MINT lower door panels for '78 NYBS four-door

patrick66 · Jan 16, 2014

Just found and bought a full set of four complete interior door panels from a "C"-body fan and derbier in Iowa. The two YEAR search is complete! These are in amazing shape, and are coming off a car that was complete, but had no title. The seller is taking the perfect front clip off this '76 NYB and putting it on his daily-driver '76, since he hit a deer with the driver. He is putting the already-crunched front clip onto this parts car, which will be his new derby car. I'm getting a couple of smaller bits off the car, too.

I'm very stoked to finally find a set of nearly-perfect tops AND bottoms - I was looking for just the bottoms, originally. All I need to do is dye these to match the '78, and it's done.

polara71 · Jan 16, 2014

Excellent!!! All the fun is in the hunt

commando1 · Jan 16, 2014

Congrats, Patrick.
Maybe someday I'll score those elusive Philly PD Gran Fury bucket seats.

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polara71 · Jan 17, 2014

For what? .....to go with your bias plys?

commando1 · Jan 17, 2014

polara71 said:
For what? .....to go with your bias plys?

In fact....
YES.
WTF, Dave. I drive it 10 miles a week (when it's not on the lift for a month) and it has left the county only 3 times.
Now fix the effing front end. I have a torn rotator cuff, a slipped disk with no feeling in my left leg, and a deteriorating hip disease. Get off your butt instead of reliving your glory days of tranny swaps on your back, in the snow, with a muscle shirt on.
If I still wrench, I still get to pick my tires.

detmatt · Jan 17, 2014

Lmfao!!!!!!!

1978 NYB · Jan 17, 2014

commando1 said:
In fact....
YES.
WTF, Dave. I drive it 10 miles a week (when it's not on the lift for a month) and it has left the county only 3 times.
Now fix the effing front end. I have a torn rotator cuff, a slipped disk with no feeling in my left leg, and a deteriorating hip disease. Get off your butt instead of reliving your glory days of tranny swaps on your back, in the snow, with a muscle shirt on.
If I still wrench, I still get to pick my tires.

detmatt said:
Lmfao!!!!!!!

X2...........LOL!

I haven't seen a picture of any repairs done in New Jersey...ever. :poke:

polara71 · Jan 17, 2014

Shut up and answer the question!

patrick66 · Jan 27, 2014

Got the inner door panels in the mail on Saturday. They are all in excellent shape except one, which has a crack in it about the same size as the four on my car now; but the seller described that one little flaw very accurately. The uppers are in great shape and only need to be cleaned up. Plus, they are the leather versus the velour that are on the NYBS now. They also came with the pull straps, which are superb. I'll more than likely be using only the lowers. I'll have to see if my wife wants to use the new uppers or keep the ones that are in the car now.

Mr. C told me a while back (when he was living in OK) about the differences in various things between the 1978 New Yorkers and the previous years, that are '78-only. One of them is the bezels for the door lamps/door handles. In 1978, they were plastic, where in previous years, they were metal. I'm going to upgrade to the metal bezels that came with the panels I just received. There are a LOT of little things that are '78 only! Many of these differences led to a nearly 100-pound weight savings with the '78 cars, over the previous models. Some differences are in appearance only, such as the grille, tallights, lower bumper corner guards, and such.

Very happy with the seller! His name is Tony, and he is in southern Iowa. Thanks!

commando1 · Jan 27, 2014

You made out very well, patrick. Good news.
Didn't '78 also have thinner glass, which I find odd.

patrick66 · Jan 27, 2014

Don't know about thinner glass; never heard that one before.

1978 NYB · Jan 27, 2014

commando1 said:
You made out very well, patrick. Good news.
Didn't '78 also have thinner glass, which I find odd.

patrick66 said:
Don't know about thinner glass; never heard that one before.

I have a 78 NYB and the door glass is definitely thinner.

polara71 · Jan 27, 2014

Excellent!! Difficult to find parts are a great feeling to find.

Mr C · Jan 28, 2014

1978 NYB said:
I have a 78 NYB and the door glass is definitely thinner.

Yup, it still amazes me, all the little things they did to save weight. Another one is the redesign of the power seat frames in 77. The pre 77 Power seat mechanisms weigh a ton- the post 77 design was way lighter and I feel worked better. Also there was the transition to aluminum rivets from bolts to hold window regulators in, fewer brackets etc.

commando1 · Jan 28, 2014

Such a desparate act for a car's final year.......

commando1 · Jan 28, 2014

polara71 said:
Excellent!! Difficult to find parts are a great feeling to find.

'65 and '78, avoid them....

patrick66 · Jan 28, 2014

The 1978 cars are NOT a car to avoid, as 99% of the earlier bits from '74 - '77 fit without problems.

I do not see the '78s as a "desparate act"; it was a dedicated effort at weight savings to gain fuel mileage (and gain profit) by Chrysler. It's too bad that the car did not carry on to the 1980 model year, but by the same token, that body had been around essentially through the 1970s and was ready for replacement. Chrysler did a crappy job of marketing the replacement "R"-body cars, which were fine cars in their own right.

1978 NYB · Jan 28, 2014

Mr C said:
Yup, it still amazes me, all the little things they did to save weight. Another one is the redesign of the power seat frames in 77. The pre 77 Power seat mechanisms weigh a ton- the post 77 design was way lighter and I feel worked better. Also there was the transition to aluminum rivets from bolts to hold window regulators in, fewer brackets etc.

Wow! I didn't notice any weight difference in the 77 and 78 front seats. They both were monsters to wrestle in and out of the car.

My 78 seats.....