1960 Dodge Other

Pillarless Hardtop

318 V8 4-barrel

Automatic

Clear

Here is one of the coolest finned cars, the top of the line, new for 1960, Dodge Phoenix pillarless hardtop. This car has that great space age styling in and out, with fins, sparkling steering wheel, see-through dash display, mylar and chrome trim, and the huge sky-high rear window unique to the Phoenix! Plus it has the fast 318 V8 4-barrel mated to the 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission, making it fast and fun to drive! This rare Phoenix is in great running and driving condition... lots of work has been done (for much more than the opening bid price!) over the last three years to have a dependable and safe vehicle. The most significant is a disc brake conversion, eliminating the troublesome and weaker dual wheel cylinder brakes originally on Chrysler cars of the era. The conversion includes a new master cylinder and new rear end assembly, and new emergency/parking brake. The brakes are incredible, they made the world of difference in the way the car stops, quickly and without pulling or diving. The conversion includes all new brake lines. A new gas tank was also installed, the carburetor rebuilt, and a new fuel pump. The car also has a new heater control valve and heater hoses. The Phoenix runs and drives great! But it's not a new car, obviously. At this point, the exhaust is old, but it's not loud yet, and it will probably need to be replaced soon (it is a single exhaust). The headlight switch turns on the exterior lights, but does not turn on the dash lights. The interior of the Phoenix is mostly very good. It is almost impossible to find a Phoenix with an original interior like this! The door panels, with their shiny silver mylar trim, are excellent. And because this is the top of the line Phoenix, there are chrome sills on the top of the doors. The Phoenix also has the large deluxe armrests on all four doors; the only tear is very small in the drivers' armrest. The rear armrests have some heat discoloration. The parcel shelf is old and can easily be replaced. The seats are original, with wild blue and white upholstery with silver mylar stars. The rear seat is in very good condition, but the front seat has a tear in the vinyl where the driver sits. The carpet was replaced at some point and is presentable, but could be improved when other interior work is done. The headliner is new; Phoenix headliners disintegrated, and I had this replaced with a current foam padded headliner that looks very good. One of the plastic chrome headliner bands is in, the rear band will need to be replaced (I have the original band in the car, and two chrome clips for the ends). The really cool sparkly plastic steering wheel is in very good original condition, with just a separation crack on the base behind the sparkly wheel; the sparkly plastic that you steer and see is in very good condition. And the glass is all in great condition, including the super cool huge sky high rear window. The gages work, but the speedometer 'bounces'. The odometer is blocked by a panel in the dash, common to these cars, so you can not see the odometer. The car had 57000 miles when I purchased it approximately 10 years ago, and I would estimate that it has no more than 60000 miles now. The radio turns on and makes some static but doesn't work (but of course it's only AM anyway!). The Phoenix is presentable, but needs a cosmetic restoration. The car was repainted at some point many years ago, and the paint is chalky and faded. Both front fenders have rust under the headlights, there are small areas of rust on the inside of the hood, and the left rear fender has rust through behind the rear wheel. There is a small area of rust through in the left rear outer floor, but does not appear to be through to the inner floor. Much of the trim on the car is stainless steel. The aluminum grill is in very good condition, and both turn signal lenses are also very good. The tires have few miles on them but are approximately 10 years old, and should be replaced. Overall, this rare Phoenix runs and drives great, is complete, and is presentable. But it should have and is a great candidate for a cosmetic restoration especially as such a rare, jet and fin age car, with it's original performance 4-barrel motor. The 4-barrel motor is hard to find, and very quick in this car, especially with the 3-speed automatic transmission (many lower trim Dodges only had a 1-barrel or 2-barrel and a 2-speed automatic). And it has many original features, including the door panels and the sparkly steering wheel that are hard to find... less searching for those very cool original parts! Plus it has the disc brake conversion, so no more troublesome brakes! There is no reserve on this auction! Please remember that bidding is a contract to purchase the car; ask any questions before the auction ends. The car is sold as is, where it is, and I have described the car to the best of my knowledge. The buyer is responsible for shipping and for making all shipping arrangements, though I will be available for your shipper to pick up the car, and will continue to store the car indoors for a reasonable period of time. The car is located just outside Washington, DC. A $500 deposit, via Paypal, is required within 24 hours of auction end, and the balance is due within five days via cash or cashier's check. The car will be released when payment in full is made and the funds have cleared. I have clear title in my name. Good luck bidding on this Phoenix! I had questions about a buy it now price or reserve, and the mechanicals. I have listed the auction without a reserve, and without a buy it now. I need to sell the Dodge, so I have listed it starting at what I feel is a minimum price, and is much less than I have in the car. The car starts quickly and runs smoothly, the transmission shifts quickly and smoothly without any hesitation. I have driven the car locally, but have not taken it on long distance driving. The power steering works great, does not wander, and does not make any noises. This Dodge is one of the coolest cars of the finned era, and will be a great running, driving, complete car to restore! I have had more questions regarding the brakes. The conversion uses a kit from AAJ, and original wheels are on the car and fit properly. The rear is converted to a Mopar E body rear housing and axles with the original center section. The parking brake now works on the rear wheels (as it does on an E body, and corrects the much less effective original parking brake). The conversion and mechanical work on the car was performed by a Mopar restoration specialist, and I can provide his contact information to the winning bidder. I have also had more questions regarding rust, specifically if there is any in the rockers or front floors. I do not see any rust through, just surface rust on these areas. The only floor rust is the left (drivers) rear floor, which does not appear to be through the inner floor. I also had questions on the doors; none appear to have rust, all interior door panels are in great shape, and all have the original door sill plates in great shape (with the unique design in the sill plate). Finally, I took the Phoenix for a short drive today, it started up great, runs and shifts smoothly. It does need a battery hold down. Finally, the opening bid amount is my bottom line price; obviously I would like to get more for the Phoenix, and I have a lot more than that in the car and the significant mechanical work that I have had done. But I recognize that it will be a great restoration candidate to make a stunning and very rare show car, something which I can not do. If it does not sell, then I will drive it and enjoy it as is. It is quick and a lot of fun to drive with the 4-barrel engine and I hope that someone will be able to make it the show car that it should be!