I’ve been keeping an eye on this 1969 Chrysler 300 for a few days since we first received the tip, and for $3,000, I’m a bit surprised that nobody has snatched this one yet. There will be some tasks awaiting the buyer before this large Mopar is ready to hit the road again, but the positives seem to outweigh the negatives, with the pair of doors instead of four certainly providing this one some favor. This hardtop is located in Carleton, Michigan, and can be found here on Facebook Marketplace, with our thanks going out to reader Ted for spotting this one and taking the time to make us aware of it!
Although a 440 was the standard engine here for ’69, the 440 in the bay now has been sourced from a mid-seventies Chrysler product of some sort. The information here is vague, other than the seller telling us it ran great in another car a few years ago. However, the transplant here was never finished, so the outer components will need to be sourced and installed. Hopefully, once that’s all completed, the big block will fire up and be ready for some action. Besides it being an automatic, no further details are provided regarding the transmission, so its condition remains a mystery.
While the green finish shows some fading, the body actually seems fairly good for the most part, and also complete. Even some of the trim is still intact, although the vinyl roof has been pulled off at some point. Probably the worst area is the quarter on the driver’s side, but the overall condition outside appears reasonably solid. There is one light scrape on one of the fenders, but the panels look straight otherwise, so the exterior doesn’t seem like an extensive amount of work would be required before this Three Hundred is ready for some fresh paint.
We only get to view this one shot from the interior, but it also appears complete, other than a missing radio. A few small tears in the driver’s seat are an obvious imperfection, but it’s nice to see that the front bench is power-assisted, as are the windows except for the front flaps. For three grand, I’m finding this 1969 Chrysler 300 to be a pretty good deal and decent project material. What are your thoughts here?
Nobody snatched it and nobody is going to. This was one heck of a car in ’69. Chrysler ended the letter series in 1965, although some argue the ’69 300 Hurst should be one but if it had continued, this car surely would have been among them and the 300H was very similar to this car. Make no mistake, this was no family car, more again, like that uncle that did his time in the service, came home, and while stationed in Texas, bought the nicest Chrysler he could. This car set Uncle Eddie back close to $5grand, ( when a RoadRunner was half that) and this car could roll. While not blistering performance, it was no slouch. It did 0-60 in 8.1 sec and the 1/4 mile in just over 16 sec@89mph, but if this car was in your rear view mirror, with a top speed of almost 130, best move over and let them by.
Sadly, I highly doubt it will be saved.
I had a 69 300 and it really lived for the interstate you never ran out of engine
This looks like a solid restoration candidate. Other tha the original 440 being gone and a replacement installed, it looks like basically its all there. And thats not a bad price either. Like Howard said above, these were very comfortable high speed cruisers for sure.
“ran good in the other car”
Nicely optioned car, I hope it does find a good home. As long as it isn’t hopelessly rotted underneath, it is a good candidate for a driver or restoration.
I went to a farm auction about 30 years ago that had one of these in it. It was a green four door that had seen better days. I figured it would be a 3-4 hundred dollar car and I would buy it for parts as I could use another good 440. When it came time for that one to sell the auctioneer people fired it up and the bidding started, I waited for some junk buyer to start the bidding and in the matter of seconds the bid was over $1500, for some reason two people wanted that car bad. A person could find those all day long for less that 500 back then
This Chrysler once completed, will be a fantastic ride. What’s happened to Chrysler? They build an outdated minivan that isn’t even mini. I just shake my head and cry. I was raised with Chryslers and what I see today is so sad. And what they do build is literal junk. They have no reliability. Stellantis is a joke. Please please please, someone like Elon Musk needs to step in. And save Chrysler! An American icon is being allowed to go down the drain. I hate it!
Someone other than Musk please. The cars, and especially the ” truck” he builds, are as shoddy as Stellantis.
Musk lol?? I hope that was a early April fools day joke.
Someone other than Musk, please. The cars he builds are shoddy, especially the “truck”.
I would love to buy it, clean it up, get it running right and park it next to one of the newer 300s that everyone just had to have. This thing is twice the size of those 4 door “Rolls Royce” looking machines.
I also see a/c vents, so where is the a/c?
And can one of ya’ll settle this for me once and for all? I was under the impression that locking steering wheels started in 1969, with the ignition key on the right side of the steering wheel on the column. But I’ve seen Fords and this Chrysler with the key in the dash on the left side.
My 1971 Imperial had it on the right side of the steering column.
1968 is when parking lights stayed on with the headlights.
1968 is also when side marker lights came out (federally mandated). Some manufacturers used lights, some used reflectors, some used both. (Lights up front, reflectors on the rear) 1970 you had to have lights AND reflectors front and rear.
1973 was the front 5 mph impact bumpers, 1974 was the rear bumpers.
But WHEN was the locking steering wheel implemented with the key on the right side of the column for ALL cars?
Inquiring minds want to know!
AI results:
Mandate start: The requirement for steering column locks went into effect for all new car models on January 1, 1970, and for all existing models on January 1, 1971
Your Highness, Chrysler’s new for 1969 C-bodies all moved the starter switch from being on the dash to the right of the steering column to being to the left of the column. It moved to the to the right side of the column itself for 1970.
The parking lights staying on with the headlights and the implementation of the side marker regulation for 1968 was no coincidence. The new regulation required the side marker lights to be on when either the parking lights or the headlights were turned on. Rather than making the lighting circuits more complex by wiring either circuit to power the side marker lights, it was simpler and cheaper for the manufacturers to tie the side marker lights to the parking light circuit and making the parking lights remain on with the headlights, which, while not previously customary, wasn’t prohibited by any Federal or State regulations then in effect..
@ Phil D
Thank you, your Lordship. 🤴
That was just dumb on Chryslers part. From the right to the left back to the right. Duh! Somethings should just be uniform across the board.
Dear Highness and Lordship.
1969 was actually the first year for side markers. And reflectors on the back separate from the taillights and unlighted.
Love these year Chryslers, but if it’s a MI car I wouldn’t even get near it without any good clear photos of the underside.
Paul, I agree. I was in Michigan (on business) in the Detroit area in 1976. While driving around town, I noticed a 1975 Lincoln with a rust hole the size of a silver dollar in the left 1/4 panel. And various other “newer” cars with copious amount of rust. Up until that time I had lived in the Chicago area and later was running a couple of Goodyear stores. So dealing with rusty cars was the norm. So I added this little saying to my own personal group of sayings.
1. Never buy a car from the rust belt that you personally have inspected underneath. (After moving to Nevada a customer brought in his Toyota P-U with a small camper shell with New Jersey plates for an oil change. Lifting it up on the lift it was now in two pieces. It was towed away.)
2. Never purchase an RV ( trailer or motorhome) without inspecting the roof.
3. When planning on purchasing a new vehicle. NEVER just walk onto the lot. (That’s where the shister/sharks swim) Contact the dealership ahead of time and request to talk to someone in the fleet and commercial department. Those sales people deal with a different clientele who don’t want to waste time and who’s customers know when they are being scammed. So they won’t most likely try it on you.
4. When buying a car the question comes up about extended warranty. And after over 50 years in the automotive business,both in parts/service and sales, this is what I always tell people. If you buy the policy you won’t need it. If you don’t buy the policy you will need it. (Damned if you do and dawned if you don’t ) Inquire as to the payment cost both ways. Don’t buy the policy and take the monthly difference and start a car emergency savings account. That way if you need it,you will have it. And if you don’t need it. You have a good start on the down-payment for the next car.
5. When buying a vehicle, personal or commercial. Always buy more than you need. It’s very rare when your requirements lessen through the years. So having to turn around in a few years to purchase an additional or more capable vehicle really costs much more.
6. In my parts and service days I actually sold product to UPS for the maintenance of their “delivery cars”. (What they call the trucks that deliver to your door) Trust me when I say, NO ONE PINCHES A PENNY MORE (several times!) BEFORE THEY SPEND IT THAN UPS. The average “delivery car” is around 25 to 30 years old. And it emphasizes the fact THAT IT IS ALWAYS LESS EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR THAN TO REPLACE. Sometimes it’s not always the smartest thing to do. The following examples are. You just put $4,000 into repairs of a $2,000 car and it gets totaled. Or , you are embarrassed to be driving an older car. (I know our crowd here is not that way.but many are. IE the people that gave to have the latest version of an I phone.)
7 And I promise the last. Preemptive maintenance is always cheaper than repairs.
I will go away now.
Great advice Wayne!
Regarding buying into an extended car’s warranty policy, I wasn’t going to purchase it. But, my good friend talked me into it. It paid off in the end, due to the many number of expensive tires I had to replace due to road hazards!
Chrysler products, especially the older ones rusted out like crazy. I was a senior in high school (’72 grad). I went to the local mall (Findlay, Ohio) in December of 1971 to do some Christmas shopping and parked beside a bright yellow ’70 model Dodge Super Bee. It had rust holes in it almost big enough to stick my head through them.
Car is only 15 miles away, debating whether going and looking at it.If I do might as well go live with my son, as wife won’t let me in house.I just bought a 1983 Yamaha Venture to get engine and trans for 3 wheeler frame and body,that was made from early Venture I was just given.I can’t ride 2 wheeler anymore, no balance, guess I’ll build it this winter and see if I can ride 3 wheeler in Spring. Will take pics of underside if do and post here.
Love the front end on these. Looks like a nice project! Too much green for me though. Would love to see this painted up like a Hurst 300 with a little gold tint to the interior green. No Hurst badges, but just the paint scheme. We had a ‘69 Newport which was similar to this and the C-bodies are classy!
I remember back in the day, these made great demolition derby cars!
We would gut them weld them up and getter done!
These car were tanks and destroyed any car it would come up against! Now they are in short supply!
No Pugsy, the side marker regulation became effective in 1968, not 1969. The entire industry went with lights for ’68, while 1969 was a hodgepodge of lights and/or reflectors. From 1970 up, they’ve been both reflectors and lights.
@Phil D
I beg to differ, GM and Mopar went with lights in 1968, the first year of side marker lights.
FoMoCo went with lights up front, reflectors in the rear.
For 1968 & ’69 Checkers had reflectors front and rear. AMC used lights and reflectors. 1970 they became uniform and standard with lights AND reflectors, front and rear.
I’d buy it for the 440. I have what I think is a good, loving home for that lump of iron.
Picked it up. Resto under way…
Good luck Mo! Keep us advised as to the progress!