Big Red Chrysler 300

Story and photos by John Gunnell

“Bud Faubel--piloting his big red Chrysler 300 1962 B-Factory experimental--lapped up the gravy again this past Sunday at the Mason-Dixon Drag-O-Way at US Rt 40 East,” read a newspaper article about Harry “Bud” Faubel’s racing feats. “Charles Anderson, Clark County, Va., was duelling Bud in his 300 Challenge, but was drawn down in two consecutive runs by only 3/100ths of a second by Faubel.” The newspaper documented that Anderson was racing a much lighter fuel-injected B-Sport ‘61 Corvette.

Bud Faubel’s Chrysler 300—later nicknamed “Big Red”--was ordered especially for the Flying Mile competition at Daytona Beach, Fla., during the 1962 SpeedWeeks. But it was not the first Chrysler 300 that Faubel raced at Daytona. Time sheets dated Feb. 18, 1961 show results from the 1961 NASCAR Beach Run where Harry Faubel of Chambersburg, Pa. came in first in the Unlimited Displacement class with a ’61 Chrysler that went 156.657 mph heading north and a 136.570 mph heading south for an average of 145.926 mph. Of the top 10 cars that ran in 1961, six were Chryslers. Faubel also took a Class Z first for cars up to 390 cu. in. with a ’61 Dodge that averaged 136.003 mph. from Chambersburg had a new car. Faubel already held five class and Stock Eliminator wins and top speed records at Mason-Dixon Drag-O-Way with his ’61 Dodge B-Stocker Police Pursuit model and A/SA Plymouth Fury. But Bud had come to the dragstrip the previous Sunday with a sleek ’62 Chrysler 300 hardtop equipped with Mopar’s new, ultra-high-performance 413-cid 405-hp engine that featured a special “short ram” induction setup.

The powerful Chrysler broke all Mason-Dixon A-Stock class top speed records with consistent runs at above 105 mph and low ET’s

The bright red Chrysler 300 had an equally bright red interior.

around 14.10 sec. However, missing a first-to-second shift lost Bud a Stock Eliminator trophy that day, but he did win in Class A.

Faubel vowed to return the next week and did. This time he brought the new ’62 Dodge with a 413-cid 350-hp engine. Wesley Koogle drove the “Lean Breed” Dodge Dart and copped Top Stock honours running a virtual dead heat against Faubel’s Chrysler 300. The team took S/SA, A/S and Stock Eliminator honors for the weekend.

Fast forward to April Fool’s Day 2013 and a man named Jim Kramer who happens to own another car Bud Faubel raced--a 1965 Dodge altered-wheelbase car called the “Honker.“ Kramer had just been informed that Bud Faubel’s 1962 Chrysler 300— the one called Big Red—had been found and was ready to be auctioned off. Because of the April 1 date, Kramer first thought that someone was pulling a prank on him, but it was true.

When he realized it wasn’t a joke, Kramer decided what he had to do. Arrangements were made to attend the auction with a trailer and funds to buy the car. A few other collectors from Chicago and Michigan also wanted the car, but the auction was over quickly. A high bid from Kramer deferred further bidding and he soon owned the car. It turned out that he was the third owner after Bud Faubel and the man who had bought the race car and parked it near a stream in Pennsylvania way back in 1974.

The special short rams had the same exterior length as long rams, but the inside passages were reduced in length.

The car—now with faded red paint—was in need of some tender loving care. It had to be removed from a cornfield where the stalks were higher than a tractor trailer. During his inspection of the car, Kramer found that the special water-heated cross rams were in the trunk, along with the air cleaners. A pair of non-drilled, prototype exhaust manifolds--as chronicled in two magazine articles (one in the May 1962 issue of CARS)-- were also with the car. Also, still on the car were the rearview-mirror-mounted cable-drive tachometer and a gear shift knob that looked ready for the trash can.

The special features proved this was the early prototype racing car that was put together for Bud Faubel at Chrysler’s Jefferson Ave. plant in Detroit. It was one of just a handful of cars built with the 405-hp short ram V8. Chrysler sold it to the race driver for $1, knowing he would generate buyer interest when he raced it in late1961 and 1962.

Kramer quickly contacted Ed Strzelecki of Hemieddie Restorations in Rochester, Mich., to have the car resurrected to its former glory. The restoration was supposed to be a full-steam-ahead project and pressure was put on to start pumping life back into the on-of-a-kind Chrysler while Faubel was still around to drive it again. Unfortunately, Faubel did pass away during the restoration, but after he had acknowledged that it was his car.

Many things did not quite go as planned with the Big Red restoration. Delays set in. At times it felt like Faubel was slowing the project down to make sure it was done right. Kramer and Strzelecki did additional

research and questions about small details kept surfacing. For instance, a picture was found from the 1962 Pure Oil Performance and Economy Trials at Daytona that showed the car with no side mirror. Weeks before the red paint was going to be applied, a filled-in hole in the driver side fender was discovered. It was not a factory hole. It was where a side mirror had been installed after Faubel sold the car. If there had been no project delays, the filled-in hole might have been missed.

There were other parts on the old race car that differed from passenger-car items. For example, the bushings were completely unique to the car and standard ones did not fit. It was a challenge to find proper replacements. There were also other non-stock parts on the factory-built race car. Chrysler did not expect to simply drop a big engine in an assembly line vehicle and sell it for a dollar to anyone who wanted to go racing.

Remember the gear shift knob mentioned earlier? There was no exact replacement, so it was polished until it had the high lustre and feel that it once when Bud Faubel pulled the gears on his way to a win. When the restoration was done, Jim Kramer said, “Big Red Rides again.” Kramer said that the project was undertaken to preserve history and to remember one of the great factory race car drivers—Bud Faubel. • Specializing in Holley ‘Square Bore’ 4 Barrel Carburetors Since 1994 • We do everything from OEM Restorations to Street Ready and Race Prepared Carbs • Our Carbs are completely

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