The Electronic Newsletter of the Chrysler 300 Club International
This Newsletter is published for the members of the Chrysler 300 Club International. All rights reserved. Publication will be at irregular intervals. Not responsible for errors or omissions.



Eighth Issue April 8, 2013
In This Issue
News
Club Events
Feature Stories
Tech Articles
Video Corner
Before And After
Members Say
Puzzle
Pictures
Final Thought
Chrysler 300 Club International
PO Box 40
Benson, MD., 21018

* Quick Links *

1logosmallbright


Green lights and blue skies
to you Bob.

News
Issue number eight of the 300 "e" news arrives with spring in the air! And springs in this issue, too. We have new articles on rear springs, see here and we have a special discount price with Eaton Detroit Spring. Click here for details.
This newsletter is for you. Let us know what you'd like to see. Your opinions are always welcome. Click here for the feedback form.
Club Events
              St. Louis!
We will be
Off to the Races
at our spring 2013 meet,
May 19 - 23.
Our host Ed Lanfer has arranged a visit to the Fairmount Park horse track.
Click here for the complete activities list.
Click here for the Club Meet Registration form.








The host hotel is the Doubletree by Hilton, 1000 Eastport Plaza Drive, Collinsville, IL 62234. Room rates are $94 for 1 queen or 2 queen beds, $99 for 1 king bed. The cutoff date for our special room rates is April 22, 2013. Click here for hotel reservations.
Contact Ed Lanfer at ed.lanfer@federalmogul.com for more details.


Future Meets: Fall 2013 in Blacksburg, VA hosted by Thomas DeBusk, August 21-24, 2013.
Spring 2014 in Massachusetts hosted by Don Cole for the 50th anniversary of the "K". Date to be announced.
Fall 2014 in the White Sands area of New Mexico. Hosted by Bill Allen. Date to be announced.
Spring 2015 OPEN.
Fall 2015 in Macungie, PA, hosted by Mark Souders, Larry Jett, and Tony Rinaldi. August 5-9, 2015 for a Joint Meet celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Chrysler 300 Marque.

For more information, contact our meet coordinator Ray Jones at 1970hurst@gmail.com
Feature Stories
Fins Exhibit at Petersen's

by John Lazenby
A favorite from some years ago

by Joe Gross
Tech Articles

Thanks to John Holst for preparing a handy summary table of the lamp, fuses, and circuit breaker listing for the 1955-1965 Chrysler line. Click here for his table.
Rear Leaf Springs

Pictures of original and replacement springs, summary table.
Buick was the first U.S. automaker to offer factory-installed flashing turn signals. Introduced in 1939 as a safety feature, the new-fangled feature was advertised as the "Flash-Way Directional Signal" operated from a switch on the new "Handi-shift" column-mounted shifter. The flashing signals only operated on the rear lights. In 1940 Buick enhanced the directional indicators by extending the signals to front lights and adding a self-canceling mechanism. That year directional signals became standard on Buick, Cadillac, LaSalle, and the Hudson Country Club vehicles and optional on Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac (for a cost of $7.95), Hudson (for $10), and Packard. In 1941, Dodge offered turn signals as an option on all its models. After WWII turn signals and turn signal levers mounted on the left side of the steering column became more commonplace. For those cars without them, however, the Illinois-based Lester Company offered a Simplex Direction Signal Kit for '42 to '49 models, advertising that the signals available for $8.95 would work "like factory-installed models on expensive cars".

We are looking for new technical articles. Please send whatever you think is helpful to bob@simplexco.com

Video Corner
Continuing with our review of meets, here are two videos
by Don Verity from our Chicago meet of 1996

Part 1, (15 minutes) A visit to the Volo Auto Museum, a cookout at John Doko's, cars at the hotel, Mike Burke chases a mouse.
Part 2, (5 minutes). Don talks with Andy Jugle about the "Crime Story" 300C, and shows us cars at Catigny Park.
Down the Road
I need pictures and videos of our meets from 1998 through present. In particular, if you have something from Bill Spear's Myrtle Beach meet in 1998, Bob Cornett's Lexington meet in 1999, or Larry Jett's Newark meet of 1999, please contact Bob at bob@simplexco.com These will be used for the Club's second 25 year history CD.
Before And After
Before

click to enlarge
After

click to enlarge
And a Video of How It Was Done
Members Say
Tony Rinaldi writes:
A member posted a Corvette Parts Source that has some repo parts that are exact fits for some of our cars. I have been searching for another Oil filler cap for my F. I ordered their #301081 (Painted Black) for a 1955 V8 Corvette. It is an exact match with OIL and two vertical lines. Fit is also perfect. So, whatever vehicles have the same cap as the 1960 413, here is a source.

Doug Mayer writes:
Chuck Schoendorf writes a true fact in his letter in the latest "e-news" about Full Jewelled Stock Car Racing 1951-56 by Russ Truelove and Russ Hamilton. I read the book at Christmastime and had trouble putting it down--even when I was instructed to. For the dozen years I was engaged with my white 300B, bought in Montana and shipped to the right coast (NY & ME) I learned quite a lot about those sweet beasts. I recall that a mechanic told me that the 354 hemi was the best of the first 3 hemis. He didn't tell me why, but the book reports the same thing, and explains something about the balance--volumetric, I guess--that made it a more efficient engine than the other two.
I also recall a trip on I 85 in North Carolina, with Mr. Lazenby (B expert) driving, and Mr. Jett (meet host expert) in the back seat. I was merely riding along with these two raconteurs, Lazenby trying to get to the Richard Petty shop in Level Cross--I think he was trying to get there before God, he was going so fast. At one point I leaned left and saw the speedometer pointing at 130. And, at about that point, Mr. Lazenby lifted off the throttle and slowed to something less. He mentioned that the spindles--those things that hold the front wheels to the vehicle were 40 some years old, and probably not quite as good as new. Wasn't I interested to note that Mr. Kiekhafer caused the original spindles on his B's to be swapped out and Lincoln spindles put in their place because the Lincoln spindles were tougher. I wonder if Mr. Lazenby knew that as he left the entire gaggle of other 300's at the Rev. Krep's meet strung out along the interstate? I never knew that until this year, long after my B had gone to Florida--to some warehouse. I certainly strained its spindles driving the country roads of the northeast and New England.
And I remember Tim Flock getting into my B, sticking his head out and waving so I could get a photo.
Mr. Hamilton's book is a good one, and for weak readers (like me) there are lots of pictures! He is a great story teller, and writes as well about the people associated with these machines as the machines themselves.
Doug Mayer, 300L, Northport, Maine

Write us with whatever might be on your mind.
Puzzle
If you like picture puzzles, here are new ones. These were taken outside the Walter P Chrysler Museum at our meet in 2005.
Pictures
click to enlarge
click to enlarge

Look for "e" news issue 9 in late June with news from St. Louis meet and preparations for the Virginia meet.
web counter