My first Mopar : '68 Chrysler 300...needs a lot of love...

[CitronPresse]

Finally, the 300 after a little exterior clean-up

And now with its new sister my new '71 Imperial...like if I was not missing time enough before :laughing4:

 

[commando1]

I want this to have a good ending. I don't care how long it takes. I think this is great.

 

[CitronPresse]

Ahah right Commando!

I explain you the situation: I've owned 40 different cars in last years, my pleasure is not to own a car, but to buy it, and sell it, I know that's strange and a bit ridiculous, but I do my cash with that and I can afford a greater model each time
Some years ago (when I had my '80 Mercury Monarch, my first old car) I was never thinking to have an awesome and old big Chrysler like my 300, and even less two (with my Imperial)!
But with this little business now I has 2 great old cars, maybe I'll keep them, maybe not, but the 300 has a great advantage at my eyes: I'm connected to this car since I work on it, I invest time on it, maybe it'll be super clean one day, the work has already begun so why not
This project is not so scary (I don't have any equipment and place but I work in car body), all I need is time, and I don't have time

Little question for you Commando, is the blue 2-dr Newport (or 300?) yours?
Really nice color and configuration (I'd like to have a 2-dr ), can you tell me more about your wheels? (and why not post some pics?)
I want to put this style of wheels on my 300, is this oem wheels with only little dog-dishes caps or larger sport wheels?

 

[detmatt]

To each their own but that 300 looks exactly the way it should with those beautiful full wheel covers. Your car needs the white walls and whitewalls with small hubcaps is a no no. My .02.

 

[commando1]

Ahah right Commando!

I explain you the situation: I've owned 40 different cars in last years, my pleasure is not to own a car, but to buy it, and sell it, I know that's strange and a bit ridiculous, but I do my cash with that and I can afford a greater model each time
Some years ago (when I had my '80 Mercury Monarch, my first old car) I was never thinking to have an awesome and old big Chrysler like my 300, and even less two (with my Imperial)!
But with this little business now I has 2 great old cars, maybe I'll keep them, maybe not, but the 300 has a great advantage at my eyes: I'm connected to this car since I work on it, I invest time on it, maybe it'll be super clean one day, the work has already begun so why not
This project is not so scary (I don't have any equipment and place but I work in car body), all I need is time, and I don't have time

Little question for you Commando, is the blue 2-dr Newport (or 300?)?
Really nice color and configuration (I'd like to have a 2-dr ), can you tell me more about your wheels? (and why not post some pics?)
I want to put this style of wheels on my 300, is this oem wheels with only little dog-dishes caps or larger sport wheels?

It's a '67 Newport base.
The wheels are the original 14 x 6 steelies.
The tires are Hankook 225/70 Optimos
The dog dish hubcaps are correct '67 Chrysler.

If my car was your model, I'd put on WW's and the 67 deluxe wheel covers.

All about the car here:
http://www.forcbodiesonly.com/mopar...itterSweet-is-home&highlight=bittersweet+home

 

[CitronPresse]

To each their own but that 300 looks exactly the way it should with those beautiful full wheel covers. Your car needs the white walls and whitewalls with small hubcaps is a no no. My .02.

Ahah I understand that feeling, habitually I'm like "original or nothing", with original wheels, original trim, original paint...everything original!
Not because original is most beautiful (habitually), but original is...original, like every car should be and like every car was when it leave the production line
But when a car is already altered for any reason and when it's irrevocable, I'm not against a light personnalization...good looking wheels (and good looking for me is not "big and/or chrome sport or muscle-car-like wheels", dual exhaust, a bit of mechanical modifications maybe (carb, headers...)
My 300 does'nt has its original paint and not either its original engine (a 383 2 or 4 barrels? in place of the 440-4v), and my Imperial is in its strictly original configuration (the paint is not original but the color yes) so if I keep the two cars the 300 will be my good-looking project car and Imperial my "100% stock old ride"
But don't be scared, my 300 won't be a f*cking "custom 500hp 4-door muscle-car", I only plan to install dog-dish caps with blackwall tires (or just reverse my tires) and dual exhaust for now, and maybe a Holley or Edelbrock 4-barrel carb, but first of all, repair my floor pans and stop the water infiltration ahahah

It's a '67 Newport base.
The wheels are the original 14 x 6 steelies.
The tires are Hankook 225/70 Optimos
The dog dish hubcaps are correct '67 Chrysler.





If my car was your model, I'd put on WW's and the 67 deluxe wheel covers.

All about the car here:
http://www.forcbodiesonly.com/mopar...itterSweet-is-home&highlight=bittersweet+home

OMG your Newport is awesome!
It must be pretty rare in this "full deloaded" configuration?
I don't knew there was dog-dish caps still on late 60s Newport
I love it!

Thanks for all of these infos/photos, and sorry again for my english, sometimes I really don't know how to explain what I want ahaha

 

[CitronPresse]

Hi!
Little question for you: which type of oil do you put in your engine?
I wanna do my oil change on the Imperial (but the question can be for my 300 too) this weekend but I'm not sure about the oil: my car will running only between may and october so temperatures between 50 and 90°F (10 and 32°C), I habitually put regular (mineral) 5W30 Castrol GTX is it good?
My Imperial has its original 1971 440-4v

Thanks alot and have a good day
Loïc

 

[commando1]

5W30 of any brand on sale is fine. Plenty of free oil specials out there on the web.

 

[CitronPresse]

Excellent, thanks alot!
I just purchased yesterday 2 x 5L of Castrol GTX 5W30, special price at 18$ CAD each, not so bad
I'm gonna do my oil change tomorrow on the Imperial and try to progress on the 300, probably begin by removing all backglass chrome moldings and cry a couple of hours ahaha

 

[CitronPresse]

Hi folks!

Almost 5 years since my last post...time flies...
I read back the thread and now I want to give you some news
I wrote a big post and then hit a bad key on the keyboard and lost all my post
So let's do it another time...
Be ready, there is a lot of things to relate, but first of all, one thing: I'm not better in english than 5 years ago, please forgive me!

Go back in summer of 2015...
First, some more pictures

I quickly sold the blue Imperial (bought in in june, sold in august)...it was beautiful and in an immaculate condition, in truth, maybe too clean for me...a normal person would have kept the so clean Imperial and sold the "not so clean" 300, but who said I'm a normal person??

I never showed you the parts I found when I finally succeeded to open the trunk

A nice stock, valve covers, intake and exhaust manifolds, carb, fan, water and power steering pumps, wiper linkages, windshield washer tank, timing covers and some smaller parts (window cranks, resistors, pulleys, fasteners...)

The trunk floor pan was dirty but incredibly sound despite the water infiltration

Because of course I failed to resolve the water infiltration issue

I tried to fix it with silicon flex around the backglass moldings but it wasn't enough, I should have remove all the moldings, treat the potential rust, fill the potential holes, repaint and apply a good amount of rustproofing

As I was enjoying more and more to drive the car, the non-working turn signals and rear lights were becoming more annoying
So I bring the 300 to a car stereo shop...car stereo shop for the lights? Yes, because this shop is also specialized in car electrical troubleshooting and old Mopar restoration...the perfect shop for me! XD
The guy step by step fixed the rear lights until brake, position lights, back-up, side markers and hazzard worked...for the turn signal the problem was the turn signal switch in the steering column, a specific and rare part according to him, so I decided to keep an eye on them on eBay and buy one when I found one...what I never did of course but hey, when you are a young and poor 23 years old idiot safety is really secondary

 

[cbarge]

Thanks for the update!
So...last time you posted you were only 18??
Wow!
Based on the pics so far the 300 is a straight car,shiny too.
love the black/gold combo.
I recommend decoding the fender tag and or locate the build sheet.
Something tells me she was a factory vinyl top car but I could be wrong.
The bench seat was a no-cost option,BTW,so there is a cahnce this 300 was an ordered car when new.
All 300's came with bucket seats and center buddy/arm rest--even the 4 door cars.
Cars like your 300 are getting the recognition they deserve,and their values are reflecting that.
Keep up the good work and try to hang on to her and enjoy!

 

[CitronPresse]

As winter was coming, I stored the 300 in a parking space in a barn (like almost every summer cars here in Quebec) and got it out in april of 2016

The spring fever at its best

...despite the late snow falls

My buddy's '70 NewYorker was getting worse and worse, its days were numbered...

But my 300 was in a pretty nice shape!
I was working as detailer in a Porsche dealer at the time, so it was easy for me shine my cars

Buy even if I loved this car, I sold it in may of 2016, today I regret this move obviously... XD
The last ride...

Bye-bye my beloved 300

I kept contact with its new owner, he swapped it back with an entirely rebuild (and upgraded) 440 (10,000$ worth of receipts)!
I tried to buy it back last year, the car is not for sale but the guy accepted to resell it for 10,000$, I didn't have this money but if I had...
Picture from last year of the 300 sent by its nice owner:

After selling the Imperial in fall of 2015 I bought a little 1974 Renault 5, that I still own today (5 years! I never kept a car more than 2-3 years except for this one XD )

And after selling the 300?

A '78 Mercury Marquis Brougham, absolutely immaculate, beautiful...like the Imperial...
I kept it 2 months

...and after that: nothing!
After almost 10 summers to enjoy huge and somptuous landyachts, I spent 4 years without any big boat to drive

 

[cbarge]

 

[75LandYacht]

You get the fever again.. they are a blast to own for sure.. thx for sharing and updating your story..

 

[CitronPresse]

Thanks for the update!
So...last time you posted you were only 18??
Wow!
Based on the pics so far the 300 is a straight car,shiny too.
love the black/gold combo.
I recommend decoding the fender tag and or locate the build sheet.
Something tells me she was a factory vinyl top car but I could be wrong.
The bench seat was a no-cost option,BTW,so there is a cahnce this 300 was an ordered car when new.
All 300's came with bucket seats and center buddy/arm rest--even the 4 door cars.
Cars like your 300 are getting the recognition they deserve,and their values are reflecting that.
Keep up the good work and try to hang on to her and enjoy!

Nooo when I had the 300 I was 23, now I'm 28 ;)
I decoded fendertag yet, I think I we seet it at page 1 or 2, it was a special order car with bench seat, and yes vinyl roof, at the time I wrote my first posts I was not aware that the seal on the C-pillars was totally normal

BTW, these models are clearly deserving recognition, and mine was in pretty good shape finally...

But history is not over ;)

After the '78 Mercury I didn't have any interesting or old cars, only modern and soulless cars

But my love for big boats and even more big Chryslers never turned off, I really loved my '68 300 but I always had a soft spot for "Fuselage" 2 door 69-71 Chryslers, especially for the 300s
So I always more or less checked for an affordable 69-71 2-door 300, I'll tell you the whole story in another post soon, but I just bought last week a 1969 2-door 300, and I intend to keep it
It's an "half-barn find", it's not plated since 20 years so I'll have a good tune-up to do on it, but it's running, I'll put it back on the road when the snow will be completely melted down
A little picture okay

"Fuselages" and "Slab-sides" Chryslers are quite different, but I love both, and one day a 1965 2 or 4-door NewYorker will meet my '69 300 in the driveway

Talking about "Slab-sides", I almost bought a '67 4-door NewYorker last year, to be honest I'm not in love with those 66/67 Chryslers (even less in green and pillared sedan) but it still had its original match-number 440 engine (non-running) and was sound despite of its appearance, I was supposed to get it for 1000$ (750$US) but the guy probably had a better offer and sold it to another one, too bad!

When I see this interior I realize that my 300's interior was in not that bad XD
But the 68 and older Chrysler interior is so beautiful!

 

[CitronPresse]

Hi there!

If you want to see the next episode, I created a thread for my new '69 300
Finally got my dream car : 2-dr 300!

I'm supposed to bring it home we wednesday and begin to work on it ;)

 

[Sir Patrick]

Beautiful car man!!!

 

[CitronPresse]

Beautiful car man!!!

Thanks buddy!
Like I often said, it's a shame that I sold her
But at least I now have a new big Chrysler, this time I keep it, the next will be a '65 NewYorker like yours but I keep the '69 300