'64 Plymouth Fury

[carnalsupply]

It's taken a couple years but I found a '64 Fury 2-door, which I've always dreamed of dropping and giving a NASCAR kind of vibe. Problem is, what I bought and what I was told I was buying were two entirely different things! I don't want to get into the whole sordid tale of my stupidity, rather I'd prefer to focus on the task at hand an the progress I'm making, so here goes.

Before I start though I want to commend all the contributors on this site: I've been lurking around for a while looking for ideas and it's AMAZING how much you guys all support each other. I hope to become active and help others when possible.

These are shots of the car I received prior to purchase. Looks can be VERY deceiving! Beneath the metallic Gray paint was more rot and plastic filler than metal, so I stripped the car of every nut and bold and had it acid stripped.

Neither of the quarter panels are actual Mopar sheet metal! Both appeared to be scrap sheet metal riveted in place then slathered over with filler, which in places was over 1" thick!

Below is just a little of what we found: I've got more shots I'll post later, including the floor, which will be replaced in its entirety after we install full frame rails (2" x 4" rectangular tubing). The opposite quarter was just as bad!



One of the biggest problems is the fact nobody makes a complete quarter panel for the Fury so you end up having to use a couple different stampings, making alignment and attachment that much more difficult.





After the acid stripping the real extent of the damage was apparent, so here's what we're doing to remedy the problems:

New trunk extensions (both sides):



Cut away the rot and move the remaining inner wheelhouse inwards 2.5".



Then install the new quarter panels (in pieces):





After that we filled in the gap between the new quarter panels and the inner wheel house. I did the right side first and did it in two pieces but decided to fill the left side in a single sheet. Damn that's a lot of work!






It's funny because I was worried about fitting a large enough tire under this thing, but when I put one of my friends 335/35/17 (on a Compomotive HB) under the car I ended up with 2" - 2.5" worth of clearance!

Once we knew the 335's would fit I went ahead and ordered rims. My friend had good luck with the guys at Intro so I checked 'em out and found their "Pentia", which I think has an excellent retro theme while incorporating a modern edge. The spokes and center will be powder-coated Titanium while the lip will be polished. I think this contrast will look bitchin' on a black car.
Sizes are:
Front: 17" x 9.5"
Rear: 17" x 12"





Now that we've got most of the rear rot issues taken care of it's time to begin moving on, and here are the plans:

• 51" truck arms with coilovers
• 9" floater with 3.90's (approximate)
• Complete C5 Vette front suspension with coilovers: we may or may not use the Chevy K-member I have, it just depends on the engine fitment. If there's any oil pan or pulley issues we'll make our own.
• Remove all front sub-frame and fenderwell material and replace with the full length frame mentioned above.
• Move firewall back 1" - 2"
• Install Art Morrison 12 point cage
• Install fiberglass hood, trunk, fenders, bumpers, and doors
• Install 500+ inch RB with D1 Pro Charger

[Motown 454]

Nice Car keep the pictures coming.

[terryr]

I like that body style for some reason. Years ago I saw a black one with a basically stock 440 and a dash button auto.

[1971CHEVELLE]

Nice project Keep us posted

[carnalsupply]

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement!
I grew up with a guy who had a '64 Fury during our high school days and ever since then it's been the car I dream about, regardless of what else I've owned, including my current '70 Corvette (see below).

I went back through the shots I took of the car and found this one, which gives a much better idea of how much room the mini-tubbing has given us. The rims are 2 - 3 weeks out and I can't wait to see what they look like up inside the wheel well!



Here are some shots of my '70 LT-1 Vette. As much as I love the look of them I'll be pulling of the Hilborns some time in the next month or so and putting on an Edelbrock Victor Jr. and FAST 4150 Throttle Body. As it currently sits the engine is like a light switch and just no fun to drive so I'm hoping the switchover will help with driveability.

[Motown 454]

Nice Vette Too!

[dusterbd13]

welome from another mopar guy.

and props for doing a sport fury. i still kick myself for turning down a free ig block powered one in high school. all i had to do was come and get it. it was absolutely beat, but really cool. had a console and everything. id still like to find one, but probably wont.

if you need more mopar inspiration, check out some of the a-body builds on this site.

keep the good work going.

michael

[joe440]

thats going to be nice, i love the "nascar inspired" builds

[carnalsupply]

Hey Joe,

Just took a look at your Dart and that's one sick looking Mopar! It's funny because I thought my original inline dual quad intake was a rarity on an RB but I can't remember the last time I saw a long tube intake on a hotrod.
Nice ride!

[joe440]

thanks, its a little different haha

[dodge]

I look forward to seeing more of this build..Good Luck

[carnalsupply]

Well the rear rims just showed up, and they look awesome! Nothing but "props" for Dave down at Intro: great service and a terrific looking piece. Once the tires arrive next we'll get 'em mounted and mock up the ride height. I'll get some shots of it then.

[carnalsupply]

Due to a pressing work schedule it's taken a few weeks to get back to work on the Fury, and considering the scope of the rot damage I think I needed the break! Here are some pictures of what I found and the repairs I made this weekend.

The extent of the damage was actually far worse than I had expected and forced me to alter my plan. Once I removed the cowl I found the inner cowl was horribly damaged, which in and of itself is bad enough but now the unibody integrity is in question. I had hoped to remove the entire firewall this weekend but the damaged floorboards proved so week the entire car would have "folded up" on the rotisserie so I added a bit of 2" round tubing for support and only cut the actual damaged areas.

All this from a car that was supposed to be "in great shape"! What an idiot I was!

At this point I've done just about all I can with the car on the rotisserie so now it's time to put it on a surface plate. The plan from this point is to:
*Mount the body shell on the surface plate and take LOTS of measurements.
*Remove the front subframe and all inner fender-wells
*Remove the entire firewall.
*Remove all floorboards.
*Fabricate new framerails that tie into the rear sub-frame and extend all the way forward.
*Install the Art Morrison 10 point cage.
*Install the entire Corvette (C5) front suspension, including K-Member, rack, and sway bar.
*Design new engine mounts and locate the engine.
*Modify and install new floor pans.
*Fabricate a new trans tunnel.
*Design and install a new firewall.
*Purchase and install an aftermarket A/C-Heater unit or retrofit the factory stock unit, depending on fitment issues.
*Locate and tack in the Truck-Arm crossmember
That should be enough to keep me busy for a while!

Thanks for all the kind words and support!

[Boyd]

Wow, that stinks. Sounds like you're determined though, which is good. Love your plans for the car. Can't wait to see the progress.

[454bug]

Before I start though I want to commend all the contributors on this site: I've been lurking around for a while looking for ideas and it's AMAZING how much you guys all support each other. I hope to become active and help others when possible.

Hey Bob,

Welcome to the site!!! WELCOME ABOARD!! You have a REALLY cool project and I look forward to you slaying your demons and conquering the project! My next door neighbor has a 1964 Belvedere with a 528 cubic inch Hemi in it. I have ALWAYS loved the Belvederes and Furys.

Keep up the great work!!!

[badbu68]

That's going to be a wicked ride. Too bad about the PO "repairs". Love the look of a fury, makes me wish I kept my 67 coronet.

[carnalsupply]

I was hoping to have some shots of the Intro rims with the Kumho 335's mounted, but for some crazy reason the shop literally could not get the tire bead to slide over the seam where the two rim halves join! Just another crazy bump in the road for my Fury :bsjerk:

Ordered up the steel for the surface plate so now we just have to build it. Just another day in the life...

Thanks for the advice on the first name basis: I'd read about that previously and simply forgot to go in and do it. My name's Bob and it's a pleasure to be here.

[HarleyR]

I know where there is 20 or so Dodge R5 engines complete pan to manifold for under 7 grand... Team I used to work for ran them in their Craftsman trucks...its basically the same engine the cup cars are running now.... 730 bhp with a 390 carb put an 830 on it and pick up 100 hp...

[BLWN1]

Details on engines?


I almost had a fury, got a Dart instead... good luck with it!

[shortrack]

Richard would be proud.........!