Here’s an interesting discovery, courtesy of Zappenduster, a 1971 Plymouth Fury Custom Suburban – one that definitely doesn’t surface often. Old full-size station wagons have definitely found a niche with enthusiasts, though ChryCo products don’t comprise a large portion of discovery, and for that reason, this Plymouth is a welcome find. St. Charles, Missouri, is where you’ll find it, and it’s available here on Facebook Marketplace for $8,000, OBO.
Volumes matter, and as near as I could research (station wagon volumes can be difficult to extract from totals), it appears that Plymouth produced 44K full-size wagons compared to Chevrolet’s 91K (likely curtailed by the big September ’70 GM strike), and Ford’s outsized volume of 237K in ’71. And that’s one reason these Plymouths don’t make the scene in modern times. And to add further focus to scarcity, this Custom Suburban is one of only 2,662 examples assembled 55 long years ago – hardly common! Plymouth’s trim levels included the Sport Suburban on top, the Custom Suburban (our subject) in the middle, and the Suburban bringing up the rear. The listing for this wagon includes an image of an earlier ad that was placed in what appears to be a British publication. Apparently, this California native took a trip to the U.K. for a while, a sale was attempted, and then it returned to the U.S. Anyway, the repainted Glacial Blue finish is fair, the stainless trim is nice, and the seller considers the body panels to be “laser-straight“. What’s not said, but is obvious, is rust; it has seeped into the lower portions of both quarter panels. The exterior presentation is pulled together by a set of American Racing Torque-Thrust wheels.
The blue vinyl upholstery is in decent nick, though there is some confusion as the aforementioned British ad makes mention of “excellent original carpeting…headliner is original factory perforated material and is in excellent shape.” I’m not certain how old that ad is, but the carpet looks less than excellent, and the headliner appears to have mostly fallen out. The dash is wearing a toupee, so you can assume something’s up with that. As for the wayback, it’s suitably scuffed but hardly wrecked, as is often the case with old wagons that spent their lives hauling all sorts of animal, vegetable, mineral, and, of course, the kiddies – this is a nine-passenger rig. Oh, almost forgot, A/C is included, and it is claimed to work.
Slinging this 4,600 lb. staple of suburbia around is a 275 gross HP, 383 CI V8 engine, employing an A727 TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission. The engine, however, has been modified with a four-barrel carburetor, sitting atop an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold, and exhausting itself via a Flowmaster dual exhaust system. A nice inclusion is the factory dual-inlet air cleaner assembly. The seller claims, “runs and drives with no problems.”
The back story on this car is a bit confusing, but this is a solid find and one that is rarely encountered today. While it needs some work, it’s a solid base and a fine example of ChryCo’s contribution to the all-important early-seventies station wagon segment. I don’t know whether the seller will get his price or not, but I imagine this Custom Suburban will find a new home soon, wouldn’t you agree?
Big block wagons 😎 👍
A big block with A/C, as long as it isn’t hopelessly rotted, it should find a buyer.