1960 Plymouth Fury

[likaleica]

Looking for a stablemate for my 39 Plymouth Sedan and seen a 1960 Plymouth Fury 4 door Sedan for sale here in the UK. It's pale blue and cream (was that an original color combo?) with unworn/unmarked original cloth interior (still with the showroom clear plastic covers in place!)  It has the small block 318 cu V8  and two speed push button auto transmission.  I'm not familiar with these cars so I'd be very grateful for any advice about what I should check for on this model (apart from the obvious. ) I know values are always hard to get a fix on - especially trying to compare UK and US prices - but it's going for around $12,000 USD.  Does that sound expensive or cheap? Are such cars a good investment? Are spares easy to get? Thanking you in advance for any advice you may have.

 

[knuckleharley]

I may be wrong in Europe,but here in the US the only 4dr sedans that are a good investment are the serious classic sedans like the older Cadillac and Packards.

Also,please define "small block". The original 318 was called a "wide block" for good reason. SOB was big on the outside,if not on the inside. If your car has a modern "LA" 318 engine in it,it's only value is as a 4dr driver car. Which means "not much".

The 2-speed Powe-Flite tranmission is right for the car.

I can't speak for anyone else,but if it were me,I wouldn't pay a nickel extra for a Fury 4dr sedan with a 318 that I would pay for a 318 Belvedore 4dr sedan.  Other than the name tag,they are the same car mechanically.

One thing you need to pay special attention to when buying a 57-60 Mopar is rust. They had serious rust problems.

Given that you live in Europe and want a US Mopar,have you considered the smaller versions that are easier to park,like Darts and Dusters from the late 60's to early 70's? If you can live with the slant 6,maybe the finest engine design in history,you can buy a really nice 69-71 Duster or Dart for very little money and have a reliable and inexpensive Mopar to drive. Lots of them came with air-conditioning,and most of them came with power steering and automatic transmissions. 318's are virtually indestructable too,and many were sold with the modern "LA" 318.   If you feel the need to own a 69-71 Duster,Dart,or Barracuda with the 340 engine,you might want to check on finance rates for refinancing your house first. They sell for stupid money,but they will absolutely FLY down the drag strip or road. Nothing in their class could even come close.

Avoid ANYTHING that has "Lean Burn" associated with it in any way. It's usually on the air-cleaner,but that could have been changed. You can do a web search using LEAN BURN as the keywords and learn all you need to know about it.

Edited December 10, 2016 by knuckleharley

[likaleica]

That is obviously sound advice from someone who knows his stuff - thanks.  I'll have a good look round at alternatives!

[William Davey]

I had a 1960 Plymouth 4 door Savoy with the 318 and 2 speed auto. Car was reliable as a rock and decent on fuel mileage BUT as Knuckleharley points out it was HUGE. I may be wrong, but I don't think the Fury was ever available as a 4 door. I also had a 1970 Duster 340 and it was very quick and a blast to drive!  Slant 6 is OK, but get the 340 if your budget allows. Probably looking at $25-30K USD.

[Andydodge]

Likealeica........easy way to check what the engine is is to see whether the rocker/valve covers have 2 or 3 bolts holding the covers on thru the top of the covers and if they have a sawtooth shape along the lower side of the rocker cover..................if these features are present its a 318 Polysphere engine or A series, the father of the later 273/318,340,360 LA series Chrysler small blocks...I thought that by 1960 the 2 speed Powerflites had been superseded by the 3 speed Torqueflite but maybe not..............I have had a 1962 318 Poly in my 1940 Dodge since 1973 so can give some info re their abilities.................lol.....................andyd 

[knuckleharley]

56 minutes ago, Andydodge said:

Likealeica........easy way to check what the engine is is to see whether the rocker/valve covers have 2 or 3 bolts holding the covers on thru the top of the covers and if they have a sawtooth shape along the lower side of the rocker cover..................if these features are present its a 318 Polysphere engine or A series, the father of the later 273/318,340,360 LA series Chrysler small blocks...I thought that by 1960 the 2 speed Powerflites had been superseded by the 3 speed Torqueflite but maybe not..............I have had a 1962 318 Poly in my 1940 Dodge since 1973 so can give some info re their abilities.................lol.....................andyd 

I have a 63 Fury convertible sitting out in my yard with the push-button 727 and "wide block" 318 in it. Bought it to keep it from going to the crusher back when steel was high.

[B-Watson]

The 2 speed Powerflite was available only on V8 models in 1960 and 1961.  The A904 Torqueflite was available on the slant six models and the cast-iron Torqueflite was a second choice on the V8s. 

The aluminum case A-727 Torqueflite introduced for 1962 replaced both the Powerflite and the cast-iron Torqueflite. 

Although the Fury was a sporty series in 1956 to 1958, the sporty line in 1959 was the Sport Fury.  The regular Fury assumed the top series for 1959, pushing the Belvedere and Savoy down one notch.  The Plaza name was retired. 

In 1960 the Fury came as a 4 door sedan, 2 door hardtop, 4 door hardtop, 2 door convertible, 2-seat wagon and 3-seat wagon.   The convertible and wagon models came only as V8 models.    

The "wide-block" nickname for the poly 318 is a bit of a misnomer.  The A and LA blocks are so close in width a tape measure or yard stick cannot be used the determine the difference.  What causes the "difference" are the heads.  The poly heads are bigger than the LA wedge heads, giving the difference in width.  

Always wondered what the hubbub was about the Lean Burn.  I have owned five cars with the system and no problem,  My present car, a 1988 Plymouth Caravelle Salon (Gran Fury to those who do not live in Canada), has 273,000 Km on the odometer, and the original Lean Burn is still in place.  It runs great.   

Bill

Vancouver, BC.

 

Edited December 12, 2016 by B-Watson
spelling errors

[knuckleharley]

44 minutes ago, B-Watson said:

Always wondered what the hubbub was about the Lean Burn.  I have owned five cars with the system and no problem,  My present car, a 1988 Plymouth Caravelle Salon (Gran Fury to those who do not live in Canada), has 273,000 Km on the odometer, and the original Lean Burn is still in place.  It runs great.   

Bill

Vancouver, BC.

 

I worked at a Chrysler dealership in Denver in 76-77 or so,and the lean burn damn near put Chrysler out of business back in the 70's. We had customers who where life-long Mopar owners who were swearing they would never again buy another one after buying new Darts with the slant 6 and getting 6-8 mpg.

I bought a new Cordoba with the 360 while working there,and the best it ever got was around 8-10 mpg. I even put it up on a lift with the engine running,the trans in drive,and the cruise control operating so I could look around under it while it was pumping gas to check for leaks.

There was also the problem of running hot,which was probably made worse by the thin air in Denver.

I hope they took the engineering team that developed and approved the Lean Burn outside and shot them.

[SteveMopar]

Just had a look at it.  It's at £8k now, I myself wouldn't go much higher

Downside is four doors, not a desirable model or year. The Exner years Mopars don't have a great following in the UK.

They are Marmite cars.

One plus is it would make a great wedding car, get it earning it's keep.

Shame just sold my 65 Coronet ,that would have put a smile on your face ,flat out.

[likaleica]

Wow - some really interesting debate on these cars and thank you all for your input!  I've learned a whole lot along the way.

In couldn't arrange to see the 60 Fury sedan so will give it a miss, naturally.  SteveMopar you are absolutely on the right forum here as a newbie  - these guys are our kindred spirits -  knowledgeable and amazingly kind!!!

[Dartgame]

I would not steer away from a lean burn car. We bought an 87 fury for my son and did the swap to standard ignition and carb. Runs fine. Agree that the lean burn can be set up right, but most parts are not out there anymore to service it.