Roger's car was featured in the December '04 Newsletter
of the Walter P. Chrysler Club, Puget Sound Chapter. The editor, Larry
Zappone, graciously consents for the article by Hank Palmer to appear
here. |
IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS by Hank Palmer
In mid-1956, the Chrysler Corporation introduced Plymouth’s Fury
as a two door hardtop. In 1959 the Fury model line-up was expanded to
a “regular series” with several versions. At the top of
the line was the Sport Fury, a two door hardtop and convertible in the
$3,000 to $3,300 range. In the Puget Sound WPC we are fortunate to have
a member who owns a Sport Fury convertible, because only 5,500 were
ever built. |
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Meet Roger Howard. Ten years ago,
Roger purchased his car from a man in Ottertail Minnesota for $1,850
(which hardly seems fair when you consider the original price of the
car). Since then Roger has spent countless hours finding parts and putting
together a Fury that is full of options. This car is loaded, with a
361 cubic inch “Commando 395” (an $87 option in 1959), air
conditioning, power windows, and much more. If Plymouth made it for
1959, Roger found it, restored it, and put it on the car. The anodized
side moldings are beautiful! The chrome is all renewed. To put it all
together, Roger purchased 5 cars to find everything he needed. His wife
must be very supportive of our hobby! There are several things that
stand out about this machine. We took it for a ride and the Sport Fury
lives up to its name. The ride is “taut”compared to the
typical cars of the period. It is surprisingly nimble in the corners
even though it is a large car. Plymouth advertised the Commando 395
to have 305 bhp @ 4600 rpm with 395 ft pounds of torque. It has lots
of power! But what stands out most about this car is the meticulous
attention to detail Roger paid to the restoration. He went the extra
mile to recreate this car in its original form... From the seat material
to the buckles that garnish the doors, the car has been restored to
the condition it was in when it came off the factory line.
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I was impressed with Roger’s
work. Inside a photo album is a living record of the restoration. The
car started out badly rusted, and required many difficult decisions
about what to replace and what to keep. There were many rusted-through
areas in the floor, rocker panels, side panels, and other places. The
original top was mostly gone, letting years of weathering take its toll.
It was not a project to be taken on by the faint of heart, but Roger
persevered and prevailed. His book contains several photographs of piles
of car parts discarded for want of a rust free vehicle. From this almanac
one can see how it required body parts from 5 different cars! In very
creative ways, Roger was able to bring back a piece of history to beautiful
condition.
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Roger was a great host. When you
see him, ask to see his photo album. The restoration is as amazing as
the car, so get the story behind the paint job. If you are driving around
and happen across a big red convertible with a white top be sure to
wave. There just can’t be too many ’59 Furys running around! |
