Real Barn Find: 1979 Chrysler 300 Project
Numbers have often been used for auto names since the early days of motoring, with 300 being an example that Chrysler used frequently throughout the years, sometimes combined with a letter but at other times not. Although the 300 moniker had been in limbo since 1971, it returned in ’79, not as a stand-alone model but as an optional package on the popular Cordoba, such as this one in Hilton, New York that can be spotted here on eBay. On the outside, the car looks pretty good, although there are some components that the seller says have developed rust issues so keep that in mind when considering how much you’re willing to offer. Some good news is the no-reserve auction has only reached $2,800 at the moment.
Adding the 300 package to your Cordoba was a costly option, one that set buyers back an additional two grand back in 1979, and on the surface all that extra dough didn’t seem to net very much extra other than a sportier grille, fancy pinstripes, extra trim, and some 300 markings so friends would realize you splurged.
The real beauty of the 300 was how well it performed, and it’s important to remember this is compared to other offerings from the late-seventies, an overall dismal time for most vehicles when it came to responsiveness. By 1979, both the 440 and 400 were in the history books, with the 318 being the small V8 in the Cordoba. Adding the 300 package automatically got you the now largest displacement available, a 360 with a 4-barrel on top making 195 HP, not all that bad for the period. A more heavy-duty suspension was also included, along with a 3.23 rear end. Apparently, up until recently this one sat parked since 1988, but the motor will still run nursed from a gas can as can be witnessed here.
The seller tells us the 300 is fresh out of a long-term barn-type storage and is one of the cars obtained from the collection of a once-Mopar dealer in upstate New York, who has since passed away. My guess is he took this one in as a trade but never did anything except stash it away in the late eighties. An exterior wash is all that’s been done to the body, with a fairly decent result for the panels although the trim and chrome are showing some moderate wear.
Inside, just a thorough clean-up is all it took to achieve the results we’re viewing here, with the interior still looking to be in nice shape overall, including those plush leather bucket seats which are prone to deterioration if not properly cared for. The odometer is showing less than 39,000 miles, and considering the condition of the interior plus how long this one’s been off the road, I tend to think that’s probably accurate.
You may be wondering what’s the problem here. It’s below, as the seller states there is significant rust to the suspension, fuel lines, exhaust, and brakes, which are non-functional. Crispy is how he describes the entire undercarriage, and it’s kind of hard to tell from the photos how much of that corrosion is just on the surface compared to what goes deeper, though the fact that it survived being on a lift is a plus. Is this 300 a viable project, or best returned to the barn with all these issues on the bottom side?
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Comments
Nice car, even more nice at no reserve. I remember this exact model on the cover of Motor Trend. I believe the tires on the car, the Goodyear Eagle ST – in that font – were produced from 1983 to about 1986.
I see it has dual catalytic converters, may want to get ‘Test Pipes’ installed when getting exhaust updated. Just to make sure they are not plugged…
A bigger problem in addition with the exhaust is finding some good solid metal to hang it from. The car is worth more in parts so rather than restoring a house on sand I would find a donor chassis.
Wink wink.
“Test Pipes”! I remember those! LOL! Installed for the ‘test’ & forgot to take out! 🤣 The age of this one, cats don’t matter anymore. It’s old enough to not need an emissions test to register… depending on which state you reside in, that is.
Yeah…in California, if it’s newer than 1974, you will ALWAYS require a biennial smog inspection. Good luck, even a new 1975 car wouldn’t pass the current 2024 requirements!
At that time dual exhaust were still common. The 300 was one of the few that had dual cats for better performance!
This is a unibody car and there is NO chassis to change to.
Being an upstate, NY car, it might have had a lot of road salt coating everything underneath it, and left there to rust and rot while it sat. I hope it’s salvageable, because the rest of it looks great. Some polishing compound on the chrome will make it beautiful, the paint looks good, and the interior looks almost brand new. This nicely optioned car, with almost every option except power windows and T-Tops, does seem to have low original miles, if the condition of the interior is anything to go by. I had a 78 Cordoba with that same interior, mine was white leather, and the driver’s seat was pretty beat and worn, this red one looks brand new, and it’s 44-45 years old. One should really inspect it carefully in person. I give the seller credit for posting numerous close pictures, so potential buyers are well aware of what they are getting into.
Sat in a dirt floored barn for years. Too bad, has the lean burn, looks great outer and interior, but a lot of work to do unless you do it your self, but you better buy it for 500.00 dollars then you would have to keep it 4 ever.
I had a 79 Cordoba&a 78 Dodge Magnum. The Cordoba had a ,360,and the Magnum had hp400. With a whopping 205 horses. But both cars worked good. Wish I still had them.
The Lean Burn was NOT that bad and is still serviceable. Mine has continued working just fine, thank you!
A good inspection of the underbody and structure determines the real value.
$500 is an INSULT! These are the Rodney Dangerfield of 300s. Only one 300 club recognizes it as a real 300. Low production and best available performance, underscores the 14 places on the car, that has a 300 logo!
Per Carl Cameron, Chrysler Product Identity Studio Manager, marketing couldn’t decide between 300 and 300M. Mix in Fake Energy Crisis II, and everyone wanted an Omni/Horizon that cost half the price. When the music stopped, it was plain 300.
I hope someone puts this back together. Wasn’t a respected car back in the day so not many left. Other than rust underneath it really don’t look like it needs much to be a respectable driver quality car. Those seats are super comfortable also. May not be worth it at a collectible standpoint but sure would be a nice cruiser. Shame I don’t have the facilities to fix it. Would definitely give it a try.
These ARE collectible, being B Body based, and were the fastest car that Chrysler made that year. Fast as the Lil Red Express pickup and the ’79 Firebird and Vette.
I bought one in 1979 mine was pretty good. I saw one with T-tops that looked absolutely gorgeous
Love that long automatic console shifter setup. Looks fantastic 👌
From what I see that underneath looks pretty solid. That being said I’d attack that first. Power wash it all, rip out all the brake lines, exhaust, sand it all down and prime it and get it painted under there.
I’m thinking Rhino Liner. That’ll prevent rust!
Prevent? The horses are out of the barn now. Waste of time closing the doors now.
Lipstick on a pig.
That is a rough car to bring back, love the 300 option. Low mileage makes it somewhat appealing. A lot of dime and time needed. Serious work required for driver usage.
Being that this was a one-year only (and somewhat expensive) option, it was a rare bird back then and even more so nowadays. Here’s hoping someone will give it a good home & bring it back to it’s former glory.
I’ve seen alot worse. Fixing the brakes isn’t all that difficult, replacing brake lines would be about the worse thing. Fuel lines would be the next worse thing. Nix the cats, get a bolt on exhaust kit from someone like Borla, MagnaFlow or TTI and a Mopar Performance electronic ignition system. Go ahead and drive it, probably new tires too.
At last count, I had six of these, and most all were in better shape underneath, as I am in Kentucky and away from the salt, so most had little or no rust underneath. At $3000 or less, this could be made nice again, but hardly worth paying someone to do the work. And then there is shipping…..
At last count, I had six of these, and most all were in better shape underneath, as I am in Kentucky and away from the salt, so most had little or no rust underneath. At $3000 or less, this could be made nice again, but hardly worth paying someone to do the work. And then there is shipping…..
What a shame that this Chrysler didnt have more proper storage and was parked on a dirt floor. Everything up top, the sheetmetal the interior even looking under the hood is in very good looking condition. I dont have much experience with Malaise era Chrysler products, just an 82 short bed Dodge with a slant 6 and a 4 speed that had Lean Burn system issues. That was decades ago. All I remember is if you disconnected anything like the air pump etc it would run worse.
The underside looks pretty scary to me. Theres no real way of seeing how bad any of the frame floor suspension etc is rusted or rusted through without an in person inspection. Id really hate to call this a parts car it just seems too nice for that. But if you could find a good frame donor, but then all the work involved would be a lot.
I do hope this gets saved somehow someway. That interior is just incredible.
What a beauty! I still have mine that I bought new…180,000 on the original motor/trans and the car just begs to be driven. Got rid of the ‘Lean Burn’ in favor of a good ol Mopar electronic ignition (and a different Thermoquad) and she’d run mid 15’s at the track, which I know is not very impressive by most standards but it just shows what these cars are capable of. I’ve never seen one with wind-up windows! It does have tilt wheel that sets off that beautiful interior…the ‘gills’ are there, the wheel caps, all the stuff that’s hard to find. This one should get a good home in spite of the rust!
My 79 318 2bbl survivor runs mid 15’s…..0-60!…..
I used to live in a City on the Washington Coast and my car’s would rust the same way the painted surfaces would look nice but the underside would get crusty like this my opinion in dealing with it, this car is better served as a parts car or you can soda blast it repair the holes replace the brake lines then encapsulate the rust and enjoy the ride for what few years she has left to give
I bought one of these back in ’80, it was owned by the local dealer’s mother and had only a few thousand miles on it. It was sweet to drive and the soft leather interior was incredible, but I soon found out why the original owner got rid of it so soon. The 300 came with “electronic lean burn ignition” and the computer that ran it was a lemon. It would rapidly surge then decelerate unpredictably and its normal 12 mpg would drop to 6 mpg. The car spent almost as much time in the shop as with me. After 11 months and 3 changes of the electronics, I traded it and didn’t buy another Mopar for 40 years. The seller claims the car was parked in 1980 and has only 39,000 miles, now you know why.
The T Top option was pretty neat, IF it didn’t rain! They all leaked…
There were few options- radio, power windows, and heated rear window.
Only 4100 were ever made and many were highly discounted, due to Fake Energy Crisis II. They languished on dealer lots for months. They are rare and are appreciated as the best Chrysler available that year. #4 condition can bring $15-$20k More typically good restored #3 drivers, are $8-$12k.
This looks priced right, expecting a higher final bid.