The untouchable Sport Fury

[william0431]

Hello all, been a while since I updated on my project 59's. I still have one year left here in Okinawa but recently was sent to San Diego for a planning conference. I was able to get a few days leave on the back end to visit friends and family and mess with the cars.

Before that, last year, my wife found a very solid 59 Savoy 2drsdn for sale on instagram. It was in Fresno CA for a very resonable price. After priceing out the cost of tickets wich happened to be on sale (round trip Tokyo to Sd and cheep flights form oki to Tokyo) I decided to jump on it. I managed to get approved for 4 days of leave. A 20hr flight to San Diego, rented a car drove to Fresno, grabbed a uhaul, bought the Savoy, drove back to San Diego, played musical cars by rotating all my cars side ways in the shop. so I could fit 4 cars and tons of boxes of parts in a 3 car shop then flew 20 hrs back to Okinawa and took a nap! Made for an epic long weekend!

Any way, just recently on this list trip I had some more time so one night I ran up to Riverside to Foxton Auto literature and bought some really cool 59 plymouth memorabilia to add to my collection, a Ross Roy data book, a neat little mailer from a dealership inviting people to the unveiling show of the new 59's and the best item of all.... A lighted dealer display that has the interchangeable color options and interior samples!!!!

Friday after the conference as luck would have it was also the start of the good guys nationals at the del Mar fair grounds and then the opening night of crusin grand in Escondido! So that was a great day of hot rods and car shows! Then that weekend went off roading with my father in law and friends jeep club out in the desert
and mountains.

Monday I made a trip to the Chula Vista pick n pull and happened across a 77 Dodge Aspen that as luck would have it had brand new disk brakes on it!!! So pulled the complete spindle and brake set up to do a disk swap on the Savoy. Then scored a killer deal from a Craigslist ad on a near mint 8 3/4 489 case with sure grip and 3.91s out of a 69 A31 trac pack road runner! It will be going in my 69 Charger and I will probably take the. Charger's old rear and swap it under the Savoy.

The next day I spent doing inventory on the Sport Fury. First time I have seen in the trunk. I knew it was full of parts but I didn't know what, but I was presently surprised to find a lot of the parts I was worried about being missing stashed safe and sound and even better other than being dirty and covered in some kind of rubberized rust proofing the trunk is in pretty fantastic shape except for a few pin holes in the depressions.

All in all a fantastic trip. Got a lot done in just a few days. Pic's will be posted below. I'll also post picks of some of the parts I have scored over the last year that will help with the build.

[william0431]

Pictures....

[william0431]

More pictures....

[william0431]

Mooooore pics.

[william0431]

I am really struggling to up load photos from my phone on to the site so they are gonna kinda start getting mixed up but here are a few more, The SF trunk and floors looks to be in really amazing shape. Trunk has some rust but should be an easy fix. All so a few of the parts i have collected for them. I have an NOS autronic eye, NOS mirror matic, several sets of dual antennas and FOUR deluxe wheels along with enough trim to do probably 2 Sport fury's as well as i have 2dr Belveder side trim that will go on the Savoy. It came off a super crusty Belveder 2drsdn from washington St. I have also just about completely pieced together a power window set up just missing the right 1/4 regulator. Also have a hardtop headliner that needs some work, and a very nice solex green tint 2dr Sport Fury windshield! and a ton more. Pretty confident i have all the hard to find parts

[william0431]

more pictures

[william0431]

I am really happy with how solid both cars are! They are still going to be huge projects but that is ok, they will be worth it. I think finding all the hard to find parts for the SF is a huge step.

We have decided to name the Sport Fury Jade. She will be a full restoration with a few modern updates mostly under the hood, with power every thing, AC (I have a really cool dealer install under dash unit) and all the best bells and whistles I can get my hands on, hopefully including power windows.....

The Savoy will be a down and dirty resto mod built to see daily driver duty. I am thinking a dirt cheep 5.7 hemi or one of my spare motors, a 727 and a late model 8 3/4, the Aspen front brakes, a 69 Dart booster and MC and kwik wire kit.

I have got tons more but I think thats enough for now hahaha

[Faulkner]

Awesome stuff, Will! Jade looks to be in very decent shape. And what a parts collection you have!

Cool that you have a Comet. In high school I had a '60 Falcon, I had to double clutch to synch the trans when I shifted - that is, until I replaced the bronze shifter thingies on my parent's basement floor. Somehow I managed to keep from losing any of the roller bearings, and successfully put it back together. 144 cubic inches, count 'em!

Yeah. Well, you have your work cut out for you when you get home!

Dan

[william0431]

Thanks Dan! I have tons of parts that I have been buying and have sent home. I didn't even scratch the surface of all the boxes! These will both be huge projects especially because I have some home renovations planned that will be eating up a chunk of time / funds when I get home (including a expansion of my work shop and addition of some paved parking).

I love my little Comet, it's a four door and has the 170ci Six and Merc-O-matic trans. Its a total grandma car but I rocked it in high school haha. The motor needs rebuilt. It sat for over a decade when I left home and joined the Marines. When my grandparents passed away and I needed to move it out of their garage I had it shipped out to my house in CA. My family back home started it and loaded it on a truck but it was bone dry on oil and the cylinders got wrecked but they are super easy and cheep to rebuild so I will get to it some day....

The 60-63 falcons are cool little cars too! its amazing how simple they were, but yea they don't exactly roast tires at stop lights.

[william0431]

ohh yea I forgot to mention, the rest of the storage unit is FILLED to the brim with KISS memorabilia that my wife inherited from her dad LOL don't suppose any of you guys wanna buy several hundred KISS toy's, statues, clocks, posters, bar stools and just about any thing else you can think haha!

[Faulkner]

The 60-63 falcons are cool little cars too! its amazing how simple they were, but yea they don't exactly roast tires at stop lights.

Oh No..... This conversation could get me in serious trouble

[GaryBitner]

Hey Will, I just read through your deployment and simultaneous Plymouth history. Didn't realize you have two of these gems, not to mention the Charger, Dart and more. I am determined to limit my garage space to one vintage vehicle. Can't wait to see what you do with the untouchable Sport Fury. And the Charger. I have such great memories of mine.

Love the story about you traveling halfway around the world and back in one long weekend to buy the Savoy in Fresno. Sounds like something I would do.

Are you sure the sport deck was pulled off the Sport Fury in the earlier repaint? I just got a copy of the book about Forward Look designer Virgil Exner -- "Visoneer" -- and it has a caption next to one photo of a '59 Fury tail that reads, "1959 Plymouth. Another heavy-handed face-lift for Chrysler's main seller, Plymouth, but the largest bone of contention was the superfluous "trashcan lid" simulated spare wheel that proved unpopular with buyers. Many paid extra to get a trunk lid sans spare wheel. Fins continued to grow longer and higher, with Plymouth sporting the largest available from the corporation."

Trashcan lid? Are you kidding me? Maybe yours was intentionally built without it? Meanwhile, I have yet to see one in contrasting white on any photos or literature and suspect mine was originally blue, like the rest of the car. It would make sense, if you think the guys in Detroit were getting not great feedback on it. They wouldn't try to make it stand out more than it already did.

[Faulkner]

Trashcan lid? Are you kidding me?

That's what you hear from one group of detractors. Another affectionately calls it a "toilet seat"

Oh, and I think it the case that the "Sport Deck" was always painted the same color as the body from the factory. But, I think it's eye candy to paint in a contrasting color, as John Quinn did with his Belvedere with a Sport Deck. It's true to the spirit of the era, and for me that's all that matters. To each, his own!

[william0431]

Yea, I have so many projects backed up now and being over seas for 3 years is not helping the situation. Before I left I actually sold a couple finished cars and I had every thing except my Comet in running driving condition. Then I acquired Jade a few months after I moved then the Savoy (that was one fun weekend) witch I originally thought would use as a parts car but Jade turned out super solid and the Savoy is too nice to part out So its going to get a resto-mod treatment and be used as a daily driver, The Charger was going to be my next project I was going to use this over seas time to buy parts to build it in to a monster of a muscle car but I have prioritized the two Plymouths, mainly because finding parts for them is a needle in a haystack but I can open a catalog and order every single thing I need for the Charger.

The Sport Fury's came standard with the Sport Deck and it could be special ordered on any model Plymouth exp Suburban's. I cringe every time I hear them referred to as a "toilet seat" or "trash Can lid". Many of them did get pulled off and discarded. Try finding one for sale!! I lucked out finding one in near min condition but I had to pay for it!!!

She received a interesting makeover some time before going off the road. She got a that cheep chalky mint repaint fortunately all they pulled off was the Plymouth and V script off the trunk along with the sport deck (I can see the drilled out mounting holes on the underside where they bondo'd over them) and they pulled the Plymouth script off the hood. Other than that the outside is all complete and has never been taken off. On the interior they used rattle can black to paint EVERY THING! the dash, the chrome trim, the seats, EVERY THING!!! They also removed the radio and clock and covered it with a delete dress up plate, but the stock antenna is still present on the fender and they had a stereo mounted in the glove box. The person I got it from for what ever reason decided to tear the card board headliner out piece by piece I have found one to replace it but its rough and will need some work but I think I can save it.

I agree with ya Dan, to each there own but keeping it in line with the spirit and times of the car in my opinion are best! A little two tone or contrasting paint really accentuates the lines and makes the body features or the paint really pop and stand out!

If all goes to plan Jade will be completely stock appearing with all the bells and whistles of the era and a few modern conveniences hidden from sight (radio up grades, GV overdrive unit, modern 727 trans, disc brakes ect) Under the hood is still TBD. I have a 400 and a 440 at home that would work but I keep feeling the need to put in a 57-58 vintage 392 HEMI..... I have my eye on one posted on San Diego Craigslist

[william0431]

Ohh these arrived at my dad's house today. Power windows!