1967 Chrysler Newport from North America - Comments

The car could not be driven above 35 MPH for several minutes until after the thermostat opened.

The contact posts on the voltage gauge were loose, and the incomplete circuit would prevent the car from starting.

The mechanical points required continual adjustment.

The electrical system consumed a number of mechanical voltage regulators.

The headlight switch developed a heat-sensitive short circuit that caused the headlights to cut out.

The heater worked poorly and was miserable in the winter.

This car was generally good transportation for the low price.

The 383 2-barrel never delivered on its promise of performance.

The drive train was rugged, and the transmission remained tight and shifted well even after being abused.

Installing electronic ignition solved some problems.

In general, small problems dogged this car. The main issues were the loose voltage gauge contacts that caused intermittent starting problems; the short circuit that caused the intermittent headlight failures; the poor performance of the heater, and; the time to achieve operating temperature after starting the car.

One can't really blame poor maintenance on a vehicle's performance. Buy a beater, you get a beater. A well maintained 67 Newport is a pretty nice car for its age.

Au contraire! I liked this car, and put a lot of work into it. During the time that I owned it, it was very well maintained.

Oil changed every 2,000 miles; carburetor rebuilt; new plugs and wires; installed Mopar Performance electronic ignition kit, which included new distributor, ballast resistor, electronic control module, and voltage regulator, flushed the coolant, changed the transmission fluid and filter.

So, I really take offense to the suggestion that I did not maintain it and then complained unjustifiably. When I was done with it, it ran better than it probably ever had, and the guy who sold it to me was totally green with envy that I had it running so well.

With that said, there were some real weak points to this car, and there is no denying it, even from someone who loves Mopars, such as myself.

First, the heater was terrible.

Second, the headlight switch developing a short circuit ---that's a design problem, not a maintenance problem.

Third, the way it ran so doggy (and not the usual Mopar stalling at the first corner, I mean doggy!) until it warmed up -- I've never seen that on another car.

Fourth, the solder on the voltage gauge posts loosening up and making a short in the starting circuit -- that is also something I never experienced on any other vehicle, including my '64, '71, '73, '75, and '85 Mopars.

Fifth, the way it ate starters. And that isn't mentioning the sagged leaf springs that were going through the trunk, or the leaking gas tank at the sprung seam.

Don't get me wrong, I had fun with the car and really liked it, and it was in bad shape when I got it, but it needed a lot to bring it back to being a dependable driver.

Thanks to me, it stayed out of the junkyard for another couple of years. I was sad to see it go. But, it had enough little things that kept it from ever being anything more than a daily work car and winter car, if you look at it objectively.

Also, my friend had a '68 Newport and had the same problem with eating mechanical voltage regulators and not starting because of loose voltage gauge posts. Though I love Mopars, I'm not going to get starry-eyed and make out like it was better than it really was.

I wonder if his '67 Newport headlight switch was like the one on the same year Imperial: a toggle-type.

I had the same problems: headlight circuitry over-heating, eventually shutting down the headlights... especially on the freeway and/or when using high beams. Go ahead: try to find a new one for sale, anywhere.

To be sure, this is a design or execution-of-design --- NOT a maintenance problem.

I, too, went through a lot of ignition points with '64, '65, and '66 Imperials. My '66 Lincoln would regularly go 30K miles before needed new points, to make a comparison.

But while 60s Lincoln engines are the best, Lincolns cost much more to maintain than either Cads or big Mopars.

Actually, I found that the biggest problem with big Mopars... is every single one became an "oil burner" after 125,000 miles. And when I used to go to Mopar shows, most of the discussions centered around engine rebuilding. Pathetic.

It's a good thing that they usually come cheap.

This was my original review, and for anyone who is interested, here is the story on those headlight switches:

If you take out the toggle-type switch and look at the back, you'll see that it has a series of prongs riveted to the back. The wires clip onto those prongs. The problem is that some of the wires are very tightly bent in order to fit onto the corresponding prong, which makes a stress point in the wire. In a couple of cases, that sharply bent stress point has to rub up against a neighboring metal prong. Over the years, the prong rubs through the plastic wire insulation, causing the switch to short out, and voila, the headlights cut out. The intermittent failure is related to cabin temperature because the insulation has almost worn through, but not quite, so when it's cold, the insulation retains enough stiffness to keep the wire from touching the neighboring prong. However, after the heater has been on and it gets warm behind the dashboard, the plastic insulation gets just soft and pliable enough to allow the wire to touch the metal prong.