SHOPPING GUIDE
FOR whatever reason, the 300C and 300 were never as highly modified as, say, Holdens and Fords of the time. That said, exhaust upgrades were a popular add-on, and a number of companies make headers for the V8 that can improve the noise and the performance to a small degree. Other mods were usually things like ghetto-mesh grilles and big, blingy rims, which can look a bit dated now and may not do much to make the boys in blue smile.
If a particular car does have a modded exhaust, check to make sure a backyarder hasn’t just removed the centre muffler, as that will make the car loud and boomy. Not nice. A better bet is a new rear muffler that uses the stock tips for stealth, and a car with a cat-back system is a good thing to find. Re-flashed ECUS are common, too, although the gains might be a bit marginal. Better bang for buck can be gotten with a Pedalmax unit, which is wired in between the throttle-by-wire gas pedal and the ECU and eliminates the factory torque-limiting function. Suddenly, the car feels like it has a good old cable throttle, which makes for much better response.
Big heavy cars are hard on brakes, but when the stockers wear out, DBA does a replacement rotor. It, combined with an aftermarket pad for the Brembo calipers, will rush you about $1300, fitted.
When inspecting a car, take a peek under the gearbox to see if there are any drops of trans fluid on the ground. An O-ring in the tranny pan where the wiring passes through can often lead to a leak here. A car that clunks over bumps could easily have worn tie rod bushes.
Make sure all the electrical gear works, because electro dramas were not unknown, and don’t forget to check that all the HVAC stuff works and the air blows icy.
A car that rumbles or grumbles at speed on a light but steady throttle could be suffering from a stuffed torque converter. And a car that stalls after refuelling probably has a swollen (often blamed on fuel with high ethanol content) fuel control valve in the tank that prevents overfilling. If it sticks, you can accidentally pump too much fuel in, which then gurgles down the purge line and gives the engine the staggers.