1959 Plymouth Sport Fury

[larryconnors]

In 1963 I worked Saturdays at a local used car lot. My job was usually washing car windows and interiors and starting the cars and letting them warm up in the morning so they'd start quickly and easily if anyone was interested in buying one of them. I remember that a product called Motor Medic was put into the oil to reduce smoking and a fellow in a van would stop by and cut new treads on bald tires in the back of his van and then put them back on the cars. The owner of the lot drove a 1959 Plymouth Sport Fury which I remember as a really nice car. It had a decorative spare tire cover on the trunk lid and tail fins. I think it had a push button transmission and it had a V8.  The owner made a decoration of a Pheasant cape and tailfeathers that he attached to the ceiling by the rear view mirror. I've been watching the for sale ads and have not yet seen one of these cars for sale. Is it a rare model? Does anyone have one and how do you like it?

[dezeldoc]

I have one...want to buy it?

[larryconnors]

I have more cars than will fit in my garage now, but I'd be very interested in hearing about your car. The 59  Sport Fury is a real standout!

[deathbound]

Here are 2 on ebay right now:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1959-Plymouth-Sport-Fury-2D-Hardtop-318-V8-TorqueFlite-Push-button-Tranny-/300907197136?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item460f7772d0

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1959-SPORT-FURY-V-800-DUAL-FURY-TWIN-FOUR-BARRELS-POWER-STEERING-PB-AMAZING-W-W-/221231070032?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3382663b50

[austinsailor]

Interesting. I never heard of a 318 with 2 4bbls.  Some of the big engines had them, some dealer installed, but a 318 with 1 4bbl is unusual in my experience. Pretty cars, though, both of them.

[Plymouthy Adams]

yes the poly was offered in 2 bbl at 230 HP and in 4 bbl at 260 HP and twin fours at 290 HP

Edited May 26, 2013 by Plymouthy Adams

[DCurrent]

I like those old cars. I think a bit of a fantasy sparked up when the movie "Christine" was out. Since then those cars have been very desirable. I know I wouldn't mind having one like in the movie. I'm not much in favor of the spare tire on the deck lid. I don't get it. There must be a model difference between the one in "Christine" and the one mentioned above.

Darren

[Plymouthy Adams]

Christine was evil in RED as the car per what I have read was only offered in white with gold trim...good movie with lots of creative liberties....how many of you actually remember the swivel seat drivers side bucket for easy in/out....my uncle had one of these from the showroom floor..now my 59 Plymouth was a 9 passenger Suburban wagon with 318 and 2 bbl w/torqueflite

[larryconnors]

I looked at the sport furys on ebay and it just makes you drool to see them. Can you believe they went from p15's to these in just 11 years! I also didn't know they had such hot engines. I'm not surprised that they command such prices.

[austinsailor]

We had a 59 wagon, 318, 2bbl powerflite, I think, when I started driving. Dad bought it new, a pos. every trip you picked up all the screws off the floor that had fallen out. Leaked. Replaced the u joints, then the driveshaft trying to get the shakes out of it. Burned a quart of oil every 250 miles right off the showroom floor. They worked on it and got the oil consumption down some, but still too much. My feeling was this was about the low point in mopar quality. Fit and finish was awful.

However, if I saw it for sale down the road today I'd sure be interested!

[William Davey]

My dad had a 58 Plymouth ex NY State Police car.  As a police special, it had a Desoto 361 with a 4 barrel and dual exhaust.  Since I was still in my teens, I wasn't allowed to drive it often, but boy would that S_O_B go!  Pushbutton torqueflite went to 55mph in 1st gear with a nice tire squawk going into 2nd.  2nd was good for about 90, and I never did find the top end.  This was with the timing retarded so it wouldn't ping on regular gas!  The closest MOPAR I ever owned performance wise was a 70 Duster 340 (wish I still had that one)

[LAKOTA169]

I like those old cars. I think a bit of a fantasy sparked up when the movie "Christine" was out. Since then those cars have been very desirable. I know I wouldn't mind having one like in the movie. I'm not much in favor of the spare tire on the deck lid. I don't get it. There must be a model difference between the one in "Christine" and the one mentioned above.

Darren

Christine was a '58. My dad got a new '58 Suburban. Made a couple of trips to California in it. Even towed a small 18' travel trailer to Portland, Or. Only 2 problems I can remember (both happened while I was driving). A tie rod broke just as I was turning to get onto an expressway (wired it up and drove it back home). On night while sitting in a drive in movie with another couple, we heard a loud noise and felt the car shake. Thought we had a blowout on one of the tires. Checked the tire ad they were ok. Car drove kind of funny going home. Next morning we looked and found that a torsion bar had broken.

[Don Coatney]

I have heard of tortion bars breaking but never when the car was not bouncing

[plyroadking]

Here's one in the bay area that has been on cl for quite awhile

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/3828634895.html

[Plymouthy Adams]

torsion bars are prone to break should they be swapped side accidentally...torsion bar retainer braket can get rusted out..some early b's had this prob...

[Andydodge]

Austin................the 57 and 58 Fury's had the 318 Poly with the twin 4 WCFB Carter  option. It was the top of the line in 57 but for 58 it shared top billing with the first of the B blocks, a 350 cube version that also had a twin four WCFB Carter setup, there was apparently an optional Bendix Fuel Injection setup available but these were recalled and retro fitted with the twin 4 setup. I have had a couple of the factory twin 4 intakes over the yrs, the 1st was 35 yrs ago when I was young & silly......I couldn't get the WCFBs to run properly but you can't fit a pair of Holleys directly onto the twin four intake due to space limitations so I got a pair of Offy cross ram adaptors and ran a Holley above each rocker cover........this poor pic is the only one I have of this crossram setup.........lol........ran like a hairy goat, with a 35/75 cam, hi stall converter etc, idled at 1000rpm, all hell broke loose at 3000rpm.......lol.......so have had a Weiand alloy single 4 intake & 600 Holley for the past 30 yrs.......BUT........I now have another twin 4 factory intake &  a pair of Edelbrock carbies ...............so whilst I am not young anymore, I'm still a hotrodder at heart......and silly............lol.........andyd   

[BobT-47P15]

My parents bought a used 1957  station wagon when it was two or three years old........seemed like a nice car, and Mom loved

the gold and cream color scheme.  However, I managed to wreck it while racing a friend in a 54 Red Ram Dodge. I recall that

one fellow in my high school senior class had a 59 Plymouth sedan.  It was OK, but not near so sharp looking as the Fury

hardtop.   

[knuckleharley]

Interesting. I never heard of a 318 with 2 4bbls.  Some of the big engines had them, some dealer installed, but a 318 with 1 4bbl is unusual in my experience. Pretty cars, though, both of them.

I have a 63 Fury convertible project car for sale that has a 318 and 2brl.

 

I also have a wide block factory 2x4 intake,but that's not for sale at anywhere near a reasonable price. I'm keeping it in case my dream of being able to afford to buy a nice 58-59 Fury or DeSoto 2dr ht comes true.

[knuckleharley]

I looked at the sport furys on ebay and it just makes you drool to see them. Can you believe they went from p15's to these in just 11 years! I also didn't know they had such hot engines. I'm not surprised that they command such prices.

A Fury or D-500 showing up at the drag strip has the Chevy boys crying until the NHRA did the same thing to Chrysler they did to the dual-quad and blown 312 Fords,outlaw them in stock classes so the Chevy could win.

 

Used to be a sailor that occasionally showed up at the drag strip in Pungo,Va in the late 50's-early 60's that had a dual quad 58 Fury with push-button 727. It was all about the fight for second place when he showed up.

[Plymouthy Adams]

the single four barrel intake for the poly is not as common in my experience and is a hard to come by option as I seem to locate more dual 4 bbl intakes at a reasonable cost in comparison..last dual 4 one was 175.00 asking price..could have been bought for less as it was swap meet item..

[knuckleharley]

Austin................the 57 and 58 Fury's had the 318 Poly with the twin 4 WCFB Carter  option. It was the top of the line in 57 but for 58 it shared top billing with the first of the B blocks, a 350 cube version that also had a twin four WCFB Carter setup, there was apparently an optional Bendix Fuel Injection setup available but these were recalled and retro fitted with the twin 4 setup. I have had a couple of the factory twin 4 intakes over the yrs, the 1st was 35 yrs ago when I was young & silly......I couldn't get the WCFBs to run properly but you can't fit a pair of Holleys directly onto the twin four intake due to space limitations so I got a pair of Offy cross ram adaptors and ran a Holley above each rocker cover........this poor pic is the only one I have of this crossram setup.........lol........ran like a hairy goat, with a 35/75 cam, hi stall converter etc, idled at 1000rpm, all hell broke loose at 3000rpm.......lol.......so have had a Weiand alloy single 4 intake & 600 Holley for the past 30 yrs.......BUT........I now have another twin 4 factory intake &  a pair of Edelbrock carbies ...............so whilst I am not young anymore, I'm still a hotrodder at heart......and silly............lol.........andyd   

I have a friend here in NC that has one of the 14 (according to him) Chrysler 300 convertibles sold new with fuel-injection. IIRC,he said the car only has 14,000 miles on it and caused the owner so many problems they just parked it in their garage and bought a new one instead of taking it in to be replaced with the dual quad setup. I've never seen the car,but know people who have and they say it looks like a new one.

[knuckleharley]

the single four barrel intake for the poly is not as common in my experience and is a hard to come by option as I seem to locate more dual 4 bbl intakes at a reasonable cost in comparison..last dual 4 one was 175.00 asking price..could have been bought for less as it was swap meet item..

I have no doubt you are right because the same is true for the 291-341 DeSoto hemi engines. Especially the low-deck 55 291's. Single quad intakes sell for obscene prices,and dual quad intakes for the high deck 330-341 engines are pretty reasonable. I have one of them,too,as well as a complete factory 291 4brl engine. Either the 291 or the 330 is going in my 33 Pluymouth coupe ,along with a  push-button 727 and 8-3/4 rear. Which one it will be is dependent on which one looks the best when I tear them down.

 

Either one is likely to end up wearing the 6x2 log intake,anyway. Does it get any cooler than a 6 carb hemi?

Edited May 28, 2013 by knuckleharley

[Andydodge]

The factory single 4 barrel 318 poly intake was available 57-58 and up to 60/61 from what I've read, the factory twin 4 poly intake only in 57 & 58......alloy aftermarket intakes by Weiand were the single & twin 4, Edelbrock did a single four, twin four and triple 2 intake and Offy also had a twin four listed. I personally have a Weiand single 4 and factory twin 4 intake. Also worth chasing are the Edelbrock finned alloy rocker covers, a guy here in Oz is making copies of these but without the "edelbrock" logo........andyd      

[Andydodge]

Knuckle.........does it get any cooler than a 6 carb Hemi?????..........of course it does!!........they made 8 carb intakes didn't they!!..............lol..........its great being old & silly ain't it.........lol.........regards, Andy Douglas

[knuckleharley]

Knuckle.........does it get any cooler than a 6 carb Hemi?????..........of course it does!!........they made 8 carb intakes didn't they!!..............lol..........its great being old & silly ain't it.........lol.........regards, Andy Douglas

Beats the HELL out of being young and broke and forced to be sensible.

 

Chances are the two center carbs will be the only ones that work,but these days a 6x2 intake makes people's eyes bug out. I have a junk 283 Chevy sitting between the frame rails of my fenderless 32 Ford coupe. I used it as a pattern to build motor and trans mounts,radiator mounts,etc. Since I had a 6x2 SBC sitting on a shelf I put 6 Strombergs on it and just sat it on top of the engine to catch the eye of people coming in the shop. The actual engine is a 350 with dual quads still sitting on a engine stand.

 

Had one guy under 20 tell me he had never seen or heard of such a thing before,and didn't know it was even possible.

 

Below is the real engine that was going into ot before I found a 409. Now I don't know what I'm going to do with a 450 hp 350. I have a ton of money in it with the Dart 2 heads and all,and would be lucky to get half of what it cost me to build if I sell it.

 

 

Edited May 29, 2013 by knuckleharley