1963 Chrysler 300J

The Chrysler 300 is recognized as one of America's first true postwar high-performance cars, endowed with abundant luxury features in a refined full-size automobile with a commanding presence to match. Initially powered by Chrysler's 331 cubic-inch 'Hemi' V8 engine delivering 300 horsepower, the C-300 carried the performance to back up its image, earning the title as the most powerful American production car made available to the public since the Duesenberg Model SJ of the 1930s. Any doubts were laid to rest when the C-300 won 18 NASCAR-sanctioned stock-car races during 1955, and at the Daytona Beach speed contests that year, Tim Flock's C-300 set a new record on the flying mile, and he went on to take the 1955 NASCAR Grand National Championship with a C-300.

To distinguish the C-300 from the rest of the cars in Chrysler's stable, stylist Cliff Voss added styling cues borrowed from the Virgil Exner-penned Imperial line. Chief engineer Bob Rodger supplied the 331-cubic inch Hemi-head V-8 with a race camshaft, higher compression, twin four-barrel Carter carburetors, and a beefed-up suspension and Powerflite two-speed transmission. The 150-mph speedometer on the dashboard was a necessary item.

Production of the Chrysler 300 'letter series' began in 1955 and continued through 1965. The 1955 model was dubbed the C-300 (for its 300 horsepower 5.4-liter FirePower V8), and the 1956 model was designated 300B. Successive model years used the next letter of the alphabet as a suffix, skipping 'i' to avoid confusion with the number one. The final 300 'letter series' car of 1965 was the 300L, after which the model sequence was discontinued while the '300' remained.

1963 Chrysler 300J
The Chrysler 300J of 1963 introduced the fourth major restyling of the 300 'letter series.' The semi-slab side appearance had crisp lines, complemented by wide C-pillars, minimal brightwork, and a flat hood, rear deck and fenders. Special 'J' medallions with 'CHRYSLER THREE HUNDRED' lettering further distinguished the 300J from the 'non letter series / 300 Sport Series.' The interior featured leather upholstery and the previous swivel feature of the front bucket seats was abandoned, and the previous full-length center console was now limited to the front; the rear compartment reverted back to a bench. There was an oddly squared steering wheel, shared with all Chrysler products for that year.

The list of exterior colors included Claret Red, Oyster White, Formal Black, Madison Grey metallic, and Alabaster. The only interior color option was Claret Red leather.

1963 Chrysler 300J Pricing, Production, and Bodystyle
The Chrysler 300J was offered solely as a two-door hardtop coupe with seating for six. The previous model, the 300H, had included a hardtop coupe and a convertible. The 300J had a base price of $5,260, representing a $170 increase over the previous year's hardtop coupe (the convertible was higher at $5,460). A mere 400 examples of the 300J were built, slightly less than the 435 hardtop coupes of the previous year (plus 123 convertibles). Production of the 300 'letter series' had always been exclusive, with 1,725 of the C-300, 1,102 of the 300B, and 2,402 of the 300C. Beginning in 1958, production dipped to 809 units (300D), and 647 in 1959 (300E), before climbing to 1,217 units in 1960 (300F) and 1,617 in 1961 (300G).

In 1962, Chrysler introduced the 300 Sport Series ('non letter series'), which had a similar appearance to the 300H, lacking a '300H' badge on the traditional location on the rear fenders. Additionally, many of the 300H's standard features could be ordered as options on the Sport Series. Sales of the 300H suffered, and output fell to 570 units.

For 1964, Chrysler brought back the convertible body style, added the 'cross-ram' engine as optional equipment, fitted a 413 CID 'Wedge' engine with 360 hp as standard, expanded the list of interior and exterior colors, and introduced a mid-year special trim package. Sales improved with 3,022 hardtop coupes and 625 convertibles sold. Sales remained strong for 1965, with 2,845 examples of the 300L built.

1963 Chrysler 300J Mechanical Specification
The 1963 300J used the Chrysler C platform with unibody construction and a wheelbase size of 122 inches, an overall length of 215.5 inches, and a width of 79 inches. The only available engine was the 413.8 cubic-inch ram-induction V8 with 390 horsepower at 4,800 RPM. It had solid valve lifters, five main bearings, 10.0:1 compression, and a Carter four-barrel carburetor. The engine was mated to a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission which now had a 'Park' lever added alongside the control buttons. When the transmission was in neutral, the park lever was moved to the bottom to engage the function. Power steering was standard.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2023