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 😎 👍
I AM SELLING DUE TO THE COUNTY CORRUPTION AND NEIGHBORS COMPLAINTS 🤷……….that’s a new one…..
Corruption is actually a thing these days if you’ve noticed…
Based on the reviews, this seller has reliability issues.
My cousin just bailed out of Illinois because of the corruption and state of politics.
A big block with A/C, as long as it isn’t hopelessly rotted, it should find a buyer.
love the car hate the wheels, gas can in the back is never a good sign. why would you sell your car due to county corruption? that makes no sense to me.
love the wagon, AND the wheels :)
Ive been looking for one of these, my Father had one when i was driving a big wheel.
Wheels are THE most changed and easiliest changed part, so hate is best saved for things like corruption, pedophilia, and grifting ;)
I had to laugh at the description picture “lack of garage space”. With this car, few garages would be able to hold it! I liked the grilles on the ’69 and ’70 Plymouths better, but you get what you take. There is some exterior rust on the quarters and the kick panel ahead of the rear wheels, some look serious, but it may be repairable in the right hands. The other rust inside of the doors looks more like surface rust and can be cleaned up pretty easy. I’m wondering how difficult it would be to get the interior roof panels after 55 years, but I’m sure it can be done. The thing I loved the most on these was the fuselage style worked on the wagons as well and makes for a beautiful profile! Someone will be happy to get this car, and with a little work, it can be a prized Mopar again!
I like it. It brings back memories. A neighbor had a 69 Plymouth Fury and friend’s parents had a 65 Fury wagon with the 383, a 69 Polara with a 318 and he had Darts( 67, 71) I like these wheels on anything, so it works for me unless you have a set of small Caps with Redline tires…
Cool wagon, but don’t know that it’s 8k cool.
I’m pretty sure I had a wagon like this that I got used. I was putting up aluminum siding at the time and I would carry ladders and scaffolding on that skinny roof rack. It’s a miracle I didn’t kill somebody with it. It was gold but may have had the 318 V8. I eventually cracked the frame, go figure, and sold it to a guy running a janitorial service carrying nothing heavier than buckets and mops. For all I know it’s still being driven somewhere.
My parents bought a new 71 Plymouth wagon but theirs was with the wood grain sides and hidden headlights, two tone brown leather seats. It was a sharp beast!
In the quoted production numbers. I believe that in 1971 is when the GM wagons started the “clamp shell” tail gates which were very popular. You could load/unload the back end with the garage door closed to the elements. Or was that in 1973? My old brain can’t remember that particular date. I do remember providing alot of tailgate drive cables under warranty.
Yes, ’71 through ’76
JO