1964 Newport sedan

Another file photo, I'm afraid. This was among the cheapest winter cars I ever bought (I paid $75 for it), yet I got two years of service from it. The only repair it ever needed was a power-steering belt, which was missing when I bought the car. I figured the bloke was snowing me when he said that it worked OK, just needed a belt, but much to my surprise it worked perfectly after I installed the belt.

It was light blue, had a 361 cu. in. 4-barrel motor (the precursor of the 383), a push-button Torqueflite trans, p/s, p/b and a/c (and the a/c still worked!). That 361 was a sweet mill; smooth, plenty of zip, and it'd rev like a small-block. On the down side, the car was rusty as all get out, and the interior was totally ripped to pieces. I jury-rigged that by stuffing foam into the worst holes in the seats, smearing a couple of tubes of RTV silicone over the whole works, and positioning an old quilt on top. Worked like a charm!

In the end I sent it to the boneyard only because the rust was so bad that the mounts for the front suspension collapsed. Even then, it still ran fine, and I drove it for a couple of more weeks with the crossmember bottoming over every bump, and the tires rubbing the fenderwells. And, I drove it to the junkyard! They don't make 'em like this any more...

Favorite story; I had a buddy with an Opel GT, and he thought that car was hot stuff. I was following him somewhere one day, and he laid some fairly respectable rubber as we hit the road. I promptly passed him, and at the next stop sign treated him to The Mother Of All Brake-Torque Burnoffs. Not only was the Opel completely obscured in the cloud, so was a neighboring apartment building! ];-)

Worst feature; the patented early-60's Chrysler "Did my tie-rods fall off?" zero-feedback power steering.

<next car in series>

<return to auto index>