1966 Plymouth Fury VIP Delivered

[Fleet 500]

Well, the 1966 Fury VIP I won on ebay was delivered late last week.

It was pretty much as the seller described. I'm glad it has a straight body and an (original) interior in very good condition. The paint is actually a little better than the seller claimed. He said it's "faded and needs a repaint." If it's faded, it is not much.

There was one glitch. When the delivery driver was ready to take it off the trailer, it wouldn't start! I was going to stop by a shop I use anyway and have the car check out quickly. Especially the brakes. Anyway, the starter solenoid went out. Cost only $47 for that part... probably $500 for a Mercedes solenoid.

I did get to drive it yesterday. I did drive on of my brother's '66 Fury III years ago and this car felt much the same. The ride seemed smoother; I think the plush and soft seats were a factor. The seats are very impressive. Thick, plush and soft. In fact, softer than the seats in my former '71 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham.

The 383-4 bbl engine in my Fury provides plenty of power. I was driving up a street which turns into a long, gradual hill and gave it about 50% throttle; the car responded well and jumped ahead. This engine had a (gross) rating of 325 hp @ 4800 rpm and 425 lbs-ft torque @ 2800 rpm. Compression ratio is 10.0:1. A 3.23:1 rear axle ratio. I am going to have it weighed at a recycling center scale in a few weeks. I estimate 4,200 lbs.

On another street, I stopped at a stop sign and started turning right, again up a hill (this time a steeper hill) the car was rolling at about 8 mph and I thought I would instantly give it about 40% throttle... the right rear tire broke loose! The former owner was right- it will spin the tires sometimes when you don't expect it to.

Here are some photos. I didn't realize this car has chrome trim on the inside of the A-pillar, the pillar between the windshield and front door windows. My '69 Cadillac does not have chrome trim in that area. This just shows that the further back you go with '60s cars, the more chrome trim there is, even on the "low-priced" cars.

I will give a more detailed report after I have driven it more.

[Spastik_Roach]

Very nice! Colour suits it quite well and looks to be in really straight condition. You'll have to UCP test it soon though!

[whiteballz]

Obligatory - Lower it.

I like the front and rear, the sides are abit too flat for my tastes. But the colour does suit it.

[nota]

There was one glitch. When the delivery driver was ready to take it off the trailer, it wouldn't start!

Anyway, the starter solenoid went out. Cost only $47 for that part... probably $500 for a Mercedes solenoid.

LOL it crapped out before you got it of the trailer!

Poetic justice FTW. And to think you could have bought a reliable Benz. Btw a brand new Mercedes solenoid is actually cheaper, its $40

STARTER SOLENOID FOR MERCEDES 81-99:eBay Motors

[m5child]

She's a beauty. Congrats!

[Matra et Alpine]

Nice one Fleet.
Good seeing a "classic" go to someone who will want to retain it as it was.

BUT I see your "enthusiasm" has rose tinted rose coloured glasses

Inside wheels on turns with heavy vehicles will easily spin as the weight trasnfers to the outer on soft suspension. But that's not what the cars for -- the seats attest to that.

So are you intending a paint refurnb ?
Looking forward to more detailed reports on condition. ( but please try to limit the amount of "subjectivity" so we don't have nonsense like the Merc solenoid comment )

[Ferrer]

Looks great, congratulations.

I love old cars. Fiset test please.

[f6fhellcat13]

Congrats, Fleet.
The interior is very nicely laid out and I'm glad Plymouth avoided using a strip speedometer.

[Fleet 500]

LOL it crapped out before you got it of the trailer!

Poetic justice FTW. And to think you could have bought a reliable Benz. Btw a brand new Mercedes solenoid is actually cheaper, its $40

STARTER SOLENOID FOR MERCEDES 81-99:eBay Motors

At 43 years old, you can't expect a car to be perfect, unless it's fully restored in which case it would cost about $12,000!

I think the car making a point... it did not like being sold!

[Fleet 500]

Nice one Fleet.
Good seeing a "classic" go to someone who will want to retain it as it was.

BUT I see your "enthusiasm" has rose tinted rose coloured glasses

Inside wheels on turns with heavy vehicles will easily spin as the weight trasnfers to the outer on soft suspension. But that's not what the cars for -- the seats attest to that.

Yes, always a good idea to preserve another '60s (or '50s) car.

My enthusiasm is well-founded. I've been in other cars with soft suspension which could not break the rear end loose. My family had a '68 Pontiac Tempest (350-2 bbl engine) for a while. One of my brothers drove it for about 6 months. He would go around a corner at lower and lower speeds to see when he could get the tire to spin. He went lower and lower and never could get it to do that! By the feel of the suspension in my car, even it was rock hard, it would still easily break the tires loose.

It is true that this car is supposed to be a luxury Plymouth, but being the gearhead I am, I will probably do some modifications to it. Definitely a shift kit within a few weeks. It shifts fine, but I like a nice, firm shift.

Since this car has the 8 and 3/4" differential, there is a wide choice of aftermarket gears (ring and pinion). It has a 3.23 axle ratio, someday I may put in 3.55s. Nothing lower than that, though. 3.91s would keep the revs really high on the freeway.

So are you intending a paint refurnb ?

Not planning to do that at this time. It actually looks good when it's clean and you don't stand too close to the car! It has the usual chips but surprisingly few considering its age. Must have been garage kept most of its life.

Looking forward to more detailed reports on condition. ( but please try to limit the amount of "subjectivity" so we don't have nonsense like the Merc solenoid comment

Yeah, after I've driven it more I will post comments.
The Merc (and other cars like BMW) comment is well-founded. I know from other people who own those cars that parts like starters, alternators, etc cost 3 times more than for my car.

However, those parts are also probably pretty expensive for modern American cars, too. I do know that if my car needs an alternator, not only can I install it myself (ridiculously easy to access) but it would cost well under $50.00.

[Fleet 500]

Obligatory - Lower it.

I like the front and rear, the sides are abit too flat for my tastes. But the colour does suit it.

Don't think I'll lower it. Though the street here are now like those in New York, with many potholes, there are some pretty big dips. I don't want to drive a car which is going to scrape the ground over those dips. Besides, I like stock-appearing best. I think lowering it would affect the ride and handling, too.

I do like the overall styling, including the sides. Sure beats much of the modern styling and being a four-door, it looks like a grocery-getter but has a healthy big-block engine under the hood.

[Fleet 500]

Very nice! Colour suits it quite well and looks to be in really straight condition. You'll have to UCP test it soon though!

Do you mean Egg-Not test? I can do that, no problem.

[Fleet 500]

Looks great, congratulations.

I love old cars. Fiset test please.

Thanks.

I will do a review, with number ranking soon.

Here are two photos of the interior chrome trim I mentioned before.
Kind of hard to see in the photo; don't know why. Maybe the lighting.

[Fleet 500]

Poetic justice FTW. And to think you could have bought a reliable Benz. Btw a brand new Mercedes solenoid is actually cheaper, its $40

STARTER SOLENOID FOR MERCEDES 81-99:eBay Motors

Ebay price is a lot different from what shops charge. The price at the shop I use was $47; I don't think the price for a Mercedes solenoid is going to be less!

This Plymouth does seem to be reliable... original engine and transmission and rear axle. I am surprised how many things are working. For instance, it has a rear air defroster (the forced-air type) and when I turned it on the air was blowing through the vent quite strong. And a red light which blinks when the parking brake is set and the ignition is on still works!

Of course, it doesn't have that many miles but is still a 43-year-old car.

[Fleet 500]

Btw a brand new Mercedes solenoid is actually cheaper, its $40

STARTER SOLENOID FOR MERCEDES 81-99:eBay Motors

$40? They are one-half that, or even less, for Mopars on ebay and most likely as auto shops which sell those parts.

ebay item no. 220421216066
1961 Mopar starter solenoid, $14.00 (Buy-It-Now price)

ebay item no. 250443601069
1961 Mopar starter solenoid, $21.99 (BIN)

ebay item no. 320184966120
1961 Mopar starter solenoid, $16.00 (BIN)