1971 Fury GT, Gold, Promo Car

[1970FuryConv]

IMO, any project car wearing matching wheels/tires feeds the soul a bit, especially when they all hold air - but there's no sense putting on new tires just yet.

Take wheel/tire #4 to a tire shop and have them put a tube in it. Might need to source the tube yourself, or if you can break the bead you can tube it yourself with some effort.

Shouldn't cost more than $50 total?

It's probably a bead leak. Can't find leak at tread, sprayed soap and water. Sealant on the bead might do it. Definitely not buying new tires. Car needs to go to a body shop. Junk rims and tires for that. In the meantime, road wheels feed my soul.

 

[1970FuryConv]

I guess the red clay, once it had dried, almost acted like undercoat, sealing out oxygen
You had said a while ago that you didn't think Gary @Wollfen would be available for any rust repair on this GT. Did you find someone to lend a hand? I'm looking forward to watching your progress here
Carl

Hi Carl,

I have not figured out a replacement for Gary. I’ve had 2 local recommendations. I talked to one of them on the phone and he seemed sketchy. I haven’t talked to the 2nd one. Also know a guy about 3 hours away, but if I wanted the whole car done, he’s got a year of backlog. I might have to get a someone to hang the quarter and do the rough bodywork and come back to the paint later. I just haven’t figured out what I’m doing. This car is too important to trust to just anybody. Ben

 

[71FuryGC]

Hi Carl,

I have not figured out a replacement for Gary. I’ve had 2 local recommendations. I talked to one of them on the phone and he seemed sketchy. I haven’t talked to the 2nd one. Also know a guy about 3 hours away, but if I wanted the whole car done, he’s got a year of backlog. I might have to get a someone to hang the quarter and do the rough bodywork and come back to the paint later. I just haven’t figured out what I’m doing. This car is too important to trust to just anybody. Ben

Good luck finding the best person/people. Not always easy I know.

 

[Samplingman]

I just read through this thread and many of the side threads created about this car through the years. Great job in your efforts to preserve the history and originality of this car!

Suggestion on the sheetmetal work: trust no one! You have the skills and ambition to hang that quarter panel yourself. A few tools, spot weld cutter, angle grinder, some cheap HF body clamps and a borrowed MIG is all you need. Take your time, and you will be much happier with the result when you do the work yourself. You are way ahead of the game here with the NOS panel.

 

[1970FuryConv]

I've been asked: what's going on with this car.
I really don't want to put an engine in the car without the front subframe being right.
I've found a professional welder who says he can do the repair to the area under the radiator support if the front subframe is off the car.
Here's the beginning of subframe removal.
Steering linkage and steering knuckles
Tension removed

Bent tie rod removed and recycled

LS tie rod removed with center link. Looks OK

Disc brake knuckle

Power of pickle fork over ball joints. Sledge hammer persuasion was required on 3 of them.

Steering knuckle and linkage gone both sides

 

[1970FuryConv]

Grill and bumper remove
Grill motor wiring, later disconnected

Bumper bracket bolts through side of subframe removed. 2 of them were a real struggle.

Forward facing bumper brackets, right side was not attached to main bumper bracket

Grill and bumper, removed

Subframe damage looks worse from below. Clue: I say The New Mexico Farmer did it with a Tractor.

 

[71FuryGC]

I've been asked: what's going on with this car.
I really don't want to put an engine in the car without the front subframe being right.
I've found a professional welder who says he can do the repair to the area under the radiator support if the front subframe is off the car.
Here's the beginning of subframe removal.
Steering linkage and steering knuckles
Tension removed
View attachment 561169
Bent tie rod removed and recycled
View attachment 561170
LS tie rod removed with center link. Looks OK
View attachment 561171
Disc brake knuckle
View attachment 561172
Power of pickle fork over ball joints. Sledge hammer persuasion was required on 3 of them.
View attachment 561173
Steering knuckle and linkage gone both sides
View attachment 561174

Glad to see that you are getting the subframe ready for removal Ben. Is the welder the "ace" that you had mentioned previously or a different one? I'm guilty as charged in saying "what's going on with this car"? Keep up the good work!
Carl

 

[1970FuryConv]

Glad to see that you are getting the subframe ready for removal Ben. Is the welder the "ace" that you had mentioned previously or a different one? I'm guilty as charged in saying "what's going on with this car"? Keep up the good work!
Carl

No. The ace welder looked at the pictures again and reconsidered. He's now "too busy."
This is a guy named Ben Haticole in Tappahannock, VA. He's a business owner. He seems knowledgeable. He looked at the pictures and said that he can do it. Of course, when he looks at the actual subframe.... THINK POSITIVE!!! He'll say, "No problem. I'll knock that out in a week." And the work will be excellent.

 

[LocuMob]

No. The ace welder looked at the pictures again and reconsidered. He's now "too busy."
This is a guy named Ben Haticole in Tappahannock, VA. He's a business owner. He seems knowledgeable. He looked at the pictures and said that he can do it. Of course, when he looks at the actual subframe.... THINK POSITIVE!!! He'll say, "No problem. I'll knock that out in a week." And the work will be excellent.

And cheap, too!

 

[1970FuryConv]

And cheap, too!

This car is getting ready to suck up $, so cheap is a big plus.

 

[fury fan]

Do you have a welder and some skills?
A comealong, pipe clamps and some vise-grips?
Might be something you can do yourself with a little patience.

Ingenuity is a huge factor in moving metal around like that.

 

[1970FuryConv]

Do you have a welder and some skills?
A comealong, pipe clamps and some vise-grips?
Might be something you can do yourself with a little patience.

Ingenuity is a huge factory in moving metal around like that.

I do not have a welder or welding skills. My garage is 110V and separated from the house by a good distance. 220V wire would have to run under a concrete slab porch, underground, then under a concrete slab garage to the breaker box at the back of the garage.

I have heard of 110V welders, but don't know much about them.

 

[HWYCRZR]

For your thickness of metal they actually work pretty good. Most of them use inverters to bump up the amperage. I bought this one about 15 years ago. And finally added gas to it last year and really started to practice. Specs say it will go up to 3/16 thickness. With a little pre heating and practice I went up to 5/16” for my motorcycle kickstand mount, but that was stretching its limits.

 

[1970FuryConv]

For your thickness of metal they actually work pretty good. Most of them use inverters to bump up the amperage. I bought this one about 15 years ago. And finally added gas to it last year and really started to practice. Specs say it will go up to 3/16 thickness. With a little pre heating and practice I went up to 5/16” for my motorcycle kickstand mount, but that was stretching its limits. View attachment 561693

Thanks. Good advice!

 

[1970FuryConv]

Suspension Remove
Upper control arms are cake to remove if the engine is out of the vehicle. I did take note of the clock position for the wheel alignment washers. They are indexed to the bolt by a flat side on the bolt. So the clock positions on either side of the bolt will be mirror image.

Lower control arms: because they slide out to the rear I was able to leave the strut rod in place on both sides. All I had to do for struts was remove the nut at the lower control arm. The clamp that holds the end of the sway bar to the strut has to be removed when you remove the strut.

Torsion Bars removed with this handy clamp. No clue where I bought it. If you're going to reuse the torsion bars, it helps to wrap duct tape or cloth around the bar before you install the clamp. The torsion bars slide out the back of the transmission Cross member once they're free of the lower control arms. BFH required.

Delco shocks from 1978 have no residual pressure

a 15/16 socket and impact gun make short work of the nut on the end of the control arm pivot rod. That nut and a square washer are on the front of the engine cradle portion of the front subframe.

 

[1970FuryConv]

Because the front strut on the right side was bent, I looked closely at the right side lower control arm. I can't find anything wrong with it. I'll have to examine it again because I do have a spare.

Strut rod front nuts. I sprayed down the pins on both sides but rust had taken its toll and they were not coming out. I cut off both sides with an exhaust cutoff wheel. I held the strut rods with the vice grip and remove the end nuts. After that they pretty much come right out the back of the subframe

front bushing and cupped washers

bent right side strut rod

just for reference these are the isolators at the radiator core support panel. different from 1970 and earlier that's for sure.

One of the sway bar hangers on the right side broke with the impact that bent the right side strut. I used a die in the left side hanger and removed the nut and the whole sway bar dropped down

that's it for the front suspension. On to the steering gear.

 

[1970FuryConv]

Steering column has to be pulled towards the rear of the car so that the coupler at the front of the column can disengage from the input shaft for the steering gear. Just in case you wanted to avoid doing this by trying to slide the steering gear to one side or the other, Chrysler used a stud to mount the left side of the steering gear to the subframe. No sliding allowed.
Disconnect the 2 connectors below the column

remove the 3 bolts at the base plate at the firewall

put the transmission lever in the neutral position so that the indicator needle is not damaged when you drop the steering column. Then remove the stud nuts under the dash shell. The column drops down, the steering wheel hits the front seat, and you can (Not Yet) pull it back towards the back of the front seat.

Don't pull it back just yet because you have to disengage the coupler. I used a punch to hammer out this pin. I also found that rust was holding the coupler on the input shaft of the steering gear. I had to pry the coupler off the steering gear using a large prybar.

Steering gear mounting bolt holes and stud

and the grimy grungy steering gear finally comes off. Most likely that steering gear is going to get a trip to Firm Feel to be rebuilt and to have a tighter turn radius

 

[1970FuryConv]

Two engine compartment photos. I am making progress towards removing the front subframe. Still need to do brake lines, fuel line, parking brake cable, etc. but we're getting there.

 

[1970FuryConv]

Inner fender aprons have these square black plastic clips that attach them to the side of the subframe. If anybody has a source, most of my clips are missing. Thanks

left side rear fender apron is missing, but the good news is I may have a replacement. Otherwise, it would be good to have a suggestion for what material to use to make a new apron.

 

[71FuryGC]

Wow!