Hmmm... not gonna touch that subject line! :)
It's funny, the '76-78 NYB brochures and all other Chrysler info lists the
overall length at 231 inches, except some 1976 literature which shows 233.6.
Considering the cars are virtually identical all of those years, the oddball
number always puzzled me. The rear bumper guards are the most protruding part
at the back end, and in front, it's the center of the "vee" of the front
bumper, which protrudes beyond the front bumper guards in all those years
(rendering the bumper guards relatively useless).
I found out the NYB was longer than listed when I was test-fitting my cars in
the garage after moving into my current house in 2001. My '67 Imperial (225.9")
fit with about 8" to spare, so I figured the NYB would squeeze in with 3" left
over, but when I put the NYB into the garage, I wasn't sure I'd be able to
close the garage door.
Thankfully, I have a 1950s-style solid wood door (not a roll-up, articulated
type), and its structural supports run vertically. When the door closes, one of
the vertical supports nests right between the bumper guards, which is what
allows me to park a car that is actually larger than the garage floor's length
to the bottom of the door.
I measured the floor and the car is indeed closer to the odd 1976 measurement
of 233.6" than the 231" listed. I can only think that, at the time they
published the measurements every year, someone in accounting was considering
making the rear bumper guards optional, but they ended up remaining standard
each year. Or it was just a mistake. Or they used a rubber ruler!
When garage hunting, don't forget width if you're looking at a one-car garage.
I was thrilled many years ago to find a 22-foot-deep garage for my '67 that was
also 96" wide. With the Imperial at roughly 80" in width, it seemed like an
easy fit. Then I opened the door and realized that, from the outermost point of
the door skin to the inside edge of the armrest, the overall door thickness was
nearly a foot! If the '67s didn't allow you to operate the power windows with
the key out, I don't think I could have exited the car. Only my lower leg could
fit through the door opening as I did my most dignified impersonation of the
Dukes of Hazzard, but I managed to work it for years.
Chris in LA
78 NYB Salon
67 Crown
-----Original Message-----
From: Imperial59crown@xxxxxxx
Sent: May 28, 2004 11:17 PM
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: IML: Chris's is bigger than mine!
Are you sure you NYB is 233 inches long? My '59 is 226, and would make it
into my one car condo garage only if I cleared everything out of it including
the
garbage cans, and even then I would probably have to climb out of the window
to get out of it. As Hugh wrote, when I go to purchase a new home whenever
that time may come in this real estate gone crazy area of Southern California,
garage space will definitely be number one on my list! A nice deep three car
garage would be ideal. My Imperial has been sitting outdoors for some eight to
ten years now, and once I get it repainted, outdoor parking will no longer be
an
option. Besides the car is rapidly approaching it's golden years, and is past
the days of sleeping under the stars!
Bill '59 Crown, still under the knife
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