1967 Chrysler 300 Series

Convertible Convertible

Original 440 with original closed chamber heads

Automatic

CM27K73109591

Clear

Gasoline

Stored and unused in an enclosed garage from 1972 until 2011. Extremely solid and original. Still has the 1972 inspection sticker in the windshield and the oil-change tags last updated in 1972. This is a 440 car, not a 383 car. Factory color combination, Scorch Red and Pearl White. This is not a car with a color change, and I have done no exterior paintwork to the car other than the fender skirts which were missing when I bought the car out of an estate in 2011. The car is truly a time capsule, and I have taken great pains to avoid destroying originality. The undercarriage is clean and rust-free, the body panels are original, everything works. Even the reverberator, a truly weird and unusual option, is still there and working. The top is original, has the glass rear window, and has no holes or tears, but is tight-fitting due to age and has gagged seams around the rear window. The hydraulics work as they should. The heater, radio, gauges, and lights all work. The headlights are on relays and the alternator is upgraded along with upgraded wiring, which these cars need if they are going to be driven and used. The entire fuel system (tank, lines, sending unit, fuel pump, and carburetor) is fresh. The brake system is entirely fresh. The certicard is still in place but the trim tag is missing. I have the pieces of the build sheet so the car can be documented. The seats and carpet were simply too old and dry to use – they looked OK, and you could sit in the seats, but wiggling or turning would split the seams. So the seats are completely rebuilt in the correct Pearl White with all stitching and emblems as they should be. The carpet is entirely new and correct, with the correct driver’s foot pad, and has the heavier underlayment in addition to the padding underneath the carpet. The boot is also new. The dash is perfect, the door panels look very good. The rubber around the doors, trunk and hood is original and still very good. Unlike many of the 300’s I’ve seen, the Pearl White is correct, and matches the door panels and pin stripes like it should. There was a 1963 penny that was under the original carpet – I put it back where it was and when I laid the new carpet over it. The engine was close to being in spec, and probably would have needed no more than new gaskets and a carbon job, but was treated to a complete overhaul, balance, and blueprint to make it 100% right. It has forged pistons with Teflon skirts, hardened exhaust seats for unleaded gas, Ferea valves, Chrysler electronic ignition, and a Lunati cam with stock duration but a bit more lift. The block, heads, crank, rods, and manifolds are all original. It looks, sounds, and runs better than it did new, requires no special fuel or additives, and the engine is visually stock, in the correct color, with only internal upgrades. The transmission was rebuilt to stock specs as a preventive measure while the engine was being done. The original brass radiator was cleaned and found to be in great condition. It is ready to be a daily driver for a long, long time. Under the hood the paint is original and you can see the original factory markings. This is not a car where someone got out the black spray can and went to town under the hood. The trunk finish is original, with the undercoat-like flocked treatment only on the sides, and the original red paint under the mat. The paint under the mat is thin and shows surface corrosion, but the metal is completely solid. When you see a really original car like this one, you can see the paint under the hood and in the trunk are uneven and don’t really match the outside. Some areas are darker, some are more orange. I just couldn’t bring myself to going after it with spray paint, the wrong trunk paint, or incorrect carpeting. The underside is original and clean, so you can see this is a solid car with no repairs. The rockers and lower body are completely solid, which are very important in an older unibody convertible. There is one small spot of rust on the lower left quarter, below the body line and between the fender skirt and bumper, about the size of the “F1” key on most keyboards, where it looks like something inside the trunk corroded the body. The body around it is solid. The condition is overall very good. Mechanically it is completely restored to better than new. Cosmetically the interior is excellent and the exterior is that of a well-maintained original. It is presentable and serviceable inside and out, and much, much better than what most people would call a “20-footer.” The power window system is new, with new wiring, and GM-style switches which perfectly fit the Chrysler holes in the door panels and are every similar in appearance to the Chrysler switches for which parts and toggles are no longer available. After seeing several other Chryslers of this vintage with loose toggles and dead switches, well, I had to fix the problem completely and be done with it. The rear window motors are also new and correct. The only artistic license I took was the air cleaner (it had gotten lost so it didn’t have one when I got it), the USB stereo (mounted under the dash using existing holes so it can be removed without a trace), and the 15x8 Magnum 500 wheels with high-end Michelin tires. Magnum 500’s were optional for these cars, but they originally came in a smaller 14x6. The 235/75 tires on the deeper 15 inch wheels look fantastic, fill the fender wells just right, and ride absolutely great. I still have the original hubcaps in great condition, so you can hang them on your wall if you want. Because this car is so exceptional, not only for what it is, and for its colors, for the convertible, the low mileage, the engine, and for the originality of it, I am thinking it is time for me to call it quits right here. I like to modify cars, and for this car, well, that would just be wrong. Someone wanting an original car they can drive or invest in would rather I didn’t do any more. Someone wanting a very solid, very original car to make into a high-point show car would rather start from where it is now rather than wonder what was under a paint job I might put on it. I’ve driven the car a couple thousand miles, including an 800 mile road trip to be in the Inwood, Iowa 4th of July Parade, and it is fully sorted, reliable, and ready to go. Normally I would list a car so only people in the US can bid on it or see the auction. However, because this is a significant car and a special piece of Americana, I am making the auction available to people outside the US. It wouldn’t surprise me to see this car go to Sweden, Germany, Kuwait, or Brazil. Regardless of where it goes it must be paid for in advance and I will deliver to you (or meet a shipper) no further than the Kansas City Airport. I do the car hobby for fun, I don't want to deal with time-wasters and I suspect neither do you. Should you want to pick it up it can be driven anywhere in the US with confidence. Please contact me with specific questions or for specific close-up pictures. Contact me before bidding if you have less than 5 feedbacks. I had planned to sell the car this spring, maybe April or May, but it costs me nothing to list now if it doesn’t sell. So if you are willing pay a fair price now, this is your chance. The reserve is very reasonable and you won’t be disappointed.On Nov-25-12 at 12:45:03 PST, seller added the following information: Photos of the top going up, in up position, and the windows part way up (so you can see they work) are on photobucket at: http://s1072.beta.photobucket.com/user/OldCycloneGuy/library/1967%20Chrysler%20300%20Convertible%20top%20in%20action The steering and suspension is original and in fine working shape. The wheel bearings were done when the brakes were done, but the bushings, ball joints, etc., were all in fine shape so they are still original. Somewhere 1972 or before the shocks were replaced, you can tell because they are a reddish color, but they are fine, too. The car does not pull or wobble and rides noticeably better than my Suburban. The rubber lines to and from the steering were replaced as a preventive measure due simply to age but the steering gear and other components are original and work properly. It really is a 50,000 mile car, so things like rebuilding the suspension just weren’t necessary. The valve cover gaskets have the usual weeping, if I were to keep it I would replace them with aluminum covers that seal properly, but at this point I don’t want to replace anything original without a good reason. The old steel valve covers tend to warp and leak, but a new owner may prefer to straighten the flanges a bit or seal it with RTV rather than replace them. Because valve covers were different for different models and years (although they do physically interchange) I didn’t want to throw these away and lose the 1967 features like the specific spark plug wire holders or the older-style PCV. It leaks enough to make a drop or two on the garage floor, but not enough to smell or create a puddle. The interior dash workings are all fresh. The heater core is new, the heater box is freshly sealed and insulated, the heater control cable and vacuum doors all work. All the lights in the dash work as well. It is still an old car, so it is not perfect and is entitled to its moods, but I’ve focused on keeping it original while making everything work as reliably as I can. Before the car leaves I will go over it and make sure it is in the same condition it would be if I were to take it on a long trip, make sure the fluids are topped off, and it has enough ethanol-free gas to get it around when it arrives wherever it is it will go. Happy to make the fuel level as full as the shipper will allow. The car gets pretty good mileage for what it is, I’ve averaged 16-17 mpg, so one tank should get it from most any shipping dock or port of entry to its new home. The car has a clear and current title and is currently registered. No issues in that regard with titles, bill of sales, etc., so ownership transfer should go smoothly. The auction will run to the proper conclusion, so while I appreciate offers to buy it now, we will all have to wait until the end.