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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7207
  
Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada |
A friend of mine here in town recently bought a 1962 Chrysler 300 convertible with what appeared to be a non-stock color applied to it. I had a look and agreed. The car is dark maroon color and the paint goes right to the primer. Anyhow the other day he was digging around under the dash board behind the Astra-Dome and found this "Chrysler Special Car Order" sheet folded up in there. Any one else ever seen one?
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 Special Order.jpg (420KB - 211 downloads)
Gannon1.JPG (194KB - 189 downloads)
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Incredible document, with probably its most important datum being its confirmation of the car's "999" Special Order
paint code, for: "Cordovan....a 1962 Imperial paint-color".
Edited by d500neil 2014-11-08 12:21 AM
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Expert
Posts: 1906
 
Location: Ontario, Canada | Ian,
Why not send it to Gil and get the real scoop on it. I'm sure he doesn't watch this site!!
Greg |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7207
Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | LD3 Greg - 2014-11-07 9:29 PM
Ian,
Why not send it to Gil and get the real scoop on it. I'm sure he doesn't watch this site!!
Greg
Greg, I don't know who Gil is. |
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Expert
Posts: 1906
Location: Ontario, Canada | Gil Cunningham, chief concours judge for Chrysler 300 Club In't Inc. and custodian of the microfilm data base for all our letter cars!!! As a young Chrysler engineer he was probably working there when that car was being built!!
Sorry, Ian, but my computer skills are zero. I will have to look up his email contact info tomorrow and let you know. That is, of course, unless you take over and beat me to it!!!----- it probably won't take much!!!
Greg |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 6500
Location: Newark, Texas (Fort Worth) | http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Gil-Cunningham/175050012
Employment History
Product Engineer At Lynch Road Assembly Plant
CHRYSLER 300 CLUB INTERNATIONAL INC
Tour Guide
Winged Warriors/National B-Body Owners Association
News-Flite
Chrysler 300 Club Inc
Board Memberships and Affiliations
300F Technical Advisor
CHRYSLER 300 CLUB INTERNATIONAL INC
14 Total References
Web References
Winged Warriors/National B-Body Owners Association - Building The Road Runner SuperBird
www.wwnboa.com, 13 Mar 2014 [cached]
Gil Cunningham from late 1969 to 1974 was a Product Engineer at Chrysler's Lynch Road Assembly Plant, specializing in Body Sealing and Paint. This job entailed keeping his area of the assembly process running smoothly, and production testing of proposed changes in materials and/or their method of application and installation. Before and after Lynch Road service, Gil held several engineering positions at other Chrysler facilities, in both the car and truck divisions.
Today Engineer Gil is Dr. Gilbert Cunningham, chiropractor in private practice in Tallahassee, Florida. After a total of nineteen years at Chrysler, Gil eventually fulfilled his desire "to do something completely different than engineering, and work for himself. He is very much an enthusiast of Chrysler special cars, being Vice President of the Chrysler 300 Club International, and is the owner of a rare 1962 300H convertible, as well as other Letter Series Chryslers.
The article that follows is based on several interviews with Dr. Cunningham.
...
Our tour guide through time, Engineer Gil, distinctly remembers one SuperBird that was painted a color not allowed for SuperBirds.
personnel
www.chrysler300club.com, 1 Jan 2014 [cached]
Gil Cunningham
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Gil Cunningham
Editor of the Club News and News-Flite
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Gil Cunningham
TECHNICAL CONSULTANT
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1960 300F - Gil Cunningham
Our Technical Director, Gil ...
www.chrysler300club.com, 1 Jan 2014 [cached]
Our Technical Director, Gil Cunningham, is continually trying to locate the original manufacturers of the original camshafts and will keep us all posted. He has to date, located the original grinder of the 1963 and 1964 ram 390 HP engines. He is also following a lead on the 1957 (1955?, 1956?) cam manufacturer and will advise us as soon as it is verified.
Steve Albu's 300F hardtop
www.chrysler300club.com, 1 April 2006 [cached]
Therefore, please use these reference pictures carefully, and please discuss your restoration questions with other Club members, chief judge Gil Cunningham, and the 1960 Chrysler 300F technical advisor, Mr. Bill Codner .
All Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge, Jeep, Imperial, and Eagle rear wheel drive body designations
www.allpar.com [cached]
Gil Cunningham of the Chrysler 300 Club wrote: "The earliest of the body charts I have that specifically use the D body nomenclature is for 1964 MY.
...
Gil Cunningham countered, "This car was always a J body, the same as the Cordoba and Mirada. |
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Regular
Posts: 62
| It would appear that the special order code 99 relates to the substitution of the 300H wheel covers for the standard, 14" wheel covers. On 1962 Sport Series 300s, Code 92=7.60x15-inch, rayon tires. The Code 92 tires were included as standard equipment with the 380 hp, 413, and at extra cost with either the standard 383 engine or the single four barrel 413. I would like to know which engine this particular 300 has, because it probably triggered the special order code number and instructions. Very interesting! |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7207
Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | 300XMAN - 2014-11-13 9:23 AM
It would appear that the special order code 99 relates to the substitution of the 300H wheel covers for the standard, 14" wheel covers. On 1962 Sport Series 300s, Code 92=7.60x15-inch, rayon tires. The Code 92 tires were included as standard equipment with the 380 hp, 413, and at extra cost with either the standard 383 engine or the single four barrel 413. I would like to know which engine this particular 300 has, because it probably triggered the special order code number and instructions. Very interesting!
Hi 300XMAN, and welcome to the FL Forum.
The car has a 413 with a single four barrel. |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Hey, Karl...welcome aboard, officially!
Karl is a serious 55-57 300/Kiekaefer researcher.
If "Cordovan" was not an OEM option, it would appear that that feature would have been referenced by a 99 or 999 PNT or TRM
coding.
Edited by d500neil 2014-11-13 11:55 PM
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Veteran
Posts: 142
Location: Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Canada | Hello Neil & Karl.
I'm the fellow who has this 300 and I would like to thank Ian Smale for the time and effort he took to post the information about the car.
To follow up on your comment regarding the 'PNT' code Neil, it is 997 on the tag and the 'TRM' is 453.
Thanks again for all the helpful information on this car.......it's a solid 300 from California and needs a lot of cosmetic work.....paint, interior, plating, etc.
Other than that, it runs very strong and handles just like the 300H convertible that I had 30 odd years ago.......great cars. |
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Expert
Posts: 2289
Location: Eastern Iowa | Yes, I have one also that was found under the floor mats in the back seat of my 300-F.
Car carries a "999" paint code and is painted the New Yorker color "Polar Blue".
I see yours is in much better shape than mine as it was on the floor boards sandwiched between the carpet and fresh paint and undercoating and is quite stained.
There were 29 300-F's painted a non stock 300 color that year and ours is the only hardtop, so far, to have
surfaced. I'm sure Gil would like to see your form as well.
Gil is the owner of a triple blue 300-F convert which is the only convert to have surfaced painted Polar Blue as well.
The car pictures were taken were taken at our 2010 fall national meet in St. Charles, IL
Edited by finsruskw 2014-11-14 4:57 PM
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F special car order form 003.JPG (120KB - 209 downloads)
polar blue F's.jpg (126KB - 212 downloads)
Gill & Dave.jpg (74KB - 214 downloads)
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Veteran
Posts: 142
Location: Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Canada | It's nice to see that someone else has found one of these sheets, and that they were both 'rush' orders ( yours is quite faded and just barely legible). I imagine that there's a fair number floating around under carpets and dashboards waiting to be found.
I do hope Gil has an opportunity to look at my info and offer an opinion, I would really appreciate it.
Great photos of two really lovely F's......they have to be among the very best of VE's designs.....thanks again........
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Regular
Posts: 62
| This is a good time to discuss Carl Kiekhaefer's relationship with Forward Look Mopars. Carl purchased a lot of 1955-1961 Mopars. I should note, however, that he did not own any of the cars because they were always registered/titled in the name of his company, Kiekhaefer Corporation. He had many Chryslers, at least one of every 1955-1963 Letter Series 300, including a 1960 300F that was originally painted Sheffield Silver, several Imperials, a Plymouth Fury and quite a few Dodges. Carl's #2 at Kiekhaefer Corporation, Charles D. Strang, related that Carl disliked convertibles, and the only drop top FL Mopars that Carl ever had were the two he campaigned on the NASCAR convertible circuit in 1956. His Forward Look Dodges included 1956 D500s/D500-1s, 1957 D500s/D501 and a very interesting 1958 Custom Royal Regal Lancer. Carl's CRRL was factory-equipped with Imperial horns, convertible X frame and the M Series, dual quad 383 V8. That's right, Carl got a 1959 model year engine installed in a 1958 model year automobile as original equipment by Dodge Division. What Carl Kiekhaefer wanted, Carl Kiekhaefer got from Mother Mopar! |
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Expert
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Location: Ontario, Canada | 300XMAN - 2014-11-14 5:28 PM
d a very interesting 1958 Custom Royal Regal Lancer. Carl's CRRL was factory-equipped with Imperial horns, convertible X frame and the M Series, dual quad 383 V8. That's right, Carl got a 1959 model year engine installed in a 1958 model year automobile as original equipment by Dodge Division. What Carl Kiekhaefer wanted, Carl Kiekhaefer got from Mother Mopar!
It would be great to get more info on that Regal Lancer!! Any pics? What did he do to the front suspension?
Greg |
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Expert
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Location: Eastern Iowa | Ian, Some one went through all that to get what they thought they wanted and wound up with a "sport 300" when they could have had the same thing in an H and it would have probably been one of the 123 H's built that year with a base price of $5461
There were 1971 "sport" converts built that year. Base price was $3883.
That must have been the determining factor. I know the extra $1600 would have been a big factor for me in '62!
Heck, $3883 would have bee a HUGE factor and unreachable for me back then and an H would have been only a pipe dream!!
Would certainly be interesting to see the window sticker on that car! |
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Veteran
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Location: Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Canada | Hi Dave, I'm Chris, the guy who has this 300.......Ian advised me to get the build sheet by submitting a 'build order form' to Chrysler. I'm going to do that as well as getting in touch with Gil Cunningham who may be able to offer some more in-depth info.
I did own a H convertible about thirty years ago and needless to say loved it........the only thing it was missing were power seats......do you know if any of the H's came with power seats?
This 300 has power seats and windows, all of which work, and appears to have the same cam idle as the H despite being a single four barrel. It's likely a stock 413 cam for something between the New Yorker and the H, but the torque and response is really crisp making it a very nimble car despite it's size. When I had it up on the hoist I checked to see what it had for torsion bars and found '606' and '607', which I believe, are the optional heavy duty and towing package bars...I've been away from these wonderful cars for too many years....it's really great to find so many folks out there who are as helpful and knowledgeable as you are.....thank you all for your input.
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Regular
Posts: 62
| Please keep us posted about this unique 300. The microfilm copy of the IBM punch card will contain all of the sales order codes and other important information related to the car's assembly. |
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Regular
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| Greg,
What is known about ECK's Regal Lancer comes from copies of original paperwork found in the Kiekhaefer records of disposition. The paperwork from Dodge Division did not even provide an engine # for the dual quad 383. Currently, no photos have surfaced of the Regal Lancer. From what I can remember, there were not any special instructions on the sales invoice concerning the front suspension. I passed along most of the particulars about this car to Neil. He wanted to know what the axle ratio was, but that information is currently unknown/unconfirmed. |
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Expert
Posts: 2289
Location: Eastern Iowa | Yes Chris, you will have to deal with Chrysler Corp on this as the 300 Club international only has microfiche records on the letter cars that go by their unique serial number prefix. The "sport" series carried a different prefix than an H which, by the way , is 8423, whereas the "sport" carried an 8223 prefix both of which are followed by a 6 digit number, none of which are in any sequence.
In other words, your car may have been followed down the line by a New Yorker, Newport Suburban, 300H convert or whatever .
The earlier 300's, such as the C's, D's etc. had their own Vin number system where by they were all numbered in sequence regardless of the place on the production Line. |
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Veteran
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Location: Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Canada | Thanks for this Dave, unravelling the option and production details of this 300 should be interesting, I'll be sure to let all of you know what I find. |
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Location: Ontario, Canada | 300XMAN - 2014-11-15 12:08 PM
Greg,
What is known about ECK's Regal Lancer comes from copies of original paperwork found in the Kiekhaefer records of disposition. The paperwork from Dodge Division did not even provide an engine # for the dual quad 383. Currently, no photos have surfaced of the Regal Lancer. From what I can remember, there were not any special instructions on the sales invoice concerning the front suspension. I passed along most of the particulars about this car to Neil. He wanted to know what the axle ratio was, but that information is currently unknown/unconfirmed.
Thank you for the reply. I, personally think the weak link for a performance car for 58 Dodge was the front suspension. Obviously, it would seem that CK thought otherwise. I have to go along with that!
Thanks,
Greg
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7207
Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | So, Chris, Islander_62 is thinking about a possible sale of this car. Given the car's provenance - being specially ordered by Robert Keller, son of K.T. Keller, it is a very special car and deserves some attention. Here is what Chris has asked me to post on his behalf with these photos.
"We’re in the midst of making a tough decision about what to do with my ’62 300 Sport convertible. I have had a number of options posed to me with regard to caring for the car and off the end of it all I believe the kindest move would be to offer this 300 to someone with a more experienced hand.
Given the provenance and unique evolution of the car I find myself being loath to ‘restore’ the paint. I have had so many mixed opinions on this of course, from ‘leave it alone and preserve its history’ to ‘it deserves to be “brought back”…….it’s a difficult call for me.
What drives my ‘preserve as it is' instinct is the fact my other two FWL cars are in wonderful original condition. My ’60 NYR has 40,000 miles and still has the original ‘Petal Pink’ finish along with the terra-cotta interior which have the original plastic seat covers on it…..
The other is a ’61 Canadian Saratoga in the same original condition……it’s all a bit of a quandary I’m afraid…….I thought I would put this out there to see if anyone had an interest in taking the ’62 to its next phase in life."
"The original owner of the 300 was Robert T. Keller, son of K.T.Keller, the one time President of Chrysler Corporation under Walter P. Chrysler. This Provence is acknowledged by Chrysler Historical and personages such as Gill Cunningham and Don petty. It is a corporate car with a wonderful history."
Edited by imopar380 2021-09-10 11:44 PM
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Gannon1_InPixio.jpg (204KB - 100 downloads)
gannon3.jpg (127KB - 97 downloads)
gannon4.jpg (234KB - 96 downloads)
gannon9.jpeg (135KB - 93 downloads)
gannon11.jpg (218KB - 88 downloads)
gannon12.jpg (236KB - 88 downloads)
gannon8.jpg (198KB - 94 downloads)
gannon9a.jpg (135KB - 93 downloads)
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Expert
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Location: Ramona, CA | I see on the order form they had to add wheel stops when using the 15" wheels on there. The part number doesn't show up in the parts book. I'm still hoping to find the special order form for my wagon. |
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Chrysler Special Car Order sheet found
