68 sport fury- leave stock or modify???

[fury fan]

Firstly, it's either a SF or a Fury 3, not an SF III.
Due to teh side stripes and the SF badges on the fenders, it appears to be a SF with an F3 trunklid.
But - the column-shift is odd to see in a SF. The doorpanels are 'custom' so there's no clue there. And the red-white-blue emblem is missing from the grille, so maybe an F3 grille.

Regardless, in a C-body, stock or tasteful mods are what other people find acceptable. But it's your car, only you can decide if you want the car your way, or for other people's approval. The lucky few get it both ways.

 

[FURYGT]

Stock with Magnum 500's for reference purposes

.

 

[Turboomni]

Yummy,,,

 

[budgetmoparman]

Firstly, it's either a SF or a Fury 3, not an SF III.
Due to teh side stripes and the SF badges on the fenders, it appears to be a SF with an F3 trunklid.
But - the column-shift is odd to see in a SF. The doorpanels are 'custom' so there's no clue there. And the red-white-blue emblem is missing from the grille, so maybe an F3 grille.

Regardless, in a C-body, stock or tasteful mods are what other people find acceptable. But it's your car, only you can decide if you want the car your way, or for other people's approval. The lucky few get it both ways.

Do you think it was reupholstered? The fender tag calls out vinyl seats but they are vinyl/cloth seats.

 

[GJS]

Do you think it was reupholstered? The fender tag calls out vinyl seats but they are vinyl/cloth seats.

Almost positive that the seats and door panels were redone at least.

 

[mrfury68]

Stock for me - just add Magnum 500s

I couldn't agree more. Nice solid looking car you have there.

 

[Turboomni]

Fury GT's engine is topic specific as great looking his car is. He has a stroker 440 with cast iron exhaust manifolds and looks stock. Do post a pic of your engine and basic specs FuryGT. This is what I am in the beginning stages of doing now with my 69 Fury.

 

[Turboomni]

Well crap I just have to post this as it is too cool. Fury GT engine pics and description from him. Very impressive.

The stock appearing 520" in my 68 Sport Fury has HP exhaust manifolds with a little work to them, 906 heads with what I will refer to as a mid-range port etc. job and a factory steel intake and it runs on pump gas and has run a 13.45 1/4 mile @ 4,550 lbs, a 3.73 rear gear and G70-15 bias ply tires.

IMHO, if the engine builder takes into consideration the use of the car, the heads, intake and exhaust being used and flow tests the heads and knows how to match a cam (mine is a custom grind) then an awesome combination can be built using factory HP exhaust manifolds and a good exhaust (mine is a 2.5" TTI system). It is a matter of matching parts knowing how each part will effect performance. The other thing is that for our C Bodys, you typically want a torque monster under the hood to get the weight moving and with a torque monster stroker you are necessarily running high RPM's that require a lot of air flow. IMHO, spend the money on a quality bottom end that will last as long as you own the car.

A mild stroker with HP manifolds may just fit the bill for what you are looking for.

 

[CBODY67]

In what you're thinking of, "level of execution" CAN be vital to making it all look right and proper, rather than other wise.

The VIN should define whether Fury III or Sport Fury, I believe.

I might be getting a little past the "punch it and lets see how much rubber it'll burn" stage of life. I put more emphasis on "on-road" handling (which the cars were very good at) over "drag strip" type of performance. A comfortable 75mph cruise is more valuable to me than ET slips, just as fuel economy is more important than rubber trails, too.

I always thought the power drum brake cars stopped very good, too! More of a tire/road frictional interface issue than not. But then I never did really need the additional fade resistance of the front discs, either. But in modern times, there's more choices in disc brake pads than there is in HD drum brake linings. I can see both sides of the deal, but the drums are more "decent" than not, for my uses. But I've also investigated the disc conversion kits, for future reference.

I might lean more toward a 6-speed automatic conversion. Several threads in here on that and how to make the various pressure switches/sensors work right. But that'd need about a 3.55 rear axle ratio to best use the OD on the highway, with the deeper low gear for better "launch" (as they say). Might be a good excuse for an aluminum driveshaft? Changing the rear axle ratio . . . might as well get a SureGrip at the same time!

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[FURYGT]

In what you're thinking of, "level of execution" CAN be vital to making it all look right and proper, rather than other wise.

I might be getting a little past the "punch it and lets see how much rubber it'll burn" stage of life. I put more emphasis on "on-road" handling (which the cars were very good at) over "drag strip" type of performance. A comfortable 75mph cruise is more valuable to me than ET slips, just as fuel economy is more important than rubber trails, too.
CBODY67

I like having both. I have the stock 383 Green 68 Sport Fury for cruising and the yellow 520" powered 68 Sport Fury for have some pure acceleration fun and then I have the Flyin' Whale that can do both and handle all at the same time.

 

[fury fan]

I might lean more toward a 6-speed automatic conversion. Several threads in here on that and how to make the various pressure switches/sensors work right...

Can you post some links on that???
Is that a typo? do you mean the 4-speed A-518?
I cannot imagine that a 'modern' 6-speed auto, which would be fully ECU controlled, could be satisfactorily managed by some electro-mechanical wizardry? (but willing to be proven wrong!)

 

[fury fan]

As your callname mentions 'budget', here's how mine has evolved over the years.
It came home in 97 wearing the same wheelcovers you showed in 1 of your pics. (all I have of that is some old 4x6 photos)
Looked much in this style but a white 2dr wearing bias-ply double-whitewalls.

View attachment 226289

 

[fury fan]

2003 has new wheels/tires and the green vinyl top got a split so was peeled off and painted black.

 

[fury fan]

2007 is mostly the same cosmetically but is now wearing a *fine* set of skinny whitewalls. (they matched, held air, and were free from a buddy).
And I patched some rust and got my fenderskirts back.

 

[fury fan]

2009 got 7" rims up front, and 8" Ramcharger rims in back. The same buddy mentioned above scored some new 275-60-15 tires he sold me cheap, so I bought some 235 fronts to match. Disc brakes and a slightly-narrower B-body axle with re-located springs helped fit the tires behind the skirts without any rubbing. (skirts came off to get a bath that day)

 

[LocuMob]

Can you post some links on that???
Is that a typo? do you mean the 4-speed A-518?
I cannot imagine that a 'modern' 6-speed auto, which would be fully ECU controlled, could be satisfactorily managed by some electro-mechanical wizardry? (but willing to be proven wrong!)

It's a GM (I think) transmission, an upgrade from the 4 speed auto that has been an option for a while.

 

[fury fan]

And this is the newest pic, taken 4 years ago to celebrate it moving to new house and a new garage. How can I let 4 years go by without any pics?

(and now my hijack is done)

 

[fury fan]

It's a GM (I think) transmission, an upgrade from the 4 speed auto that has been an option for a while.

I've seen where newer GM 4L60s (and then 6L60) had removable converter housings, there's a Quicktime conversion housing, and have seen $750 standalone ECUs, but I'll hafta research the poor-man controller thing some more on here. I always like to learn something new, even if it's something I'll never attempt to do. But a 6-speed trans would make a huge performance improvement, to even a smog-era Formal.

 

[CBODY67]

The TF518 can work, but I believe it has a hump in the tailshaft housing that will require some floorpan modification for clearance. Electric OD, I believe, which can be toggle-switched? Same gear ratios as the normal TF, but with OD. Lock-up converter is done with fluid/spring pressure, as on the A99_ 3-speed TF.

The particular thread included posts from "Feets", for his '73 Imperial. TF from a Dodge pickup. Other related posts were using a common pressure take-off to run pressure switches for the shifting. Many posts on that, in here and in other places, it seems. There was some sort of bellhousing adaptor involved, I believe, too. When it was all laid out, it was VERY doable, if desired.

One of the larger trans hot rod shops has ways to adapt the THM700 OD automatic to engines other than GM. The later 6L80/6L90 GM 6-speed has a bolt-on bellhousing.

Generally, the 6+ speed automatics start with about a 4.5 low gear ratio. Top OD ratio is still around .65 or so, as most of the prior OD automatics were about .70. 2nd gear is about 2.45, or what the old 3-speeds were in Low. 3rd gear is about 1.7?

Other than the low gear ratio, the newer automatics will have been designed for less power consumption and better fuel economy than the prior 3-speed 727s. Be that as it may.

I'll see if I can research a thread link.

CBODY67

update ---------
Using "Search" in Forums for posts by "Feets", it turned out to be a TF518 he's going to transplant. One post mentions the trans adapter plate, too.

 

[Snotty]

2003 has new wheels/tires and the green vinyl top got a split so was peeled off and painted black.
View attachment 226291

Oooo, love those Mirada wheels on your car!!!