I have a chance to buy a 71 Sport fury , it’s in rough shape.

[73 T&C]

Seriosly, check the cowl for rust through. It’s the kiss of death and the difference between a good parts car and a project.

Lost my white 73 town and country to it. By the time I caught it, it was too far gone.

 

[Welder guy]

Seriosly, check the cowl for rust through. It’s the kiss of death and the difference between a good parts car and a project.

Lost my white 73 town and country to it. By the time I caught it, it was too far gone.

Well I am going to get this car on my hoist and have a good look underneath it. The frame rails , kick panels, floor, stub frame are all on my list.I need to be educated, At the risk of sounding like a rookie what is the cowel? I always thought that it was the part under the front bumper.

 

[polara71]

Cowl , I always presumed is the same as the Firewall.

Buy it anyway regardless of condition

 

[73 T&C]

Please... not a problem.

The firewall upper section lies below a portion of bodywork which is meant to cover a well where the firewall turns toward the Windsheild. It’s is where the windshield wiper linkage for these cars reside.

The cowl is the cover for this area which bends down and meets the firewall. (I’ve also heard it called the upper firewall but, although it sounds right, I don’t like it.)

It’s this portion where both sheet metal parts meet that can and often do rust out. The repair is tiresome at best. It’s a critical part of the unibody which contributes most of the torsional rigidity of the unibody.

Go see Nicks restoration of a c body to see what I mean.

Dennis. That's his name.

 

[Welder guy]

Of course the upper fire wall !! I knew that , I just had a brain fart. Oh i’m Buying it ! It’s not every day a 1 owner 71 sport fury falls in your lap.

 

[73 T&C]

Of course the upper fire wall !! I knew that , I just had a brain fart. Oh i’m Buying it ! It’s not every day a 1 owner 71 sport fury falls in your lap.

We’ve all been there!!

 

[Welder guy]

The thing I liked the most about this car is that it’s a complete unmolested car. Once you get past the rust it’s a complete car. The only thing I saw missing was one of the fender skirts. I found one dint on the roof , it’s about 5” around and about 3/4 “ deep with some scratches in the metal. No other dints that I could see. The owner told me of the day he bought it. I hung out with him for a couple hours and just listened to him tell stories about the car and his life not because I had to but because I wanted too. It was a great day.

 

[73 T&C]

Btw.. the sheet metal below the bumper is called a valence, or lower valence...

 

[Marv]

Fun fact
I didn't expect a guy calling himself welder guy to worry about rust that much

Just kidding, I'm 100% with you..

a first owner, unmolested complete 71 SportFury finding you will never happen again. But I do understand, driving to a classic car show, getting offered such a project out of the blue can be a little overwhelming, so looking at it very closely, evaluating wether you can /want to do such a project is the smartest thing you can do..
Many people out there are not that smart, dragging that car home and letting it sit for ages in their backyards, telling everybody that they wanna fix it up one day

 

[Welder guy]

Fun fact
I didn't expect a guy calling himself welder guy to worry about rust that much

Just kidding, I'm 100% with you..

a first owner, unmolested complete 71 SportFury finding you will never happen again. But I do understand, driving to a classic car show, getting offered such a project out of the blue can be a little overwhelming, so looking at it very closely, evaluating wether you can /want to do such a project is the smartest thing you can do..
Many people out there are not that smart, dragging that car home and letting it sit for ages in their backyards, telling everybody that they wanna fix it up one day

Well i guess It’s because I have been a welder for for 34 years and a supervisor for 12 that i’m So Leary about the rust , I understand it intimately . One needs the time , the space and the money to do this properly. If you take one of those elements away you will probably have a stalled project. I’ll get it home and go from there. Thanks again to everyone, I do appreciate the opinions and advice. Good or bad the car is what it is. Worst case scenario it will be a wealth of parts for us . Keep the keep the suggestions coming !!

 

[73 T&C]

Remember to Keep us posted during the discovery phase!! With pictures.... we live for the car ****.

 

[Wollfen]

Well i guess It’s because I have been a welder for for 34 years and a supervisor for 12 that i’m So Leary about the rust , I understand it intimately . One needs the time , the space and the money to do this properly. If you take one of those elements away you will probably have a stalled project. I’ll get it home and go from there. Thanks again to everyone, I do appreciate the opinions and advice. Good or bad the car is what it is. Worst case scenario it will be a wealth of parts for us . Keep the keep the suggestions coming !!

If you need chassis rails, I have three sets to choose from.

 

[1970FuryConv]

So did you ever buy it and bring it home?

 

[Big_John]

Just thinking out loud.... For Sale - 71 Sport Fury GT FACTORY SHOW CAR /PROMO 1 of 2 built

 

[CanCritter]

What John said....if yer gona blow a wad of coin and time a s23 or promo car of dans would be my pick.......

 

[Welder guy]

So did you ever buy it and bring it home?

Phoned him 3 times, he still hasn’t talked to his nephew yet about a price . It’s driving me crazy.

 

[tbm3fan]

Phoned him 3 times, he still hasn’t talked to his nephew yet about a price . It’s driving me crazy.

Hope this isn't like some guy's wife...

 

[SFGT440]

I bet that fender chrome is a hard find ! But on a brighter note I do have the complete head light washer option for a 71 c body. Brush , washer tank and wiring, I have a switch but I’m not sure if it would be correct for a fury. It’s all from a 71 imperial.

I always liked that fender top trim on my '71 SFGT...

 

[Welder guy]

I like that trim as well. Would it be possible to see some closer pictures of it , I have never seen it in person.

 

[SFGT440]

I like that trim as well. Would it be possible to see some closer pictures of it , I have never seen it in person.

I myself have no pictures of it up close but it's maybe 7/8 to possibly an inch wide, each section is maybe a foot long? - there are three per front fender, and it's inlaid with black plastic that has little ridges or grooves that run crossways (not lengthwise). The front piece has the beloved Chrysler product fender top turn signal light in it.

I had a set of just the front two pieces (one per fender) which I once bought on Ebay; gave them away with a horde of parts when I let go of my 70 Sport Fury project a couple years ago.

With 375 of these cars having been built you can bet those fender trims are scarcer than hens teeth. I suppose they were optional on the S23 model also but even so, good luck ever finding them. Regular 71 Fury parts are scarce, the special models far moreso.