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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Hi Brad I was just walking through your photo album you linked to your message. Thank you very much. For the engine I expect the same for my Letter as you did for your 57 Windsor. I'll start over with the checking of the electric functions, the levels (oil, transmission, brake main cylinder and p/s pump) and after that I'll start with the engine. First I'll try a 50% mixture out of acetone and transmission fluid (synthetic) into all cylinders and let it sit for e.g. a week. Then I'll try if I can break it loose and turn it over with a wrench and socket after I removed all belts and - at least - the fan with the thermo coupling. I don't think that I could start the engine judging from the pictures of the carbs. I assume these would not work either. Happy Motoring! Dieter BTW: If it would run I assume it would be a oil sucking monster... with cylinder walls like these in the engine shown in your album. |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Right now I think I'm condemned with that car. The transport for example goes slower than honey poured through a funnel than 50 grade engine oil. I'm judging if I'll keep it or should get rid of it. Happy Motoring Dieter |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Today the transport from the shipper to a temporary storage (under a big roof) is going on. I'm rather excited. I'll check some things and take some pictures to post here. Sometimes happens anything unexpected and most times it turns out to be a fortune. Happy Motoring! Dieter |
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Location: SWITZERLAND | "Sometimes happens anything unexpected and most times it turns out to be a fortune . . . . . . . . Dieter, because you are a lucky men!  - SERGE - |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Thanks sermey. Today I sat the first time in my Letter. Because there was almost no brake power I pulled stronger and fell through. My maximum power in my legs is about 320 lbs. I cleaned the tach (oil and grime on the glass) the glass of the astrodome. Then I collected the rest or residues of the rotten cover of the pre pre owner who stored the Letter outside for about six years. During this time, because this guy forgot about the Letter, he destroyed at least 15k to 25k of the value of the Letter. It's his bad luck. With some water of my mouth and a towel I cleaned two small areas of the cross ram intake. It seems it was not bright red but gold-red colored... The carb linkage is frozen as well. With my fingers I checked the inner rockers. There is no hole and the sheet metal feels solid - as well as the floor of the trunk. I didn't check the floor on the drivers side due to the limited place (temporary storage). About the trunk ornament. It is not in the car. From the condition of the trunk lid I could imagine that it got lost during the transport on the hauler. The back was in the wind. Both doors are hanging badly and needs to be lifted at the door lock escutcheon. Both door locks do not engage. For the keys I have to seek in the boxes the seller provided. Some surprises appeared when I opened the center console bin. The last driver of the Letter apparently was a smoker.... There are truck loads of work needed for this car. I've never ever bought a car in this conditon like my Letter. Happy Motoring! Dieter
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Expert 5K+
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Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | Hi Dieter, you have some work ahead of you there for sure!! If you can't find the keys to this magnificent car, I can make them up if you send me the locks, if no one in Germany wants to do it!! |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Thank you very much Ian. I was just seeking through all six boxes the seller loaded. I took out the 7 button radion (Golden Tone), the LH kick panel and described the main content onto the box. With no key it's impossible to remove the ignition lock from the ignition switch and as far as I know (from my Beast) the ignition key fits the doors and the ignition lock while the smaller one is only for the trunk (eventually for the glove box as well). I appreciate your invitation to send the locks - or at least the ignition lock/switch combo to you as far as I'll start with disassembling. I assume it's later this year or at least later than 1st of June. My biggest project for the moment is or should be finding a new job... Happy Motoring! Dieter |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7210
Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | Dieter, yes, the ignition and the door should be the same key, trunk and glove box are the secondary key. I can make the ignition key without having to remove the cylinder from the switch. The easiest way to get the switch out is remove the radio speaker grille ( 4 screws on top) and unplug the switch, and unscrew the ring from the front of the dash, and pull the switch out through the speaker hole. ....if it comes to the point where you can't find the keys! |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Thank you very much Ian. If it helps I could provide a picture with the soft case and all keys to your WPC address - or if you PM me your private mail address. The radio is out of the car and laying in my living room, because it was in one of six boxes the seller filled. I double checked the content of the boxes, but found all other tid bits (e.g. the chrome trim not mounted, a voltage device for the astra dome, ...) than the keys. There is no way to remove the igniton switch from the bottom like in a 1956 Chrysler? Kind regards Dieter |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | I got the keys. The soft cover was in the car cover inside the Letter. The seller put the fabric car cover over the seats to hide the long stainless steel side trim inside the passenger room. I rolled it over back to the passenger back seat. Kind regards, Dieter BTW: there are four keys. Two of them (the smaller not original, aluminum aftermarket, the bigger with a Dodge D500 emblem on one side) were fitting the ignition lock and the glove box lock. The other two are apparently from another car. They show a different pattern. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7493
Location: northern germany | di_ch_NY56 - 2015-05-13 1:16 PM
With no key it's impossible to remove the ignition lock from the ignition switch
okay you got the keys but its VERY easy to pick these ignition locks. takes seconds with a home made tool. my 61 and 59 had no keys either, i picked/pulled the locks and played around with the tumblers (using some spare locks for parts) to make them fit to some extra keys i had. less than an hour work. unfortunately that does not work with the glove/trunk locks. |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | While I was at my Letter to find the keys I moved the fabric car cover out of the Letter to gain access to the rear seats. The rear seats are very convinient. The rear bin contains a really big amount of small screws, small washers and more partially rusted hardware. I just wonder where all these parts were coming from (belonging to the car or not). |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Today I visited my Letter again. Still I couldn't open the cover of the p/s pump. IMHO it's frozen by rust. The oil level of the engine is little above high and smelling really rotten. It has a 50/50 milk/coffee color. The level of the iron hog is above full as well (no wonder it sat that long - the torque converter drained for sure). The color is light red like in my Beast, but smells slightly metallic, but not burnt. The upper part of the exhaust block of plate has eaten by rust at the drivers side. I couldn't get access to the plate at the passenger side. That means noise and exhaust gases in the motor bay if the engine would run... The carburettors are frozen as well. My target it to keep the thermo coil choke mechanism. So I'll take care not to brake off the lever from the thermo coil to the carb at the base in the coil case. IMO these mechanism are really difficult to get... The rubber covers (block off rubber) at the inner fenders are not present at all. The original color of the inner fender was the body color, but eaten by the environmental elements. The primer was possibly black or there the body color was the second layer above the primer and black. At the passenger side there are no more leafs of trees between the engine, iron hog and firewall. I front of the radiator (splash shield?) I got two empty wasps' nest. The vacuum lines are that old that the fall apart at the slightest touch. The lines apparently do not like sun rays. The vacuum tank below the battery tray is not present, but in one of the six boxes the seller provided. When the engine is under restoration I assume I need all the brackets for routing the spark wires, too. I saw an example at the Chrysler 300 Club tech page. Happy Motoring! Dieter |
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Expert 5K+
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Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | The vacuum reserve tank for the power brake on a 1960 Chrysler generally is mounted behind the driver's side headlight, inside the fender, not under the battery tray. At least that is where it is on mine from factory. |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Thank you very much Ian. At the place you addressed I didn't check. I just noticed that the vacuum hose is routed along the inner fender, but not loose at the end. The hose disappears near the radiator yoke. Edit: I grabbed with my hands below the battery tray. I just thought at that time that there it might be not enough space for a canister with the same size like in my Beast (56 NY). Happy Motoring! Dieter
Edited by di_ch_NY56 2015-05-14 1:31 PM
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Expert 5K+
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Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | It's a possibility that some were mounted under the battery tray. That's where it is on my ex- 1960 Polara. There were running production changes, and my Saratoga is very early production ( Oct 1959). |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Today I visited my Letter again. First I adjusted the drivers door. Because I couldn't open the door fully I did not have access to the screws at the A pillar (at least one screw is not mounted!). Instead I had to go almost beyond the limit to lift up the rear end of the door to fit the lock. Now the lock works again and keeps the door closed, but the front end is about 1/10" too low. The next work was to mount two hex nuts on both front wheels. Good luck I got some spare lug nuts (LH and RH). Now all five lug nuts are mounted. Then I emptied the rear and the front center console. All the hardware I put in empty jam glasses. The sun glass, the plasic forks, the matches I threw away. Next work was removing of the belts in the motor bay. The alternator and the p/s pump are turning by hand. The p/s pump has slight resistance, when cranking the clockwise rotation. That means there is fluid in the reservoir and the p/s pump starts to build pressure. At the Letter are three different sizes of tires mounted. Rear LH: 205/75R14, front LH: 205/75R14 front RH: 215/75R14 and rear RH: 195/75R14. Yes, the vaccum tank is in the drivers side fender, vertically mounted. I tested the body for rust and found some between the door and the wheel arch (quarter panel) at the conjuction of the body shell and the rocker at the drivers side. The passenger side quarter panels shows some bubbles in the paint layer... The floor of the trunk shows some spots (rusting through). Generally the floor panel is rather thin. In the front center console there were the knobs of the Golden Tone receiver - heavily pitted / corroded. Happy Motoring! Dieter
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | The trunk lid insert or ornament pkg 2196 661 has gone during the transport on the car hauler between San Jose and NY harbor. I hope once I'll find a nice replacement for it. Any help is highly appreciated. Thank you [Edit:]The pictures show my Letter after the arrival at NY harbor. [Edit2:] On the roof there are some really small areas with the original white color. Happy Motoring! Dieter
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Today I checked the electric wiring again. Good luck all head lights are working and the position lights as well. That the directional signal works partially. I only could recognse it at the ampere display of the laboratory power supply I adjusted to 14.4V and 15A. The current jumps up and down with a 0.5A peak to peak value with the clock of the direction signals. That could mean that the flasher relais is working, but the contacts in the direction switch have a very high transition resistance. When I turn the steering wheel I could also hear a click, but the direction switch doesn't go back to the neutral position (both sides). Now the radio button array of the heater switch is working a little bit better and now both speeds of the fan are working. Two of four switches for the power windows in the center console do not engage the down movement of the drivers door window and the passenger side quarter window. 15A limit is not enough to move the windows but enough to check the funtion. All switches are keeping the position - they are not jumping back when I release my finger. The power window switches need a full restoration as well. Only the primary side of the ignition resistor has voltage (about 13.8V from 14.4V at the battery cables). The secondary side of the resistor is at zero. I'll replace it... Happy Motoring! Dieter |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13065
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | The direction switch has a locking elecro magnet Dieter, probably the switch is binding due to dried out greas and old dust and dirt. Remove the cancel switch and keep it in a safe Place but leave the direction switch in Place until you/we remove the dashboard. |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | wizard - 2015-05-22 8:56 PM The direction switch has a locking elecro magnet Dieter, probably the switch is binding due to dried out greas and old dust and dirt. Remove the cancel switch and keep it in a safe Place but leave the direction switch in Place until you/we remove the dashboard. Hi Wizard Am I correct that the cancel switch can only be removed when I prepare to remove the AstaDome (e.g steering wheel, all the covers until I get access to the lower screws of the AstraDome)? Happy Motoring! Dieter BTW: I noticed at the technical section that the cancel switch has two crab arms that could break very easy.... I'll take extra care |
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Posts: 2646
Location: Minor Hill, TN | After I wrecked my 1957 plymouth back in 1987 that was the 1st forward look car I looked but it was a green 2drht with a 383. I remember it has ps,pb and it was a local car. I wish I grabbed it when I had the chance but oh well some one else got it. This was when I was living in Palm Bay, FL . |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13065
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | Nope Dieter - the cancel switch is easily removed further down the steering column - look and you'll see it - mounted with one Phillips screw.
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Yesterday I noticed that the chrome trim at the passenger side on the roof channel is missing. It was missing at the sellers place as well. It's the chrome trim at the water channel above the door and quarter window. So I'm seeking this piece, too. Happy Motoring! Dieter |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | The last week over I managed to remove the spark plugs of the cylinders 1, 3, 2, 4. I was applying torque to the wrench very slow. The spark plugs came out like on a almost new car. The tips of the spark plugs were looking quite good. Only the spark plug of cylinder 1 had some debris around the insulator. Yesterday I mounted the spark plugs again and tightened it only by hand. That's enough to keep the holes closed.The boots of the spark plug wires are quite soft. That surprises me... Then I filled alomst an inch of transmission fluid into both carburettors. The only parts moving at the carburetors are the vacuum controlled valves in the secondary channel. I put some drops of transmission fluid to the threads of the mounting bolts of both carburettors as well as the connection of the throttle linkage at the carburetors. Happy Motoring! Dieter |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Today I proceeded another test with my laboratory power supply. The instruments are lighting up as well depending on the rotation of the light switch. When rotating the knob from one stop to the other many times over a large sector the instruments are dark. Between they are lighting up. Over the last few weeks... I could also remove the resting four spark plugs to fill in an acetone/atf mixture. But the engine is still frozen. The front drums are off now, for the rear drum I purchased a set of metric machine hex sockets to drive the puller with a impact wrench. All the door and quarter panels are off now, At the passenger door there is still the water barrier mounted. The transmission is not the original transmission. It's a 1949 904 instead of a 1949 808. Happy Motoring! Dieter
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | I checked the electric functions again by night. After sweeping the brightness adjuster forth and back for many times it works now like new. The astro dome looks so wonderful by night. But only about half an hour. I assume it's the capacitor in the high voltage supply. Happy Motoring! Dieter |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Finally I removed both cylinder heads to inspect the walls of the cylinders. Several times I filled in a 50/50 mixture out of Dextron III and Acetone with the hope I could break free the frozen engine. Cylinder # 5 and # 7 are showing evidence of that action. From what I could see I assume the piston of the cylinder # 1 has sized due to a break of the lubrification layer. What surprises me is that the distributor gear still has rests of grease at the gears and distributor shaft. This engine nees a long block restoration. Happy Motoring! Dieter
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Location: Minor Hill, TN | Good luck with the restoration |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Thank you. Today I removed the outer and inner sill plates plus the rear seats and the rear center console. All four windows are down at the lower stop now. From my test of the eletric wiring at night a picture plus a picure of the missing parts. Happy Motoring! Dieter
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
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Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | Great Dieter - keep the objective, this will be a nice car! |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | In the mean time I removed the seats (including the front seat frame) Prior to remove the front seat frame I had to remove the center console (first the rear part, then the front part). To remove the carpet I had to remove several screws holding the isolation and the carpet in place. Under the aluminum rails at the floor is the seam of the carpet of the center console. Under the bitumen sheet at the front passenger side I found the broad cast sheet. Unfortunately iti's not in the condition I expected. Next work will be the removal of the dash board... Happy Motoring! Dieter
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 375
Location: milano, italy | Dieter,I think I have some extra parts that I can give you ....maybe they are in better shape...like radio knob and who knows what....
Love the lighted astradome.... |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Thank you Antonello. I think we will stay in contact. Do you agree? Unfortunately I cracked the drivers side exhaust manifold. I plan to send it to Germany to a specialist (cast iron welding company). From what I could read from the Chrysler 300 Club International forum, many members got mixed feelings about SMS. John L. and others and Ian (here) are proposing Gary Goers. The best way to get the order fullfilled (my experience) is sending a facsimile and send the amount via paypal. I'm using a free fax service at the States. Take care, Dieter
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 827
Location: tailFinland | Good luck with a Project Dieter! Looks pretty much similar with my G-project.
If you find correct materials for the interior, vinyl, leateher and basket wave material (Jan Friedberg in Sweden makes aluminium inserts) some good upholstery shop can make you an interior.
Design in F is not just that compilcated that you have to rely on Gary Goers or SMS and wait for the ages. Anyway someone had to make door panels.
I hope you still have them in Switzerland. I can only recommend those I've used in Finland but I have heard that there are many auto upholstery shops in the Baltic countiries who make good show quality with low prices.
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Few weeks/months ago I removed the starter motor out of my Letter. Today I scratched all old color and dirt away from it to read the parts number. What I'm puzzled: it's a 1889 100. According the 1960 parts book it should be a 1889 200 starter motor. What's different between these two starter motors? - the power rating is the same - the count of teeth of the drive is the same So it could only be the distance of the drive pinion either of the axle distance to the crank shaft or the depth compared to the flange of the bellhouse. Any suggestions? The drive pinion looks good - no wonder, the engine is still frozen and I didn't try to crank it with the starter motor. Dieter |
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Extreme Veteran
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Location: milano, italy | Dieter, I placed an order for the seat covers with Doug at SMS...should be ready for end of january. I doubt very much about completion date...but will keep you updated. Goers never replied about price questions, as usual. |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | antonellomopar - 2016-01-02 10:52 PM Dieter, I placed an order for the seat covers with Doug at SMS...should be ready for end of january. I doubt very much about completion date...but will keep you updated. Goers never replied about price questions, as usual. Thank you very much for your update Antonello. Happy New Year! Dieter |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Over the last few weeks I did only small things at my Letter. Like removing the Astrodome, mounting the rear brake pads, brake drums and wheels. I cleaned the cylinder wall (where the piston is not at TDC) with diesel. I plan to try to unlock the engine with diesel over the next few weeks. If I don't succeed I'll remove the oil pan and remove the caps of the connection rods to free each piston alone. Sometimes I think I'm overextended with my skills to do all the works necessary to bring my Letter back to the road alone. Happy Motoing! Dieter |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | There are not many things missing but what I still searching and hope to find are... - trunk lid ornament (300F) - gutter rails LH and RH Other than these parts my junked 300F (the Letter) is complete. Any offers about parts above are always welcome. Happy Motoring! Dieter |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Today I removed the fan, the pulley and the water pump. It looks like a very powerful waterpump. In my opinion it's worth to restore, because the impeller is out of cast iron. The fan and the pulley are in an astonishing good condition as well. Happy Motoring! Dieter
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Today I removed the water pump case and cleaned the charcoal like stuff out of the area between the impeller and the case of the water pump. Now it cranks again. What that black, charcoal like looking, stuff is - I don't know. It could either be rests of a coolant sealer or exhaust gas emitting from the cylinder #1 to the cooling circuit. The coolant temperature sender shows 47k Ohm at ambient and about 11 k Ohm at above 90 degree Celsius (195 C Fareheit). I cleaned the connector of the sender with sandpaper prior to measure. For my taste the readings of the resistance is ways too high. Happy Motoring! Dieter
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Posts: 1223
Location: Ramona, CA | It's amazing that a car so great could be neglected for so long. It does look better than the rust bucket I had in 1989. In that case, the owner had the engine apart and laying out in his backyard including having the heads off and intakes and carbs laying about. My second one that I got last week is way better but still needs work but it's a driver and pretty complete. Hoping to get the dash lighting working this weekend and see if the fuel gauge is ruined from a previous owner hooking it up wrong.
Here is my old one. Not great pictures but all I have as the camera with the good pictures was stolen before I could get the film developed.
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | Hi Nick
Thank you very much for your post. I was a frequent visitor at your site (nicksgarage) as well to check the histories of all 300F you found or got the information about it. When I purchased mine (at e-pain) I was not sure if you'll catch mine. But after you joined our forum with your history I know you got the right 300F for you. Personally i do not know if we ever could do a business. As far as I got out that you still have many parts of the first (white) 300F you bought years ago. It's because I recognised the parts mission at my Letter were present at your first purchase.
Of course I'm reading your thread as well. Actually I'm many steps away but I hope once I get it running again. From what I could see - and that's a really good sign - is how the structure of the body looks like (e.g. floor, quarter and door structure and more). As for the Astrodome power supply I purchased two capacitors according to a tip at the Chrysler 300 Internation forum at Yahoo. In the one in parts bin I got I with my Letter I replaced the capacitor and now the voltage is like new. Happy driving! Dieter |
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Location: Ramona, CA | I have information and photos of many 300Fs that have been for sale over the years including yours. I only show a few on my web site. The club has info on many more. Some of the cars I have in my collection I don't have the VINs for so I have to try and match them up when they come up for sale again. Frankly if some of you guys in Europe did not save some of these major project cars, they might never get saved. There are a couple more for sale right now that need so much work I just couldn't get involved with them. I really needed a driver quality car and I'm very happy with what I got.
Hopefully the dash lights and gauges will be a simple fix. A lot of the things on the car just didn't work from lack of use over the past 16 years.
Nick. |
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | About my Letter: I know from whom (living near San Jose, CA) I bought it and that he never went to the registry to apply for the 300F. He purchased it in the condition I got it. The title of my Letter shows a guy in Pacheco CA (issue date 2008). I assume the 300F was running at that time. I don't know what this guy did. But as a result the engine quit working (the engine sized because of detonation - the top of the piston #1 has melted and is now beyond any hope) and he stored it under a blue PVC plane for six years with open hood. The PVC plane rotted over the years.... There were loads of stuff in the center bins and under the front seat frame. So I found a receipt that in 1972 the spark plugs were replaced and in 1974 an owner was Mr. Schafer (insurance receipt). Ony owner was smoking filter less cigarettes... My seller thinks that I'm the third or fourth owner. The production date at the broadcast sheet (fragment only) shows 0114 (January 14th, 1960). That matches with the engine. My Letter was set in traffic in February 1960. I could imagine that my Letter originally was produced to display it in a show room (February 8th was the day the 300F was introduced into the market). So possibly a customer got my Letter out of the show room shortly after the appearance in the show room. Happy Motoring! Dieter |
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Location: Ramona, CA | What is the SO NUMBER on the body tag? Yours should be after 0201 going by the VIN. Still pretty early. My car is a 0509 car. It was originally bought by a William Shafer. Different spelling than yours. I got some old pictures from a previous owner yesterday and I heard back from the son of the original owner although he didn't have any pictures. I added some new pictures to my thread on the car. |
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Posts: 1530
Location: ZH, Switzerland | The SO number at the body tag is 0114, the scheduled date at the broad cast sheet fragment I found under the sound deadener mat at the passenger side (virtually under the front seat frame) shows 0114 as well. The VIN of my Letter is 26310 (84031xxxxx). Happy Motoring! Dieter
Edited by di_ch_NY56 2016-03-26 3:50 AM
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Location: ZH, Switzerland | The drivers side exhaust manifold has been repaired (welded) by a professional cast iron welder in middle Germany. Both exhaust manifolds are sandblasted and the broken screws have been removed by a local machine shop for the amount of a dinner. The elbows nees a sandblasting job as well. I plan to color it with a heat resistent color cast iron bright. Actually I'm trying to unlock the frozen engine with loads of Dieseloil. Happy Motoring! Dieter |
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Posts: 1223
Location: Ramona, CA | Here are a couple VINS before yours with later SPD.
8403126206 - 0201
8403126221 - 0201
I just dug up the tags from my old car and it has the same SPD as yours.
8403129501 - 0114
Of course the SPD (Scheduled Production Date) doesn't always line up with the actual build date of the car and the cars didn't necessarily go down the line in sequence to the VIN. Always interesting looking into what Chrysler did.
Hope you can get your engine unfrozen. The one to my white car was left outside for several years with the heads off. I had to hammer all of the pistons out.
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another 1960 Chrysler appeared
