1966 Chrysler Newport 383 from North America

Summary:

If you go cruising in this car just once, you will want to drive nothing else.

Faults:

- Master cylinder went out and I rebuilt it, no problem.

- New Brake Booster.

- Alternator went out.

-Distributor got a little funky, replaced it with an electronic one and runs like a dream.

-Turn signal switch quit (if yours ever goes out, just rebuild it, it's a LOT easier to rebuild it than find a new one. Mysterious absence of new part.

- Seats dried out from being left in the warm California sun. Rip in the back one, seats covers are my friend.

-Expansion valve on the A/c went out, easy fix. You have to love A/c when it works.

- A few other little things, nothing substantial.

General Comments:

As far as things that I fixed that didn't need fixing:

- Added an Edelbrock intake with a Holly 4-barrel.

-Electronic distributor with electronic control unit.

-Finally my personal favorite: Side Pipes. Yes that's right side pipes. Made them myself with a couple of cherry bomb mufflers. I went to a couple of muffler shops and asked them advice and wanted to buy parts from them. They told me to forget about it because it was impossible. Yeah, they told me it was impossible, that's what motivated me really.

You have to love that suspension. It's as smooth as glass. It's a 4door with huge bench seats. I love road trips in this thing.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th March, 2005

21st Mar 2005, 06:35

Tried to picture a Newport sedan with side pipes.

Got nauseated, had to stop.

1966 Chrysler Newport 383 from North America

Summary:

This car represents the pinnacle of the Chrysler Corporation

Faults:

Main bearing started making noise, so I tore the motor down and rebuilt it. The brakes are a little tricky to set right.

The weatherstripping is starting to wear out.

General Comments:

What can I say about a 35 year old car that still goes to work every day?

It is easy to get in/out of, has very comfortable seats, and plenty of pickup.

Cosmetically the car is starting to show it's age, but looks no worse than some 10 year old cars around here. But the workmanship and quality of materials is excellent for the price-leader Chrysler. Compare the workmanship to a new Cirrus and see how far we've come.

Paid $850 for it in 1993, and I think I've gotten my money's worth out of it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th March, 2001

25th Jun 2001, 21:21

My uncle has a sort of junked Newport ('66) sitting in his yard. Do you think it would be worth the effort to restore it? What price do you think a car like that could get, assuming that it was in very good condition.

19th Oct 2002, 12:44

In 1966 I began looking for a new car. I was always a Chevy person, but really liked the looks of the Chrysler NEWPORT 2DR ht. I compared the Chevy Belair with the Newport. Price wise they both were close, but quality was a no brainer. I paid $ 3700.00 off the show room floor. I have driven my Newport for 36 years with one engine overhaul, one transmission overhaul and several sets of tires. I now have 90,000 on the new engine. I love my Chrysler and together we continue to grow older.