1968 New Yorker resto thread

Tiny update... Haven't done anything too major. I've mainly been working on acquiring body parts and tools. Will be getting some floor panel cuts, fender liners, and a few trim pieces from Murray Park. Bought a few NOS pieces off Ebay. Also removed a fender from my Newport parts car (man, that was a b**ch because the door mechanism had rusted fast and it took me 2 hrs just to get it open)

I did get some more of the front end pieces removed. Also threaded a USB borescope into the rear "frame" channels to check the condition. They were rusty as I expected but I didn't see anything terrible. No rust through spots as far as I could tell. I did find a mouse nest there as well as other areas such as the rockers, vent passageways, etc. Damn mice. I don't know how the hell I'm going to clear that crap out of some of those spots.

Unfortunately my building is not heated so things will be slow going during the winter months, but I plan to take on smaller tasks that I can do indoors, such as cleaning & repairing interior pieces.

On the tool front, just put this guy together...(2 ton capacity)

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These come in handy for more than just lifting engines.
 
Update...

So I have been putting tons of my free time into my electroplating project. It's been a long road but I'm finally starting to get some positive results.

Here is my mostly-operational "workstation"
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the five buckets up top are Flash Copper, Acid Copper, Bright Nickel, Chrome, and Zincate. So far I have used the first 4. Zincate is for plating Aluminum which I haven't done yet. Down below are rinse buckets and an old electric roaster for heating the de-greaser. The bucket temps are maintained by an arrangement of sensors, heaters, and SSR's connected to a Arduino microcontroller which is interfaced to the laptop. So I can adjust the temps down to the degree and it holds them very stable.
Also part of this setup is a 1 hp buffer which I also got from Caswell.

I did a few steel pieces first to get the hang of things (exhaust tips for the 300 and a heat shield on my MR2) then dove right into the pot metal. And man, what an ***-kicking I got from that. I worked with an inside door handle because I figured I can still buy new repos of those so if I screwed it up, no big deal. I started out with one that was pretty nasty.
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I could go into detail about my trials and tribulations if you want, but I'd put that in a separate thread. Suffice it to say, I had to start over on this handle probably a 1/2 dozen times (maybe more) before I learned how to handle this wicked stuff. Basically what would happen is I'd have it looking nice and clean, I'd do the bright copper and then the acid copper. Then when I'd come back to it a day later, there would be bubbles under the plate. So it all has to be blasted/sanded back off! ARGH

BUT, my persistence paid off. Eventually I got to where I got a good copper plate on it. Then to the buffing. It was very satisfying to see the satiny copper become lustrous and shinny. Mind you, that took some time to get that technique down too. Then to the nickel, which is a very easy and forgiving plate to work with. Below is the end result next to another untouched example.
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Mind you, this is not yet chrome plated. I have tried the chrome a couple times on some scrap pieces and the plate did not come out right, so I want to get that down before I subject these nice pieces to it. Really, the nickel looks beautiful on its own, but I've read that it will loose it luster and need to be polished, whereas the chrome topcoat prevents that.
 
The above aside, I've also been working around the building where I'll be working on the New Yorker. Stringing up some lighting, putting up shelves, buying more tools, etc. So once the weather gets better (almost there I hope) I'll be able to start in earnest
 
Very interesting. Plating is a serious industrial process and not for the faint-of-heart in a home garage. Your progress thru the ups and downs is very cool and I can't wait to see a final chrome item like that door pull.
 
The thought had crossed my mind to maybe look at doing some work as a side businesses --- but I'll have to get a lot more proficient before I'd trust myself to work on someone else's parts!

I'm going to start experimenting with the chroming again soon. I showed Caswell support a pic of one of my failed pieces and they said it looked like I wasn't using enough current. Chrome requires 10x the current per sq inch as the other plates. I tried making cables so I could connect to my car battery (outside, in the car) but there's just too much voltage drop. So I ordered a 100 amp power supply and will be wiring that in tomorrow...
 
Small update

Still been putting lots of time into infrastructure. My Dad's building is a quanset hut and it has had a problem with water seeping in between the foundation and u-channel for years (in some areas, perhaps ever since it was put up). So I've been going around with a needle scaler and wire brush, clearing away the old tar and lime build-up, then putting a nice bead of Lexel adhesive caulking. It's painstaking work but -- it works. Half the building is now water tight (so far). I've also run electrical outlets on that side and my RapidAir Maxline 3/4" air line kit just came in today.

Now that it's getting warmer I really want to work on the New Yorker but I'm trying to stay disciplined and get this other stuff done first. But I couldn't post an update without doing something so last night I unfastened the throttle pedal and removed the last of the disgusting remains of the carpet so I could get a good look at just how bad the floor pan is up front. The Flintstones comes to mind :eek:. It was definitely not this bad when I parked it 30 years ago.

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A little more progress. I'm keeping the nuts and bolts organized, however I'm not taking copious amounts of pictures. I assume since I have another 68 Chrysler for reference, I don't need a lot of "before" pictures. I hope that's a reasonable assumption.

This is my first attempt at anything like this, so I don't really know what is the best order to do things in. But I'm figuring I'll work at getting the engine/trans removed and then disconnect the stub frame. Next would be to remove the dash and then weld in the floor pan pieces. I've seen other people remove their front and rear windshields. I don't relish the idea of R&R those but I'm imagine if I want to "do it right" that'll have to be part of it. Thoughts?



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I wouldn't pull the glass unless you have to. Now that these cars are 50 years old, the gaskets around the glass are too stiff to just pull the glass out. You usually have a choice between breaking the glass or cutting the gaskets. There still seems to be issues with the fitment of the reproduction window gaskets. If you have rust to address around the glass, then you don't have much of a choice. The stainless trim around the front and rear glass can also be a real bastard to get off without damaging it. If you have trim that's glued on with excess window sealer, often the only way to get it off is to cut the gasket, pull the glass and remove the trim last. Dealing with the front and rear glass on the '65-'68 C bodies is one of the toughest issues with these cars.

Maybe someone will chime in with some good news on reproduction gaskets that actually fit, so I would hold off on the glass until you find that out.

Jeff
 
I don't *think* there is any really bad rot around the windshields, but I'd definitely want to take the trim off so I could properly prep and paint those areas. And yeah, I'm sure that's a PITA in itself. I actually bent, and for all intents and purposes, ruined the rear lower trim piece trying to take it off 30 yrs ago (when I was still an impatient teenager). Fortunately I got a good one from Murray sitting on the shelf
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4 door hardtops and convertibles use the same windshield so the gasket is available.
I would cut the gasket and reuse the windshield if it is in good shape no road rash or chips.
Dash removal is mush easier with the glass out too--if you are going in that deep.
 
A little more progress. I'm keeping the nuts and bolts organized, however I'm not taking copious amounts of pictures. I assume since I have another 68 Chrysler for reference, I don't need a lot of "before" pictures. I hope that's a reasonable assumption.

This is my first attempt at anything like this, so I don't really know what is the best order to do things in. But I'm figuring I'll work at getting the engine/trans removed and then disconnect the stub frame. Next would be to remove the dash and then weld in the floor pan pieces. I've seen other people remove their front and rear windshields. I don't relish the idea of R&R those but I'm imagine if I want to "do it right" that'll have to be part of it. Thoughts?



View attachment 377622
We had a saying regarding Boeing 727 airliners “All 727s were identical, then they made serial number 2”.
 
I've been consumed with many other projects lately, but I have been working towards removing the engine and trans. Since I'm going to take them out together, I backed off the torsion bar adjusters as was recommended in another thread. One of them came out reasonably easy with an impact gun. The other one was a huge PITA. Impact gun wouldn't touch it. I had to row on it with a ratchet and 3ft pipe. I probably spent an hour on it and I don't have it totally backed out but I think it's close enough. Just have to remove the transmission mount now before I can start lifting, but I was too tired after all that rowing to do it today.

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Since the engine in the New Yorker runs, I'm thinking of dropping it into the Newport so can drive it around and make sure it doesn't have any major issues. The Newport has a 440 which doesn't run, so I'd get that one rebuilt.
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