1963 Chrysler New Yorker 4 door hardtop

[aaron72]

A bit of a catch up post to track progress on my time with this car. Picked up the car the day before Thanksgiving in 2024.

The story I got from the seller is that it was his Aunt and Uncles car bought originally in Oakland, California and was a California car it's entire life, and still is. Was parked in a warehouse in 2015 when they were no longer able to drive and was brought out in 2024 when the family decided to sell.

The paint color is Alabaster and my goal was really just to make it into a driver to have fun with the family and go to some car meets and shows.

 

[aaron72]

Initial work done after I picked it up was to just take care of a lot of the preventative basics:

Plugs and wires
Cap, rotor, points and condenser
Ignition coil
Engine oil and filter replaced
Carburetor Rebuilt
Fuel filter replaced
Air filter replaced
Cooling system flushed
Water pump replaced
Thermostat replaced
Upper and lower radiator hoses replaced
New belts

 

[aaron72]

Since the car would be transporting the family, wanted to take care of some safety items which would include improved braking and adding seat belts to the rear seat.

The brake booster was shot, so in reality I had manual brakes. Goal was to upgrade to discs up front, so wanted to move from the single diaphragm booster it had to a dual diaphragm booster and found out the booster from a 64 Imperial was dual diaphragm and was a direct bolt in.

Found one at Turner's wrecking yard in Fresno, California and had it shipped up to me and then rebuilt at Power Brake Exchange in San Jose, California.

 

[aaron72]

I had the front suspension completely rebuilt with parts sourced from Craig @mobileparts

I know that SSBC doesn't have a lot of fans here, but I went with their front disc brake upgrade kit as it was the best that I could find for this application and wanted to move away from the single reservoir master cylinder.

Also had the rear drums fully rebuilt along with getting the drums detatched from the hubs.

 

[aaron72]

More suspension/brake photos

 

[aaron72]

Ran into an issues where the fuel pump was squirting out fuel at the seam on the arm, and I'm assuming was leaking internally as well, so replaced the pump and another oil and filter change.

 

[aaron72]

Rear seat belts installed.

 

[aaron72]

Taken the car out to a few meet ups.

 

[aaron72]

Currently have some new leaf springs in transport from ESPO only two months in on their projected 3 month lead time, so will get those installed along with new rear shocks.

 

[Trace 300 Hurst]

Nice work that has been well thought-out from a safety and reliability standpoint.

 

[CBODY67]

Interesting about the "65 Imperial power brake booster! Neat to know!

Congrats on your work and execution thereof!

CBODY67

 

[GOLDMYN]

Hi, nice car!, if your interested, there's a place called "then & now" who will rebuild your original fuel pump and give you more sense of security rather than China piece.

 

[413]

Nice looking car, and great work.

Did you pack those rear wheel bearings in grease? They don't run in the gear oil.

 

[aaron72]

Hi, nice car!, if your interested, there's a place called "then & now" who will rebuild your original fuel pump and give you more sense of security rather than China piece.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep that in mind as a future replacement when I get to the point of an engine rebuild.

 

[aaron72]

Nice looking car, and great work.

Did you pack those rear wheel bearings in grease? They don't run in the gear oil.

Yes, they got packed

 

[Trace 300 Hurst]

Yes, they got packed

It seems like we have a new-ish member to this site who actually knows what he's doing.

 

[Torky]

Hi, Aaron. Beautiful car. Thanks for posting the great pix, including the fender tag. I took the liberty of preparing a decode report for the car. I hope it matches reality. N/C, ever. My decoder needed the exercise. Note that drivetrain, suspension and engine options are not shown on 1963 tags. You might find a Production Broadcast Sheet hidden underneath the rear seat springs (upper and lower). The sample below may not be the same format as for a Chrysler, but they tell almost everything about the car and are worth looking for.

 

[aaron72]

Hi, Aaron. Beautiful car. Thanks for posting the great pix, including the fender tag. I took the liberty of preparing a decode report for the car. I hope it matches reality. N/C, ever. My decoder needed the exercise. Note that drivetrain, suspension and engine options are not shown on 1963 tags. You might find a Production Broadcast Sheet hidden underneath the rear seat springs (upper and lower). The sample below may not be the same format as for a Chrysler, but they tell almost everything about the car and are worth looking for.

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Thanks @Torky

This is what I was able to retrieve from the car.

 

[Torky]

Thanks @Torky

This is what I was able to retrieve from the car.

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My rambling as rewritten by MS Copilot AI!
Fantastic discovery—looks to be in excellent condition! Where in the vehicle did you uncover it?
You may already have everything decoded, but just in case, here's a breakdown of what I see on the Track Sheet:

• Track Number: "C" (unknown) 0468: Last four of the VIN—estimated full VIN: 8333 240468 Please confirm or correct.
• DATE, NUMBER, BDY, PNT, TRM: Per the decoded report
• 342-A: TorqueFlite Automatic Transmission
• 351: Standard power steering-Other 35X accessories/options not on this car-such as Tailgate Window, Auto Pilot, Vent Windows,
• 352-B: Power brakes. No power windows?
• None of these: 37X-P/Antenna; 39X-Rear window defogger, 40X-console, 41X-seat belts (Please confirm presence or not front seat belts), 41X-Arm rest
• 362-H: Golden Tone AM radio
• 413, 434, 421, 428: Likely standard features or part of a NY equipment or accessory group
• 416-P?: Padded lower dash or-
• 426-P?: Trunk light - part of the light package—includes 420, 424, 425, 426
  • This new info has me rethinking P6
• 429: Windshield washer & variable-speed wipers
• 431-Q: Tinted Solex glass—All
• 443-R: Front and rear bumper guards
• 452: Wheel covers-Standard
• 471-S: Sill moldings
• 482-T: Adjustable outside LH rearview mirror
• 492-V: Inside tilt-type glareproof mirror
• 531: Standard differential ratio—2.93
• Tires (545 & 550): Last digits "50" = 8.50 x 14 black sidewalls
• 575: Standard battery—MB-27-70
• 611: Undercoating and underhood pad
• 65X NCS: New Car Factory Service or customer ordered/sold car expedite. This car ordered out for dealer stock.

It’s fascinating to see how many items were standard on New Yorker models but required explicit ordering on lower trims. This find sheds real light—and it’s hugely helpful to my research. Much appreciated!
Torky (Flite)

 

[Boydsdodge]

Taken the car out to a few meet ups.

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What a beauty and a fantastic score for you. I love it, keep up the great work and much enjoyment with smiles per miles.