1966 Sport Fury. Where to start?

[UFO007]

Hello my name is Ian. I am new to this forum. I purchased a 66 Sport Fury about 2 months ago and I am looking to join the club here and ask for feedback as I start my journey into restoring this car. I have included some pics to give you a general feel for the car. Under the hood is a 318 that runs ok? Power steering and automatic transmission. It runs and drives, and stops sort of. Not really too much cancer at least from my initial inspections. I am totally new to car restoration. I am not new to working on cars however not to this degree. My plans for the car are to work on the suspension and brakes. I found some disc brakes from a C body that I purchased to convert my fronts over to. Then I would like to pull the interior and clean up the body for paint and lastly build an engine. I am thinking 408 stroker. I will need a great deal of advice from all on this site and yes I expect to get balls broken for asking stupid questions. I live in Emmett Idaho and it looks like there are no Mopar Clubs in Boise so you guys will be my resource.

One big question I have is building a 360 stroker to a 408. I can find engines and I understand working with a machine shop however I have never rebuilt a motor. I do have mechanical aptitude and I can follow a process but not sure if its just better to have someone else with years of experience do it or have the satisfaction of doing it myself.

Looking forward to the feedback.

 

[57fury440]

How about some pictures of the rest of the car.

 

[UFO007]

Sorry I guess the other images did not come through.

 

[57fury440]

If you are not keeping the original 318 then I would go with a big block. Those cars came with them so it would be an easy swap.

 

[MarkLevi]

If you are not keeping the original 318 then I would go with a big block.

I'd be in this school of thought, also. Hard to beat a 383 for all-around "balance". Appears you don't have A/C which keeps it a bit simpler. On the other hand, you'd need a different transmission and driveshaft - possibly a radiator too.

I turned your pics and tweaked on them a little. Your car looks outwardly solid

 

[UFO007]

Thanks for the feedback and for adjusting the pics. I have thought about a 440 as well but your point of a different trans, drive shaft, radiator are all factors. A new rad will be a good idea no matter what, my trans will have to be rebuilt anyway so it may be a better route. Not sure of what is involved short of motor mounts, trans and driveshaft? From a cost perspective I don’t see a big difference considering everything on the motor is tired and I would not reuse. More pics soon. Thanks for the info

 

[65Fury440]

Welcome! Nice car!
Your car looks solid from what the pictures show. I have a 65 and love it.
You are right about needing a new trans and engine swap parts to go big block.
I'm going to second your approach.
Instead of going BB, go with the stroked small block, save all the swap costs, go roller cam, you'd be able to make a combo with more torque and power than a stock 383, and run pump gas, and live a long life.
Depends what your wants are out of the car. Even a Poly 318 a little hopped up is fun to drive. Perfect for cruisin.
408-Inch Budget Mopar Stroker Makes Over 500 HP

 

[300L]

Welcome Ian!

Congratulations, your Plymouth looks like a solid vehicle.
Another argument for the SB stroker is the lower weight compared to the BB. A friend of mine converted his '68 Satellite from a 318 to a 408 stroker, also to have fun with it on the 1/4 mile from time to time.

 

[1970FuryConv]

Welcome Ian. Sharp car!
Some considerations when you replace your torque converter:
1966 318 is generally an internal balance engine with matching unweighted torque converter
I have worked on 1971 through 1990 360 engines. All of them were external balance with weighted torque converter.
With the 1990 truck, I was able to get a weighted B&M flex plate and use the unweighted torque converter when converting from 318 to 360 (5.9L) engine.

 

[volksworld]

think back in the day when we threw the 360 in the 65 fury i had to use a dodge van torque converter cause the 360 cars had 904's by then and only the vans still used 727s....then again if you're building a stroker those cranks may be available internally balanced

 

[HOT FURY]

Beautiful car and welcome to the club! Just finishing mine up let me know if you need advice or direction with any specifics, I did a complete teardown and rebuild on one.

 

[Triple Pickle]

That’s a solid looking car. Great to have you on board!
I myself like to farm out the engine building to a reputable shop. While the engine is out and being worked on I concentrate on cleaning and doing whatever repairs or upgrades I want to the car. I did a 72 Polara a while back with a 360 and there’s a thread on it here somewhere. I had a 360 bored and Hyperutectic pistons, a mild cam, factory high stall converter installed. It ran pretty good.
I wouldn’t go big block myself simply because of the added cost and hassle. Then I would spread the savings over the car itself, not just the engine.
Don’t get too caught up in horsepower ratings and high performance. The main thing is the car itself. It all comes down to where the rubber meets the road and there a limit to how much power the stock items can put to use!

 

[Dads300]

Nice car. I agree with above, a mild, or even stock 360 is a big difference from a tired 318. A 360 is basically a bolt in deal where you’d need to source lots of trinkets to big block it. The newer magnum 5.2 and 5.9 are a good way to go as well.
Travis..

 

[MrMoparCHP]

I have a friend that has a shop in Caldwell, he specializes in vintage Mopar.
I'll check with him to see if I can pass on his info.


Alan

 

[Dads300]

I was just thinking, this thing has a poly 318 correct? You say it runs ok. If it has good oil pressure and it’s not burning oil, I’d lash the valves, rebuild the stock carb, replace the plugs,wires,cap/rotor, and points. Give it a good tune and see how you like it. Those polys run really smooth and have good power when they’re tuned right. Also, an open air filter and a straight thru muffler make a big difference on a single exhaust 2 barrel engine.
Travis..

 

[Drop Top Fury]

Welcome - I bought my 66 Fury convertible on 11/27/21. I never had a Mopar. just GM cars.
I really enjoy this Fury. I had the original 318 Poly rebuilt with a solid lifter cam (orginial), 2 bbl. 3 speed auto and a 2:94 open rear end. Just had it painted Teal, white rag top and black interior coming together.

For a first timer keep it simple. Use the 318, complete tune up. repair or replace radiator. You will be happy in the open roads out west. Plus save $$$ on gas!

 

[57fury440]

Since you said you are kind of new to this, maybe you should consider the cost. If money is no object, then just buy all new stuff. However, if you are looking to make the car nice then that is not necessary. If you look at everything you want done, then you can research the parts you need and the costs of labor for the things you will have someone else do. At that point you can get a rough idea of what it will be as far as money. Like said above, the poly 318 is a good engine and can make decent horsepower. Years ago, I had the 2 four-barrel version in my 57. I added an Isky cam and kit, Hedman headers, Mallory ignition and 3:54 to 1 sure grip rear. It ran pretty well and got me in the 14 second range back in the mid-sixties using cheater slicks. If you added a four-barrel manifold and a good carb along with duals, you would see a nice difference in power. Using you existing engine would leave you plenty of cash to use on the other things you want to do to it. Good luck, it's a nice car.

 

[UFO007]

Wow what a great response from all of you. I have added a few more images of the car. Sorry I am having some trouble rotating the images. Great feedback from all of you. I think I am set on the 360 Stroker motor for a few reasons. As mentioned I dont need to change as many things to make it work. For me I want something that will perform, will be somewhat unique to an already unique car and with a rumble that will make the car special. No I dont plan on being at the strip every weekend, and no this will not be a daily driver however I want to have something that reflects what I want the car to be when I am done. It wont be a show car. I dont want to make it a 100% original car however I do plan on changing the color to a light blue. I know this involves more work however the current color is just not my cup of tea. I bought the car with an idea of what I wanted it to be and maybe that will change over time and once I start to dig into it however at the moment that is my vision. I want to add larger wheels and tires and make it perform. These cars are under appreciated and that I why I chose this car for a resto mod. We have all seen a million Camaro's and Mustangs but I wanted something unique. I was at a car show not that long ago taking to a guy about his car and mentioned what I was going to do and he had never even heard of a Sport Fury. I punched him in the nose and kicked him in the teeth but he was a chevy guy so I was not expecting much anyway. Ha. I have recently retired and looking for an excuse to be in the shop, versus telling my wife I am working in the shop however just drinking beer. Now I have a legitimate reason to be out there, and drink beer. I plan to do as much of the work as I can myself only lookin to maybe have the motor and trans done and the final paint. Other than that its on me. I don't have an unlimited budget however this car will not be a trailer queen and I plan on driving it and feeding it the onions on occasion. I will be leaning on your guys for all of your knowledge and experience and I will do my best to share my progress along the way. I am almost finished with building a craft room for my wife inside my shop so once that is done I will start to work on the suspension and brakes making sure all my systems are solid before removing interior, engine and then addressing the body issues. With such a great response from all of you already I cant wait to see where this leads me. Hopefully not to depression and alcoholism, ok maybe not depression anyway.

On a side note I need the center console and shifter for my car. I have all of the console parts however my shell is busted in the back area and the shifter is some sort of custom, not well thought out piece that is not original to the car and does not work great. If someone has one for sale or knows where to get one that is not made of gold let me know. That is the one draw back to these cars is that there is not much aftermarket love for them. I knew this getting into it and that is why I looked for the best example I could find.

Thanks guys. Looking forward to your continued support.

 

[HOT FURY]

Wow what a great response from all of you. I have added a few more images of the car. Sorry I am having some trouble rotating the images. Great feedback from all of you. I think I am set on the 360 Stroker motor for a few reasons. As mentioned I dont need to change as many things to make it work. For me I want something that will perform, will be somewhat unique to an already unique car and with a rumble that will make the car special. No I dont plan on being at the strip every weekend, and no this will not be a daily driver however I want to have something that reflects what I want the car to be when I am done. It wont be a show car. I dont want to make it a 100% original car however I do plan on changing the color to a light blue. I know this involves more work however the current color is just not my cup of tea. I bought the car with an idea of what I wanted it to be and maybe that will change over time and once I start to dig into it however at the moment that is my vision. I want to add larger wheels and tires and make it perform. These cars are under appreciated and that I why I chose this car for a resto mod. We have all seen a million Camaro's and Mustangs but I wanted something unique. I was at a car show not that long ago taking to a guy about his car and mentioned what I was going to do and he had never even heard of a Sport Fury. I punched him in the nose and kicked him in the teeth but he was a chevy guy so I was not expecting much anyway. Ha. I have recently retired and looking for an excuse to be in the shop, versus telling my wife I am working in the shop however just drinking beer. Now I have a legitimate reason to be out there, and drink beer. I plan to do as much of the work as I can myself only lookin to maybe have the motor and trans done and the final paint. Other than that its on me. I don't have an unlimited budget however this car will not be a trailer queen and I plan on driving it and feeding it the onions on occasion. I will be leaning on your guys for all of your knowledge and experience and I will do my best to share my progress along the way. I am almost finished with building a craft room for my wife inside my shop so once that is done I will start to work on the suspension and brakes making sure all my systems are solid before removing interior, engine and then addressing the body issues. With such a great response from all of you already I cant wait to see where this leads me. Hopefully not to depression and alcoholism, ok maybe not depression anyway.

On a side note I need the center console and shifter for my car. I have all of the console parts however my shell is busted in the back area and the shifter is some sort of custom, not well thought out piece that is not original to the car and does not work great. If someone has one for sale or knows where to get one that is not made of gold let me know. That is the one draw back to these cars is that there is not much aftermarket love for them. I knew this getting into it and that is why I looked for the best example I could find.

Thanks guys. Looking forward to your continued support

Consoles, C Body – National Mo-Parts

 

[Triple Pickle]

You do realize that a show car paint job requires complete disassembly of the car and will cost over $10k easy if no even minor repairs are needed right? That’s with you doing the disassembly. Show car paint jobs don’t require much masking tape if any. And nothing looks worse than perfect paint with weathered, pitted,dull trim and bumpers.
Just something to think about, I’ll shut up since I’m a Chevy guy too and don’t want my face kicked in.