Re: {Chrysler 300} Letter Cars

On 08/23/2025 7:53 PM CDT aswygart@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

Greetings,

I have been remiss in not sending this email sooner. Being in the midst of coming out of "semi-retirement" to build and teach a high-school career tech criminal justice program has consumed my summer. Some time back Carlton Schroeder sent me a very kind welcome email, in which he mentions personal experience at the Lima Army Tank Plant, the manufacturer of the Army's M1 Abram's main battle tank. That is my hometown's claim to fame.

While my 300B has been in the family since the late 80's, it wasn't until shortly before my father's passing that it became mine. My obsession with letter cars began with Dennis Farina's "C" on televisions Crime Story. I just missed out on several '57-59's in my early quest. A Hemming's ad led my father and I on a 5 hour trip outside of Pittsburgh, where a gentleman had several living in a field and old barn. Between the time we talked on the phone, and our arrival, the owner had struck a deal for all the cars with someone out of California. He told my dad that he did have 2 "B's" in his shop at another location. While he wisely intended to keep the red one, he would part with the white. The car was from North Carolina, and still wears a 1968 NC inspection sticker. I was heartbroken that the several "C's" and "D's" were spoken for, but my father purchased the '56.

Dad and I worked on the car for about a decade, and amongst our mistakes was taking chrome to a plater in Dayton. When we picked up the chrome, we left it wrapped and put it in the garage rafters. About 5 years later when I took the bumpers down to be installed, imagine my surprise- the front bumper now was from a 1953 Mercury! The plater went searching for a Chrysler bumper, but it wasn't a 300B one. For years our bumper proudly wore it's bumper guards in the wrong location.

Still not finding my dream '57, in 1989 I "settled" for a Mardi Gras red 300G from south of Daytona Florida. For a time I was a member of the "other" 300 Club, and in 1991 my young family and parents attended the Normal, Illinois meet, without our 300's.

By the mid-90's my family had grown, requiring a larger home. The red "G" became a casualty. I never did find my dream car, and it seemed G's and F's suddenly became the darlings. I have always regretted selling my '61, but not quite enough to pull the trigger on the $38K asking price when it was recently posted on Marketplace. It appeared in exactly the condition I sold it in, no better, no worse.

As my father approached 80 years old and could no longer enjoy the Brute, he gave the car to me. He passed away in 2018, and it wasn't until a couple years ago that I again began working on and enjoying the car.

I recently joined the club, and have been impressed with the number of enthusiasts that work on their own cars. In the short time since joining, I have enjoyed Henry Schlemer's sharing of the 300G Chrysler video, not without some regret. I've received John Grady's advice on issues with my Powerflite reverse gear, and agreed whole-heartedly with Carl Bilter's message on too many LX cars in shows. Reaching out to other Ohio letter car owners, I look forward to seeing Dan Varner's 300D, coincidently about 20 minutes from my son's home in central Ohio.

I truly regret not being able to devote the time to drive the 5 hours to the Buffalo meet. I'm sure it was a fantastic time. Oh well, maybe when complete retirement occurs.

All the best,

Tony Swygart

Lima, Ohio

--
For archives go to http://www.forwardlook.net/300-archive/search.htm#querylang
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Chrysler 300 Club International" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to chrysler-300-club-international+unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/chrysler-300-club-international/70383d987d804646380f3bc21467e9f49f16b4df%40webmail.