I'm seriously thinking of buying one of these great old whales. Is there anything that I should be looking at in particular? Any common faults? Any known rust areas? Anything that will tell me "don't buy this clunker"
Check thoroughly for rust. A lot of MoPars were unibodies (not sure about a NYer) and therefore rust is a Big Deal. Also see if it has the Lean Burn system still operational; if it hasn't been converted to a conventional carburetor pay special attention to driveability as the LB systems are known to be problematic.
Yep, very sturdy *and* so easy to rebuild that anyone contemplating their first trans teardown should experiment with a 727 first. Even if it was shot that wouldn't be a deal breaker IMO.
Body and interior are where the money is. With many of the old Chrysler products the mechanical parts are still on the shelf at the parts store and cheap as dirt but body parts and interior doodads are hard as hell to find and pricey when you do.
These cars love to rust behind the front wheels and behind the rear wheels. The leanburn system was a good idea but not the most reliable thing after 30 years. Plan on replacing the carb and distributor with non leanburn units if it hasn't been done already.
This car was built at a time when emissions requirements were coming on strong but the technology to meet those requirements didn't exist yet. Even though you got a "big ol" engine under the hood it has no balls. The engine was severely detuned and had many emissions controls that ran off vacuum and magic. Don't expect it to have power or decent gas mileage.
I love these old boats myself.. including their faults. I have had several slightly older Imperials and they are amazing cars. Very luxurious interiors and all the bells and whistles.
I certainly wouldn't tell you "don't buy it," I love the last of the full-size C-bodies!
The main thing to watch for on a 70s Chrysler is the cam gear. They, like all the big-3, used nylon cam gears to silence the chain chatter, but the nylon gears deteriorate and the timing chain will slip, which on some of them can put valves through pistons. Regardless of mileage, that engine should get a new timing chain and gear set, preferably a roller type (available through Edelbrock, Cloyes, etc.) The drivetrain is otherwise just about bloody bulletproof- you really cant get much tougher than a 60s/70s Mopar engine/transmission combo. Of course at this age, it will need the usual maintenance- carburetor rebuild, fluids, filters, rubber parts. RESIST THE TEMPTATION to get a parts-store "rebuilt" carburetor. They're complete crap, if you can't rebuild it yourself, send it to some carburetor restorer like the carburetor shop
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In fact, resist that temptation with everything- starters, alternators, PS pumps, etc. Lots of stuff is avaialble brand new- Edelbrock high-efficiency water pumps for example, retrofitting Nippondenso alternators, Edelbrock "Thunder Series" carburetors, and even modern AC systems (classicautoair.com). Take a look at the under-hood of my C-body here:
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That's my daily driver so reliability comes first, hence the new components you see such as the carb, alternator, and waterpump, not to mention the AC. Keep the original AC if it works and doesn't leak- mine worked great up until this year- but if the compressor is toast consider the classic kit like I have.
Rust-proofing on that era Chrysler is "ok." Definitely far, far better than the 77-80 F-bodies (Aspen/Volare) but not as good as a few years earlier. Areas to watch on Mopars are around the rear window, in the trunk, and in the rear quarter panels. Less likely, but worth scrutiny, would be the cowl vent area, which can clog with leaves and debris. IIRC, the NYer has concealed wipers, so its very easy to get at this area- open the hood, remove the plastic screens below the wipers, and carefully reach your whole arm down in there and pull out the muck.
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