I've just joined this forum. Here's a bit about me (and my cars, too)

[FWD Look Fan]

I,m looking forward to participating in conversations here and getting your advice and feedback about owning classic cars.
I currently own a 1960 Chrysler New Yorker and a 1963 Chrysler 300 Pace Setter Convertible. I bought the New Yorker after the previous owner had it restored to "as built" condition. It's a beauty, and a responsibility. It's a piece of history to be preserved and passed on in the future. It's not a daily driver!
The Pace Setter is a different story, though. It looks great. Great straight body, good panel gaps, and an interior vinyl is in good shape. The seat foams have deteriorated to orange dust, though. I'll get to them later, after I deal with mechanical issues. The car sat in a private collection, not driven for 20+ years. You don't need the gory details, but let me say it has been a challenge to bring things up to make the car an acceptable driver. It's a fun car to tool around in, and the 383 has no trouble with the 65 mph speed limit.
Thanks for putting uo with this rambling post. And thanks for welcoming me to a little corner of what my wife terms MOPAR mania.
I've included pictures of my cars.
Regards,
Chris

 

[live4theking]

Welcome and very nice.

 

[saforwardlook]

Beautiful New Yorker and amazingly hard to find models anymore, especially in the condition of your car. In my mind, they are just as desirable as the letter series 300F and far more rare.

When you have some time, I would like to see some photos of the interior as well - those were over the top as well.

Welcome.

 

[carguy300]

Welcome from east texas, used to be upstate new yorker! Cars are beautiful, more pics!

 

[FWD Look Fan]

Beautiful New Yorker and amazingly hard to find models anymore, especially in the condition of your car. In my mind, they are just as desirable as the letter series 300F and far more rare.

When you have some time, I would like to see some photos of the interior as well - those were over the top as well.

Welcome.

Will do. More pictures coming soon. Some details of what is to come:

The exterior paint is Lilac, with the interior in Lily. The seats were reupholstered with what was told to me was the last OEM bolt of fabric available. True? Who knows. I have the remaining fabric that friends tell me that I should have made into a smoking jacket! The fabric has the classic snowflake pattern with the silver threads - stunning. Everyone comments on the swivel seats! I challenge them to find how to use turn signals, and it leads to great interactions about the "cockpit" dash and the electroluminescent lighting.
The "five body trunk" is another eye opener, and the toilet seat trunk lid leads to more conversation.
Chrome on the roof? Why not - we're 1960's America! We do whatever we want!
Yes, the car is a piece of history. I'm still pinching myself that I have it in my garage.
Thanks for your response to my post.
Stay tuned for more pictures.
-- Chris

 

[75LandYacht]

Welcome from New York City. Thanks for sharing your beautiful cars. You’re certainly in the right place to learn and share and conversations and threads. Bunch of great guys here. Maybe we’ll see you one year at the Chrysler nationals in Carlisle.

 

[saforwardlook]

Will do. More pictures coming soon. Some details of what is to come:

The exterior paint is Lilac, with the interior in Lily. The seats were reupholstered with what was told to me was the last OEM bolt of fabric available. True? Who knows. I have the remaining fabric that friends tell me that I should have made into a smoking jacket! The fabric has the classic snowflake pattern with the silver threads - stunning. Everyone comments on the swivel seats! I challenge them to find how to use turn signals, and it leads to great interactions about the "cockpit" dash and the electroluminescent lighting.
The "five body trunk" is another eye opener, and the toilet seat trunk lid leads to more conversation.
Chrome on the roof? Why not - we're 1960's America! We do whatever we want!
Yes, the car is a piece of history. I'm still pinching myself that I have it in my garage.
Thanks for your response to my post.
Stay tuned for more pictures.
-- Chris

I was wondering whether the exterior was white or a slight tinge of pink to it, so thanks for the clarification that it is lilac. Very subtle and rare too. I also agree that the fabric seat upholstery was also unusual but outstanding even if it didn't wear like vinyl when folks are not careful when exiting and entering the vehicle.

Just curious, where did the car come from?

 

[1970FuryConv]

Welcome from Virginia!
Great looking cars!

 

[FWD Look Fan]

Q: Just curious, where did the car come from?

This car came from a memory when I was 10 years old. I fell in love with 1960 New Yorkers the very first time I saw one in my home town as a skinny kid. It was a Town and Country Wagon back then, but, after years of looking, they were all out of reach... So, within reach, a 2 door hardtop.

The car you now see was a California car. Then sold to a fellow in Maryland. Then, sold to a Canadian in Ontario. The car had previously undergone a "light restoration," as told to me. The car was in very good shape, with the original undercoating in place and NO rust. The wealthy gentleman in Canada wanted the car to be restored to as close to Condition 1 as his restorer shop could attain. You should see the receipts!

The owner and his wife passed away, with no children, as I understand it. The New Yorker was then listed to be sold as an asset of the owners' estate. Enter CoVid.

Travel to Canada was fraught with issues. Negative CoVid PC-R tests were required within 72 hours of crossing the border. A quarantine plan in Canada had to be in place if you tested positive for CoVid while in Canada. Documentation of all of this had to be presented at the border upon entry. As a result, few US buyers were in the mix willing to deal with the issues required to look at, much less, buy the car. Little comppetition was in line to look at the New Yorker.

I drove to Canada to look over the car. When the estate's caretaker opened the garage door, the New Yorker was the EXACT same color of the New Yorker I fell in love with as a 10 year old kid. (Stay calm, Chris... Stay calm.)

The garage was outfitted to mimic a late 1950s soda shop, with a Wurlitzer jukebox, a soda fountain, chrome and linoleum tables and chairs, and automobilia adorning the walls. (Doing my best to stay calm...) We fired up the 413 V-8 and took it for a drive. Smooooooth....

The restorer, who has a nearby shop, came by to show me pictures of his restoration and to answer any questions about the car.
(Questions? I don't have no stinkin', questions!)

A dream car, an object of 57 years of desire on and off in my mind, (mostly off, considering the bank account) stood in in front of me in all of it's 20 foot long chrome glory.

SOLD!

So, saforwardlook, that's where the car came from!

Best wishes,
Chris

 

[LocuMob]

Hello from Minnesota! Very nice cars, and cool story on the New Yorker. That 57 years of desire was like a pilot light, always on and ready to fire up when the mood arises. Glad it worked out for you in the end, never give up on a dream (car).

 

[FWD Look Fan]

Hello from Minnesota! Very nice cars, and cool story on the New Yorker. That 57 years of desire was like a pilot light, always on and ready to fire up when the mood arises. Glad it worked out for you in the end, never give up on a dream (car).

"Never give up. Never surrender!" - Galaxy Quest
Thanks for the reply.
- Chris

 

[saforwardlook]

Q: Just curious, where did the car come from?

This car came from a memory when I was 10 years old. I fell in love with 1960 New Yorkers the very first time I saw one in my home town as a skinny kid. It was a Town and Country Wagon back then, but, after years of looking, they were all out of reach... So, within reach, a 2 door hardtop.

The car you now see was a California car. Then sold to a fellow in Maryland. Then, sold to a Canadian in Ontario. The car had previously undergone a "light restoration," as told to me. The car was in very good shape, with the original undercoating in place and NO rust. The wealthy gentleman in Canada wanted the car to be restored to as close to Condition 1 as his restorer shop could attain. You should see the receipts!

The owner and his wife passed away, with no children, as I understand it. The New Yorker was then listed to be sold as an asset of the owners' estate. Enter CoVid.

Travel to Canada was fraught with issues. Negative CoVid PC-R tests were required within 72 hours of crossing the border. A quarantine plan in Canada had to be in place if you tested positive for CoVid while in Canada. Documentation of all of this had to be presented at the border upon entry. As a result, few US buyers were in the mix willing to deal with the issues required to look at, much less, buy the car. Little comppetition was in line to look at the New Yorker.

I drove to Canada to look over the car. When the estate's caretaker opened the garage door, the New Yorker was the EXACT same color of the New Yorker I fell in love with as a 10 year old kid. (Stay calm, Chris... Stay calm.)

The garage was outfitted to mimic a late 1950s soda shop, with a Wurlitzer jukebox, a soda fountain, chrome and linoleum tables and chairs, and automobilia adorning the walls. (Doing my best to stay calm...) We fired up the 413 V-8 and took it for a drive. Smooooooth....

The restorer, who has a nearby shop, came by to show me pictures of his restoration and to answer any questions about the car.
(Questions? I don't have no stinkin', questions!)

A dream car, an object of 57 years of desire on and off in my mind, (mostly off, considering the bank account) stood in in front of me in all of it's 20 foot long chrome glory.

SOLD!

So, saforwardlook, that's where the car came from!

Best wishes,
Chris

View attachment 559588

Amazingly similar story to what made me crazy as a 10 year old kid when I was with my dad at a dealership looking for a good used car and I saw my first 1957 Chrysler 300C in the showroom. It made me crazy for the rest of my life, so I too bought one that needed restoration when I got out of college and proceeded to restore it myself. It too was a California car that was owned by a guy who I saw at some Chrysler meets. One day he came up to me and said it was time for him to let his go and since he knew I wanted one, he sold me his. It took awhile to restore the car but I still love it a great deal.

The photo is grainy since this is how it looked when I finished the restoration and this is a copy of a very old image that wasn't so clear decades ago.

 

[71FuryGC]

Great to see some more old Mopars here in Upstate NY! Tailfins they are.

 

[GregG48203]

Just in case you didn't know (or care): the 300 has Dodge wheelcovers.

 

[FWD Look Fan]

Just in case you didn't know (or care): the 300 has Dodge wheelcovers.

Thanks for the comment! I know the wheelcovers aren't original to the car. As I said, the 300 is my driver and doesn't have to be perfect in every respect. Besides, I only bought it in May this year, so "hubcaps" are still pretty low on the list of what needs attention!

All the heater/defroster components under the dash need help, along with general tidying up under the dash. It's a bear to work under there; it beats up your hands pretty well. The inoperable AM/FM original radio needs refurbishment at some point. It's out of the car, sitting on my workbench, nagging me to get shipped out and renewed. The steering gear has a good eight-plus inches of "play," kinda like driving in a third world taxi! Seals are weeping in the power steering and transmission, and the fan shroud is absent. I'm using a cottage cheese container as a temporary windshield washer reservoir. I've got much to do! Isn't this a great hobby?

 

[fury fan]

Welcome to the group!
In case you are not already aware, there were some Chrysler 300 spinners in 66-67 that would be a simple upgrade over those Dodge Charger ones.
They aren't much better except that they have '300' on them so would be more befitting a 300.
They require 14" deep-dish wheels used from 66-newer, but my hunch is that the Charger ones require them too. (meaning - use probably already have the required wheels on the car).

And I thought this comment was funny vs the avatar next to it.

 

[FWD Look Fan]

Thanks for the tip on 300 wheel covers. I didn't pick up on the avatar. Good spying!

 

[fury fan]

If you get to where you want a set of 300 spinners, look me up, I have a set I could possibly sell you.