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Location: California | https://modesto.craigslist.org/cto/d/standard-1961-chrysler-newport/...
“4 door, 361 engine, clean interior all original, no rust, Runs and rides great. Astrodome instrument cluster, clean interior, perfect dash pad,Must see to appreciate. original California car.
Just tuned up ready to go!”
Edited by Suddenlyits1960! 2020-05-06 8:04 PM
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Veteran
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Location: Chicago | Another oddly-optioned hot-climate Newport. Factory A/C and no power brakes or windows. Plus the fancy 7-button signal seeking radio. It’s been worked on but still has the(a) 1961 style alternator. Looks nice and solid. Would be a good candidate for a Chrysler Enforcer tribute car. |
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Location: California | It seems a fair number of 1960-1961 Chryslers I’ve seen out here had factory air. Being the most expensive make aside from Imperial,I guess those folks who bought them were affluent enough to spring for the extra comfort of factory air. |
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Location: Chicago | I thought it was odd for a Newport. It’s a $714.25 option on a $3000 car. Though we did see a similar one in Florida posted here fairly recently. |
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Location: California | Maybe his logic was “well,I saved money buying the cheapest model Chrysler,Ill use the money I saved to get factory air”? I’m not saying it’s common,but about 2 years back there was a white 61 Newport sedan on the Los Angeles Craigslist that had factory air. I also saw a Dodge Dart Phoenix sedan last year that had factory air and I thought that was unusual too,since the dart was an economy model. I wonder if anyone here has a breakdown on how many cars got the option? |
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Location: Chicago | Well, I have owned twelve 1961 Chryslers and looking back 25% of them had factory air. These ‘61s came from different parts of the country, and it’s interesting to see how it works out by model. Maybe this deserves its own thread - I could start one with my findings in general discussion |
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Location: Northen Virginia | nice car, a almost clone of mine except the factory air. One important fact is that the seat upholstery IT IS NOT the original. None or maybe few of the original may remain intact. The fabric was too fragile, specially for the CA sun. |
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Expert 5K+
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Location: Lower Mainland BC | hemidenis - 2020-05-07 7:46 PM One important fact is that the seat upholstery IT IS NOT the original. None or maybe few of the original may remain intact. The fabric was too fragile, specially for the CA sun.
Maybe not original but it looks like it could have been (matches well)
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Location: California | R41HP - 2020-05-07 9:42 PM
Well, I have owned twelve 1961 Chryslers and looking back 25% of them had factory air. These ‘61s came from different parts of the country, and it’s interesting to see how it works out by model. Maybe this deserves its own thread - I could start one with my findings in general discussion
That would be interesting. I would also be curious to know what year during the forward look years saw the largest production of cars (all models) with factory air. I would guess it would be either 1960,or 1961.
The 1961 Chryslers are beautiful cars,but I have to admit I’ve always been partial to the 1960’s. In my opinion they should have kept the boomerang taillights for 1961. I also prefer front end of the 1960’s and the chevron style font bumper. |
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Location: Chicago | My impression is this car has been painted, the seats reupholstered, and as I wrote before, work has been done under the hood. I will give them a B+ on trying to preserve originality on what looks to have been a functional original car. I’m not a Newport expert only having owned one, but the replacement upholstery looks like a good effort.
Also not an expert on Chrysler air conditioning but I think the new-for-1960 system was the basis that was used for many years. But, like any first-year technology there were changes that made some parts 1960-only, and the 1961 system is more compatible with later years. |
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Location: California | What was new about the air conditioning system for 1960? I know Chrysler products had factory ac in the dash as far back as 1957. I’ve seen a couple Plymouth’s with the pop up vents on the dash top. |
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Location: Lower Mainland BC | Suddenlyits1960! - 2020-05-08 5:30 AM
What was new about the air conditioning system for 1960? I know Chrysler products had factory ac in the dash as far back as 1957. I’ve seen a couple Plymouth’s with the pop up vents on the dash top.
Push buttons?
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Location: California | Didn’t 1959 cars have push buttons for ac and ventilation too? |
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Location: Pacific Northwest | For posterity
 (newport.jpg)
 (newport1.jpg)
Attachments
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 newport.jpg (56KB - 147 downloads)
newport1.jpg (52KB - 149 downloads)
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Location: California | Thanks for posting the photos. It’s really a beautiful car and the factory air is icing on the cake. It would make a great daily driver. |
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Location: Chicago | Let me rephrase. I was thinking from a parts interchangeability standpoint and suggesting the car was new for 1960, not the availability of air conditioning. Maybe the 1959 and 1960 are more similar than I thought. My larger point was discussing this 1961: just did a quick search and compressors and some other a/c parts are the same from 1961 to 1976.
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Location: Northen Virginia | Ac in 57-58 Imperials were an hydraulic nightmare. Imagine you engine oil circulating around your AC/heater system with hoses and pipes chat could be ruptured and there it goes your engine to the size heaven. Fortunately later on (i don't know when) they use the engine vacuum instead.
The Newport upholstery came with vertical channels sew every 3/4 of an inch ...No many Upholstery shops will do a good job keeping dozens of perfectly straight lines..This shop obviously went for no ribs at all.
The fabric is similar in color.
Car still look very good, but that t price is for same condition top of the line New Yorkers.
Edited by hemidenis 2020-05-08 2:41 PM
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Location: California | hemidenis - 2020-05-08 2:39 PM
Ac in 57-58 Imperials were an hydraulic nightmare. Imagine you engine oil circulating around your AC/heater system with hoses and pipes chat could be ruptured and there it goes your engine to the size heaven. Fortunately later on (i don't know when) they use the engine vacuum instead.
The Newport upholstery came with vertical channels sew every 3/4 of an inch ...No many Upholstery shops will do a good job keeping dozens of perfectly straight lines..This shop obviously went for no ribs at all.
The fabric is similar in color.
Car still look very good, but that t price is for same condition top of the line New Yorkers.
I had never heard that about Imperials. You’re saying the a/c used some sort of hydraulic system in 57-58 Imperials instead of engine vacuum? |
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Location: California | I have a 61 Windsor and the original upholstery has 2" vertical pleats. The pleats are are heat embossed and not stitched. The foam backing on the fabric deteriorated even though the car came from Montana. The seats had a crunchy sound when you sat on them. Drivers' seat was shot(torn) and did not have pleats.
I just bought NOS fabric from SMS and will have it looking good again, soon I hope. |
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Location: Sept. 1958 | Suddenlyits1960! - 2020-05-12 1:52 PM
hemidenis - 2020-05-08 2:39 PM
Ac in 57-58 Imperials were an hydraulic nightmare. Imagine you engine oil circulating around your AC/heater system with hoses and pipes chat could be ruptured and there it goes your engine to the size heaven. Fortunately later on (i don't know when) they use the engine vacuum instead.
The Newport upholstery came with vertical channels sew every 3/4 of an inch ...No many Upholstery shops will do a good job keeping dozens of perfectly straight lines..This shop obviously went for no ribs at all.
The fabric is similar in color.
Car still look very good, but that t price is for same condition top of the line New Yorkers.
I had never heard that about Imperials. You’re saying the a/c used some sort of hydraulic system in 57-58 Imperials instead of engine vacuum?
All makes with Model 905 a/c and heater had hydraulic actuators, used in 1957/1958, Plymouth through Imperial. |
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Location: California | Here's a photo |
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Extreme Veteran
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Location: California | christine-lover - 2020-05-13 12:00 PM
Suddenlyits1960! - 2020-05-12 1:52 PM
hemidenis - 2020-05-08 2:39 PM
Ac in 57-58 Imperials were an hydraulic nightmare. Imagine you engine oil circulating around your AC/heater system with hoses and pipes chat could be ruptured and there it goes your engine to the size heaven. Fortunately later on (i don't know when) they use the engine vacuum instead.
The Newport upholstery came with vertical channels sew every 3/4 of an inch ...No many Upholstery shops will do a good job keeping dozens of perfectly straight lines..This shop obviously went for no ribs at all.
The fabric is similar in color.
Car still look very good, but that t price is for same condition top of the line New Yorkers.
I had never heard that about Imperials. You’re saying the a/c used some sort of hydraulic system in 57-58 Imperials instead of engine vacuum?
All makes with Model 905 a/c and heater had hydraulic actuators, used in 1957/1958, Plymouth through Imperial.
Thanks for the info. I’ve never been lucky enough to have a 57-58 model that had factory air conditioning. I came close once though. So, was this system problematic due to the hydraulic lines,or was it rare for there to be an issue. I wonder why they didn’t just use engine vacuum in the first place?
By the way,if any of your out there have a factory air 57-58 with working air,how good is the system? Does it get reallt cold freeze the interior pretty good on a hot day? I’d like to find a 57-58 Belvedere with factory air. |
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Extreme Veteran
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Location: California | tberd62 - 2020-05-13 12:29 PM
Here's a photo
Something went wrong there’s no photo attached. |
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Expert
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Location: Northen Virginia | The Newports had a sew channels, the Windsors had a different upholstery which I'm not familiar with it. The New Yorkers doors panels had the vertical and horizontal lines embossed as you described.
At Carlisle I meet a young guy who sold his concrete company retired and he was restoring FL cars. He drove his perfect 1957 Imperial convertible with AC. I noticed a pipe coming from the valve covers and i asked what it was. "the return hose for the AC system" he replied.
Yes, the oil goes around the AC/heater system and returns to the engine trough the valve cover.
I was stunned that the AC worked with the same hydraulic pressure of the engine, actually it was a Y fitting at the back of the 392 that shared the oil from the oil pressure gauge to the AC system. I told him about my intention of installing AC on my 57, he said: "stay out of it, too much headache and money"
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1961 Chrysler Newport Modesto Craigslist
