The 1960s Plymouth Fury III was the equivalent of Chevrolet’s Impala and Ford’s Galaxie 500. It returned to completely full-size status in 1965 after a downsizing miscue in 1962 affected Chrysler’s offerings for three years. This ’65 Fury III (we think) is a non-running project that comes with two engines, though one was built for marine use. Located in Ripon, Wisconsin, this project Mopar is available here on Facebook Marketplace and will have to be trailered to its next home. The asking price is $3,200 and kudos to Hans H. for the tip!
Plymouth added the Fury nameplate to its roster in the late 1950s about the time the Impala and Galaxie arrived. This was during Chrysler’s Forward Look era where styling shifted to extreme measures with tailfins making the cars look as though they could fly. The bigger Plymouths finally got a redesign in 1965, moving from the B-body to the C-body platform, adding back the dimensions lost earlier in the decade. There would be four levels of trim, Fury I, Fury II, and Fury III, plus the VIP in 1966 (like the LTD and Caprice).
A common engine in the Fury was the 318 cubic inch V8, which we see in the seller’s car, largely disconnected. The valve cover states it produced 202 HP back in the day. The seller also has a 440-marine engine (not pictured) which may have been planned to go in the car as the seller had visions of going drag racing. But he got outvoted by his wife, so the car and the variety of parts have to go. The 318 may be toast as we’re told it was making a lot of noise before the carburetor was removed.
We’re unsure about how much of an issue rust may present and the two-tone paint is beyond saving. The bench seat interior is rather rough and we see two transmission shifters (one on the column for an automatic and one on the floor for a possible manual swap). The brakes work okay, so there should be no issues loading the Plymouth on and off a trailer. These mid-60s Plymouth are seen less often than the equivalent Fords and Chevies, in part because fewer of them were produced.
“Boat motor included “. Good one, Russ! I was expecting to see an Evinrude or Johnson outboard in the trunk. They already have a trailer hitch on the car.
I was going to say the same thing!!! Thats exactly what I was thinking. I figured I guess somewhere out there an outboard motor might sweeten the deal. Pop the trunk and theres a nice Johnson 9.9 sitting in there.
That brings back memories. My father was an avid fisherman and jonboat owner and the trunk was where the 10hp outboard got stored.
My mother just lived with it. My girlfriend ( before she became my wife) told me that she thought it was strange. My dad just went about his day.
All right, another hometown feature. Note sky in 1st pic is considered a sunny day in Wisconsin. Ripon,,mmmm, home of Rippin’ Good Cookies, now gone, but at one time Ripon was deemed the “Cookie Capital of the World”. You could buy the 2nds for like .50 cents for a shopping bag full. I hauled a lot to, or from that place. Also the home to Speed Queen washers and dryers for many years and still is. Fascinating story, 2 businessmen from Ripon started Speed Queen in 1908! Wisconsin really was the leader in manufacturing.
Anyway, the 1st car I went 120 mph in was a ’65 Fury, ex-state patrol car. It buried the needle with ease. As a kid, it seemed almost supersonic. These were probably the zenith of Plymouth cars, and why LEOs used them. It’s clearly not a Badger car, Michigan maybe, but no Wisconsin cars of this era survived. I think the car itself is a great start, but for who? I don’t see a brake pedal, so maybe just a floor shift auto?
Oops, don’t see a clutch pedal, and the 318 was an outstanding motor. It survived years of no maintenance, like my old man,,,he NEVER changed the oil in his cars, maybe a filter, but only before a trip, he would, otherwise not too often, but keeping in mind, he didn’t go very far.
I have heard a lot of good things about the 318 Polyhead, and now I own one in a 63 Fury that is new to me as of 3 weeks ago. From what I have read, the block is the same as an LA 318, however, the camshaft is not compatible because of the way the rockers are set up in the polyhead – on either side of the rocker shaft – instead of the 1967+ wedge configuration. Performance parts may be a bit hard to come by, but as a driver they are good. The rest of this 65 Fury will be a labor of love for someone, but they are a nice car cleaned up.
Visions of a big old baddazz Mercury tower, there for no particular reason. Oh well.
To go from the 318 to the BB “boat motor” would you need the proper K member?
(And not having one, is the reason the project stalled.)
65 C bodies do not have a K member. But they do have a 1 year only motor mount design. Incidentally, 68-69 big block Darts and Barracudas also use the same set up.
Just a reminder: there was another trim level not mentioned…Sport Fury. My first car, as a teenager was a ruby red/black buckets, 383 4-bbl. and automatic. It was a fast car. Also, this year was the first time an auto manufacter offered a 5year/50,000 mile warranty.
Better “boat motor” than “boat anchor”….
Interchangeable terms.
I had a ’65 Fury III convertible for about ten years starting in ’85. Mine had the 383/TF. It ran like a bootlegger’s ride.
That is a Fury III based on the badging.
It’s missing the emblem that goes in the center of the grille (commonly gone & hard-to-source). Otherwise, it has a surprising amount of the trim, though straightening the trunk filler panel will be a challenge.
The driver’s side motor mount indeed was specific to the ’65 Fury/383 & was NLA in the 80s so when mine parted (*that* was a fun day!) I wrapped it in a couple hundred yards of button & carpet thread + RTV and it actually held(!) I removed it by pulling the nuts, then running it in D with the e-brake set; a little gas would lift the engine clear. Pull the mount shove in a piece of 2×4, installation was the reverse order of removal. Somehow I still have all of my fingats.
Pretty sure the 318 used a different mount, with the studs located differently.
The quarters were rusty; I patched them with rivets & bondo (you may sense the desire greater than funds situation) and the trunk pan was also patched. Rest of the body was in good shape.
I gave up on mine in 1995 when my bodywork parts list topped $9K (not including the interior). I found a guy in Michigan who had NOS rear quarters but he wanted $1200 each for them plus LTL freight.
Bought a ’66 Bonneville convertible for $4000 in ’96 & never looked back. Sorta miss my Mopar though; it’s good to see one! GLWTS!
“Boat Motor Included!” But does it float?