So I did some trading around and on a whim ended up with a 1960 Chrysler with a golden lion 383 and a push button automatic... Runs great, brakes are all new but dont work (havent looked into that yet), rear bumper is shaved with a roll ran and the rear end is lowered 2 inches just about everything is there and in good shape except the heater switch panel is missing, and the steering wheel is mostly just a steel ring.... and I absolutely hate the flat black... Original color is a light metallic blue (door jambs still have original paint, and it has a documented 36k miles... I dont typically get stuff I dont know much about but its different... So heres the big question... Is there anything strange about these cars I need to look for? Anyone familiar with these? Are there parts around for it? Decisions, decisions... should I fix it up or leave it as is and sell...
Parts are not as available as a chevy, but out there. Look to Andy Bernbaum for new parts and big M auto in California for any used parts you may need. To reduce stress on the drive line, shift into drive then reverse for your backwards driving. Your driveline will thank you. Also, get a wiring diagram and be very careful if you ever need to work on the gauge dome. A lot of electrical current in there.
I need to open up the dome and pull out a really big dead spider... lol... Any idea where to get a diagram at?
Sounds like a shop manual is in your future....or should be. Just Google "1960 Chrysler wiring diagram".
Check the rear frame rails for rot, that's the most common place. I parted one out and when I cut the quarters off the car settled right down on the axle. Then the floor goes above them. I've seen a few in junkyards with no floors left at all in the trunk, just springs sticking up out of the mud. The dash stuff is 1960 only although 61-62 will fit, it's slightly different. The steering wheel is how it is because the part missing was clear plastic, they did not hold up very well. You can swap in most any other 63-back Mopar wheel, the shaft size changes in '64 I believe. The lenses are tough to come by, one guy in Australia reproduces some of them and they're not cheap. So be careful with the dome lens. The brakes on these are odd, Center-Plane they call it, I think the front has two wheel cylinders, one for each shoe. A little machining and you can adapt 63-64 brakes which are more conventional Bendix type. The rearend will require one of those heavy duty drum pullers to get the drums off - they're press fit. You can make your life easier swapping a later rearend of some sort into it - 71-74 Challenger and Cuda are a good fit, but those are pretty pricey themselves. A later rearend also allows you to go to a conventional parking brake - on these there's a drum on the driveshaft end of the trans which serves as one, parts aren't that easy to come by for them. www.forwardlook.net is your friend, but don't let them know you're modifying the car -
Yeah, double wheel cylinders in the front drums and pressed on drums in the back that are a super bitch to remove. I'm swapping the rear out of my '60 Fury just to eliminate the rear brake drum setup.
My older brother had a 1960 Chrysler. When I was 12 yrs old he let me use it to pick up the newspapers for my Sunday newsroute! I was the envy of all the other paperboys! And yes- it had the 383 " Golden Lion ". Actually was pretty fast. After I got my license I took it to Detroit Dragway. Removed the power steering belt and ran it. Can't remember the ET, but it was a BITCH to turn at the end of the track! Thanks for the memories. RIP Ralph.
As you dig deeper into the Mopar you will find that the 383 Golden Lion is an RB engine, that means the same stroke as the 413. The only significant difference between them is the bore. And as noted, the brakes are a bit odd and a PITA to work on. Get a service manual. .
Looks pretty solid. Appears to be a Windsor (least expensive) four-door sedan. If I remember correctly from the one I had ages ago, the "Golden Lion" engine in the Windsors was a 383-2V. Windsors were on a 122" wheelbase (shared with Desoto). Mid-price Saratoga was 383-4V on 126" wb. New Yorker was 413-4V on 126 wb. In '60 Chrysler went to uni-body construction for all makes except Imperial. Rust is an issue but perhaps not as bad as '57-'59. As other have stated, I can testify from first-hand experience that the brakes on these were a hassle. Trying to use my low-mileage original for daily transportation in the mid-'70s was virtually impossible due to the consistently troublesome brake system that had the car in the shop more often than not. I did like the car though. Especially looking at it. The styling was outstanding, especially those fins! The interior was a great place to be, and the dash, especially at night, was a thing of beauty. The '60 Mopars were among the better-looking four door sedans. The clear plastic steering wheel was an option in the Windsor. Mine had a solid rim wheel that was black plastic painted to match the dash color – if you can find one I think the solid wheels held up somewhat better over time. Good luck with the car!
Check out www.forwardlook.net Disc brake spindles can be put on it, just make sure the A Arm mounts are far enough apart. On my '60 Plym I used '77 NYer, the Aspen/Volarie spindles had mounts too close to even bolt on much less have travel space. Then add a dual chamber master cyl.
The mounts were still closer together than the OEM spindles, but they worked on mine. Later I saw somewhere ball joints with 1/2" or 1" extended shafts, I'm assuming that is to restore the OEM spacing if the mounts are closer together.
Gawd' almighty you guys are good. A shop manual ? Sounds like just free beer and an invite for you fellas' to come over is all he needs. Amazing.
I was mistaken by the side shot thinking it was a HT. Sedan or HT its still a great car and something you don't see at car shows. Load up the neighborhood and take them for a ride!!!
Left hand threads on the left side wheels. Sometimes brake drums and hubs get swapped around so don't be surprised by anything. They are an excellent car with state of the art brakes, torsion bar suspension, big block engine, torqueflite trans, etc etc. If you had it on the road, in top condition, you wouldn't have a thing to worry about. Some odd features like pushbutton trans, the crazy instrument cluster with 400 volt lighting (don't ask as long as it works) and of course 4 headlights and giant tail fins.
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