Looking for other HAMBers with 55/56 Imperials and C-300s. I've included them both since they both have the same front end and both have 331/354 Hemis. Yes, I know the 300s hemis aren't exactly the same. Same displacement though. Post pictures of your cars. I can find plenty on Google but I want to see HAMBer's cars.
Chrysler had some of the nicest and most mechanically advanced cars in the 50’s the interiors where simply a work of art !! I don’t think they built a bad looking car from 50-59 !!
@scotts52 My ‘55 Windsor hardtop is destined to become a ‘tribute’ 300. I have the Imperial grilles and grille panel and the Windsor side trim is what was used on the 300. Sold the poly 301 and have both a ‘55 New Yorker 331 and a ‘56 New Yorker 354. Planning to use the 354 as it has only 20 hp less than a ‘55 300, but has a higher torque rating. The 300 dual four barrel setup is very expensive and a 300 solid lifter cam and adjustable rockers, likewise. And, both require more maintenance. The 280 hp, 4 bbl, hyd lifter ‘56 354 should approximate the ‘55 300 performance with less fuss and will be plenty adequate for my intended use. What I also think would be fun to build, using the ‘55 hardtop body/ch***is, a phantom SWB Imperial Coupe. But it would require salvaging an actual Imperial Coupe and a lot of body work, most especially to the rear quarter panels. Not a practical project, just a ‘vision’. Ray
That's what I was thinking too. I'd found a real, 55 300 but for whatever reason the guy wouldn't communicate with me. I got like 2 responses but mostly nothing. I'd given him my phone number, and said I wanted to buy it and to call me back or email me so we could plan for me to come get it. Nothing! I saw it for sale for another 6 months and then it was gone. I have a 55 Imperial sedan but would like to build a 300 coupe like you're doing. I don't really want a nice stocker because I have plans on lowering it and doing some mods to it that might not sit so well with the purists. Oh well. I guess it wasn't in the cards for me.
What about a 1955 NewYorker? same car with a 331hemi but different grill/trim. Here is my 1955 New Yorker St Regis 2dr hardtop. Had it for sale awhile ago and had it sold to a guy in Pennsylvania but after 2 months of excuses from the buyer i decided to keep it for a future build.
i have a 56 2d hdtp windsor that i detrimed, lowered, shortened the headlite rings and frenched them and installed a 55 desoto grill minus the big bumperettes. i love the lines on the 56 but i seem to be in the minority. i used the 8-3/4 out of a 68 newyorker to replace the tapered axle rear, the rear from the 68 was exactly same dimension bolted in. i cut the frame at the point were the 68 chrysler and the 56 were the same width and grafted modern torsion bar suspension on . allow's for a low ride height with the 68's 44o for power
Had a 56 Imperial sedan with a buddy of mine right out of high school in the late 70s. Sat on a lot off Hwy 275 near the viaduct on the east end of Fremont, Nebraska next to a gun shop. Bought it for $500, promptly took it back to my place and stripped it down for demolition derby duty. Car ran 3 derby heats and was driven to and from all of them. Sold engine and push ****on trans for more than we gave for the car, doubled our money on the rest of the parts, plus a case of beer for knocking down the stick in the middle of the derby ring first. Still had parts to sell almost 40 years later. Got yelled at for what we did to it but at the time it was a 23 year old heap with parts missing and broken gl***. Next car I got is the 40 Ford tudor that's still a basket case sitting in my pole barn waiting its turn to be reborn.
back around 2010 when i lifted body off and did the frame mod's i posted some build pic's i was pretty excited about how clever of a swap it was, but it was deleted from the hamb i don't know maybe cause i used a 68 chrysler even thou torsion bar mopar dates back to 62. in hindsight i should have played the chevy game every 350 is a 327
Here are some pictures of the car taken Sunday. I had posted them on a different thread. It's a very nice car
Torsion bars really date back to '57, different design, but torsion bars nonetheless. Had a 57 Ply and 58 Dodge with a swapped in 413.
My 1956 Windsor/NY hard top is a wantabe 300 - getting my parts together and most likely the later model drive train swap. Pictures at 8 !
I picked up a book on muscle car history several years ago at the library. It said something about the early Chrysler 300s having some ungodly low rear gears available as an option. Something in the 6.**:1 range... but the author said he could find no evidence of any being ordered as such.
The Jalopy Journal
