My New Project - '68 Chrysler 300

[mgm1986]

Hello fellow C-Body lovers! After a three year hiatus from owning a C body (sold my '68 Fury III in 2020), I am excited to have a new project in my garage! I recently purchased a '68 Chrysler 300 Convertible from a fellow member and am eager to get started on the project.

After my initial assessment, my list of things to address is below. Priority will be safety items so we can start enjoying her while we restore. She will be a driver not a show car but she needs to look good doing it, safely!

I am sure other things will pop up along the way but overall she seems clean with minimal rust. Excited to be back in the club!

Clean and Wash Interior/Exterior
Fluid change (Oil, trans, coolant, brakes)
Power steering leak / PS Pump alignment issue
Power brake system
Choke / Idle kick down adjustments
Convertible top hydraulics
Repair rust hole in Frame
Repair / remove cruise control module
Rewire Electrical system
Reverse lights
Headlight covers
High beam floor switch frozen
Trunk pop
Remove aftermarket Stereo and replace ash tray
Rebuild factory stereo (garytayman.com)
Install Antenna
Fuel gauge issue
Ammeter Bypass (looks like it may be done)
Dash lights
Clock missing
Interior cleanup / Front seat repair
Replace Heater core
Window mechanism refurb
Replace Door hinge pins
Repair hole in Trunk / wheel fender
Engine bay cleanup
Coolant overflow reservoir replace

 

[Andrew Ryan]

Hello fellow C-Body lovers! After a three year hiatus from owning a C body (sold my '68 Fury III in 2020), I am excited to have a new project in my garage! I recently purchased a '68 Chrysler 300 Convertible from a fellow member and am eager to get started on the project.

After my initial assessment, my list of things to address is below. Priority will be safety items so we can start enjoying her while we restore. She will be a driver not a show car but she needs to look good doing it, safely!

I am sure other things will pop up along the way but overall she seems clean with minimal rust. Excited to be back in the club!

Clean and Wash Interior/Exterior
Fluid change (Oil, trans, coolant, brakes)
Power steering leak / PS Pump alignment issue
Power brake system
Choke / Idle kick down adjustments
Convertible top hydraulics
Repair rust hole in Frame
Repair / remove cruise control module
Rewire Electrical system
Reverse lights
Headlight covers
High beam floor switch frozen
Trunk pop
Remove aftermarket Stereo and replace ash tray
Rebuild factory stereo (garytayman.com)
Install Antenna
Fuel gauge issue
Ammeter Bypass (looks like it may be done)
Dash lights
Clock missing
Interior cleanup / Front seat repair
Replace Heater core
Window mechanism refurb
Replace Door hinge pins
Repair hole in Trunk / wheel fender
Engine bay cleanup
Coolant overflow reservoir replace

View attachment 625742

Pretty color combo. Its always nice to have a “winter project” to keep out of trouble.

 

[GOLDMYN]

long list but does she run and drive?

 

[mgm1986]

long list but does she run and drive?

She does indeed!

 

[GOLDMYN]

well, that's the big item, it's just a matter of priority now.

 

[Hap]

I owned that car 20 years , I may be able to answer any questions . Enjoy the car !
Hap .

 

[mgm1986]

I owned that car 20 years , I may be able to answer any questions . Enjoy the car !
Hap .

That is awesome @Hap !!! I would love to hear the history of the car from when you owned it! Did you have the color change done or was that before you owned it? I love the Flamenco Red.

 

[3175375]

Nice procurement!

More details curious we are looking!
A/C? Power plant? Brakes? Fender tag?

 

[Hap]

That is awesome @Hap !!! I would love to hear the history of the car from when you owned it! Did you have the color change done or was that before you owned it? I love the Flamenco Red.

I bought it from a buddy who owned a body shop , he did the color change . It's a 66 Cadillac color .

 

[mgm1986]

I bought it from a buddy who owned a body shop , he did the color change . It's a 66 Cadillac color .

It looks great for being done that long ago. Some bubbling is starting to show in spots but it still shines really nicely. Can't wait for spring to give her a proper bath.

 

[Hap]

It looks great for being done that long ago. Some bubbling is starting to show in spots but it still shines really nicely. Can't wait for spring to give her a proper bath.

I sent you a PM with contact info if you would like .

 

[mgm1986]

Nice procurement!

More details curious we are looking!
A/C? Power plant? Brakes? Fender tag?

Fender tag is below. It wasn't on the car but it was given to me by the PO.

Power Steering, Power Drums all around, non-AC with a modified 440. I was told it has a mild-cam upgrade but stock was the standard 440. I temporarily replaced the TQ with an Eddy carb which sits on top of the Eddy Performer Intake. I rebuilt the TQ which I am eager to reinstall once I get the car back on the road.

So far the list of things completed or almost completed:
Front brakes and wheel hubs rebuilt
Removed aftermarket stereo and wiring
Heater core rebuilt
Convertible Hydraulic Cylinders replaced and rebuilt pump with new hydraulic lines
Added Rear Seat Belts
Rebuilt the front bucket seat frames
Rebuilt Thermoquad (temporarily replaced with Eddy)
GM HEI Ignition
GM One-Wire Alternator
Engine Wiring Harness Rebuild
Headlight Cover Motor Rebuilt
Flushed Cooling system and replaced radiator hoses and water pump neck
Repaired cornering lights and added wires that had been removed (car came with cornering lights)
Upgraded to Bosch relays for headlights and headlight motor
Repaired horns and upgraded to Bosch relay
Currently working through the dash wiring harness. What a mess!

 

[3175375]

Fender tag is below. It wasn't on the car but it was given to me by the PO.

Power Steering, Power Drums all around, non-AC with a modified 440. I was told it has a mild-cam upgrade but stock was the standard 440. I temporarily replaced the TQ with an Eddy carb which sits on top of the Eddy Performer Intake.

View attachment 640461

Nice! I’m interested in reading about your project!

 

[mgm1986]

Having gotten most of the safety items taken care of on my '68 300 I decided to take her to the gas station yesterday to fill up as I know it was low on fuel when I started the project. 1/4 mile down the road she stuttered and stalled, out of fuel. The first time in my life I ever ran out of gas!

Today I added enough fuel to get to the gas station and "fill her up" only to discover a fairly large fuel leak. Maybe the giant dent in the tank had something to do with it...

Further research showed it was actually the vent lines for the tank. One had no clamps holding the severely deteriorated piece of not-fuel-hose rubber line and the other metal line moves freely in and out of the tank.

New tank ordered from Vans via Ebay. It looks like the sending unit was replaced recently and the straps appear to be rust free so hopefully once I drain the 20 gallons I just added to the tank it will be a simple enough process to replace. So much for enjoying the first beautiful day of the year cruising. Back to the garage!

 

[Andrew Ryan]

I replaced my tank (also a 68 300) and it was a Spectra tank. It leaked right out of the box and I had to have it repaired. My point is to pressure test it before installation. Easy to do and saves a lot of pain to pull it again. Also, while it’s new and never has gas in it, have a radiator shop braze or solder a drain bung. Makes future service soooooo much easier when you have to drain the tank.

 

[mgm1986]

Pressure test is a good idea, I'll research what that involves so I don't over pressurize it.

 

[Andrew Ryan]

Since the tank holds static pressure only, a very low amount of air pressure should do.

 

[live4theking]

5 psi would be more than enough. You'll need a gauge to mount to see if the pressure holds.

 

[mgm1986]

Work has picked up so my time in the garage has slowed down. BUT, I have made progress with the car and finally had the chance to take her for a good test drive through the country roads here in Southern NJ.

What I noticed was the car has a whine when starting from a stop. I can't figure out if it is the rear which I have yet to service or the transmission. The exhaust is too loud to pinpoint where the noise is coming from.

Next step is to change the fluid in the rear and see if it helps the whine. Also want to adjust the transmission throttle linkage again since the new motor mounts have moved the motor back to where it belongs.

Done:
New fuel tank from Vans fit perfectly
New power steering pump and pulley from Jegs, also fit perfectly
New GM HEI module, MSD coil, plugs and wires
New GM single wire alternator
Restored engine harness and dash wiring (The wires for the oil pressure switch and the "cold" temp switch were crossed, that was fun troubleshooting!)
Replaced every burnt out bulb in the dash and interior
Installed a wireless key-chain trunk pop button since I don't have a good spot to mount a physical button
Front brakes are finally working as expected with all new drums, shoes, bearings, rubber and steel lines, and new master cylinder.
Hidden Headlights work great with relays wired for high/low/headlight motor, relays mounted to the firewall near the brake booster, new floor dimmer switch
Replaced Oil pressure switch and temp sender switch, both now work (I love the "cold" light for some weird reason)
Added LED lighting in the trunk with a new trunk pop switch
Reinstalled the rebuilt heater core which works great (and then my daily driver F150 heater core died!)
Motor and Trans mounts replaced
New, correct crank pulley fixed the wobble
Leaky drivers side Valve Cover fixed with new gasket
Rear seat belts installed (x3)
Transmission filter replaced (Lots of metal in the pan, probably due for a rebuild and possibly the reason for the whine I now hear)
Replaced convertible hydraulic cylinders and rebuilt the pump (Works great, new fabric top is definitely needed)
Rebuilt the front bucket seat tracks of course the original seats are badly worn and need to be refurbished
New Eddy 1406 carb, too small IMO but I do have a freshly rebuilt ThermoQuad I will reinstall once I get everything else sorted


Upcoming / Pending projects include:
Repair the rusty stub frame before doing any suspension work (although it actually drives nice even though the rubber bits in the suspension are badly worn)
Change rear gear fluid and hope it isn't bone dry
Replace Rear Main seal which explains why the undercarriage has a nice coating of oil
Check into leaky exhaust manifold on drivers side
Fix leaky exhaust from poorly installed muffler clamps, possibly install "Captains Call" exhaust cutouts

New tires are on the list as they are 20+ years old
New top is probably going to happen next year with the reupholster of the interior (I want to enjoy it a year before I dump more money into it)
Have the radio rebuilt by Tayman to upgrade to FM/Bluetooth. The price for this is outrageous nowadays! Nice Bluetooth speaker will get me by for a year.

Other items will likely get added as I spend more time driving the car, which is why I bought it, because they are so much fun to drive!

 

[67_300_Convertible]

Did anybody mention that the Certicard and fender tag are for two different vehicles? One is a ragtop like mine (CM27 on the fender tag, where 27 is the convertible body style), and the Certicard appears to show a body style of 43 (whatever that is)? It's hard to make out the Certicard, but I think it's for a different vehicle.