CLASSIC CAR ROOKIE OWNER

[DDR2467]

Hello All. I have recently acquired a 1969 300 convertible. Before agreeing to purchase it the previous owner agreed to let me have it towed to my garage at my home (which DOES have a mechanics pit built into the floor... never thought id get any use out of that because I'm just not that mechanically inclined) and have my local mechanic come take a look at it. He said the car was in great condition except for one thing... the motor was seized! He gave me a tip which I'm sure all of you know which was to remove the plugs and fill each cylinder with either MMO or what I chose to use, Justice Brothers 80. After only 1 day I jumped down into the pit and after removing the fan and shroud I put minimal pressure o n the camshaft nut and voila! it became "un-seized". Good sign right? So n ow we are having it towed to the mechanics shop where he will flush the fluids, etc, etc and try to get it running. Id love any input that might help a rookie like me understand what I am getting myself into, what to look for, etc. I ve looked at many forums but believe this to be my best shot at gaining knowledge that will help my enjoy my new ride for years to come. BTW - 1933 total produced I guess? Any idea how many are still in existence/up and running? Thanks in advance to all.

 

[Davea Lux]

That is a very nice looking vert. If the motor was stuck, the car probably sat for a long time. You will probably need to go thru the brake cylinders, calipers, master cylinder and hoses as that stuff goes to hell pretty fast on a car that is inactive. Do an underside inspection of the steel brake lines replace them if they are rusted. You should also figure on replacing the belts and hoses and doing a full tune up. Do an oil change on the engine, service the transmission and rear end. Hove the mechanic pull the valve covers and lube up the valve stms so that they do no stick. Most likely the carb will need a rebuild kit as well. The battery is also most likely shot. Once you have the car running you can evaluate the brake booster as those are often bad on a car with extensive down time. Check the code dates on the tires, if they are more than ten years old those should be replaced also so you do not have a tire failure that causes you to crash your new ride. That should get you to the point of being able to drive the car and that should make it reliable. This car came from the factory with R-12 in the A/C system if the car has air. That refrigerant is no longer produced. Most conversions use R-134a and the RV-2 compressor fails often using that refrigerant. You might want to consider converting to a Sanden style compressor if you want functioning A/C. There are several posts on this site about making that conversion.

Dave

 

[DDR2467]

Thanks Dave. Lots of great info! This car does not have A/C so n lo need to worry about that. This car came with MANY extra parts as the person that was restoring it was acquiring things for his resto. Theres only one spot on the frame below the drivers seat that will need attention. Tires are brand new as he just replaced the originals with the 5-stars. I have the original wheels along with of other things like a few sets of headlight doors and assemblies that I will more than likely be putting up for sale on this site/ebay to fund the few things the car really needs. The cars upholstery has just been nicely redone, it has a new convertible top, new alternator, stuff like that. Brake lines will need to be further evaluated when its in the shop but he said nothing really looked like it needed immediate attention... this car was previously restored (it even has a badge on the dashboard stating the people who owner it when it was restored) and was in the hands of another gentleman that was in the midst of his own resto. Hopefully ill have an update later this week or next.... Thanks again for the reply!!!

 

[ideologist]

Great color, nice bones it sounds like. Would love to see this one safely back on the road

 

[Zymurgy]

Beautiful car congratulations. My biggest advice it don't get discouraged, this will be a whole new experience and everything doesn't always go as planned.

You mentioned you are not mechanical inclined, I would advise you to become more mechanical inclined, you will have a much better experience when you can address some of the simple issues yourself. I would buy a service manual for your car read through what the mechanic is working on, so you start to understand the work being done.

You have come to the right place. These guys know everything about your car. I would read through trouble shooting posts even if you haven't had the problem yourself you may in the future.

Good luck!
Cheers, Mike

 

[Ripinator]

Thanks Dave. Lots of great info! This car does not have A/C so n lo need to worry about that. This car came with MANY extra parts as the person that was restoring it was acquiring things for his resto. Theres only one spot on the frame below the drivers seat that will need attention. Tires are brand new as he just replaced the originals with the 5-stars. I have the original wheels along with of other things like a few sets of headlight doors and assemblies that I will more than likely be putting up for sale on this site/ebay to fund the few things the car really needs. The cars upholstery has just been nicely redone, it has a new convertible top, new alternator, stuff like that. Brake lines will need to be further evaluated when its in the shop but he said nothing really looked like it needed immediate attention... this car was previously restored (it even has a badge on the dashboard stating the people who owner it when it was restored) and was in the hands of another gentleman that was in the midst of his own resto. Hopefully ill have an update later this week or next.... Thanks again for the reply!!!

Hey! Welcome to FCBO. You have a really nice car. For a beginner, you are in great shape with such a complete car.

BTW, if you plan to sell the original wheels (and they are "Chrysler Road Wheels"), I would be very interested in purchasing them. Rip

 

[BIGBARNEYCARS]

Hey! Welcome to FCBO. You have a really nice car. For a beginner, you are in great shape with such a complete car.

BTW, if you plan to sell the original wheels (and they are "Chrysler Road Wheels"), I would be very interested in purchasing them. Rip

My 1st thought would be to pull the heads and examine the depth of the rust marks in the cylinder walls that will surely be there because the engine was seized. Be thankful it's a 440 and not a 413 or you'd be looking at a complete rebuild fo-sho. Nice '69 BTW, Good luck with your project, Jer

 

[ideologist]

My 1st thought would be to pull the heads and examine the depth of the rust marks in the cylinder walls that will surely be there because the engine was seized. Be thankful it's a 440 and not a 413 or you'd be looking at a complete rebuild fo-sho. Nice '69 BTW, Good luck with your project, Jer

I thought the 413 and 440 were the same block, why the difference in rebuild needs?

 

[75LandYacht]

Congrats and welcome from NYC.. you sure jumped in with both feet huh!! That’s a beautiful car.. great choice of cars to get into the hobby with. kinda odd that the Motor would be seized considering the shape the car seems to be in.. paint looks nice, and you say the Upholstery's been done.. Hmmm usually you get the “Go” right before you get the “Show” right, either way! Good luck with her. You’re in the right place to get the help you need..
more pics please though. We are a picture happy bunch. Interior/ engine, fender tag / data plate etc.....

John

 

[Mr onetwo]

Welcome!That sure is a great looking car. This is the place to be to help you get it running and keep it alive.Please be very careful of that pit.Vapors of all sorts will sink into it and can kill you.I hope it has a functioning ventilation system. Good luck!

 

[BIGBARNEYCARS]

I thought the 413 and 440 were the same block, why the difference in rebuild needs?

ideologist, For the most part you're rite sir but they were different castings. the 413s were built using cast iron ringz, and the 440 went with S.S. rings from the beginning. When you leave a 413 sit for a few years, the cast iron block and cast iron rings become one leaving you with basically a "boat anchor". IF you can beat the pistons out you're still looking at a minimum .030 over bore just to get rid of the rust grove in the cylinder walls Jer

 

[DDR2467]

thanks to everyone for their input... I am not camera shy so plenty of pics to follow. not sure if I should start a new thread or not with this question so please lmk. I need to replace the battery that was in the car when I got it. what came with it was a 65-2 series battery and it fit perfectly into the existing battery tray. I search some threads on this sit to no avail to determine the original battery size for the car. the guy at O'Reillys said that a 24 series was stock so I purchased it.... brought it home and it it smaller than the tray by a good 2". can someone please speak to what was original to my car and if the tray is correct and is supposed to be larger than the actual battery size? Thanks again!!!

 

[HWYCRZR]

The tray was sized to fit both a 24 “smaller” and a group 27 “larger”.
383 2bbl and no air were usually group 24. 440’s group 27. An exception may have been Canada which usually seemed to have the group 27 for better cold weather starting. It also seemed Chrysler more frequently used the group 27 due to mor accessories than Dodge. I had a battery thread on here somewhere. As I was researching for 1968

 

[HWYCRZR]

Here’s the thread with some battery info.
Original Battery Size (Group 24 &27) and cap color Green, Yellow or Red?

 

[pomonamissel]

the 413 is not the same block as a 440 there is a big difference in bore size , and there were far more 440's made then 413's , 413 was a short production run even with the ind motors . they shear the same stroke and crankshafts can interchange , and connecting rods , gaskets , cam , tin , heads , ect.... but not pistons or rings . and being a un-common engine make parts cost more .

 

[MoPar Maniac]

The 413 was built for 20 years. I wouldn't call that a short run.