68 New Yorker Daily Driver

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I did the same as you and purchased a clean low mileage original. I’ve been driving it about 3-4 days a week since I bought it. It’s been a dream to drive and extremely reliable. I started out with shorter trips, and then increasing the distance and frequency as my confidence has been gaining. It’s bone stock with points and drum brakes, but starts every time with a quick bump of the ignition switch and effortless stops straight. I’ll be upgrading to Disc brakes and do a petronix conversion soon… but so far everything has been working great. Still feels like a new car.
Wow your's is beautiful, that color combination is ideal. Not sure exactly what mine might turn out to be, but it's got to be blue somewhere, keeping the cars original personality.
 
View attachment 633096
I did the same as you and purchased a clean low mileage original. I’ve been driving it about 3-4 days a week since I bought it. It’s been a dream to drive and extremely reliable. I started out with shorter trips, and then increasing the distance and frequency as my confidence has been gaining. It’s bone stock with points and drum brakes, but starts every time with a quick bump of the ignition switch and effortless stops straight. I’ll be upgrading to Disc brakes and do a petronix conversion soon… but so far everything has been working great. Still feels like a new car.
That '66NY is beautious!! Always did love those gold cloth interiors, no matter the model level. The VN501s compliment things, too.

CBODY67
 
Maybe I have been watching to much Uncle Tony's garage but I am leaning towards keeping the points ignition. I want to stick with the route where parts are most commonly available at any parts store. Does anyone have any feedback on whether or not I'd find parts easier if I keep it stock or start modifying different systems?
I keep my cars stock and put a lot of miles on them. A good set of points (find a vendor like Marx Parts, etc. that sells old NORS stuff) is an every ~10k mile service item - longer if you aren't driving in cold or hard conditions. They're super easy to do on these big blocks with the distributor right in front and cheap. Throw a spare set of everything (cap, rotor, points, condenser) in the glovebox or trunk (I usually carry a used set that I removed at a service interval as working spares) and you're good. The big advantage to points over electronic is that, usually, you will have signs of the points degrading before the car won't run whereas the electronic ignition can flat out fail at any time without warning. I have seen this happen to a couple cars that were left stranded alongside the road. To each their own - I like my points.
 
I keep my cars stock and put a lot of miles on them. A good set of points (find a vendor like Marx Parts, etc. that sells old NORS stuff) is an every ~10k mile service item - longer if you aren't driving in cold or hard conditions. They're super easy to do on these big blocks with the distributor right in front and cheap. Throw a spare set of everything (cap, rotor, points, condenser) in the glovebox or trunk (I usually carry a used set that I removed at a service interval as working spares) and you're good. The big advantage to points over electronic is that, usually, you will have signs of the points degrading before the car won't run whereas the electronic ignition can flat out fail at any time without warning. I have seen this happen to a couple cars that were left stranded alongside the road. To each their own - I like my points.
That's a great point! No pun intended.... I may reconsider the petronix conversion.
 
Pertronix is great! I've ran several in different cars with no problems, set it and forgot it. I can't say the same about the stock style electronic ignition. Intermittent "brain box" issues left me with blown out mufflers and eardrums. Beautiful car!
 
Nice looking car you’ve got there. If you’re looking for easy electronic ignition, look into using a GM HEI module with a Mopar electronic distributor. Dead dodge garage on YouTube has a good video about it. My brother did this swap on his barracuda about 10 years ago with excellent results. HEI modules seem to be more reliable than Mopar modules.
Travis..
 
I keep my cars stock and put a lot of miles on them. A good set of points (find a vendor like Marx Parts, etc. that sells old NORS stuff) is an every ~10k mile service item - longer if you aren't driving in cold or hard conditions. They're super easy to do on these big blocks with the distributor right in front and cheap. Throw a spare set of everything (cap, rotor, points, condenser) in the glovebox or trunk (I usually carry a used set that I removed at a service interval as working spares) and you're good. The big advantage to points over electronic is that, usually, you will have signs of the points degrading before the car won't run whereas the electronic ignition can flat out fail at any time without warning. I have seen this happen to a couple cars that were left stranded alongside the road. To each their own - I like my points.
I am a big Fan of points they will usually last 10K miles. Just don't buy anything made after 2000, all junk bad metal, low spring tension etc. Condensers are junk also 50% fail rate I get from testing them.
 
This works good. $75 with plug wires and pig tail to $125 without plug wires or pig tail depending on where you get it.
And service parts aplenty at the corner store.

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What tires are you guys running on the stock 14" steelies? I ordered a set of 5 with 1/2" white wall stripes but I guess I didn't pay attention to the size. They are 205/75 r 14. They look tiny compared to what came on the car. About 2 inch difference in height. I read stock size is closer to 225 which is what I put in the search bar. I'm trying to find as close to original as possible, with the white walls. I wonder if anyone has any suggestions. Good thing is I can return the small ones. Walmart...
 
What tires are you guys running on the stock 14" steelies? I ordered a set of 5 with 1/2" white wall stripes but I guess I didn't pay attention to the size. They are 205/75 r 14. They look tiny compared to what came on the car. About 2 inch difference in height. I read stock size is closer to 225 which is what I put in the search bar. I'm trying to find as close to original as possible, with the white walls. I wonder if anyone has any suggestions. Good thing is I can return the small ones. Walmart...
My stock tires were 8.55 x 14 Bias Ply tires which I believe are pretty close to 225 75R x 14's. I'm running 225 75R 15's as my future plans are to convert to disc brakes. The fit is perfect and appear to be about the same size.

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205 is way too small. Probably dangerously small. Definitely return them. I actually tried 205's (15's) on the front of a '71 Monaco with a small block. I tried because I was collecting fifth ave wheels from the junkyards, so why not? Looked just plain wrong. Full wheel covers will creak while driving from wheel flex, that can't be good. And forget about driving around a corner at any speed, those full wheel covers will fly off!
 
The ONLY wheel we had wheel flex, on our '66 Newport with 14x5.5" wheels, was the rh frt. That one wheel cover also turned in the wheel, in spite of the factory travel limiters on the wheel and wheel cover (whether the original Newport covers or the later NY covers I bought for it new, in 1968). No issues with similar wheels on my '67 Newport CE23, even with glass-belt radials or P225/75R-14 WW size, back in the 1982 time-frame.

As the wheel cover turned, I removed it and installed it with the valve stem slot away from the valve stem. Otherwise, the stem would be stressed and break off, it seemed. A simple fix.

It took a high-intensity corner at 35mph to make that rh frt wheel cover find a new home in "the weeds". Although the tires did not squeal, the car was getting close to its cornering capabilities, it seemed. This was with BFG Silvertown Belted H78-14 WW tires.

That '66 NY looks fantastic with the VN501s!! Which width and backspacing on them?

Happy New Year!
CBODY67
 
Now, why is it exactly that these wheel covers/hub caps are coming off?

I didn't have the problem with any cars in the 60s and 70s.
Now the original 14-inch covers are jumping off the original 14-inch steel wheels on my 64 New Yorker with 215/75 Nexen radials. Same thing with my 78 Mercury Grand Marquis.
The wheels are not bent.
 
Now, why is it exactly that these wheel covers/hub caps are coming off?

I didn't have the problem with any cars in the 60s and 70s.
Now the original 14-inch covers are jumping off the original 14-inch steel wheels on my 64 New Yorker with 215/75 Nexen radials. Same thing with my 78 Mercury Grand Marquis.
The wheels are not bent.
I suspect the difference in construction between bias ply tires back then & radials now is transmitting different forces to the wheels causing more flex.
 
I suspect the difference in construction between bias ply tires back then & radials now is transmitting different forces to the wheels causing more flex.
Note above that the wheel flex on our '66 Newport was not with radial tires? But not with the Kelly-Springfield radials on my '67 Newport or the later BFG Advantage TAs on 14x6.5" station wagon wheels.

CBODY67
 
I'm going to find a way to keep the covers on. Glue, screws, center hub bolts, teeth adjustment, something.
Any suggestions will be taken seriously. Anything.
 
I'm going to find a way to keep the covers on. Glue, screws, center hub bolts, teeth adjustment, something.
Any suggestions will be taken seriously. Anything.
Glue will not work. Screws damage things. The nubs on either side of the valve stem are there to stop the movement, just as the similar tabs on the wheel covers are supposed to do, but don't. I even bent the wheel cover tabs to no avail! The ONLY way I could deal with it was to remove the valve stem extension from the valve stem and then install the wheel cover with the valve stem away from the slot in the wheel cover for such.

THEN, learn to drive such that you don't make sudden turns. The one time I lost a rh frt wheel cover was out of the normal driving situation. Proving how fast I could do that turn, to myself.

Worst case scenario? A reason to buy some VN501s and put the wheel covers in the corner of the garage.

Enjoy!
CBODY67
 
I'm going to find a way to keep the covers on. Glue, screws, center hub bolts, teeth adjustment, something.
Any suggestions will be taken seriously. Anything.

I would attempt the tooth adjustment. Check to see that the teeth are relatively pointy and biting into the wheel. If they look and feel good (not rounded off) try bending the actual tabs that the teeth are on outwards. Check the measurements of each tab to the edge of the cap. Good luck!
 
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