Saw this car listed for auction in today's Hemmings. This is the car Tom White, well known restorer, picked up at Carlisle in 2007 and redid it a bit... but much of it remains as it was, including the oddities of no dash pad, and brake and accelerator pedals have the pattern of an LA - built car, event though this is an Evansville car. It has a high serial number, in the "106XXX" series, don't know if there is documentation showing it's build date but is likely June or July 1959... just for us curiosity seekers as we have discussed these things in the past.
I almost thought you were selling yours! Glad it was another convertible.
Well, no dash pad. Heater hoses are connected wrong on the valve.
Most stupid thing are the rear bumper guards with the rubbers in it. It should have the rubber strips on the front instead of the bumper wings.
Other than that a really nice car
Last edited by Matthew Keij on Thu Feb 13, 2014 9:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
Matthew - You calling Greenie stupid, she has rubber strips in the rear bumper guards BUT she does have the rubber strip in the front bumper instead of bumper wings, Oh well!!!!! whatshegonnado. heh, heh.
Dick.
You couldn't order a car with bumper wings and rubber guards on the rear bumper.
The options are bumper wings, rubber strips on the front and the guards on the rear, just the bumpers?
Wings and rubber guards just couldn't be combined
I was always under the impression that the dual quad setup was almost nonexistent on the '59s but a few early cars may have been so equipped. If this is indeed a high serial number car then I wouldn't expect this to be a dual quad car. JMO
Dual quads are an old topic on this board. No 1959 Plymouths were factory equipped with dual quads, and this car had a single four barrel carb when it was sold at Carlisle. Tom White installed the current setup.
But "back in the day" many cars were swapped over to the dual carburetors, either purchased from the dealer, or taken off others. They sure look good, don't they. It was a very popular hop up, and standard on all 1958 Furys, whether 318 or 350 Golden Commando powered. I would guess that the number of 1959 Plymouths that once upon a time had dual quads on their original 361 would number in the hundreds. I recall seeing them that way in a 1961 magazine, heard several stories over the years from those who claimed to have owned them that way and other third party sightings.. including my own when I got it 47 years ago - but it was a single four with date-correct components. Plymouth was the only Chrysler product in 1959 without a dual quad option. But they even show up in the parts catalog as "Fury" only parts!
Bernie - From what I understand there were approx. 10 dealer installed dual quad setups installed on 59 Sport Furys when they first hit the dealer showrooms. When I restored Charleen I installed a dual quad setup on her 318 just for show, no go. Greenie with the 361 single four barrel carb. will eat Charleen alive when it comes to go.
Dick.
Dick, there was a mention of 10 cars in that Cars and Parts magazine article of the white convert from New Jersey (at that time) but I suggest that was pure speculation. Especially as that article gives the serial no. as in the 106XXX range. I've had literally dozens of people tell me they had or saw dual quads on '59's but Chrysler and all other reasonable evidence said not original, single 4 only. I recently got a price list from back then and have been meaning to price out what an over-the-counter swap would have cost back then, comparing it as a percentage of the car, or just the price of the 361, as an $86.50 option. One more thought; 50 years ago, a kid at my high school bought a 58 Dodge convertible, top of the line, and it had the dual quad 361... I saw it in person and marveled at it's sight, sound, and tire burning fury (sorry, can't resist.) It's long, long gone but an unforgettable sight. Remember also a white hdtp advertised in Hemmings about 25 years ago claiming "original dual quads."
Now speaking of sights, your comment of Greenie eating Charleen must have you getting ready to set that scene to music, kinda like "Shut Down" by Jan and Dean.
if this car had a dash pad, what color should it be, red or black?? is the rest of the interior pretty much correct? i want to save the pictures in case i ever get around to doing my SP>
Grant - The Sport Fury with the red/gold cloth material and the red vinyl interior came with the Charcoal black dashboard with black dashpad, black cut pile carpet, black carpet kick strips on the bottom of the door panels and I think but I'm not sure the back of the front seats also had black cut pile carpet. That was how my car was when I got it but I changed it to Red dashboard with Red dash pad, and Red cut pile carpet.
Dick.
If you are looking for an absolutely factory original interior condition there are also good reference pictures in the Showcase section of this website, some cars still sport their original interiors. Some are modified per their owners desires, though.
As Dick mentioned, there is carpeting on the back of the swivel seats, in a trapezoidal shape, up to the bottom of the rear seat ash trays. Carpet color varies with one of the four interior colors: red, blue, green, or copper. And the front door armrests are always white vinyl on top of white plastic bases. This red convert pictured was done up with non-original red and black armrests long ago. I'm quite sure it was that way when seen at Carlisle in 2007, I was one of about a dozen of us on this website who were there and saw the car in person. It didn't have a dash pad back in 2007 either. But it is an excellent reference minus a few non-stock appearing items. I had a chance to see it again about 4 years ago as the restorer lived about an hour away.
Bernie, your memory serves you well! I checked my Carlisle 2007 pics and they confirm everything you wrote about the car.
Here's picture proof that there was no dash pad in the car
no dash pad
Ron
