Well I picked up the Chrysler today after some eBay master sniping and the assistance of Mr Pogweasle of this parish who did me a quick pre-purchase inspection and was more thorough in his PM'd report than I usually am when inspecting a purchase. I'm more : Car is there, car runs, seller seems OK and makes a good cuppa, deal done...
So Em decided she wanted to come with me to pick it up. Which was nice to have some company on the train ride down and run back in the car but I can do without the stress of the first run in the car being accompanied by a nervous wife keep asking "is it supposed to make that noise?"
However we got home without too much incident. Couple of backfires suggest that oops, the ECU has maybe gone south (not uncomon sadly) but they can be patched up or gotten rid of, Chrysler even makes a computer removal kit for this car which kinda says something about the stock ECU....
Initial faults to report are that it is S-L-O-W. I know they are slow, but this is extra slow. Probably ECU related. Attempt to actually pull away quickly and it stumbles a bit. More than half throttle up hills results in misfiring. You have to wait until you're on the flat then let off the accelerator completely and then you can accelerate again, albeit gently. It suddenly wakes up at about 60 MPH and accelerates well, but it takes about 30 seconds to get there from a dead stop, and thats on the flat....
Couple to this the fact that the autobox doesn't like to downshift and given the oportunity will get up into top by about 20 MPH regardless of the fact that this will make if fall on its ass in a misfiring mess.... So for best effect it has to be driven lie a manual.
Easiset thing to do is rip out the computer and all the pesky "lean burn" junk and fit a non-computer controlled carb and a regular distributor. But I am a tightwad and also suitably pervese enough to want to make the damn leanburn / ECU / Computer carb actually work...
Anyway, here's the pics of the beast at home. Photos were taken in the dark and it looks better the darker it gets out there LOL
A couple taken on the seller's drive...
mmmmm comfy
But no good for people who don't like blue...
Well, a million American pensioners can't be wrong...
These things were the last of the traditional V8 RWD Chryslers so are a bit of a landmark car. The platform they are based and goes all the way back to sepember 1959 when the 1960 models were released. Considering its a "fullsize" car its a blown up compact format its based on. The A body begat the F body which begat the J body which begat the M body. Its still no lightweight though!
The Fifth Avenue was originally the uber-plush edition of the New Yorker, a car which started out as Chryslers top of the line model for the Chrysler brand, and could only be had with a big block V8 and a ton of power. Scary thought that back in the 1960s they were capable of clocking up to 150 MPH on drum brakes and crossply tyres. No wonder insurance rates went sky high! Thats one of the real reasons these cars ended upt he way the did. That and the Highway Safety Standards body mandating heavier bumpers and all that, Ralph Nader and his ilk pressing for performance to be cut on new cars, the Environmental movement in the USA was strong and well ahead of the game so the EPA was into emissions restrictions (no high lift long duration cams after 1974!) and of course CAFE mandatory MPG restrictions from 1979. The big blocks were all gone so the New Yorker got a smallblcokf or the fist time ever and to make up for the car now being on a smaller plaform (just 200 inches long now) they rubber mounted and isolated everything to gove a big car ride in a small car. This also killed any chance of this car ever handling right in factory stock form. Police editions don't get the rubber "isomounts".
But all the emissions gear is removable, the "Federal" low compression can be bumped up a bit, and driving a car with sofas for seats which wallows like a p!ssed cow in a mudbath is kinda fun. Even a mini roundabout at low speeds becomes a challenge that Aerton Sena might have feared!
More news as it happens, or not.
So Em decided she wanted to come with me to pick it up. Which was nice to have some company on the train ride down and run back in the car but I can do without the stress of the first run in the car being accompanied by a nervous wife keep asking "is it supposed to make that noise?"
However we got home without too much incident. Couple of backfires suggest that oops, the ECU has maybe gone south (not uncomon sadly) but they can be patched up or gotten rid of, Chrysler even makes a computer removal kit for this car which kinda says something about the stock ECU....
Initial faults to report are that it is S-L-O-W. I know they are slow, but this is extra slow. Probably ECU related. Attempt to actually pull away quickly and it stumbles a bit. More than half throttle up hills results in misfiring. You have to wait until you're on the flat then let off the accelerator completely and then you can accelerate again, albeit gently. It suddenly wakes up at about 60 MPH and accelerates well, but it takes about 30 seconds to get there from a dead stop, and thats on the flat....
Couple to this the fact that the autobox doesn't like to downshift and given the oportunity will get up into top by about 20 MPH regardless of the fact that this will make if fall on its ass in a misfiring mess.... So for best effect it has to be driven lie a manual.
Easiset thing to do is rip out the computer and all the pesky "lean burn" junk and fit a non-computer controlled carb and a regular distributor. But I am a tightwad and also suitably pervese enough to want to make the damn leanburn / ECU / Computer carb actually work...
Anyway, here's the pics of the beast at home. Photos were taken in the dark and it looks better the darker it gets out there LOL
A couple taken on the seller's drive...
mmmmm comfy
But no good for people who don't like blue...
Well, a million American pensioners can't be wrong...
These things were the last of the traditional V8 RWD Chryslers so are a bit of a landmark car. The platform they are based and goes all the way back to sepember 1959 when the 1960 models were released. Considering its a "fullsize" car its a blown up compact format its based on. The A body begat the F body which begat the J body which begat the M body. Its still no lightweight though!
The Fifth Avenue was originally the uber-plush edition of the New Yorker, a car which started out as Chryslers top of the line model for the Chrysler brand, and could only be had with a big block V8 and a ton of power. Scary thought that back in the 1960s they were capable of clocking up to 150 MPH on drum brakes and crossply tyres. No wonder insurance rates went sky high! Thats one of the real reasons these cars ended upt he way the did. That and the Highway Safety Standards body mandating heavier bumpers and all that, Ralph Nader and his ilk pressing for performance to be cut on new cars, the Environmental movement in the USA was strong and well ahead of the game so the EPA was into emissions restrictions (no high lift long duration cams after 1974!) and of course CAFE mandatory MPG restrictions from 1979. The big blocks were all gone so the New Yorker got a smallblcokf or the fist time ever and to make up for the car now being on a smaller plaform (just 200 inches long now) they rubber mounted and isolated everything to gove a big car ride in a small car. This also killed any chance of this car ever handling right in factory stock form. Police editions don't get the rubber "isomounts".
But all the emissions gear is removable, the "Federal" low compression can be bumped up a bit, and driving a car with sofas for seats which wallows like a p!ssed cow in a mudbath is kinda fun. Even a mini roundabout at low speeds becomes a challenge that Aerton Sena might have feared!
More news as it happens, or not.
;D
Or de-emissioning the small block. No significant worries about passing emissions on the MOT on this side of the Atlantic (pre-86) so plenty of room for improvement. 3 months ago I sold my spare Edelbrock Performer intake which would have fitted this engine perfectly. I got £60 for it, I bet I have to pay £120 for another one...
Blue is my favourite colour too! Loving the dash, lots of dials and what I assume is a huge head unit 
