Sometimes you have to go in on a slow day to get the parts guys attention. They will not ignore a garage order for hundreds of $$$ of parts, to look up some obscure part for a car that was old when Cher was a virgin. Catch them on a slow day and they may be more obliging.
Turns out you are right about the PF on the 54 long tails. Allways heard of only the FD being used on long tails, never thought to look @ the tranny section of the '54 shop manual. The only A/T tranny offered in '54 was the PF! Listed for both long & short tail.
OK, so Kply39 listed the number off the block C251-8-xxxxx. I have a book called the Standard Book of Chrysler that has been very dependable with numbers, options and such info. According to that book, the number stamped on the block identifies it as a standard 54 New Yorker with the 195 HP 331 (which i assume means a 2bbl because the 4bbl motor makes 235 HP) The serial number on the door post agrees with the standard New Yorker, not the deluxe (which had the 4bbl carb). The book listed a 53 motor starting with a C53-8, and the big HP 54 motor starting with C542-8. The book also states the PowerFlite transmission was introduced in June 1953 and had over 35,000 PowerFlite transmissions were installed by the end of the 53 model year. The PowerFlite replaced the fluid drive as the automatic transmission choice in June of 1953, all 54 model year automatic transmission cars came with a PowerFlite trans. The book lists a production of 2,079 Standard New Yorker 2 door 6 passenger Club Coupes in 1954. BTY, the 2 door coupe weighed 3910 lbs shipping weight. The standard New Yorker had a 195 HP 331 with a Carter WCD 2039S, 2039SA and single exhaust. The book also lists a production of 1816 Deluxe New Yorker 2 door 6 passenger club coupes in 1954. The Deluxe 2 door club coupe weighed 4005 lbs. The Deluxe New Yorker had the 235 HP 331 ci with a WCFB Carter with dual exhaust. By this info, I think we have a standard length block with a 2bbl carb and a PowerFlite trans, which is what I see when I look at the car. As far as the auto parts stores, the one with the paper books is always slow, and the guys move slow, and really don't want to put forth the effort to search for anything that is not standard fair. If the store belonged to me, the whole bunch would be gone, but I think the old guys are the owners. I get a discount from NAPA and the master cylinder kit was less expensive then the price listed at Andy's. On a high note, I filled the master and drove the car down the street late this afternoon. MAJOR milestone. We have a lot of stuff to do before we want to drive it too far from home. Gene
OK I just read George's post. Someone tell me how to identify the extended block by site. The transmission mounting surface is only about 1" behind the distributor and it looks like a normal size bellhousing (from a 70s perspective) to me. There is an additional plate about 3/4" -1" thick between the transmission and the motor. How much longer is the block on the extended block then the standard block? I'm beginning to wish i had a factory service manual here for this car. Gene
Try this guy for your exhaust. I got one from him for my Chrysler. Decent prices. http://stores.ebay.com/Classic-Car-Exhaust-Systems?_trksid=p2047675.l2563
From the rise/back end of the valley(in front of the dizzy hole) to the end of the extension is 7". The '54 long tail block is supposed to be the same casting & casting number that was used on the 51-3s, 1323329 Should be on the top of the extension. The short tail # is 1330129 but is between the head & valley cover pass side rear & is difficult to impossible to read with the intake on.
The top of the extended block looks like this: You can also look at the under side; does the assembly have a removeable section (bottom half of the bell) that the starter is mounted to? ...cast iron and about 4" wide...2 bolts each side at the split... If yours is 'normal' looking then it is a 54 block. Like George says, pretty damned hard to see the casting number... .
ive had good luck with color safe bleach mixed up with water in a spray bottle and rub it in a bit and blot with a towel, should work with out messin up headliner
Your '54 New Yorker is NOT a Club Coupe, but rather a Newport. The Club Coupe is a 2 dr post model, whereas yours is obviously a "hardtop" style with no upper door pillar. Ray
Star bright mold and mildew remover for marine interior use.spray it on and walk away I was suprised how well it did.They also make blockers to keep it from coming back.3M also makes mildew and mold products for marine use that works very good.Also use dessicant containers to control moisture and odors
I really appreciate all the comments and compliments! I have learned alot about this old chrysler this past week. As my dad stated earlier, yesterday we drove it around the block for the first time. We have a few more things to work on but with any luck realisticly we could be on the road with it by end of next week! Thanks Eric
What you've posted is CAR model codes C52 51-2 NYer Deluxe, C53 51-2 Imp, C56-1 is 53 NYer & C56-2 NY Deluxe, Engine use codes match the year C52 is '52, C53 is '53, & '54 is C541 for 2 bl & C542 for 4 bl
Is this picture orientated with the intake towards the top of the picture and the transmission towards the bottom of the picture? If the hole in the top left side is the distributor hole, and The trans is below the picture, we do not have a long block. The distance between the ledge the dist sits on and where the bell bolts on is only about an inch, or about the same distance as a LA 318/360. There is no way we are going to be able to see any numbers at the back of this motor while its still in the car, we can't even get a camera in there to take a picture. Maybe if I pull the distributor out, I might be able to get a tape measure in there. I'm going to be under the car next week to replace pull the master cylinder, maybe i can get some pictures from the bottom then. Big John, does your car have a V8 or is it a six? None of the pictures show a "Y" pipe with the single exhaust, and the only dual exhaust shown is for a 55-56. Those cars are a different body then the 54 is, 55 was a redesign year. It the exhaust for the 55/56 would work on the 54 we would be happy campers. Also, thanks to the guys that posted possible solutions to the mold in the headliner question, we will look into those suggestions. Hynstay, Thanks, I missed the 2 door Newport 6 passenger, that one had a shipping weight of 4005 lbs and had a production of 1312 cars! This thing is getting more rare by the minute. If that 2nd picture 73RR posted in the last entry is what an extended block looks like, we definitely do NOT have an extended bell! I may pull the dist tomorrow and get some pictures! Gene
Here is a picture of the long tail engine with Powerflite. Notice the very narrow adapter plate. (From Powerflite video)
This thread, with the info about the 'long tail' Powerflite trans, has been a revelation of sorts. I have been fooling around with Chrysler products since about 1960 or so, including owning a '51 NY, a '53 NY, a few Plymouths and a Dodge in that era, and more Mopars in later years. I have two now..........and in all that time I have never come across or heard of the Powerflite pictured above. Amazing! This has certainly been an educational experience. Love the HAMB and the depth of knowledge that resides here. Ray
Now you got me curious about my 54 NYD. All stock, so I am curious if it has a short tail engine. If the threader has a short tail, I would believe mine is a short tail considering it is the 235hp 4bbl engine. I do know something, I believe my car is an early 54 model, as it has GEMMER HYDROGUIDE power steering, while the latter models had CHRYSLER COAXIAL power steering. So who knows what I will find tomorrow. I still believe it is a short tail, so your pictures of the engine number are curious.
As I mentioned earlier, I had never looked @ the tranny section of my '54 shop manual before. Both the normal & the pancaked bell PFs are shown in it!
First, back to Gene... by your description, you have a 'normal' block. As to the 'how-what-why' of the apparent madness that ran rampant in Chrysler in the old days, folks can only shake their collective heads and push on. There are so many examples of odd pairings, year-make-model application mis-match and what can only be attributed to "use up the existing inventory as best you can" packages that we really must consider it entertainment of sorts. Like many others, I have been messing with these things a long time and I am never really surprised when someone finds something new... or old. .
Years ago I used to buy lots of stuff from Andy for my '53. He was always good to deal with back then, hope he still is.
Man, you have a rare car...the tudor hardtops were and are hard to find. They are the ones fetching a good price from restorers, the rest of the cars, mostly fordors go under 5K despite condtion. You have a great car. I had a '54 NYer from '64-'67 and used to bait Chevys with it as long as they were Impalas with powerglides and 327 or smaller. They's usually got the NYer off the line but once the secondarys kicked open, it was Bye-bye. I've got a '53 now with the six which I need to do something with....2nd owner and only an actual 83K on it. Hang on to that '54, it is unique at shows like GoodGuys!
The Jalopy Journal
