1948 Chrysler New Yorker

[Guest seahawk108]

I picked this up for my son's and I to have a project together. Can anyone tell me what model this is. I know that it's a C39 but what does this mean? the serial# is 7082693 if this helps. thanks seahawk108

[keiser31]

C-39 New Yorker...VERY cool car and looks to be in awesome condition for a first project!

[Guest seahawk108]

thanks for the info. the car is great shape but the engine was changed out and a 300hp late 60's 327 was put in. the bad part about the 327 is that someone put a set of junk heads off of a late 70's 350. i think the heads are prone to craking. the car was driven until 06 when the lady got sick. thanks

[Rusty_OToole]

The New Yorker was Chrysler's luxury offering. It came with a straight eight engine and Fluid Drive and semi automatic transmission. Their competition at the time was the Buick Roadmaster, Packard 8, Lincoln V12 and Cadillac. For the ultimate in luxury only the Imperial 8 stood higher in the Chrysler heirarchy.

Too bad about the engine. Did they change the rear axle too? Chrysler had the hand brake on the end of the transmission so if you change the transmission you pretty well have to put in a different rear axle or you have no hand brake.

Edited November 23, 2010 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

The C39 came in 3 forms, C39K = Saratoga, C39N = New Yorker and C39 Town and Country with wooden body. The C39 was made for 3 years, 1946 1947 and 1948.

Starting serial numbers for C39N, 1946 = 7025001, 1947 = 7037249, 1948 = 7062598. So your car 7082693 must have been made in the later part of 1948.

[Guest Bill-W]

Fluid Drive was NOT a transmission. It was not even connected to the transmission.

Fluid Drive was a fluid coupling attached to the engine, equipped with the starter ring gear around the circumference and the flywhweel on the side opposite from the engine.

The transmission was behind the clutch, as normal practice. The base models of Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler offered Fluid Drive with the basic 3-speed manual transmission with the 4-speed semi-automatic as an option on DeSoto and Chrysler. The higher priced DeSoto and Chrysler models had the semi-automatic as standard. Dodge did not get the semi-automatic until 1949.

Bill

Toronto, ON

[Guest auburn]

What a beautiful car.

[Rusty_OToole]

Fluid Drive was NOT a transmission. It was not even connected to the transmission.

Fluid Drive was a fluid coupling attached to the engine, equipped with the starter ring gear around the circumference and the flywhweel on the side opposite from the engine.

The transmission was behind the clutch, as normal practice. The base models of Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler offered Fluid Drive with the basic 3-speed manual transmission with the 4-speed semi-automatic as an option on DeSoto and Chrysler. The higher priced DeSoto and Chrysler models had the semi-automatic as standard. Dodge did not get the semi-automatic until 1949.

Bill

Toronto, ON

" Fluid Drive AND semi automatic transmission" OK fixed it for you.