Welcome 300C to FCBO!
- Thread starter 300C
- Start date
Welcome to the site. Very glad to see another 300C owner joining the other nut cases here. We need to see more full size photos of your 300C.
Everyone here is sick and tired of seeing my 300C all the time, so some new blood is needed! I just want to keep the Forward Look cars a part of the action here because they are such an amazing period of history for Chrysler, and displayed excellent good looks and advanced engineering that stunned the rest of the automotive industry for quite some time.
I also hear you on the relative difficulty of restoring your 300C, as mine was a bear too. But I never gave up and when done, it was worth it to me. I still love driving that car when I have it out. For its day, it was leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the industry. It still handles very decent and is very reliable.
Everyone here is sick and tired of seeing my 300C all the time, so some new blood is needed! I just want to keep the Forward Look cars a part of the action here because they are such an amazing period of history for Chrysler, and displayed excellent good looks and advanced engineering that stunned the rest of the automotive industry for quite some time.
I also hear you on the relative difficulty of restoring your 300C, as mine was a bear too. But I never gave up and when done, it was worth it to me. I still love driving that car when I have it out. For its day, it was leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the industry. It still handles very decent and is very reliable.
78Brougham
"Chump"
LOL Steve, I agree.... disagree....and agree again.
Agree in the welcome and seeing more pics, disagree with the sick and tired of seeing your awesome 300C, and agree again about the historic significance of these cars.
Welcome aboard! From another PA member. Are you going to bring something to Carlisle?
Wildbunch02
Senior Member
Welcome from Long Island
My new found friends....thank you the 300C support....It's been a love/hate relationship since I restored it in 2011. And what a money pit, I thought home ownership was bad! ....but it's quite the car in so many ways. I love it for its looks and hate it for its temperament! Restoring it has ultimately led to a stock pile of extra parts and the ever present fear of driving a high black single stage paint job on NJ roads@ Beware the road chip or the NJ crazies that insist on reading the fine print on the rear window given how close they follow.
If you're a fin guy, a Virgil Exner fan, then it's hard to beat the 57/58 Chryslers. I had a 300F which was also a great car and between the 413 cross ram and fabulous interior and dash, it was hard to beat. The F sold to provide for the Shrine Imperial I have and while I deeply miss the F the elegance of the Imperial is hard to beat. The C is just plain cool, though, so with that being stated, a few requested photos-
Oh,btw, sadly I won;t be at Carlisle but I am taking the Imperial to Auburn Indiana in search of a Senior Grand badge. The things we do for the love of these icons! If anyone's going to AACA please look for the white, convertible land yacht. I;d love to meet some of the C body clan.
Thanks to you all for your kind words and welcoming comments on my maiden voyage here. bob
If you're a fin guy, a Virgil Exner fan, then it's hard to beat the 57/58 Chryslers. I had a 300F which was also a great car and between the 413 cross ram and fabulous interior and dash, it was hard to beat. The F sold to provide for the Shrine Imperial I have and while I deeply miss the F the elegance of the Imperial is hard to beat. The C is just plain cool, though, so with that being stated, a few requested photos-
Oh,btw, sadly I won;t be at Carlisle but I am taking the Imperial to Auburn Indiana in search of a Senior Grand badge. The things we do for the love of these icons! If anyone's going to AACA please look for the white, convertible land yacht. I;d love to meet some of the C body clan.
Thanks to you all for your kind words and welcoming comments on my maiden voyage here. bob
thank u very much@!
78Brougham
"Chump"
Wow that's beautiful!
Wow, that is a real high $$$ restoration done very nicely with all the decals and cards underhood. And it is very rare to see a C with factory A/C. Does it work well?
I can see why you cringe at driving it in traffic, as I too can relate.
Well, here are a few........................
I restored my 300C back in the early 80s and it was one of my first restorations. But it still looks the same today.
And here are a few of my 300F, which is an original 29K mile car that is unrestored. I bought it from the orignal owner who was a painter that worked for a Buick dealership (he told me he wouldn't work for a Chrysler dealership because he would make every one of them perfect and make no money - but working for a Buick dealership, he didn't care that they came out perfect or not).
He actually ordered 3 of them new at the same time - one black, one red and mine. He kept mine in a garage all the time except when he drove it to car shows like Harrahs in Nevada back in the day. The others were his daily drivers. I ended up with it because I was the only one that he would allow to work on it for him, as he said the dealerships didn't know what to do with them when he brought them in for maintenance after the first few years.
He did make a few modifications such a chroming some things under the hood such as air cleaners and other stuff. But very few modifications. He also taught me how to paint and led me through my first ones, including my 300C above.
Last edited:
65sporty
Old Man with a Hat
Welcome from the Mitten, good looking fleet you have there.
The restorations at these levels, esp. single stage paints, do make driving an issue and brings meaning to "trailer queen," for sure. I bought and restored the 300C to own and drive as I please. I show it at local shows, have had it Hershey several times, and all the way to Tennessee; and I have taken through the AACA levels; it's a Senior Grand winner, so I'm fortunate for the provenance on the restoration. Driving it is fun; but I am aware of the pitfalls around the town and also of the issues in traffic etc. Still, for me, with the C, I just enjoy owning it and caring for it. It wears lots of Collinte 915, my go-to wax and looks great wearing black.
The A/C works and the R12 is seriously cold! The interesting thing here is that it is not factory air but rather genuine Chrysler DEALER ADD-ON AIR. I know of only two other cars that have had this, a friend has the unit in his 300C and I saw a Plymouth, 57 or 58, sometime ago with it installed. The unit is plumbed in copper with loads of compression fittings and can be prone to leakage. It's one cold AC system, but I prefer the windows rolled down! I do have an extra unit "just in case" but I dont anticipate needing it. Heck, I even have an extra grill....THAT could be a blessing in disguise (NOT!)
Here are photos of the unit installed in the 300C. Of course one can't have this with the Highway HiFi system.....decisions, decisions!
bob
WOnderful 300C! looks great in white, too! You're paint work is something of which I'm jealous! Wish I could tackle that!
Of course I gotta tell you that your pictures have opened a sore for me! I had the EXACT same 300F garaged along side my C and I loved that car...I sold it under duress (read exceptional offer!) and rolled that money into my Imperial convertible. The 300F is spectacular unto itself and your's presents beautifully. Pretty neat having matching C and F letters in white. Wow! Any way, we never really own these cars, we just take care of them for the next owner and my F did go to a good home. And I could always.....no, never mind. I'm mentally not up to another letter car.....
Well done on the matching white letters!!! Well done, indeed!
Thanks for your comments Bob, very nice of you.
I believe you may have the best a/c system for a 1957 Chrysler since I have heard stories from one of the guys that worked at Chrysler back then who is still alive and gives talks in Michigan for the Chrysler 300 Club, International, Incorporated. He claims that the 1957 factory systems were poorly designed in terms of air flow into the passenger compartment and many were recalled to fix some duct and distribution errors in the design process. The Mopar add on system apparently didn't have the same issues as I understand. Your level of attention to detail and correctness is rare to see. I applaud your efforts!
My 300F will need to be sold someday by my trustee, as I can not let it go. The previous owner and I were good friends and it was tough to see him decline and finally pass away in 2000. He sold the F to me several years before his passing for much less than it was worth, saying he didn't want anyone else but me to have it since I maintained if for him for many years. I took him and his wife to many car shows when he was no longer able to drive, and he was in his glory enjoying the drives to Las Vegas and other venues in air conditioned comfort of his immaculate 300F. I honestly never thought I would end up with that car given its worth back then, so when his call came late one evening, I didn't even know how to respond. I took out a home equity line on my house and paid him what he wanted after telling him it wasn't right to sell it that cheap, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. And I surely agree with you, we are only caretakers while we have these special cars in our lives until they pass on to the next owners.
Thanks for sharing all the photos of your 300C - it surely deserves the awards it is getting from what I see.
Steve
I believe you may have the best a/c system for a 1957 Chrysler since I have heard stories from one of the guys that worked at Chrysler back then who is still alive and gives talks in Michigan for the Chrysler 300 Club, International, Incorporated. He claims that the 1957 factory systems were poorly designed in terms of air flow into the passenger compartment and many were recalled to fix some duct and distribution errors in the design process. The Mopar add on system apparently didn't have the same issues as I understand. Your level of attention to detail and correctness is rare to see. I applaud your efforts!
My 300F will need to be sold someday by my trustee, as I can not let it go. The previous owner and I were good friends and it was tough to see him decline and finally pass away in 2000. He sold the F to me several years before his passing for much less than it was worth, saying he didn't want anyone else but me to have it since I maintained if for him for many years. I took him and his wife to many car shows when he was no longer able to drive, and he was in his glory enjoying the drives to Las Vegas and other venues in air conditioned comfort of his immaculate 300F. I honestly never thought I would end up with that car given its worth back then, so when his call came late one evening, I didn't even know how to respond. I took out a home equity line on my house and paid him what he wanted after telling him it wasn't right to sell it that cheap, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. And I surely agree with you, we are only caretakers while we have these special cars in our lives until they pass on to the next owners.
Thanks for sharing all the photos of your 300C - it surely deserves the awards it is getting from what I see.
Steve
Last edited:
Steve, the A/C in my C is indeed cold. It does require periodic recharges because those compression fittings leak. Even so, the unit is colder than anything I've ever imagined! My 300F was also a factory AC car and I was in the process of redoing the AC compressor and converting to 134a. I sold the car with a new compressor yet boxed in the trunk. I won't convert the 300C. However, as an aside, I did install MSD6 ignition module and a 45K coil on the C; the controller is mounted under the battery tray and cosmetically, the engine presents per factory build. I also installed a backup electric fuel pump switched in the glove box with a small toggle. I wired the pump into the ignition circuit. Then, a second rebuild on the 2 carbs and a performance tuneup with high end wires and performance plugs and VOILA! I can start that big ol' hemi any time! Prior to the ignition make over hot starts were a problem. Sometimes they were impossible! Cold starts after several days of not running are easier as I prime the carbs with the electric pump and then switch it off. The 45K coil provides a huge spark, and I can now drive the car, shut it down, and then reliably start it again. The distributor is there but the MSD unit handles all the necessary ignition decisions and to look at he car you;d never know that the unit was installed. I used to pray for hot start reliably and now, it's pretty much a given that the car starts. From what I have read my starting issues were not unique to me; another reason why I opted for a '64 Imperial vs. 57/58 model and why I loved the 300F- no starting issues. Seems the C never lets you forget who's in charge!
And I keep a supply of r12 on hand just to keep it juiced up! I was unaware of that factory ac install issue. Here's a photo you and others may like, taken at the Radnor Hunt Concours 2011 at Valley Forge PA. I hadn't completed the restoration fully, (note the vent window) but the gent in the photos is Virgil Exner, JR.! He asked me if he could sit in C...are you kidding??? What a nice guy! We spoke for a long time and he told me the 300C were his dad's favorite letter cars....he was a talking history book. He was kind enough to autograph my manual, so another bit of history for this iconic creature of a car.
Thanks for sharing!
bob
And I keep a supply of r12 on hand just to keep it juiced up! I was unaware of that factory ac install issue. Here's a photo you and others may like, taken at the Radnor Hunt Concours 2011 at Valley Forge PA. I hadn't completed the restoration fully, (note the vent window) but the gent in the photos is Virgil Exner, JR.! He asked me if he could sit in C...are you kidding??? What a nice guy! We spoke for a long time and he told me the 300C were his dad's favorite letter cars....he was a talking history book. He was kind enough to autograph my manual, so another bit of history for this iconic creature of a car.
Thanks for sharing!
bob
Welcome to the site. Well that's it after reading this i am inspired to restart work on my 58 300D. I have restarted work on the donor cars thank you for the inspiration. By the way you-all have some beautiful cars
Last edited:
Thanks for the compliments. Should u need help or parts, I might be able to help...I will NOT be responsible for your bank accounts demise!
mcmlvii
Well-Known Member
Welcome 300C from Washington State. I never tire of seeing a 300-C photo. Keep 'em coming. I briefly owned one (for 1 week very long ago, but I digress), and did own a 300-G long ram 413.
Similar threads
