Old Cars Reader Wheels: 1954 Chrysler New Yorker

We found our car when it was being advertised in the June 2012 WPC Club magazine. The Flagship Blue New Yorker had 26,000 miles showing on the odometer. By the condition of the car, we believe that to be the correct mileage. The car had a Pennsylvania title that was issued in 1996 which showed 25,775 miles at that time. The car had a high-quality paint job and there was no indication of any body repairs from collision or rust. The undercarriage still had the factory applied undercoating on it. The door jambs were not painted and until today remain in factory paint with no rust. All of the stainless trim is in great condition. The bumpers did have some light pitting so they were sent off to be renewed. The car came to the Midwest thru an estate sale so we were never able to trace back to the car’s early years.

We have replaced the tires and other mechanical items due to their age. The inoperative radio and heater were repaired. The wiring harnesses were replaced with original looking cloth wrapped wire harnesses made by Rhode Island Wire. When we removed the seat covers we found the beautiful original upholstery to be in great condition for its age. The seat cushion material on the driver's side was starting to fray so we sourced the last piece of original Chrysler material from SMS and had the cushion done. The material at the top of the seat backs for both the front and back seat had deteriorated under the seat cover so it was also replaced. The carpet was also badly deteriorated so it was replaced. While doing that one small patch of surface rust was found on the driver's side floor. All the other floors still had the factory paint and undercoating on them. The headliner was replaced due to some small holes that appeared to be mouse damage. The door panels are original though I did cover some staining with the correct color fabric paint.

The 331 HEMI has been tuned and runs very quiet and smooth. Normal preventative maintenance to ensure a safe and reliable driving experience is ongoing. “CINDY”, our show and cruise winner is now showing she has traveled just under 40,000 miles in her 66 years. To the best of our knowledge the engine and Power flite transmission have never been out of the car. That quality paint work mentioned earlier is still looking great today, 8 years after we bought the car and who knows how long before that it was actually painted!

If anyone from the Pennsylvania or New Jersey area recognizes this car or its story I would really appreciate hearing from you. (54maxdog@gmail.com)