Squished '72 Fury wagon

[bigmoparjeff]

It's been about two weeks since the squished Fury got transported from Maryland up to my place in PA. My original intention was to part it out, but after seeing it in person, there's a strong temptation to try to fix it.

With one exception, this car was amazingly clean before the tree fell on the garage that it was parked in. It had really been loved and cared for by the original owners, who had it up till around 2016. The couple who bought it new were crafters, who drove the car to craft shows all over the US and into Canada, as evidenced by all the state stickers on the rear window.

That one exception that I mentioned will make repairing the car much more difficult, and that's the left rear quarter. The quarter was hit back in the 70's or 80's, and it's a victim of the typical crap bodywork that they did in those days. When I rap on the panel with my knuckles, it sounds more like a fiberglass boat than a metal car, so the entire panel is basically carved out of mud. If it wasn't for that, I could use a roof panel off of any '72-'73 Plymouth, Dodge, or Chrysler, but since it needs a left quarter, I'll have to find a Plymouth donor to fix it.

The plan for now is to put it away in the car barn and keep an eye out for a suitable donor car. If I can't find one, I'll have to eventually part it out. I know there were a lot of people eager to get parts off the car, but I'm sorry, I have to at least make some attempt to save this one. I do have two more hidden headlight set-ups, so PM me if that's what you're looking for.

Now that I sold my truck I have to get friends to volunteer to tow my trailer.

Except for the left quarter, the car is all original paint.

Only two panels survived unscathed, the left front and right rear doors.

Tailgate won't open, as it's being squeezed by the crushed in quarter.

Hardest hit part of the car.

Mud in left quarter goes all the way up the D pillar.

Door gap opened up from the tree hit, not the previous accident.

Travel sticker collection.

Spotless jambs tell how clean the car is.

Anodized trim shines like new, but much of it has been damaged.

Jeff

 

[CBODY67]

Perhaps once you get the filler off of the panel, you might determine that the metal can still be worked to make things right and use lots less filler, as a result? It might also turn out to not be quite as thick as suspected, but you'll have to remove it to make these determinations.

Looks like a pretty decent vehicle, before the incident.

CBODY67

 

[bigmoparjeff]

With the exception of colors, and the fact that my green '72 wagon is a 3 seater and the tan wagon is a 2 seater, they are optioned exactly the same, other than the M84 on the green one. I always thought that M codes were for mouldings and trim, so I'm not sure what that would be. Maybe something related to the 3rd seat?

Window sticker for the tan car. It's a two-pager, but only thing on page 2 is destination charge.

Jeff

 

[LeBaron1973]

M84 is tailgate scuff step plate according to the decoder Broadcast Vin Fender Tag Decoder for Mopar Dodge Chrysler Plymouth

 

[bigmoparjeff]

Perhaps once you get the filler off of the panel, you might determine that the metal can still be worked to make things right and use lots less filler, as a result? It might also turn out to not be quite as thick as suspected, but you'll have to remove it to make these determinations.

Looks like a pretty decent vehicle, before the incident.

CBODY67

I'm not that optimistic. I've seen enough of the old bodywork to know what a mess they make. Usually, the metal is so distorted by the time they are done that you just can't get it back. I expect that it was pulled out with a dent puller. I know that it was hit pretty hard. That's a double wall panel, and it got punched in far enough to damage the fuel tank, which had to be removed and repaired. Since there is no access to the back of the outer panel to properly work the metal, I suspect the worst. As you say, it still may be worth the effort to do some exploratory grinding to see what's there, but I expect it to look similar to my '68 300.

Jeff

 

[bigmoparjeff]

M84 is tailgate scuff step plate according to the decoder Broadcast Vin Fender Tag Decoder for Mopar Dodge Chrysler Plymouth

Thanks!

I think that's the scuff plate with the rubber inserts if I remember correctly. So the two seater either has no scuff plate, or a plate without the rubber inserts. I won't be able to verify that for a while, since the tailgate is stuck closed.

Jeff

 

[Gerald Morris]

Make a pickup truck of it!

 

[Newport 66]

Thanks for at least entertaining an attempt to save it!

 

[tfrogh]

Corrections…
Original owners parted with it in 2013
Accident damage on left rear was in the early 90's (while in SC).

I still vote for making it into Ranchero/El Camino. I'll keep playing the lottery to buy it back with an added storage fee. I bet the guys at FantomWorks or OveHaulin would love the project!

 

[BLIMP]

I wonder how well you could straighten that roof out with a couple bottle jacks and 4x4 beams

 

[bigmoparjeff]

I wonder how well you could straighten that roof out with a couple bottle jacks and 4x4 beams

If I had access to a frame rack, it's likely that it could be straightened, but when you consider the bad left quarter, I think replacement is the best way to go.

Jeff

 

[BLIMP]

Right, the correct way would be to replace all the metal. I was thinking in the meantime you could move things close enough to get that rear tailgate open and replace the window. Then you could enjoy driving it while you gather the proper parts.