I didn't believe at all what you guys said so I went and check it out... "I state with great conviction that within the next 10 years, pristine Chrysler 300G's like this example with be selling for $500,000 and 300G Convertibles will approach the million dollar mark!" "We spent over $50,000 dollars on this car making all the power windows, power seats, radio, power antenna, factory air-conditioning, horn, lights, accessories, wipers, brakes etc. work as they should. " "QUESTION: How is it possible to spend more money restoring the dash and all of the electrical switches and controls in this car than more than six times the amount it would have cost back in 1961 to buy six brand new Chrysler 300G's? ( $45,000+)" but I got tired of BS so here it is: The fastest production car in the world in 1961-143 MPH on the hard packed sands of Daytona Beach,FL. Out of 1280 Hardtops made, Only 340 left-One of the very Best in the world! Less than 10% have factory air-conditioning,13 month restoration just completed.....$103,000+ in Receipts Exterior Color: Mardi Gras Red (Factory Code PP1.....71203) Interior: Tan Leather Engine: Original 413 CID V-8 with Ram Induction/Dual Carter 4bbl Carburetors (professionally Rebuilt) Horsepower: Factory rated a a very conservative 375 Horsepower Torque: 495 Ft. Lbs @ 2800 rpm's. Rear Axle: 3:23 sure grip Transmission: Three Speed Automatic Push Button Torqueflite (Professionally Rebuilt) Mileage: Exempt , just a couple 1000 miles since engine & drive line were restored Since the High dollar Cosmetic, mechanical and electrical restoration, less than 200 miles. PAPERWORK: Included are from the Chrysler FCA Historical Services is a letter documenting the authenticity of this car and a copy of the Factory Build Record Certificate. Also lots of paperwork about the 1961 Chrysler 300G Letter cars from Chrysler FCA Historical Services and News Letter from the Chrysler 300 Letter Club International. Click the link below this sentence to view of the Paperwork! https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_bnRd7yEcXuT0hOWklKMFJjZ0U Also a Hemming's Classic Car Magazine featuring the 1961 Chrysler 300G Sport Coupe, an ad from 1961 on the 300G showing the 300G "flying" along the Beach in Daytona, Florida where it set the flying mile record in the Fall of 1960 and an ORIGINAL Chrysler 300G Service Bulletin from October 1, 1960 on the 1961 300G. A calendar featuring this car. Advertisements from 1961/1962 featuring a Mardi Gras red Chrysler 300G. A black and white Polaroid photograph of the 1st owner of the incredible car with her Daughter driving. Behind the 300G you can see a 1961 Ford Thunderbird convertible. Serial Number: 8413160191 This car has its ORIGINAL VIN and DATA PLATE (TRIM PLATE) Please see the close up photos of the factory original vin tag and the Trim tag. Plate on front door hinge post. (See Last Photo Of Vin Plate) TRIM PLATE also referred to as DATA Plate REGION #73= San Francisco Dealer Code #: 09291= Reno, NV Berrmann & Wilson, Inc. Body Type: 842= 2 Door Hardtop Color: WW1= Alaskan White Trim: 883= Beige Leather A/C: 1= Air Conditioning & includes Heater Radio: 8= Golden Touch Tuner incl. Rear Speaker Tinted Glass: 1= All Windows Tires: 96= Bluestreak Nylon WSW 8.00 X 15 (5) Axle Ratio: 2= 3.23 Power Equipment: 3= Power Front Seats Defogger: 9 = Rear Window Differential: 9 = Sure Grip Vent System: 7 = Closed Crankcase Instrument Panel: 1 = Safety Padded Shipped Date: February 24th, 1961 Serial Number: 8413160191 Decoding the serial number. Serial Numbers Started at 8413100001 VIN Description Total Digits: 10 Digits 1: Make-8= Chrysler Digits 2: Series & Body style-4= 300G Sport 2 Door Hard Top Digits 3: Model year-1= 1961 Digits 4: Assembly plant-3= Jefferson Plant, Detroit, Michigan Digits 5-10: Production number- 160191 Plate on front door hinge post. (See Photo Of Vin Plate) MSRP of Base 1961 300G 2/Door Sport Hard Top: $5413.00 MSRP of Base Convertible: $5843.00 Optional Equipment Offered in 1961 for a 300G that came on this car 383 = Remote Control LH outside Mirror = $18 293 = Power Front Seats = $101.90 441 = Solex Tinted Glass (all windows) = $43.10 306 = Acc Grp. Golden Touch Tune Radio W/rear Speaker / Heater/ Rear widow Defogger/ Power Antenna & Grp A= $302.55 313 = Air Conditioning. Ordered with Accessory Grp # 306 = $408.50 617 = Permanent Antifreeze = $5.90 379 = Sure Grip Differential = $51.70 Paint Codes.............. Ditzler Combination BB-1 = Formal Black .................. 9000 PP-1 = Mardi Gras Red ...................... 71203 RR-1 = Cinnamon ....................... 71140 WW-1 = Alaskan White ..................... 8218 Summary Of This Car MSRP of Base 1961 300G 2/Door Sport Hard Top: $5413.00 Total MSRP of this car was: $6344.65 Additional Costs were Shipping and any dealer Prep, Undercoating, Sales Taxes, etc. The "out the door" price on this magnificent 300G was right at $7000. The ONLY American made cars that was this expensive would have been a Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible or Lincoln Continental 4 door convertible. The 300G represented Chrysler’s last and most dramatically styled letter cars. Retaining the flamboyant fins of its predecessor and extensive brightwork, the 300G was a sight as it came hurtling down the road. Without a doubt one of the more lavishly appointed cars when it came to the interior, they were luxurious and exceptionally fast, aimed to the moneyed motoring enthusiasts of the early 1960s. The Wedge head V8 offered ample performance and ride control was excellent. They offered dramatic new styling, but at the same time, still remained clearly conceived and built on the foundations of 300C. The 300G unquestionably represents one of the last great letter series cars. In the ensuing years the cars were shaped more by social concerns than by engineers and, as such, the 300G continues to be one of the most collectable cars of the 1960s. With its distinctive styling and driving manners, it will continue to appreciate in both value and enthusiasts’ esteem. I state with great conviction that within the next 10 years, pristine Chrysler 300G's like this example with be selling for $500,000 and 300G Convertibles will approach the million dollar mark! Now to attempt to describe this 300G being offered on ebaymotors.com So how nice is this 300G? In one word.....SPECTACULAR! The paint is gorgeous....with a deep gloss that looks like you could almost stick your hand inside the finish. This car shows no signs of ever having been rusty or in need of body repair. The doors, hood and trunk all fit fabulous. The chrome, trim and pot metal are show quality. I could not find any pitting or discoloration of the chrome or trim. It really is gorgeous! You can kneel down and look along either side of this work of mechanical art and there are no waves or ripples in the body panels. The test of a really great restoration is not how the cars looks when 1st done...or how it looks just 1 or 2 years later....but how the car stands the test of time 5, 10, 15 or even 20 years later. The awards this car received were from 1996,1997,2000 which validates that the nut & bolt very expensive restoration was finished in 1996. This 300G is of the same quality of a 1968 Shelby GT350 Convertible we sold recently on Ebaymotors.com for $125,000. It was restored in 1994. The 68 Shelby & this Chrysler 300G both look like they were restored within the past year or two. The interior is fabulous..... Gary Goers in Kalispiel, Montana. Gary is without a doubt the finest fabricator of Chrysler 300 interiors in the world... Gary has had several health issues recently and we all pray Gary can make a complete recovery. We spent over $50,000 dollars on this car making all the power windows, power seats, radio, power antenna, factory air-conditioning, horn, lights, accessories, wipers, brakes etc. work as they should. The electroluminescent dash....OMG...we most assuredly could have bought a nice collectable car for the money we spent on the dash...but it now looks and works better than new! What exactly is Electroluminescent? How do these gauges light without bulbs, filaments or gases? The answer lies in ceramic engineering! The gauges and pointers are composed of laminated layers of material which glow when a high voltage alternating current is applied. As a result, the pointers are a light source in themselves, as are the gauges. A typical gauge or pointer is composed of several layers: * A sheet of vitreous enameling steel forms the instrument back * A layer of solid ceramic is applied to the steel sheet * Another layer is added which has electroluminescent phosphor suspend in ceramic * A transparent, electrically conducting layer is then added * A finished layer of transparent glass coating is then sprayed on When you think that all of this was created by engineers who worked for Chrysler in 1960, one must marvel at the pure genius of the guys and gals who innovated a dash that looked like "A Radioactive Wurlitzer illuminated Bubbler Jukebox on steriods" in your dash. That is why we decided to make every light and every switch and every gauge work exactly like the day you would have taken delivery of your 1961 Chrysler 300G in 1961. What is the "Power Pack" ? The gauges and pointers are powered by a power pack which converts the 12 volts D/C to 220 volts AC at 250 cycles per second. The power pack is mounted on the cowl side panel underneath the instrument panel on a 1960 Chrysler 300F and a 1961 Chrysler 300G. BONUS: Not only does our car have a new power pack but we were able to find a brand new one in it's original 1961 MoPar box. QUESTION: How is it possible to spend more money restoring the dash and all of the electrical switches and controls in this car than more than six times the amount it would have cost back in 1961 to buy six brand new Chrysler 300G's? ( $45,000+) ANSWER: It's easy. All that is required is that like all of us with Garage Memories, you are a perfectionist and possibly slightly O/C .... YES, we readily admit we are obsessive/compulsive when it comes to our cars. After 56+ years in this incredible hobby, we are very cognizant that there just is no shortcut when it comes to perfection...and this 300G deserved perfection. Step number 1 to achieve electrical perfection on this 300G. First we sought out a company that could make an EXACT show quality reproduction of the original wiring harness's and we found a lovely couple in Canada. We wholeheartedly recommend that you seek out the EXPERT services of Greg Leggat in Napanee, Ontario Canada. Thanks to the great guys & gals in the Chrysler international 300 Club we found out about the amazing skills of Greg. Greg custom made in the exact correct colors and gauge, wiring harness's from the engine to the dash, from the dash to the controls and from the dash all the way back to the trunk and tail lights. They did it in the time frame they promised and at the exact price quoted. Were their services inexpensive? Perfection and exacting attention to detail is never cheap, but they were fair and did an EXCELLENT job! Every single wire was the precise correct gauge had a small tag on it stating where it was to go. What about the actual dash? Step 2 For the restoration of the entire dash, the electroluminescent dome and every gauge and every control in the car we went to the acknowledged world experts, Jeff, Lyle and the wonderful team at JC Auto in Lynnwood, Washington. I honestly don't believe any company in the world knows more about these incredible 1960 and 1961 Chrysler 300 letter cars than Jeff and his team. They work on almost every type of MoPar cars and over the last 6 months with many, many conversations I consider JC Auto to be one of the most professional and honest company's I have encountered in the vintage automobile industry. Are they expensive? Of course.... If you want perfection and experience on working on these very specialized intricate cars since 1978, you shouldn't expect "bargain basement" pricing. We are proud to have all the Chrysler 300 letter cars in our Garage Memories Collection... 1957 through 1961, both the convertibles and hardtops. I am convinced that in less than 10 years, a 61 Chrysler 300G coupe in this condition will command a price of $500,000 and a Convertible will approach $1,000,000. How did we spend over $50,000 on just the dash and electrical functions? Here is a partial list....and we have the receipts and paid invoices to document what we did. Jeff was able to find a perfect used Electroluminescent dome and had it restored to brand new condition....and I really do mean "BRAND NEW" condition. We had the speedometer and odometer completely disassembled and restored. We had our clock completely rebuilt and restored with a new quartz movement We had our tachometer completely disassembled, restored and rebuilt. We had the Touch-tune pushbutton radio, disassembled, restored and rebuilt. We had the front and rear speakers completely rebuilt to original specs. We had the front & rear speaker switch rebuilt and restored. We had the power antenna switch rebuilt and restored the entire power antenna motor & mechanism and bought a new antenna & antenna cable from the back all the way to the dash and the radio. We had all of the Transmission Torque-flite buttons & mechanism completely rebuilt and restored. We had the headlamp switch restored and rebuilt. We had the courtesy lamp switch rebuilt and restored We had the map lamp switch rebuilt and restored We had the dome lamp switch rebuilt and restored. We had the turn signal switch rebuilt and restored as well as the turn signal canceling switch. We had the variable speed wiper switch rebuilt and restored. We had all of the A/C, defroster and heater switches rebuilt and restored. We had the Power seat switch rebuilt. We had the entire horn mechanism and horn relays either replaced or rebuilt. We got very lucky and were able to find both the 4 power window switch assembly as well as the two rear mounted power window switch assembly brand new in 1961 MoPar original boxes. We also were fortunate and found a brand new original MoPar fuse block in it's original MoPar box. YIKES this stuff is EXPENSIVE! Every gauge works AS NEW. Every light works exactly as it would have worked on a brand new Chrysler 300G back in 1961. The radio sounds incredible. Not only did JC Auto do an incredible job on all the electronics, but they rebuilt the front and rear speakers to perfection...I doubt if the radio sounded this good in 1961. The AC blows ice cold......Brrrrrrr! The clock keeps exact time. (original clock restored with new quartz movement) All the gauges are accurate...including the Gas gauge, Amp meter,Temp gauge, Quartz clock Oil pressure and every other gauge...if it required a sending unit to work....we bought new ones. Whoever is lucky enough will absolutely marvel when they drive this car at night and turn on the lights.....When I turned on the dash for the 1st time in this car...pure car delight.....don't laugh...almost orgasmic..to think that Chrysler could build a car so advanced in 1961 is truly amazing and a tribute to their genius engineers. When we replaced the battery cables...we bought them from JC Auto...because we wanted the exact cables that this car would have come with in 1961. What about the steering wheel? Step 3 Here again we went to a world renowned EXPERT,Bob Deneault with D & D Automobilia in Lincolntown, NC.. He said it would take 5-6 months. Bob restored our steering wheel in just under 4 months. It is a very, very tedious process with almost 25 different stages to the final result. It truly is a work of art and is described as being opalescent EXPENSIVE?...Hell yes! $1650 but the final product is worth every cent. And like Greg in Canada and Jeff with JC Auto in Washington, Bob is one terrific guy. We also want to thank Gil Cunningham, President of the Chrysler 300 letter club for all of his assistance, the people at FCA (Chrysler/Fiat/Automobile) historical society who were able to get us all the factory documentation and build card on this car, and last but certainly not least thanks to Gary Goers in Kalispell, Montana who even though fighting through some pretty serious health issues, is unquestionable the best source in the world for everything related to Chrysler 300 letter cars. I have only touched on some of the work that went into restoring this car....if your seriously interested in owning this 300G, please give us a call at (954) 873-6495 and I'll share with you more of what went into this restoration. The labor cost on removing all the switches, gauges, panelescent dome,electrical motors and installing the new wiring harness exceeded $17,000 and took 7 months. The job was finished by a real gentleman, a true professional and friend for more than 30 years, Steve Greenblatt owner of International Sport Cars and restoration facility in Pembroke Park, Florida. Kudos to you Steve money we spent with you was money well spent. Everyone at Garage Memories admires your honesty and the professional work you and your team does! Thank you. Call us at (954) 873-6495 and we will gladly give you the lowest possible "buy it now" price Step 4 The Paint There were a couple of places on this car that had acquired small chips in the paint and were touched up. We have a fantastic painter who matched the paint to perfection and we had the entire panels repainted and I would challenge anyone to look at this car and to try and detect where this work was done. Forty years of painting cars plus the use of a modern day computer that matches paint to perfection is a winning combination! We are extremely fussy and are car lovers and collectors first and foremost. Before we even consider selling any car... it first has to be nice enough to take it's place among all of our other cars in our museum.....Garage Memories. Only then do we offer any car for sale! Step 5...Making the car run, stop and drive like it did in 1961 Looking nice if a must...but so is they way it starts, idles, runs and drives. We made this car run and drive just as it looks...FANTASTIC! We drained all the fuel from this car and added new fresh 93 Octane. Hank removed the ORIGINAL Carter AFB carburetors and had each professionally rebuilt. We had a fresh set of spark plugs installed and a new set of points and a condenser. The radiator was drained and flushed and new anti-freeze installed. The Oil & Filter were changed and the chassis lubricated. We installed a NEW factory correct ignition and ignition lock. We completely rebuilt the brakes on this car. We had all the brake drums turned, had all the brake cylinders rebuilt and had all new correct brake shoes installed on the car ($2525) I drove this car. It goes like Gangbusters! As we use to say back in the late 50's & early 60'S "This Ride HAULS A**!" If you grew up in Texas...."THIS DOG CAN HUNT!" With the new brakes you can stop it as well...but keep in mind this is a 4250 pound car Dry, (4600 lbs wet) and was and is capable of 140MPH...so PLEASE drive careful & thoughtful. Please be very careful when you unleash this beast! These cars were made to GO FAST....NOT TO STOP FAST! Thanks to Hank who is part of the team at International Sport Cars and restoration, this is the best running Chrysler 300 letter car we have ever owned or even driven! Well done Hank! We were fortunate to have found loads of NEW IN THE ORIGINAL PARTS BOX some incredible 1961 Chrysler parts so we bought them all....they were installed in this car All brand new factory original window switches (6) and much, much more including a new original fuse block & power supply. We also bought from Gary Goers new aluminum driver's side floor scuff plates. REMEMBER THE "GOOD OL DAYS" THEY LOOKED SOMETHING LIKE THIS.... |