1960 Chrysler 300 F on 2040-cars

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Pair of 1970 Plymouth Superbird barn finds hits eBay

Here are a couple noteworthy barn finds for sale right now on eBay: a pair of 1970 Plymouth Superbird muscle cars, found with their giant rear wings, retractable headlights and 440 Super Commando V8s apparently perfectly intact after being stored for decades in a garage in Maine, with their condition reportedly "very good for 40 years of dry storage." In his lengthy writeup, the seller notes the short-lived, modified Road Runner is "One of the most collectible muscle cars with one of the most incredible automotive Aerodynamic (sic) designs in automotive history." The Superbird, which saw only one production year, is approaching its 50th anniversary, with their values expected to soar, he notes. The seller explains that he learned about the Superbirds after he purchased his own blue Superbird from the Owls Head Transportation Museum auction in Maine in August for $187,000. "Just after I won the blue 1970 Super Bird with white bucket seat interior a man approached me and sat down next to me and stated he has 2 Super Birds in storage that he has owned for the last 40 years," he wrote on his listing. "He told me he purchased them from the original owners." One was B5 blue with white bucket seats, just like the one he'd just purchased. The other was Alpine White with black bucket seats. According to the back story, both cars were originally sold off the lot in 1970 at Blouin Chrysler Plymouth Dodge in Augusta, Maine, and the man who'd been keeping them in his garage said he knew both of the original owners, having purchased both cars from them around 1978. The man, who is reportedly a Mopar expert, kept them both registered until 1985 and 1987, with the registration stickers still intact on the windshields, then prepared both for storage, putting straight antifreeze in the motors and filling the cylinders with lubricating oil. Both cars are currently being stored in a garage in Massachusetts. The Alpine White Superbird has 42,497 miles on it. The highest of 84 bids as of this writing was $135,000. The blue version has just 27,416 miles on the odometer, with the highest of 93 bids at $151,100. Both were updated with Pioneer cassette decks that the seller says "are classics in themselves." The seller also notes he hasn't tried to get either car started but that both motors turn freely and that the head and taillights all work. Bidding ends Sept. 27.

Chrysler extends fuel tank warranties on LX cars, NHTSA ends probe

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ended its investigation of 153,817, 5.7-liter and 6.1-liter Hemi V8-powered 2006 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Magnum models after reports of stalling. Chrysler has responded by granting a lifetime warranty on the fuel tanks for these vehicles.
NHTSA received 299 reports of engines stalling while the models were stopped or driving at low speeds, and began an investigation. The government agency found that the control valve shutoff float in the V8s' 19-gallon fuel tank could malfunction if the fuel had too high of an ethanol content. In many cases, the valve would break in the open position, allowing the tank to be overfilled, which would then cause the cars to stall. However, there were no accidents reported, and the vehicles could be restarted immediately.
There will not be a recall on these vehicles because, "the condition represents a low risk to motor vehicle safety and is adequately addressed by Chrysler's extended warranty," NHTSA said to The Detroit News.

Towing with the 2016 Ram lineup [w/video]

I do not tow things. Ever. Yet I recently found myself at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles proving grounds in Chelsea, MI, where I'd be testing the hauling capabilities of Ram's current product range. This experience was not only a perfect education for a towing novice like me, but allowed me to tow far more weight than I'd ever consider hauling the real world, and all within the safe confines of the Chelsea Proving Grounds. There was an extremely diverse array of vehicles at my disposal, including Ram's gasoline- and diesel-powered offerings with trucks ranging from the 1500 on up through the 5500 Chassis Cab, as well ProMaster vans. Beyond that, FCA brought out a number of vintage Dodge pickups for me to play with, while also working with Case IH to provide a track-loader I could test. I put together a range of videos covering everything from the classics to the production trucks to the construction equipment. And despite some technical difficulties – you'll notice a distinct lack of in-car videos, with blame going to a corrupted micro SD card – I've assembled ten videos that give an up-close look at Ram's offerings. 2015 Ram ProMaster City Let's start small. The ProMaster City only has a towing capacity of 2,000 pounds. That's a reasonably impressive figure for a van that uses the same powertrain as a Chrysler 200. The 2.4-liter four-cylinder and nine-speed automatic weren't really bothered with the extra weight added by the trailer. Even when accelerating at freeway speeds, the ProMaster City didn't feel out of breath or hampered by its load. That said, the rear of the van was unloaded, which probably wouldn't be the case for most consumers. It's unclear how the City would feel if its driver were taking advantage of the max payload (1,883 pounds) and towing. 2015 Ram ProMaster 1500 To be polite, the Ram ProMaster is a difficult vehicle to like. Its awkward seating position is bus-like and lacks the visibility enjoyed by the Ford Transit or the utter driving comfort of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Its 3.0-liter, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine, meanwhile, is something of an anomaly. While it's potent for a four-cylinder diesel, producing 295 pound-feet of torque and 174 horsepower, those numbers don't feel all that impressive when loaded down. The model I tested was barely using half of its 5,100-pound maximum towing weight and was loaded down with just 500 of its 3,620-pound payload. Yet it lacked the pluckiness of the smaller City.