II 650 CFM carb. Great for street cruising. Distributor is a rebuilt unit from Halifax Shops in PA, it is a stock spec points setup with new points, rotor, condenser. Entire motor has been detailed in blue metallic paint, brackets were stripped and painted in a beautiful semi-gloss black. It has a new PowerMaster alternator, and the original Thompson TRW steering pump was rebuilt.

The Torqueflite 727 trans is from a 1967 B or C body, as this car had no trans when I got it. It has been entirely rebuilt from the inside out, and has a Transgo TF2 kit inside. It is full of ATF+4.

The brakes are all completely rebuilt. Up front, I have installed the disc brakes off of a 1969-1972 C-Body. This upgrade is one of the best safety features of the entire car. Parts for this upgrade are highly sought after in the C-Body community. The correct disc brake booster is also unobtanium, but not to worry - as it has been completely rebuilt also. All 4 corners of the car have new hardware, bearings and seals. Out back it has drums and the drums are brand new, as well as the shoes and hardware as mentioned before. The entire system is connected by all new brake lines front to back.

A quick look under the car and you will see everything has been detailed and painted flat black and topped off with protective undercoating underneath. The whole K Frame and frame rails have been painted and detailed and present themselves very nicely. Up front, everything was disassembled and rebuilt with all new bushings, ball joints and other miscellaneous rubber items. Steering is solid, and has a new steering box from Steer & Gear in Ohio.

The New Yorker has a new reproduction gas tank, with a new sending unit and new filler neck grommet / seal. No rust in this tank to worry about.


THE INTERIOR
Inside the car was a nightmare to begin with, so I installed a completely new interior. Because I didn't originally plan to sell this car, I used mostly parts from a 1968 Chrysler 300 to put the interior together. I welded in new floor panels where needed, painted interior metal with flat black rust inhibiting paint and covered the floors with Kilmat insulation. The carpet is brand new. Seats are freshly re-upholstered. Door panels are from a 67 Chrysler 300 but I do have the original '68 panels that need to be re-done that I will throw in with the deal.

The dashboard is completely functional. Every switch and light works. Dash pad has no cracks. I had the speedometer cluster restored by Shannon Hudson at Redline Gauge. The instrument cluster was completely overhauled by Redline Gauge, with some added coolness to it. I bypassed the ammeter (big safety upgrade for this era Chrysler product.) Bypassing the ammeter gauge renders it useless, so most people add an aftermarket unit somewhere else. I had this particular unit converted to a voltmeter, as I wanted the gauges in the cluster to be completely functional still! Speedometer was calibrated, the clock was converted to quartz movement and accurately tells time. The radio is a very rare 8-Track unit. It does not work, but lights up. I planned to install / hide an aftermarket stereo under the dash or the seat to retain the correct look. Front bucket seats are from a 1966 Chrysler 300. Driver's side is electric and works in all directions. All power windows have been serviced and I installed new Dorman motors.

The car has all new cat whiskers / window felts from TopCat. It has all new weather stripping and seals. This car is ready to go and take you anywhere! The heater box was rebuilt and has a new heater core and the evaporator which I had cleaned up and pressure tested. The car was originally an AC car but I removed the compressor and plugged the AC inlets. The provisions are there for you to do an AC conversion later should you ever want to spend the $$$ to do so. I will throw in the original 4 groove pulley and all brackets with the deal to make it easier on you.

The trunk is brand new and solid as a rock.

The EXTERIOR

The exterior pretty much looks the same as it was when I found it. The body is very straight with VERY minor imperfections. I wet sanded, buffed and polished the original PP1 paint / patina and sprayed a matte clear over it to preserve this rare and original factory paint. I figured, if someone wants to re-paint then that is up to them. The roof has been painted a custom silver with a beautiful metal flake. The car looks absolutely gorgeous in the sunlight.


All the chrome / stainless is original and has been painstakingly polished to it’s fullest potential. You won't find a more solid 1968 Chrysler out there. Although it wears its original patina paint on the outside, it is a brand new car ready to go! All the hard work is done for you. It is ready for you to add your own final touches or leave it as is and enjoy it for many many years of trouble free cruising.

I have a lot of blood, sweat and tears invested into this car that has been my entire life / passion for the past 2 years - but I have more important things in life to tend to and I would like for someone else to enjoy the car the way it was intended to be! Thanks for checking it out!
 
And you are thinking of asking how much...?






.

It is up in the air at the moment. Hard to tell
with this market. As stated, exterior wise it will
look absolutely beautiful with the preserved factory paint / patina. Inside will be all new, detailed engine compartment, frame, undercarriage etc etc. For essentially a brand new car, I would probably ask around $25k. But my price may be way off. All of the hard work is done on this car, and done the right way
 
I still need to finish putting it all together. But it will be a really nice car for someone wanting a reliable classic.
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Never thought I would ever do this myself. Alas, I won’t be without a classic!

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I need to make space for this as well. This is truly my dream car. I am hoping the 68 can make someone else as happy as it’s made me being able to do the work to it. I wouldn’t be leaving the site either! There’s still so much knowledge here for the ‘62s. I’m just making some changes and funding a better future for my fiancée and I:)
 
Well congratulations, and it sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders and your priorities straight
Steel, plastic, rubber and glass are exactly that, steel plastic rubber and glass
Besides, between you and me, I always liked the 62 better, I even like them better than my imperial
The 2 of you will look good cruising the boulevard in that
I hope you know You're going to have to post lots of pictures
 
Well congratulations, and it sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders and your priorities straight
Steel, plastic, rubber and glass are exactly that, steel plastic rubber and glass
Besides, between you and me, I always liked the 62 better, I even like them better than my imperial
The 2 of you will look good cruising the boulevard in that
I hope you know You're going to have to post lots of pictures

Thank you! Not sure if you ever heard the story, but when I went to go look at the 68, the same guy ALSO had a '62 Chrysler for sale. It wasn't a nice one really, kinda the same condition as my 68. My friend who took me tried to convince me to get the 62. But with the busted out grill, and broken headlight glass - I couldn't see the vision of how NICE these cars are. So I was stubborn and went with the 68 instead. It wasn't long before I began to regret my decision, but by the time I wanted to get the 62 - someone snatched it up! So I guess it's kinda full circle! In the end I'll have the one I really wanted :)
 
Congrats on the marriage!! Pretty bride!

Good luck with your sale. Sorry you have to do it after all that hard work.
 
Congrats on the marriage!! Pretty bride!

Good luck with your sale. Sorry you have to do it after all that hard work.

Thanks for the kind words! It definitely stings a little, but makes me feel real good to know that someone will have a REAL nice car to cruise all around in! Plus, it's motivation for me to make this 300 TOP the cool factor of the New Yorker. If I play my cards right, I'm hoping to have extra cash and pull the 413 and do a refresh with new main seals, install new valve seals, piston rings and hone the cylinders. The motor has 80k miles so it's relatively healthy, but does have a smoking problem. Then I'd paint it the correct factory color and search for some nice period correct dress up items as I did for the 440. I know finned aluminum valve covers exist for 413's but they're hard to find. Will make it all the more worth it when I'm able to bring everything together :)
 
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Good luck with the sale of the '68 New Yorker. Thanks for having us along for the restoration. I enjoyed watching the progress and passing on some (hopefully) helpful information. Best of luck on your future project and your marriage.
 
Good luck with the sale of the '68 New Yorker. Thanks for having us along for the restoration. I enjoyed watching the progress and passing on some (hopefully) helpful information. Best of luck on your future project and your marriage.

Many thanks! Her saga here isn't finished quite yet. Still need to put everything back together. I also will be sticking around here still with the new project and picking everyone's brains:)
 
(Add some 906 heads to the 413 and you can get "available" aluminum valve covers.)
 
Do not put open chamber heads on that 62 engine. Kill the compression and those small exhaust valves serve a purpose.

The stock valve covers are pretty!
(Add some 906 heads to the 413 and you can get "available" aluminum valve covers.)
 
Bummed to hear the '68 is going to leave your company, but if you're getting your dream car, that's not something I'm going to dissuade you from. I look forward to the completion of the New Yorker, and the build of the 300. Congratulations on the car, and finding a gal who tells you that you need a car!
 
Bummed to hear the '68 is going to leave your company, but if you're getting your dream car, that's not something I'm going to dissuade you from. I look forward to the completion of the New Yorker, and the build of the 300. Congratulations on the car, and finding a gal who tells you that you need a car!

Thanks pal! It's bittersweet, but the good far outweighs the bad. Next time, I'll find a more solid '68 to start with and REALLY go off with my vision. Also too, since I know how these cars are optioned now... a floor shift one would be real cool. Floor shift 2DHT Newport or New Yorker with all the fixins. I plan on keeping some of my better parts that I have leftover for that exact project I'll get in the future. When it'll be, I don't know - but the 300 will be sure to get lots of love and I will be sharing all of it's progress and updates here! Seems like the most suitable place to stay especially since we have a Forward Look section :) I ain't going anywhere hehehe
 
Do not put open chamber heads on that 62 engine. Kill the compression and those small exhaust valves serve a purpose.

The stock valve covers are pretty!
When I put 906s on my '67 Newport 383 4bbl, my main concern was being able to drive it on readily-available super unleaded fuels. No more, no less. And with 38 degrees total (centrifugal + base) advance, it has a slight trace rattle at WOT in passing gear. Runs good for what it is.

I somewhat doubt that the casual observer would notice the extra hold-down bolts on the 906 valve covers, fwiw.

From my experiences,
CBODY67
 
Building a car that eventually ends up for sale to fund the next upgrade is not uncommon but you should be the one to break this one in. Finish putting it together and put some miles on it before you put a price on it.
 
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