Thinking of "sprucing up" the NYer a bit, got some questions

[jg09]

I'm looking around at doing something different with the wheels and tires on my NYer. I haven't decided exactly what, though. I'm leaning toward steelies (eventually body colored when I pull the Landau top off and repaint the whole thing) with beauty rings and smoothie dog dishes mounted on thick white wall tires. Sort of like this:

I'd like to see what Formals look like with other aftermarket wheels but can't seem to find anything online other than 100 spoke wire wheels on these things. Anyone got any pictures of Formals with aftermarket wheels?

Also: I'm not a huge fan of the waterfall grill/covered headlight combo out front (although I do love the taillights that are on it). It looks like most Formal C body front fascias will bolt on in place of the NYer stuff. Am I correct with that assumption?

 

[patrick66]

I had cop wheels with the cop caps and the Salon trim rings on my '78 for four years before going back to the stock Salon setup. There was a '78 Newport running around here a few years ago that had chrome smoothies that really looked great - especially as it was a dark blue car.

I do believe that if you were to find a '74 - '78 Newport front doghouse, it'll bolt onto the New Yorker with minimal effort. Why you would want to do that is interesting.

 

[Fratzog]

You seem to have a unique vision for the car. Doing unusual mods to a car can be personally satisfying but could come back to bite you if you try to sell. Look forward to seeing the outcome of this one.

 

[1978 NYB]

My friend "Newp" in Indiana has custom painted cop wheels on his 78 Newport. LY9 Spanish Gold which I think is the best Formal color.

 

[1978 NYB]

It has NYB front fenders on it.

 

[jg09]

You seem to have a unique vision for the car. Doing unusual mods to a car can be personally satisfying but could come back to bite you if you try to sell. Look forward to seeing the outcome of this one.

I bought the car to experiment with and learn, so you guys will probably get use to the unusual nature of the modifications in this thing's future. I've already had a lot of fun with it doing things like finding roads to properly test the suspension, putting on big-block powered smoke shows, and the like. My buddies and I are working on setting up a low budget project car challenge to pit all of our junk against one anothers'. I love the big C body land yachts and would love the opportunity to get my hands on a 60s convertible, but until then, I'm going to enjoy this NYer and make it something I think is pretty cool.

Plus I only paid $300 for it so there's some room for profit should I choose to sell it.

 

[jg09]

It has NYB front fenders on it.

That grill looks so much better, IMO, than the NYB's waterfall grill. I definitely prefer the NYB's "Caddy" style taillights, though. The cop wheels look pretty good on it. It got me thinking, though, would 18" new Charger police car wheels fit these things? I know the bolt pattern should be the same, but I'm not sure on the offset.

 

[1978 NYB]

That grill looks so much better, IMO, than the NYB's waterfall grill. I definitely prefer the NYB's "Caddy" style taillights, though. The cop wheels look pretty good on it. It got me thinking, though, would 18" new Charger police car wheels fit these things? I know the bolt pattern should be the same, but I'm not sure on the offset.

They will half *** fit with spacers. I think the spacers are needed because the Charger wheels will rub on the calipers. Not real safe....

 

[jg09]

I'm not too keen on half-assery, I'll probably pass on that. Thanks for the info!

 

[patrick66]

The new Charger wheels are ALMOST the same bolt-pattern, but NOT exactly!!! If you run a late-model wheel on an earlier car, you need the proper adapters. About $85.00 each. 114.3mm vs 115mm. NOT the same.

 

[jg09]

To give you guys an idea of my plans with this particular car, watch a couple episodes of "Roadkill" with the guys from Hot Rod Magazine and I think you'll begin to get it. That's sort of been the premise for this car since the previous owner first contacted me with a picture and a description.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOYlloxcRZA&list=PL2NCH5NJxN0CocbEQnO5dLTlr5qla_waA

 

[1978 NYB]

Very interesting. Keep us posted with pictures as you mod this one.

 

[jg09]

I most definitely will!

 

[commando1]

Welcome... Nice car!

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[streetmachine]

Yeah, that's a great deal on that car. You definitely stole it for sure. Nice car.

 

[jg09]

Thank you both!