Re: [Chrysler300] 300 import

["Ron Waters" <ronbo97@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Great story, Roger ! It should find its way to the club's website...

I remember buying lots of parts from Ken Block back in the 80s. Also have a
pic of his white B somewhere. Does anyone know what became of him ?

Ron


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Roger Schaaf" <obiwan10@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <hmpirish@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 2:34 PM
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] 300 import


> I purchased my B in Canada in 1986.  It had been sitting outside under a
> tarp for 10 years and was in possession of the Sheriff of Pentictan(SP)
> which is located a couple hundred miles East of Vancouver.  We purchased
it
> on a sealed bid auction and the car had no title.  Never did find why the
> Sheriff was in possession except was the result of some type of
litigation.
>
> Upon being informed that I had won the auction(4,500.00 Canadian) I called
> the local Chrysler dealer to find if they might get it road worthy for us
so
> that if we would fly in, we could drive out.  They sent one of their
> mechanics out who towed it to his home where it received some brake work,
> starter, generator,  gasoline drain and fill, new oil and other
maintenance
> to ready it for our trip home.
>
> This gentlemen picked us up at the airport, invited us to spend the
evening
> at his home, go out to dinner(he insisted that pay) with him and his wife.
> After dinner I asked him what I owed him for his repair efforts.  He
> responded 500 dollars.  I insisted that this was to cheap but he insisted
> this was what the bill was.  I then gave him 500 dollars, whereupon he
> returned some 150 of them, telling me that his bill was 500 dollar
Canadian
> and would not in spite of my protests would not take a cent more.
>
> We then drove the car to Vancouver where the 1986 World's Fair was being
> held.  We spent several days there and then began the drive home to
> California.  Great time in Vancouver, except being stopped 3 times by
local
> Police as we had no license plates, and they also were a stickler on
> assuring that we had proper insurance(which you can buy by the day as I
> remember).
>
> Also while driving around Vancouver, one day I was parked at a telephone
> booth(remember those before cell phones?), a lady in a Cadillac pulled up
> and spoke to my wife who was sitting in the car while I was on the phone.
> When I left the phone booth she introduced herself and told me that she
had
> stopped as she had noted the 300 and said that she felt that she knew
every
> 300 in Vancouver and this was a new one on her.  I asked her why she knew
> every 300 and she told me that she was the wife of Norm Frey and he owned
a
> collection of them, loved them and had a service garage that specialized
in
> MOPAR products and service.
>
> She invited us to follow her to her home where we were introduced to Norm
> and his collection of 300's(2 55's 2 56's and perhaps a 57(not certain on
> this) and other assorted Mopars including a 67 Satellite(?) with low miles
> and a hemi and a 79(?) 300 with some 5000 miles on it.  Ending up spending
a
> day or 2 with him(he replaced a vibrating U-Joint for me) and having a
great
> time with he and his wife Rose.  Also staying at his home and eating
several
> meals with them.  We have remained friends for many years and they have
> visited us when they came thru to California(he loved to come down for the
> big swap meets at Turlock and Watsonville).
>
> When we attempted to enter the US we of course were stopped by Customs as
> again no license plates.  After presenting a bill of sale from the Sheriff
> and they then calling him to assures that we were legit, we were informed
> that we owed duty on the value that we had paid for the auto.
>
> After much discussion regarding our feelings that we did not owe any duty,
> and they finally being persuaded that indeed we did not after I pointed
out
> that this was a USA built auto and was merely being returned home, and
again
> Customs making a couple of telephone calls to their superiors somewhere,
> they waved us on thru and told us to have a nice trip home.  No duty was
> paid.  Car averaged just over 17 miles per gallon for the entire
> trip(probably 1800 miles total and used zero oil) and had no problems
except
> for vibration from U joint and tire balance.
>
> Car was then shipped to Warren Automotive in Iowa City, Iowa where it
spent
> 2 years for a frame off restoration.  A fellow club member at that time by
> the name of Ken Block(who owned his own very fine 300 B) who lived in
Cedar
> Rapids helped oversee its restoration.  I would stop by on my frequent
> business travels back East to look in also.  When restoration was
completed,
> it was shipped back to California via Passport.  California labor at that
> time was about 50 to 60 dollars hourly and finding a great shop was almost
> impossible.  Warren Automotive in Iowa City did a wonderful job and labor
> rates were 25 dollars hourly.  They basically specialized in Bloomington
> Gold Corvette restorations but with Ken's guidance(they had also done his
> car) were able to do repeat their great work on his car.
>
> The toughest problem that I had with the car restoration and getting it
back
> on the road, was persuading the California DMV to give me a title(took 2
> years) based only upon a Bill of Sale from a Canadian Sheriff and
> registering a set of NOS 1956 license plates(still in original DMV
wrapper)
> that I had picked up at a swap meet in Watsonville(I think for 75 dollars
at
> the time) to the car.
>
> So now you asked what time it is, I told you how to build a watch.  The
> short of it should be, that if the car was built in the USA, I doubt that
> you should pay duty to bring it back.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Roger Schaaf
> 300 B Calyfornua
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <hmpirish@xxxxxxx>
> To: <Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 8:01 AM
> Subject: [Chrysler300] 300 import
>
>
> > Hi 300 Fans,
> >    I am looking at buying a 300 in Canada.  Does anyone know what is
> > required by US Customs in the way of paperwork and tax?  I don't want to
> > use a broker
> > to bring it in to save money.
> >            Thanks for any insight.  All the Best 300ing !
> >                Phil Irish - outside Memphis (wet from Katrina but only
> > slightly blown around)
> >
> >
> >
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> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
> To send a message to this group, send an email to:
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>
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>



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