65 Chrysler Newport Advice

After 6 sweaty and tiring hours I we were abke to drag the wagon onto a trailer. I found the good lever and the engine compartment look pretty good. The oil looks as new as when it was put in 10 years ago ( per the owner ). I was feeling good until I looked into one of the back windows and saw leaves.........the floors are rotted out in the back and also the floor pan at the rear third seat seat.

I cannot get any of the doors to open, sprayed PB Blaster in the door jamb at the hinges and even sprayed it all down the door lock bar.....mot even budgeing.

The body I feel is in amazing shape for its age a few surface rust spots and a dent in the left front fender and a new dent in the drivers door..........happened when loading.

The frame itself looks pretty solid, the undercoating is falling off though.

The back wheels roll but the front are locked up......maybe the break shoes are stuck???

Are the parts even available that I will need, what kind of undertaking id=s invloved in floor pans


I really like the wagon but feel it maybe be more than I can handle. Would really like some inout and advice from you guys that know alot more about this than I do. I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Thanks again

 

Additional Photos

Here are some additional photos

I did take the liberty and drive through the self service car wash and got the 10 to 20 years of gime off of her..................My wife named the cat TETANUS

 

This car does look pretty solid, the resto is going to take a lot of time and motivation. Getting the car home and cleaning it off is a really good start in my opinion. The interior appears to be the worst part, the rust and rot in the rear seating area is not uncommon for a car thats been sitting out in the weather for so long. Sounds like some patch panels will be neccessary to get the floor back to a solid form. I would suggest gutting the entire interior out and asses just how much rust has attacked the floor pans, sitting with the body on organic material accelerates this process three fold. As far as the wheels and doors it's probably going to take getting it up on jack stands and removing the wheels then the drums (if possible) sounds like the brake shoes have frozen to the drums, this can take some hammer time and lots of PB blaster. The stuck doors will probably have to be released from the inside with the door panels removed, so going through an open window is about your only option. Sounds like they may have to be released on the inside and pushed from inside and pulled from outside. The seals on the doors are probably rotted and allowed water to rust the doors shut. If the floor pans are too far gone it may be a lost cause, but this is an awesome wagon and deserves another chance to roll down the road in all her glory. The beginning of a project can feel extremely overwhelming, but forward momentum seems to be the key, cleaning and stripping can provide a very strong feeling of accomplishment. So keep your head up and your hands moving and I think you will build one hell of a sweet wagon.

 

Oh yeah and as far as parts go they may be hard to find but should be out there, normally a salvage yard can put parts you require on a junkyard search and find either parts removed or donor cars that can be scavenged for spare parts. Don't feel like you're going to get this done over night between budget and time restrictions none of these projects just blow together. Be patient and use your resources, time is on your side.

 

Hi,
i'm happy that you found the good lever to open the hood, and that you could tow it home. The car has airconditioning! I don't know what you have to do with the doors, but maybe others can help you with that. Do you know what the chrome thing is above the left taillight? The engine looks pretty good after 15 years.
Martyx

 

What I saw looked like an antenna mount for one of those big 'whip' antennas. Maybe that's what you were talking about?

 

Lot of 65 year only parts on that wagon.
Motor mounts on the frame and the bosses on the block,and cable operated column shift-just to mention a couple.
Floor pans will have to be fabricated--non are in repop.
Not a lot in repop at all for the big C body wagons.
brake parts are easy to get,however pay attention to the size of the shoes/drums since there are a few different sizes-some were optional with tow package and/or with 413.
(fronts can be either 11x2-3/4 or 11x3,rears can be 11x2,11x2-1/2,or 11x3)
To free up the front drums,remove the tires and the outer wheel bearing & related hardware.Get a big sledge and start pounding the drum til it breaks free.
carefull not to destroy the drum,depending which ones she has,they are no longer available brand new.11x3 drums are the same as Hemi Mopar muscle cars of same vintage and cost a small fortune.
Hope this helps.

 

Well I can tell from the outside looking in that the back floor pans are TOAST, the passenger side is totally ou and the other side can be pushed out.

Will floor pans for a Newport 4 door sedan not fit? IS there any way to get a floor pan for the third back seat??

 

and keep in mind Rob....theres NO rule that says it has to be 'restored'...

you could just get it running and safe....and enjoy the heck out of it

 

I think that floor pans from a 65 or 66 C body will fit, but the third seat floor pan you will have to make that.
Is it a 9 passenger? It doesn't look like it, because there are no bumpersteps or handles in the rear.

 

I believe it is a 9 passenger havent gotten the doors open yet and still need the keys. I got the front passenger tire off before it got dark and hope to get the drum off tomorow to unnlock the brake shoe, then its on to the drivers side. I hope to have it off the trailer this weekend and rolling.

 

What bigbarney in the general automotive tech also says;
Drivers side lug nuts are left hand tread, that means you have to turn them the other way.

 

I would have never guessed that the threads were opposite. What is the meaning of this. It wasn't until I could not get the lug nuts loosened on the drivers side that I gave a good strong turn to the right and presto, it loosened.

Why did Chrysler do this?

 

The theory behind it is due to centrifigul force they won't loosen driving down the road. Not sure if it was effective because if it was they would still be that way.

 

Ok the land yacht was put up on jack stands yesterday nd I noticed a small section of frame rail, about 6-8 inches that has rust through ( on the very bottom of the rail ). Can this be cut out and patched or should I scrap the whole project before it too late and have too much invested in it. The rest of the frame looks to be solid. I am also trying to get the doors unstuck and it looks like the mechanisms inside the door are just rusted really bad.

I will try to get some more pictures up this weekend