Li An accurate and well written story that helps promote our particular part of the hobby. Many of our cars have similar stories and the car magazines and columns are generally interested in publishing them. I hear a lot of Larry's personality and voice in this story and that makes it all the more interesting. I thought 300 engines were pretty bulletproof and was surprised to hear Larry had smoked his. Chrysler 300 owners are encouraged to help keep our cars in front of the public by assisting writers with their stories. Squeezing in reference and links to the Chrysler 300 clubs is also encouraged. If you get a story published, let us al know about it. C-300'ly, Rich Barber Link: http://tinyurl.com Text only: Chrysler 300F still 'letter'-perfect By Vern Parker MOTOR MATTERS | Friday, April 10, 2009 What's not to like about a Chrysler 'Letter Series' car? In a word - nothing. For almost a dozen years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, Chrysler squeezed massive engines into sleek "personal cars," which were easily identified by the gaping grille cavity that appeared eager to inhale lesser cars. One of the more notable "Letter Series" Chryslers was the 1960 300F. Of the 1,212 vehicles built, 248 were convertibles and the remaining 964 were two-door hardtop models. Larry Jett was on a high-speed run through Nevada in his 4-year-old 300F hardtop when, he says, "I froze the engine solid and had to have it towed to the San Francisco Bay Area." With too many irons in the fire to contend with the disabled Chrysler, he sold his ailing car. The 300F may have been gone, but it was not forgotten. "I knew I needed another one," Mr. Jett says. "It was just a matter of how long it would take." A couple of decades passed, and then in 1986, Mr. Jett was looking through a Chrysler 300 Club newsletter when he saw an ad selling a 300F. The car was located just west of Cleveland in Elyria, Ohio - a long distance from Mr. Jett's home in Newark, Calif. Besides, Mr. Jett says, the asking price was on the high side. Another year had passed when Mr. Jett learned that the car was still for sale. Negotiations ensued. Mr. Jett learned that the 300F had undergone a complete restoration. The asking price was still high, but Mr. Jett purchased the Chrysler sight unseen and arranged to have it trucked to California. "When it arrived," he remembers, "I was the happiest fella." The Alaskan white car with tan seats appeared to be in like-new condition, but Mr. Jett detected some bent valves in the 413-cubic-inch engine, necessitating a valve job. With that task completed, the car has proved to be trouble-free for the past 23 years. Records indicate that, when new, the 4,270-pound Chrysler 300F had a base price of $5,411. The well-appointed luxury car is equipped with power brakes, power steering, power antenna, air conditioner, power windows, high-beam changer, rear-window defroster, push-button AM radio and power swivel bucket seats. The two left and two right bucket seats on black carpeting are separated by a full-length console. A tachometer is mounted at the forward end of the console under the dashboard. A 150-mph speedometer is ready to record the achievement of the powerful car. Beneath the expansive hood is a pair of four-barrel carburetors on 30-inch "ram" induction manifolds offset on either side of the engine because of the low-profile engine hood. The big V-8 engine features wedge-shaped combustion chambers that produce prodigious amounts of horsepower and torque. That power, however, comes at a price because while drinking fuel from the 23-gallon gasoline tank, the consumption rate is 10.5 mpg. The 18-foot, 3.6-inch-long Chrysler has a turning diameter of about 46 feet, 7 inches. The 9.00x14-inch tires support the unibody car on a 126-inch wheelbase. Under the sloping trunk lid, decorated by a faux spare wheel, is a wide, but shallow cargo area, which contains the real spare tire, mounted horizontally on the left side. Because of the unibody construction, Mr. Jett reports, his 49-year-old car is still free of rattles or squeaks regardless of the road surface. In the past 23 years, Mr. Jett has driven his Chrysler only about 20,000 miles. He has total confidence in the reliability of his car. "I have never had a concern," he says. >From the driver's bucket seat, Mr. Jett can see the two fender-mounted mirrors reflect the images of the soaring fins on the rear fenders, a sight he never tires of viewing. c For your car to become the subject of the Out of the Past column, send a photo (frontal 3/4 view), plus brief details and phone number to Vern Parker, 2221 Abbotsford Drive, Vienna, VA 22181. Only photos of good quality will be considered. No customs or hot rods accepted. Click here for reprint permissions! Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC Text: -----Original Message----- From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Don Warnaar Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2009 4:09 AM To: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; John Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Fwd: OK, it took some searching but I did find the story of my 300F alluded i... Congratulations, Larry. Nice article and picture. Don Warnaar New Jersey ----- Original Message ----- From: John<mailto:spiers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2009 6:50 AM Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Fwd: OK, it took some searching but I did find the story of my 300F alluded i... Larry and all - There were a couple spaces in the link - try this or the "tiny url" that follows. Nice article! http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/10/3960-chrysler-300f-still-39l etter39-perfect/<http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/10/3960-chrysl er-300f-still-39letter39-perfect/> http://tinyurl.com/LJ300F<http://tinyurl.com/LJ300F> Regards, John Spiers --- On Wed, 4/15/09, JettLarry@xxxxxxx<mailto:JettLarry@xxxxxxx> <JettLarry@xxxxxxx<mailto:JettLarry%40aol.com>> wrote: From: JettLarry@xxxxxxx<mailto:JettLarry%40aol.com> <JettLarry@xxxxxxx<mailto:JettLarry%40aol.com>> Subject: [Chrysler300] Fwd: OK, it took some searching but I did find the story of my 300F alluded i... To: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com> Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2009, 9:33 PM ____________ _________ _________ ______ From: JettLarry To: Leftythe300guy Sent: 4/15/2009 6:28:12 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time Subj: OK, it took some searching but I did find the story of my 300F alluded in AZ I've never seen the story and picture in print but the following path takes anybody there that cares. WWW.washingtontimes .com/news/ 2009/apr/ 10/3960-chrysler -300f-still- 39letter39 -perfect/ ------------------------------------ To send a message to this group, send an email to: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For list server instructions, go to http://www.chrysler300club.com/yahoolist/inst.htm For archives go to http://www.forwardlook.net/300-archive/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Chrysler300-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx mailto:Chrysler300-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Chrysler300-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/