Christopher Beilby's 1957 300C
Supercharged - Australia 2008


Shots of car late 90s, just after it unloaded from US, following 'sight unseen purchase'. The interior shot is from photos airmailed from US when deciding to buy it or not. The car was not as good as looks in these photos, as it had painted over lower body rust photos do not show.


Supercharger set up


Dash showing original dash tach &, boost, vacuum, pump pressure gauges, electric fuel pump switch, etc.

Top photo: Hopefully an easier way to remove 300C motor and trans – by lifting out as one, after removing radiator support panel. Note the rare 'pre production' 300C aircleaner, cut in half and bolted here, so it feeds cold air through a 'cut out' hole into engine compartment.

2nd photo: Supercharger and large metal mount bracket has been removed, but the large cast alloy crank drive pulley is clearly visible.

3rd photo: Close up of water pump supercharger top idler pulley, where normally on a 300C the thermo drive fan coupling is.

4th photo: Close up of custom carburettor fuel log and oversize rubber fuel feed lines – note the wrong later ignition coil.


Ist photo: Note the (Nov 1956 correct PN) Carter Fuel Pump has a cast in nipple, that supercharger pressure is fed into – this boosts fuel pump pressure under boost conditions.

2nd photo: Close up of part disassembled supercharger drives, at water pump and crankshaft – supposedly last seen late 1957, early '58, when US Le Mans sportscar builder Briggs Cunningham refitted dynoed motor after Daytona.

3rd photo: Motor on lift crane at 1100Kg hole position, lifted just enough for oil filter housing to pass through suspension upper arm frame brackets.


1st photo: All masked up ready for the sandblaster. NOTE: It is so important if attempting to sandblast any car, a 300, with any glass or chrome still in it, that every effort is made to ensure protective heavy plastic will not be torn, as well as withstand, sandblasting, and that anywhere plastic is attached, that it first has double or triple gaffer tape on the glass or chrome, before any plastic is then attached to that.
2nd photo: Inside sandblast cabinet – rear of car/body has been lifted high, so it can be done both more easily, as well as better. NOTE; Every smallest little seat mounting hole, any other hole through floor or firewall, anywhere, MUST BE BLOCKED, say also have heavy brick/steel atop that blocking it off – OTHERWISE SAND MAY TRAVEL UNSEEN INSIDE CAR, AND DAMAGE GLASS OR INSTRUMENTS ETC while sandblasting.

3rd photo: Underside of 'bare metal' sandblasted rear of car, just prior to lifting the front in the same manner, so as to blast the other way/surfaces.
4th photo: The trunklid was removed to sandblast the only inner part of body – the trunk floor, and do not forget to get your unbolted rear trans cross member done at same time


1st photo: NOTE ONLY DO THIS IF YOUR ROCKERS/SILLS ARE NOT RUSTY. By putting arms of hoist under sills in spot where sills have underfloor brackets there that add strength, if all body bolts are removed, and the steering box & column removed, then the body can be lifted up away from rolling chassis, and the chassis just pushed away.

2nd photo: Grey primer shows how high sandblasting went, and how using taped plastic stopped sand from hitting/harming higher up items, such as heater box etc.

3rd photo: Instructions to sandblaster were to only remove old or loose tar proofcoating, or anywhere where there was surface rust. The pressure was still so high, it turned the remaining very sound factory black tar, brown on the top surface you see here. The operator had 20 years experience, and varied blast pressure and sand volumes, so as to least harm/disturb body or steel. NOTE; Only use operator/Firm that you know are excellent, highly experienced over many years.


1st photo: The frame by now was already part sandblasted, from being under the body when the underside of the body and still attached frame were sandblasted. Now can more clearly be seen where any welding prior to painting could be done if needed. This shot shows the apparent most common 300C frame fault – the idler arm mount breaks it's weld onto the frame. A template was used to re-weld the bracket back on in the correct position. Use a professional Welder/Firm, as this is a huge safety issue.

2nd photo: It is suggested you bolt steering column back in car to check all steering linkage sits parallel to engine cross member, as well as parallel to ground, before final welding idler arm bracket to frame. Upper control arm brackets, as well as front shocker tubes, are often also suspect re sometimes not enough factory weld used. The welder used anti spatter paint, as well as the rough coverings seen, to ensure spatter did not damage exposed threads, etc.
3rd photo: The rolling frame back from final sandblasting after all welding was first done. Front suspension and other bits still to be removed – it suggested if anything not to be removed, first make sure before any painting, that EVERY BOLT, NUT, ETC, can be undone, removed. Otherwise if not, you might later need to use Oxy/heat to free seized things, and this will destroy any new paint used. NOTE: The frame area around each side torsion bar adjusting bolt is a natural dirt/rust trap – now is a good time to totally clean/blow it out and ensure torsion bar adjusting bolt is clean, threads rust free, and turns easily – once the body is back on, you cannot get to this pocket/trap.
4th photo: The near finished rolling frame, ready for engine trans re-install.


1st photo: Couple of weeks after starting, and it now after Christmas, and body lower firewall now has body colour on again, sitting on 2 post hoist in the small panel shop that is to do/make rear wheel arch lips. Note in background is 1934 Dodge coupe with new all steel rear body – all made from zero, on wheeling machine, not one hammer mark on/in it.

2nd photo: The car has a trunk mounted steel battery box, with a 'two in one' power and steel armoured outer earth lead, that runs up front. In the rush to plastic mask up all the body, it was left behind, not blasted. And only later was it noticed bases of it have exact same 'factory blue enamel with factory semi gloss fawn grey primer' sometimes used on 300C production line/assembly. The box is built out of steel with factory type push out stampings used elsewhere on Chrysler cars around this era.- these visible in this shot.
3rd photo: The trunk floor of the car was sandblasted, but it was only on drilling out spot welds on trunk lower latch bracket, that identical blue and grey paints that sandblasting missed was found on the narrow underside curved face lip – just seen if you close up/zoom. Battery box never should have been factory part, so mystery is as to how both trunk parts have same rare identical paints – none yet noticed in passenger compartment, nor lower firewall, where supposedly is more '300Cly' sometimes common.
4th photo: It now seems fairly sure that 300C coupes built somewhere before 'March April 1957', had the extra round odd shaped underfloor bracket that the small round rubber body mount button sits under. (After this, seemingly they were still only then used only on convertibles.) They are a rust trap, giving water two pieces of steel to creep between, and rust away. Photo shows them, and the black tar/sealer applied around them to try to slow/stop this.

1st photo. The 2nd photo below shows how some of the expansion, or core plugs, are behind the engine mount even if motor out of car, and obviously it far worse with starter, etc, on the motor. SO COMMONSENSE SAYS YOU MUST REPLACE CORE PLUGS IF MOTOR NOT BEEN REBUILT RECENTLY. And this shot shows another reason. Despite being now over 50 years old, the motor had near zero rust on the inside, was near like brand new – YET THERE WAS STILL HIDDEN SLUDGE/GUNK, lodged around outer bottom of one cylinder each side, so bad on pass side it blocked the hole behind core plug. So remove them, flush out lower block with water and high air pressure before re-fitting new plugs.
2nd photo Motor after block surface rust was acid cleaned, and new core plugs fitted.

3rd photo This photo of motor and trans bolted together with handbrake drum on rear of ,trans, explains why many Chrysler 300 hemi engined owners suggest it is way easier to re-install motor and trans unit before dropping body back on. And how much harder this is if the car still has it's radiator support panel, that all this lot must clear before it can go backwards/down?!


1st photo Shows one big mistake to avoid if taking body off a 300C – you must install the gas tank steel fuel line, running from rear of car, before you drop the body back on. In this shot the top of the nearest wheel just hides where the fuel line goes up on top of the frame. Here it runs behind the outer body mount bolt, and is obviously near impossible to feed/push a near full length of (inflexible) steel fuel line past here after the body is on.
2nd photo Refitted motor, showing how optional '4 bolt outlet' exhaust manifold easily clears the usual '300C foul point', of rear upper control arm bracket. It is not known the car's history of ever having them, however car is still equipped with a working underdash manual choke, which hints that it might of. (And 4 bolt manifolds also seemingly require longer mount studs, if using thicker/deeper thread, retaining nuts. Plus car had one totally wrong/strange manifold on d/side). Clearance on the manual steering box side is not as great – motor refitted using original mounts, which seemed slightly taller in holding canister. NOTE: two potential early hemi 'headaches' can be avoided before refitting – 300 392 manifold studs go right into water in water jacket, and original factory steel stud nuts can be seized – it is good insurance to try and see if studs are free and then refit with anti corrosive sealer on threads, plus also use brass exhaust nuts, if not too worried about these then not being 'factory correct'.
3rd photo If you think a 392 hemi is maybe not that big, as you get used to working on one, compare it with the old Jag Roadster seen behind it in this shot. In the US it was fairly common to put a '60s Ford 289/302 V8 in these E Types – do not think a hemi would fit though !!


1) This photo contains all the different type parts that were used on 300C Number 1046. Please be aware this was a very early build 300C (1046, Dec '56 Build), has a 120 mph speedo, seemingly no mesh in the chrome ducts under the headlights, plus maybe even had from new, the prototype, large throat Aircleaner? So later ones/300Cs, may have major differences, although I mention below the only known differences I've seen from two April '57 build Coupes.

And this only difference, is that on this car there was atop each 2nd body mount on both sides, the large core large diameter black steel 1/8th thick washer shown in photo, yet this seemingly is not maybe used on later cars.

2) Please ALSO NOTE, picture shows all that remained of large circular plastic 'anti squeak' thin washer used at each front body mount, under the body, atop the frame mount there. It is supposed to be complete, round, not the all that remains, the odd half moon shape, shown here.

3) Pictured nearest to camera is all steel parts with rubbers that go with them, while further away from the camera, there the steel mounts/washers have no rubbers pictured with them, the rubbers just lumped all together at rear. BUT PLEASE NOTE, IN THIS LOT YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE ONE THAT HAS A PROTRUDING SMALLER CENTRE CORE – half the large round rubber spacers/washers should have this, and these ones should be placed on the frame so they sit with this protrusion downwards neatly into the same size hole in the frame mount bracket – this is important at 2nd, 3rd and 4th outer locations. You then insert the large steel washers that have protruding smaller steel tube centres - downwards into these rubbers. NOTE: These original 'protruding centre' top rubbers are maybe not available, so you may have to use plain rubber ones, like were used on the bottom.

Typical 300C Body Mount Detail
4) no large diameter rubber washers,( ½ inch thick rubber spacers if you wish to call them that,) are used at front mount , nor at 2nd from rear mount, where here at this 2nd most rear mount, a funny rubber sort of button has a prong, that pushes into corresponding hole in frame each side. (If you look into trunk, you can see top of one of these near where gas filler tube goes through floor,)
5) plain rubber spacers, with near same size big flat thick washers, go under the frame mounts after the body lowered back on, with smaller dished steel cup washers used inside body at all mounts except front outside one, put in hollows in floor before any bolts dropped through them.

6) NOTE: There are two same size, large diameter, steel washers that are not as thick as all the others – they go/sit on studs sticking up at rear of frame, then a rubber spacer/mount sits on them. (And just a rubber goes on similar type stud/pin found at the inner of two 4th mounts – no steel washer used under them here.) All these must be placed on, before body lowered on.

7) Seemingly the only 300C body adjustment option is at front mount, where no rubber washers/spacer used. Two near same size steel washers go here, thickest one goes on top, bolt downwards through it, but before putting bolt in, check for any gap after body sat on. On car 1046, an identical 1/8th thick steel washer to that used atop 2nd mounts was on one side, whilst on other, a thinner one. (refer photo for this detail, it shows they are smaller than others) NOTE: Obviously what spacers or washers fit your car here, may be totally different – you decide what thickness to use by whatever gap you see here?!. Then the thinner washer goes on bottom, then a nut onto a bolt put through it all, using a star point type lock washer. This nut can be tightened to whatever tension you feel enough, whereas all other nuts on all other mounts/bolts, be they ordinary nuts, or the four funny semi tube ones used at rear and 4th inner mounts, only tighten until they bottom onto the plain 2nd thick steel washer used/shown, the factory chosen length of the steel tube inner core preventing over crushing the rubber parts of mounts that incorporate them.

NOTE ALL THIS STUFF/BITS DISCUSSED ABOVE HERE, IS SHOWN IN PHOTO, SO REFER TO THAT, IT HOPEFULLY CLEAR THEN.

Only if still in doubt, email me at thelastbestgenius@hotmail , but please understand this is how mounts were on car 1046, and later, or other 300C, changes are highly possible. Plus Convertibles did not use rubber parts in body mounts.