Customs Ideas for 1964 Chrysler 300 2dr HT

Hey guys,
Recently i traded in an original paint ( patina ) 1964 Chrysler 300 2-door hardtop. 383-2 barrel, nothing really special, but it's almost rustfree and wearing 90% of it's original paint, LL1 Royal Turquoise. A 64 Chrysler isn't exactly the most beautiful car Ma Mopar brought to the world.
I hope you can help; I would like to keep the paint/interior as is, but looking for ideas to get it to look sharper; swap wheels? Lower it? etc. etc.

Best regards from the Netherlands,

 

Very cool car, I agree, lower it and change the wheels. Put dual exhaust on it if it is a single now and drive it. I believe that the front is a torsion bar suspension, so lowering the front is as easy as turning a bolt, then re align it.

 

X2. Exactly what @BJR said.

Make sure everything (brakes, steering, suspension, electrics) is safe.

If it were mine, wheels & tires would be Astro Supremes on matching thin "pinner" whitewalls, like this.

 

Thanks for the quick replies! I am servicing the car at the moment. Only needs brakes/hoses/things like that.
Also any fans of the 20 inch steelies?

 

Yep- Astro Supremes with the thin white walls are the first step- Bell Flower pipes could be next and then a flaked and laced roof!

 

I would let The Moose do his magic over in the photoshop thread and see what it would look like in pictures. Nice score. Regards, Randy


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

HECK NO!
This is the HAMB, for traditional rods & customs (or at least inspired by 'em).

15" are traditional. 14" wheels were also used, especially on hardcore lowriders and were stock on late '50's-early '60s' cars, but finding quality 14" tires nowadays is really hard.

Do a search for "Bellflower style" and you'll catch on.

 

NO on the 20's. Lower it, 60's style wheels (I like American Racing Torque Thrusts with grey centers) with blackwalls and drive (after making it safe).

 

.............Careful! Don't step in that stuff! It smells a bit like dog poop!!

 

I like Just Gary's wheel/tire combo. Lower it with a slight rake, dual exhaust for sure. I'd find a 4 barrel set up for it too. Really cool ride, enjoy !!!!

 

Definitely no to the 20” wheels, definitely narrow whitewalls and lowered. Very cool car, I’m working on bringing home a 1964 Chrysler convertible this spring.


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

This and bellflower exhaust
Lowered

that car is sweet

no no 20” wheels please

15” maybe a 16” that’s it

 

The only thing it really really needs right now, is to remount the front tires so the whitewalls are "in", or else find some matching whitewalls for the back. And get it driving reliably. And drive it.

Take your time figuring out what changes you want to make.

 

The Green Hornet had the "Black Beauty" Imperial. Maybe think of this as Kato's car. Something dark and sinister looking. But on a tighter budget, and owner driven.

 

Hey look, it’s Grandpa’s car!

 

My buddy's Imperial. Semi-original paint, 413, dual exhaust, slight lowering(torsion bar), disc brake retrofit in front.

 

stock hub caps, thin white walls, call it a barn find. After all, not every old car should be a hotrod or custom.

 

I'd love a pair, if I could find tires that wide.

As for the Mopar, I'd put chrome wires on it, dress up like Melbourne Clydesdale and take a cruise around Beverly Hills.

 

A tube grille insert would look nice and help sell the mild 60's approach along with the thin stripe whitewalls and a height adjustment, and dual exhaust. I don't hate the slots on it, I wonder what they'd look like with a really good polishing, and all 4 matching whitewall tires.

20" wheels are for donks and dorks.

 

Just say no to the 20" arrest me wheels.

 

Don't bad mouth the styling! My all time favorite car was my 65 Dart hardtop with the 235hp/273 4sp. (upgraded the am to 66 version, 250hp). They look like a 3/4 size version of yours.
15" cop wheels, blackwalls, old time Moon disks, 2" blocks in the back and crank the bars down the same. Done!

 

like......but not the 20's.....easy to lower the front with the torsion bars adjustment......

 

i will tell you a little story about one of these cars when i was young. you may not believe me but it's the truth. i lived in a small town and one day i was walking down my street and a chp had somebody stopped. i was very into drag cars since i lived not very far from lions strip. i noticed the officers car was one of these. it had a tach on the dash, a floor shift, and traction master bars and cheater slicks. when he got done with the law breaker i asked him about the car. he said the department wanted him to just chase speeders and he was allowed to do what he wanted to the car to catch them. he said he did the usual to the motor, which i think was a 413. oh yea, when he took off he laid rubber for quite a ways.

 

My grandson (he is 19) has a 64 New Port 4 door. He has chrome reverse wheels on his car and I think it sets the car off pretty well. You might look into seeing if you can polish the slots that are on the car, either have all 4 matching white walls, or all 4 black walls, the mix just doesn't work.

Having driven his car, I would upgrade to disc brakes, we ran into an issue with one of his front brake drums. Finding a good 11" front drum was a difficult and expensive proposition. Add a front sway bar if your car doesn't have one, or add a bigger bar if there is one there. These cars tend to be a bit mushy cornering, even at slow speeds. Also make sure the control arm bushings are good, as well as the rest of the front suspension pieces. I'd just have to do a 4bbl carb and dual exhaust. Are you sure its a 383 and not a 361? Gene

 

I've got a '64 300 4dr hardtop (I'm the second owner - and my kids will hopefully be next) 383 2bbl, 727 auto trans. that was rebuilt a few years ago, along with the front suspension (as well as most of the mechanicals over the 11 years I've owned my car) and I've learned a lot about these cars, here's some advice from an actual owner with experience on these very cars:
The Ball &Ball 2bbl carb is a good carb, a 4bbl carb and intake will be costly (I parted out a car with the 4bbl engine and the carb rebuild alone would have cost close to $450 CDN, then there's buying all the other parts...$$, that buys a lot of gas) Make sure you use proper oil - you can not use modern oils as they aren't suitable for the old engines. Rebuild the front suspension (Mid Canada Suspension in Winnipeg Maniboba, Canada will have the parts for your car) as the rubber will be worn out - the handling is actually quite decent for a car this size when the suspension is set up properly. Take care of the mechanicals first, including the all the under hood wiring - be sure to check the connections at the firewall where the wires connect from the engine side to the inside of the car - really clean the connections well and add some dielectric grease to the connections to prevent a fire -Mopars are known for this connection causing problems as they age.
Buy yourself a factory service manual - you won't be sorry - I use mine constantly. Little tip: if your speedometer needle bounces at low speed - there's actually a tiny cup on the back of the speedo to add oil (most people don't know this-but you have to take the gauge cluster out) and check the speedo cable to make sure it's lubed- if your's breaks it'll be very difficult to replace (learned through experience) and check the trunion on the front of the driveshaft to make sure it's got grease in there and the rubber boot is good.
Rear brakes are on a tapered shaft and will need a special drum puller - make sure you know how to use this properly otherwise you'll wreck the drums. Rebuild the brakes and they'll work well for you (mine have been fantastic and stop the car just fine - no disc's needed)
My personal taste for wheels - I like those 15" chrome 5 spokes with skinny whites (pictured above) and lower the car maybe 2" at most. One day I'll get those for my car - til then, hubcaps.
I hope you enjoy your car - feel free to ask more about the car if you want - lots of experience and $ spent learning. Here's a pic of my car after I got the engine put back in, drove it around like this for a month just for fun.

 

HELL NO don't put stupid looking ugly wheels on that car. Not allowed on a Hamb car in the first place.
Put some classy looking wheels on it in 15 inch That don't look like they were stolen off a 66 Mustang with extended shackles as those wheels do but I don't think
Cragers will do it justice either.

The car needs a shiny paint job as that isn't patina it is surface rust and decay. Looks like hell on that model of car.

 

Ummm....a four barrel intake can be had cheap for a big block, as far as the carb any four barrel will work fine.


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

They look real good down and dirty. I had one for a while that went back to its original hot rodder when he got back on his feet. A 413 car that was lowered about 4" all around and running an original set of radirs with pinner whites.

Anyway the easiest and in my opinion is dump it about 3-4" and drive it like you stile it.

Oh if it is an American built Chrysler 300 and had not had the engine swapped it is either a 413 or a 426. A 2 barrel car would have been a 413.

 

I had a '63 New Yorker Salon. Those are great cars!
As others have said, lower it a bit, run Supremes or maybe some Chrysler wires. Have fun!

 

Nice, me likey
Oh if I was younger I would clone the car a buddy had in the early 70's. A '63, 300, 2 door Sport with a transplanted 426 wedge....It was stock in appearance, a total sleeper. It blew the doors off many a SS and put the total hurt on a Sunbeam Tiger that thought it was untouchable....
On to yours....service it, drive it....have a couple of beers with some buddies while setting on some comfortable chairs with it in front of you....it will come to you and it might be warming up that 383, going for a grandpa look and kicking some ass...I like seeing strangers with hot cars in the rearview mirror
Let us know