TBT: The Chrysler Norseman!

After World War II, the concept car (or "idea car" as it was known around the Chrysler campus) was a display of American optimism and engineering leadership. These cars began to evolve into an art form of ingenuity, typically with ultramodern styling and advanced engines!

During this time, Virgil Exner, the chief Chrysler designer, revolutioned the company's approach to styling during the "Forward Look" years, transforming Chrysler vehicles into sleeker and more sophisticated driving machines. Through the 1950s, Chrysler commissioned the Italian design house, Ghia, to inject Euro-sophistication into its concept vehicles. These beauties included, most notably, the Chrysler C-200, the K-310, and the DeSoto Adventurer. But, no one concept showed more promise than the Chrysler Norseman.

The Chrysler Norseman was expected to be one of the main attractions of the 1957 auto show circuit. An original press release from 1956 stated that Chrysler had "incorporated more structural, chassis, electrical, and styling innovations than any other 'idea' car ever designed by Chrysler." In fact, it's complex design took manufacturers 50,000 hours and cost the company approximately $150,000 to produce, which, with inflation, would be equivalent to $1.2 million today!!!

The Norseman's exterior design was ahead of its time and introduced one of the most innovative features to emerge from Chrysler's design studio: the cantilever roof. The roof included a power-operated 12-square-foot panel of glass in the roof, which slid forward for a partial open-air experience. This unconventional feature, accompanied by a curved windshield, included very thin A-pillars, allowing a fluid, uninterrupted forward and side view. In addition, the automobile featured concealed headlights that retracted into the front fenders when the headlights were turned off.

Under the hood, this fully functional aluminum-bodied automobile was equipped with a 5.4-liter HEMI (or 33 1-cubic-inch polyspheric) V8 engine, which produced 235 horsepower, mated with a two-speed push-button Powerflite transmission. With an overall length of 228 inches, and a wheelbase of 84 inches, the Norseman was classified as the second longest Chrysler idea car of the era!!!


(Article Source: Chrysler Lost Heritage: The Norseman, Part I)

TBT: The Jeep Wagoneer

While most people think of the Wrangler as the prototypical Jeep, many grew up with a very different icon of Jeep: the Wagoneer. This large go-anywhere wagon predated American Motors, and was made well into the Chrysler Corporation era.

Driven by families, chief executives, foresters, and many others, the Jeep Wagoneer provided a high degree of creature comfort for a vehicle that could traverse a stream or boulder field. An American Range Rover, the Wagoneer carried strong Jeep engineering under its skin.

The Jeep Wagoneer also spawned one of the most popular Jeep vehicles ever made — the Cherokee. Cheaper than the Wagoneer itself, the Cherokee was launched in 1974 as a lower-cost alternative, with a lesser degree of luxury and just two doors; the different name allowed Wagoneer to continue in its upscale path. In 1977, the Cherokee became a low-end Wagoneer with either two or four doors.

The Wagoneer itself developed from early wagons, such as the Utility Wagon. The wagons were brought out in 1946, and kept roughly the same design, other than the addition of four wheel drive in 1947, until their final days. The Station Wagon (rear wheel drive), Utility Wagon (four wheel drive), and Panel Delivery (steel in place of side windows) were closely related and remained in the Jeep lineup until 1965.

For many years, the Wagoneer would be sold side by side with a nearly identical looking pickup, the Gladiator. Eventually the Gladiator name would be replaced by the simple appellation “Jeep truck” or “J series truck.”

(Article: Allpar.com: Jeep Wagoneer)

TBT: Instagram!

Hi everyone! So, regular banner post/upload aside, today we'll be spending most of our day running around our dealership and uploading photos to our Instagram! You should totally follow us! -wink wink- @turnersvillecj

But,we'll still be posting a few Throwback Thursday-themed posts today, too. So keep checking back throughout the day to see what we have in store!

TBT: Banner

Woot woot! It's that time of the week again! Yay! Share all your time-jumping, memory-loving favorites with us today! =D

Stop the Odor!

So, now that warmer weather is finally showing up, you'll start using the air conditioner in your car again (if you haven't started already). But, then you notice that nasty car odor. What is it? Where does it come from? It wasn't there before!

Just in case this is your problem, here are a few tips on how to deodorize your car!

STEP ONE: Check Your Car's Replaceable Cabin Air Filter

Newer cars have an air filter inside the cabin of the car that removes bad smells from the air that comes into your car. (Check your Owner's Manual to see if your car is equipped with one). If your car does have one, check it every 4-6 months. If it's dirty (like the one to the left in the above photo) REPLACE IT! (Make sure the replace it with the one your Owner's Manual suggests). This should fix the problem. However, if the smell remains, there is something else you can try next.

STEP TWO: Clean the A/C Vent System

If the smell remains, clean your A/C Vent System. You can use A/C System Cleaners that can easily be purchased at your local dealership or auto supply store. These cleaners have easy-to-use instructions, usually just to spray the cleaner into the exterior air intake vents (located just underneath your windshield wipers) and the inside car vents. These cleaners kill odors that are actually inside your car's A/C vent system.

STEP THREE: How to Clean the A/C Vent System

First, turn on the A/C to full blast and make sure that the "recirculate" button is NOT on!:

Spray a large amount of a cleaner (or amount specified on the spray-can), that has odor-killing enzymes, into the EXTERIOR air intakes that are located just below the windshield wipers (on the OUTSIDE of your car).

Let your car run for about 10 minutes with the A/C on. After those 10 minutes, turn off the A/C and spray the cleaner into the A/C vents on the INSIDE of your car.

After doing all of this, let the car sit for 20 minutes (turned off) and with your windows rolled up. Then repeat if the smell is still in your car. By doing this, you are killing the bacteria or mold in the car A/C vent ducts and also the evaporator mold that may be present.



(Article Source: Remove and Replace)

LifeHack Tip #1263

Did you know...?

Truly awesome! Next time you feel overcome by "road rage", pop in some gum and chew your way to some peace!

Jeep Promo!

Charles Hackshaw, one of our Product Specialists, is here to tell you about our awesome Jeeps!

Come check us out and visit!

Turnersville Jeep Chrysler

3100 Route 42

Turnersville, NJ 08081

Phone: 856-875-2600

Lifted Jeep Commercial!

Meet James Weyand, one of our Internet Consultants!

He's here to tell you all about our awesome LIFTED Jeeps we have here!

Turnersville Jeep Chrysler

3100 Route 42

Turnersville, NJ 08081

Phone: 856.875.2600

TT: Banner!

Sweet! Let's start the day off right! First bit of Tidbit info for the day:

Come get LIFTED at Turnersville Jeep Chrysler! We've got a stock of awesome tires, ranging from 22"-37" and up! Just let us know your request!


For starters: We currently have these two beauties!

Firecracker Red Jeep Wrangler Sport 4x4! With 37" Tires on RockStar Rims...Sweet!!!

And, an Anvil Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4x4 on 35" tires on RockStar Rims! Awesome!

FF: The Tango; A Commuter's Car!

No, this is no Photoshop joke, these super narrow cars actually do exist! Haven't heard of them? Neither had we until we found them today! Tango is located in Spokane, WA.

Named after its company, the Tango T600, it is a unique 2 passenger car with inline seating. It has the lowest center of gravity of any car, weighs only 3,326 lbs. and can go 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds!

(Article Source: Plug in America)


Not only that, but the Tango is all about safety, with a saying of "Accident avoidance is the key to this safety."

Designed around a roll cage that meets/exceeds FIA race car regulations, the Tango has double the requirement and two additional horizontal bars. There are literally four times more side door protection bars in this little car! Still worried about rolling over in this extremely narrow car! Have no fear!

2,200 lbs. of the Tango's weight is all under the floor (by the way, that's the entire weight of a Smart car, plus about 400 lbs.!), which makes it well-achieved with a NHTSA 5-Star rollover threshold of 56°. So what exactly does that mean? Here's an example: The Tango will balance on two wheels when heeled over at nearly 60°!!! 

Not only that, but the Tango has four-point harnesses as standard equipment, of the same brand and design as used by passenger jet pilots!

(Article Source: Commuter Cars)

So, while it make look silly, being so narrow, it's pretty useful, we suppose, for commuters in overly crowded populations!

FF: The Modified 1950 Dodge Power Wagon of the Rainbow Sheikh!

"The Modified 1950 Dodge Power Wagon is, by far, the largest pick up truck in the world, at eight times its original size!!! It was created by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al-Nahyan, also known as the "Rainbow Sheikh" (due to the fact that he once bought a fleet of Mercedes in every color of the rainbow as a wedding present) in order to honor and celebrate the desert of his emirate.

Built over a period of months, the scale of the construction was limited only by the size of the wheels that the Sheikh could get, which apparently were once used on a machine for transporting oil rigs. The truck is built around a metal frame, more reminiscent of a static plant rather than anything mobile. This is emphasized by a flight of stairs leading up to the "front door", located somewhere below the cab.

Inside the cab is actually a comfortable living space, including four large, air-conditioned bedrooms (the units of which are visible behind the false radiator grille), as well as a living room, bathrooms, and even a patio in the pick-up bed!

Despite all of this, though, extreme care was put into place to make sure every last detail of this creation was exactly that of an early model Dodge. The steering links are in place and there are even brakes! Plus, even more surprisingly, there is an engine which can apparently be used to propel the truck, even if it is only for short distances! Now that is impressive!"

(Article Source: Arabian Business)

FF: Banner!

Not only do we have one awesome 6-day SALE starting up today, we're gathering up all of our Freaky Friday finds from this week to share with you soon! =D

TBT: 1954-1984 Jeep CJ-5!

Arriving first in 1954 and staying until 1984, the CJ-5 was truly a symbol for Jeep with it having the longest production run to note.

Truly universal, you could use the CJ-5 in agriculture, public service, transportation, communications, industry, and so on and it would get the job done --- from street sweeping to "acting as a public address vehicle" because it was "the world's most useful vehicle".

The CJ-5 was a bit bigger/longer than the CJ-3B and was based on the round-fendered '51 M38A1, but Willys gave the CJ-5 (its latest creation at the time) lots of "newness" at its launch:

- "Completely new!"

- "New ruggedness!"

- "New dependability!"

- "New comfort!"

- "New versatility!"

The CJ-5 stepped it up in the brakes, suspension, seating, and even the glovebox (now with cover!) departments. A new instrument panel, larger windshield, and hand brake were also great selling points.

Among the improvements made to the CJ-5s, they were also a fully boxed cross-member for rigidity and had flanged, overlapped sheet-metal for strength. There was also a new, optional, all-weather top and a new instrument panel, plus the other engineering refinements we already mentioned above.

(Article Source: FourWheeler Network)

TBT: 1970 Chrysler 300 Hurst!

The Chrysler 300 Hurst was a special model and today is seen as a legitimate member of the Chrysler 300 Letter Series.

At a total length of over 18.5 feet, it was also one of the largest 2-door coupes ever produced. At that time, the still independent Hurst Company created car concepts based on regular production cars. Many of these concepts were never recognized, but it seems that the 300 Hurst was destined for production.

While experts are not sure, it is speculated that only 485-500 models of the 1970 Chrysler 300 Hurst were produced. There are many theories behind why such a limited amount were made, but one that has been widely circulated was that the approval to manufacture them came well after the regular 1970 Chrysler's were already in production and it was a scramble to get the Hursts' made.

Although it was a challenge, the cars were ran through the Chrysler plant on Jefferson Avenue in batches, as two door hardtops with Imperial leather interiors. They were then sent to Warminster, PA., and Hurst would finish production by doing the conversions.

Hurst took an extra step, cutting off the sheet-metal front hood and trunk skin and replacing it with fiberglass, instead. The fiberglass hood had a non-functional power bulge scoop and functional recessed twist locks.

The decklid (truck) featured an incorporated rear spoiler and no trunk lock (this required the vacuum remote trunk lock as standard, and was operated from the dashboard, in the glove compartment.).

A 440 cubic inch "TNT" engine with 375 gross horsepower rested under the hood. It breathed through a dual snorkel air cleaner, had dual exhausts, and required a beefed up TorqueFlite transmission. No other power-train was available at the time. Ride was enhanced with a firm suspension due to heavy-duty rear leaf springs and larger diameter torsion bars up front. Power front disc brakes were standard, as was the 3:23:1 final drive ratio. Top speed was around 127 MPH.

Finally, the interior came in "Saddle" (tan) with leather seats. The front were bucket seats with a center seat cushion, whereas the back was a bench seat. The driver's seat was power-actuated, while the passenger seat could recline. The rest of the interior was just the regular Chrysler 300 dress-up. Column-shift was standard, while the Chrysler console with gear selector was optional and would replace the center seat cushion with armrest. A Tilt-and-Telescope steering wheel was another option, as was air conditioning.

(Article Source: Hooniverse: Obscure Muscle Car Garage)

TBT: 1980 Jeep Laredo!

If you were to sum up the Laredo model in one word, it would be "chrome".

The first thing that really sticks out, is its distinctive (and gorgeous) chrome grille. The chrome bumper, wheels, hood emblem, and trim add to its polished look.

But that's not all it had to offer. Its optional high-backed contoured bucket seats, carpeting, air conditioning, and the available hard or soft top gave it versatility to shine out on the town as well as it did on the trails!

Although no longer in production, the Laredo name is tied to the Jeep and lives on to this day as a trim option for the Grand Cherokee. And while a Laredo package was available for the original Wrangler (YJ), its origin lies in the original Jeep CJ-5 (and CJ-7) models of yesteryear.




(Article Source: The Jeep Blog)

TBT: 1941 Chrysler Town and Country!

1941: "Chrysler first introduces the Town & Country as a wood-paneled wagon. The Town & Country sports a rounded rear, side-hinged "clamshell" doors, and is the first "woody" wagon to feature an all-steel roof. This celebrated vehicle would become the first luxury station wagon, appealing to affluent buyers with its attractive design and refined cargo area." (Chrysler’s Facebook)

“1941 marked the introduction of Chrysler's distinctive 'Town and Country Car', a new concept in estate vehicles. The name was coined by Paul Hafer of the Boyerton Body Works, who observed that the front looked 'Town' while the rear appeared 'Country.'…


The Town & Country 'station wagon' was manufactured for 1941 and 1942 only. After World War II, convertibles, sedans, and hardtops were manufactured instead. Of the 797 nine-passenger station wagons built in 1941, barely a handful or two survive.

It was built on the standard Chrysler Windsor chassis and its wooden body was topped by the longer steel roof used for a limousine. The framing is white ash, and Honduras mahogany veneer was used for the contrasting panels. Briggs Manufacturing Company supplied all the sheet metal and the cars were assembled at the Jefferson Avenue Plant in Detroit.

Early examples produced from March to April 1941 were painted only Regal Maroon which was though to best complement the highly glossed finish of the natural wood.

It was built on a 121.5 inch chassis with identical front and rear bumpers and powered by the 'Spitfire' L-head six-cylinder engine with a 241.5 cubic-inch displacement and the new 'Fluid Drive' Vacumatic transmission.

The most dramatic feature is the luggage compartment located behind two side-hinged doors meeting and secured at the center behind the rear number plate. The clamshell doors were also dubbed 'barrel-back' doors. The unusual interior of this car consists of matching red Bakelite plastic dashboard, radio and instrument surround, window wills and steering wheel.”

(Article Source: Concept Carz)

TBT: Banner!

Let's go back in time again this week! All we need is to drive at least 88 miles per hour and have...





Wait...do we have that???

Pardon us...off in search of a flux capacitor now. =D

TT: Chrysler History Tidbits

Ever wonder about the start of Chrysler?

Ranging from Plymouth to Dodge to Jeep and so on, Chrysler has been busy since it's start, even creating Mopar (or Motorized Parts)!

Here's a really interesting video from WatchMojo.com all about it (and in under 5 minutes!)

TT: Detailing Your Car at Home!

Ever wonder about detailing your own car??? Here's a helpful video on what you should do before you wax your car!!!

(Video: AutoweekUSA)

Spring time is here and car-care expert Mike Pennington teaches why hand-washing is always better than a machine, how to get rid of those pesky bug splats, and everything you need to do before a final wax.

If you have some of your own tips, leave them in the comments.

TT: Spring Cleaning!

Warm weather finally seems like it's here to stay, so it's time to get our cars into tip-top shape!

We can all definitely agree that the winter weather did its worst this year and our cars took the beatings hard! The wet sludge of snow and ice and road salt surely wreaked havoc on not only the outside of your car, but the on the interior, too: like on your floor mats and carpet!

Of course, we know how most of you probably think of Spring Cleaning:

But have no fear! Because we've got some tips for you (courtesy of the Chrysler Blog) to tune your car back up and keep it in good shape and in a short amount of time!


1. Clean the interior - Vacuum, dust, and get rid of any junk inside your car. It's the same principle as doing a big "spring clean" in your house - throw away the junk and store what you don't need until next winter!

2. Shampoo the floor mats and carpet - Yeah, it might seem like "extra work" but you'll really be preserving the life of your mats and carpet this way. So, remove your floor mats and shampoo and rinse them. (You can leave them on the hood of your car to dry faster in the sunlight, if you want!) Next, shampoo the carpet and leave all four doors open while you work (for ventilation). As always, though, please remember to test a small corner of your floor mats and carpet with the shampoo first to make sure they are compatible and won't stain or change the color!!!

3. Wash the under carriage - This is one of the most crucial steps for keeping your vehicle free of rust and corrosion. A trip to the car wash should do the trick, but make sure it's the kind that blasts water underneath the car! Can't afford a trip to the local car wash? Take one of those classic rotating sprinklers, hook it up to your hose, and slide it under your car for a few minutes. Just make sure to adjust it every now and then so it gets all underneath!

4. Check and/or Replace the Windshield Wipers - Winter weather can actually shorten the lifespan of your wipers. Wipe the blades completely clean and then test them out. If they leave streaks on your window, or squeak, it's probably time for new ones. Driving without proper functioning wipers is not only annoying as a driver, but it's unsafe.

5. Get a Regular Tune-Up - Ensure that your air filter is clean, spark plugs are all good, and check your oil!

Just a heads up reminder: Currently, we're offering a Spring A/C Special! It includes:

- An A/C system performance check
- 1 lb. of vehicle refrigerant
- Test components via leak detection equipment

All for $119.95 + tax!!! (some vehicles may have a higher price due to fluid amount and A/C system). Offer ends May 31st, 2015!

(Article Source: 5 Spring Cleaning Tips)

TT: Banner!

We've got some great tips, tricks, and tidbits lined up for you today! Get ready!!!

FF: "Dirty Car Artist" Scott Wade!

"For most people, dirty car windows are a hassle. For others, it’s a canvas with infinite possibilities. Meet Scott Wade: “The Dirty Car Artist.”"

"So, what do you do when your car windows become caked in a layer of dirt? Wash them? That’s not what Scott Wade does – he draws on them instead. Having lived on a long dirt road in Texas for more than two decades, Scott is no stranger to dirty cars and often finds himself doodling in the dust."

On occasion, when natural dirt isn’t enough, Scott will even create artificial canvases with oil, dirt and a hair dryer. Various tools have been experimented with over the years, including chewed up popsicle sticks and paintbrushes. These days, brushes, a rubber “paint-shaper” and fingers are the tools of his trade. Once the image is on the car, natural elements take over again: dew, gentle rain, additional dust and more all get down and dirty when it comes to playing with the image.

More information about Scott Wade “The Dirty Car Artist” and why “dirt is beautiful” can be found on dirtycarart.com

(Source: Auto Sports Art)