1954 Chrysler Cars Described

1954 CHRYSLER CARS DESCRIBED

1954 CHRYSLER - GENERAL: The Low-end Windsor series was dropped, leaving only the Windsor Deluxe. The line now consisted of Windsor DeLuxe. the New Yorker and New Yorker DeLuxe. Chrysler was facing competition from Lincoln, Mercury and Cadillac and Buick, all who now featured more powerful OHV V8 power plants than the venerable L-Head 6 cylinder, dating back to the 30s and anemic in the public's eyes. Facelifts consisted of changes to the grille. trim and tail lamps. The front grille trim no longer wrapped around the front of the fenders. The dash, while resembling the earlier 1949-1953 Chryslers, was restyled. One-piece rear windows were now used on all body styles. It would be the last year for the long wheelbase 139.5-inch chassis. Styling, however, was essentially six years old and sales plummeted more than 40 percent.

1954 WINDSOR DELUXE C62 (6-CYL): For 1954, gone was the low-line Windsor series, which was now combined with Windsor DeLuxe Series. The Windsor DeLuxe grille center bar was abbreviated at both ends, which differentiated it from the up-scale New Yorker's, also without the famous "V" on the nose. The six-cylinder was in its last year as an engine in a Chrysler. The Club Coupe was also at the end of its run as a Chrysler Body style.

1954 NEW YORKER C63-1 - 8-CYLINDER: A slight facelift of the 1953 model made, paralleling the changes in the Windsor DeLuxe Series in body and trim. "New Yorker" nameplates were moved to the rear fenders, but the “V” insignia remained on the hood and deck lid. The Hemi benefitted from new cylinder heads and a more aggressive camshaft, resulting in this 2-barrel carbureted model's horsepower jumping to 195.

1954 NEW YORKER DELUXE SERIES C63-2 - 8-CYLINDER: This top-of-the-line Chrysler used more chrome trim than other series in 1954. The grille center bar was bow shaped and dipped at both ends to parallel the upper grille design. The front fender stone shield was unique to the New Yorker DeLuxe while the rear fender stone shield had a horizontal trim piece in the middle, matching the trim on the front fender shield, Hub cap design was unique to the New Yorker DeLuxe and consisted of a very flat, spinner-like design in gold color that matched the exterior insignia. A much-needed upgrade was made to the Hemi, now fitted with new heads, a 4-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts was standard on the New Yorker DeLuxe. Horsepower jumped to 235, once again overshadowing its luxury competitors Cadillac and Lincoln. Surprisingly, in a year of plummeting Chrysler sales, the New Yorker DeLuxe outsold its 1953 counterpart by nearly 25 percent. Horsepower. it seems, did sell cars in 1954.

MODEL/ENGINE I.D. DATA:

 Windsor DeLuxe serial numbers. Windsor DeLuxes built in Detroit were numbered from 70141001 to 70181908. Los Angeles built cars were numbered from 65014001 to 65015185. Motor numbers started at C54-1001.  New Yorker serial numbers. Detroit built cars serial numbers were from 76591001 to 76610490. Los Angeles built cars serial numbers were from 66510001 to 66510937. Motor numbers began with C54-8-1001. They were interspersed with New Yorker DeLuxe numbers, sequentially as engines were built.  New Yorker DeLuxe serial numbers. . Serial numbers for the New Yorkers were from 7249001 to 727980. Los Angeles built cars serial numbers were from 69005001 to 69007248. Motor numbers began with C54-8-1001. They were interspersed with regular New Yorker numbers, sequentially as engines were built. All serial numbers were located on the left front door hinge post. Windsor I-6 motor numbers were found on the left side of the engine block below the cylinder head between the first and second cylinders. New Yorker and New Yorker DeLuxe Hemi V-8 engine numbers were located at the front of the engine block, between the heads, under the water outlet elbow. All Series - no code numbers were provided for identification of body/style type.

BODY PAINT CODE/COLORS:

 6 Flagship Blue  7 Commodore Blue  8 Glacier Blue  9 Turquoise Blue  10 Peacock Blue (Green)  11 Seabreeze Blue  15 Mint Green  16 Sea Island Green  30 West Point Gray  31 Ascot Gray  40 Pebble Beige  41 Topaz Tan  42 Cordovan Brown  43 Tahitian Tan  50 Torch Red  55 Canary Yellow  151 Valley Green  301 Canyon Gray  89L Scarlet Red  89U Snow Crest  90U Steelhaze Gray  91L Gold  93L Royal Crest Blue  93U Bahama Blue  95U Floral Green  96U Royal Palm Green

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CHRYSLER ENGINES:

 Windsor DeLuxe Series Engine. L-head six-cylinder. Cast iron block. Displacement: 250.6 CID. Bore and stroke: 3.438" x 4.5". Compression ratio: 7.0:1. Horsepower: 119 @ 3600 RPM. Torque: 218 foot-pounds @ 1600 RPM. Four main bearings. Solid lifters. Carburetor: Standard shift - Ball and Ball E9C. E9C1. With Powerflite transmission, Ball and Ball, Model B-8 E9B1.  New Yorker Series Engine. V-8 overhead valve, Hemispherical Combustion Chambers. Cast Iron Block. Displacement: 331.1 CID. Bore and stroke: 3.81" x 3.63". Horsepower: 195 @ 4400 R.P.M. Torque: 320 foot- pounds at 2000 RPM. Five main bearings. Hydraulic valve lifters. Compression ratio: 7.5:1. Carburetor: Carter WCD 2-barrel 2039S or 2039SA.  New Yorker DeLuxe Series Engine. V-8 overhead valve, Hemispherical Combustion Chambers. Cast Iron Block. Displacement: 331.1 CID. Bore and stroke: 3.81" x 3.63". Horsepower: 235 @ 4400 R.P.M. Torque: 330 foot- pounds at 2600 RPM. Five main bearings. Hydraulic valve lifters. Compression ratio: 7.5:1. Carburetor: Carter 4- barrel WCFB Carter 2041S.

CHASSIS:  Wheelbase: Windsor and New Yorker long wheelbase models - 139.5" All Others - 125.5".  Overall length: Long wheelbase cars: 226.75" All Others: 215.50".  Tires: Long wheelbase cars - 8.20 x 15, Short wheelbase cars - All Windsors 7.60 x 15, All New Yorkers 8.00 x 15.

POWERTRAIN OPTIONS:

 Windsor DeLuxe. Three-speed manual transmission standard with Powerflite 2-speed automatic transmission optional.  New Yorker and New Yorker DeLuxe. Powerflite 2-speed automatic transmission standard.

SIGNIFICANT OPTIONS:

 Electric Window Lifts.  Fog lights.  Heater ($79).  Highlander trim ($63).  Map light (standard in Newport and Convertible).  New Yorker leather trim ($121).  Outside rear view mirror.  Power brakes.  Power steering ($130).  Power windows ($125).  Powerflite automatic Transmission on Windsor ($175).  Radio ($101).  Rear seat radio speaker.  Solex tinted glass ($20).  Spot lamps.  Two-tone paint.  White sidewall tires.  Windshield washers.  Wire spoke wheel rims ($260).

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Chrysler opened its Chelsea Proving Grounds in 1954 and Chrysler test drivers teamed with Tony Bettenhausen to complete a 24-hour endurance run of 2,836 miles averaging 118.18 M.P.H.

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PRODUCTION: Chrysler production for 1954 totaled 99,269. See the attached chart for the detailed model breakout.

CAR IMAGES

The prestige leader for Chrysler in 1954 had to be the New Yorker DeLuxe Convertible, even though the Town & Country wagon and the 8-Passenger Sedan cost more. 724 were sold this year.

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CAR IMAGES Continued

Aside from 4-door Sedans, the most popular 1954 Chrysler New Yorker DeLuxe was the Newport 2-door Hardtop with 4,814 sold.

The 1954 New Yorker 4-door Sedan topped the line with 26,907 sold in the DeLuxe Series.

The 1954 New Yorker Club Coupe was available as a Standard or DeLuxe. The Standard model (shown here) sold 2,079 units – the DeLuxe 1,861 units.

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CAR IMAGES Continued

The 1954 New Yorker Town & Country Wagon outsold its Windsor sister for the first time, with 1,100 produced.

For 1954 only 140 long wheelbase New Yorker 8-Passenger Sedans were delivered. The era of the limo-type Chrysler was ending – Imperial would pick up the mantle.

The 1954 New Yorker 4-door Sedan was a practical choice: Hemi power at a reasonable price. As a result, 15,788 were sold.

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CAR IMAGES

The 1954 Windsor Convertible's sales declined drastically from 1953's 1,250 units, down to 500. The lack of V-8 power was killing this model’s sales.

For 1954 the Windsor Newport Hardtop also took a beating, dropping to 3,655 total.

The Windsor long wheelbase sales rose slightly to 500, but the car needed V8 power badly. It would disappear and the V-8 would become a Chrysler Imperial in years to come.

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CAR IMAGES Continued

The Windsor Town & Country Wagon sales were halved in 1954. People wanted more power to haul and 119 HP was just too low.

The bread and butter Windsor 4-door Sedan also suffered a 50% loss in deliveries, down to 33,563.

The Windsor Club coupe, a sales stalwart in previous years, dropped to a miniscule 5,659 for 1954.

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CAR IMAGES Continued – Styling Changes for 1954

Major 1954 styling differences were the more modern headlight surround with the integral parking light and the movement of the model identifier to the rear fender from the front.

The 1954 grilles were changed as well, with the New Yorker (gold car) getting an extra curved bar and "Chrysler" in the center cove. The Windsor (blue car) did not have the "V" and "Chrysler" replaced it. The Windsor’s grille cove had three triangles inset in it.