While it might not be completely original, this 1966 Plymouth Sport Fury is a great looking car that is ready to be driven and enjoyed immediately. Under the handsome exterior lies the original drive-train, although it has received a few useful upgrades. For the person seeking originality, it would be a pretty simple matter to reverse these, and still be left with a great car. The Plymouth is located in Saint James, New York, and is listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the Plymouth has been quite spirited, and this has pushed the auction along to $13,100, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
Finished in Medium Blue, the Plymouth appears to be a solid and straight car. The owner claims that the floors and trunk are original, and the photos of the underside of the car look pretty clean and solid. The external trim and chrome all look to be in good order, and while the wheels fitted to the car aren’t original, I don’t think that they look too bad.
The black interior of the Sport Fury looks very nice, but there are a few things that I would change. The most obvious is the aftermarket tach, which I would personally find quite irritating in its current location. I think that a column-mounted tach looks right, but this one is just too big and obscures the rest of the gauges too much. However, I don’t think that it is purely decorative. I can see a button on the shifter that looks like it is a spark-cut (or shift-cut, depending on your terminology). That suggests that this is a car that might see a bit of action on the dragstrip, and that switch would allow for flat-shifting between gears while minimizing lost time and potential mechanical damage. There is also an aftermarket radio/cassette player fitted into the dash, but I really don’t mind that. Overall though, the condition of the interior is quite impressive.
A 383ci V8, a 4-speed manual transmission, an 8¾” rear end (with 4.11 gears), power steering, and power disc brakes. That’s quite a nice little package to have. That 383 would have originally delivered 325hp, but the addition of an Edelbrock intake, an upgraded carburetor, and a full MSD ignition system, should all conspire to provide more horses from that engine. The whole combination really does sound like it is designed to get the Plymouth down the ¼ mile as fast as possible. The owner is also including a set of 3.55 gears with the car, and this might be a good thing to improve the car’s driveability on the highway. I suspect that the 4.11 might be a bit short for comfortable cruising.
This 1966 Plymouth Sport Fury is a nice, clean car that could easily be returned to its original specifications. As it stands now, it would be quite a potent piece of machinery, and you can’t help but think that it would be great fun to drive. If it has had a life on the strip, I would want to give it a thorough check before I handed over my money. If it all checks out okay, it could be a fantastic 1960s classic to own and drive.
I had a ’66 FuryIII, but it had the 318 and automatic. This looks like a LOT More Fun!
I had 3 different ones and I would take the 318 poly any day over the 383. The 383 was never a performance engine even later with the magnums 383s a good 340 would walk all over it.
You can stroke a 383 to 496 cubes and make 500 easy all-motor horsepower with it all day long.
A “spark-cut” button on the shifter? I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure that’s a line lock button; I think I can see the solenoid in the front brake line in the under-hood picture. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think having to push a button, timing that perfectly with every shift, would be the hot setup for quicker shifting. Assuming this car has the standard A833 4-speed, “flat-shifting” shouldn’t be a problem; I did it for years with mine, decades before spark cut-out was around. Of course, I also replaced the clutch every year..
Looks like a line lock to me also. In addition to strip use, they come in handy when waiting for a green light on an incline. Easier than fidgeting with a clutch, brake and accelerator on an incline.
Keep saying I’m going to do one in the Vette for that very reason.
Most modified cars have never been to the track. As mentionsed above, the switch in the shifter is line lock. I know several guys with 100% street driven cars that have one so they can do burn outs when leaving shows to impress the crowds that often stand around waiting for someone to do something stupid and crash on their way out.
Steve R
I witnessed a guy blow his driveshaft whilst attempting to impress the gathered crowd. The driveshaft snapped in two and busted his transmission case so that transmission fluid just poured out of the transmission all over the road to make the road no longer worthy of being raced on. What was even more absurd than that was all the police cars that showed up as he was pushing his car into a parking lot so that he could get it off the street and away from the transmission fluid spilled all over the road.
The police merely followed the transmission fluid taril right to his car so that they could impound it for street racing & making a municipal mess of the roadway.
That whole costly stupid error on his part must have cost him a few bucks to be sure. New trans, driveshaft, & impound fees, plus the street racing fine, & road cleanup costs.
I’ll bet he thinks twice before showing off in front of crowds now.
Bob
I had a line lock on my Camaro but it was for warming the slicks on the strip. Never saw one used on the street but it would sure work.
I think a Line Lock is great for warming up your tires at the strip. That said, I totally fail to understand the fun or crowd appeal about sitting in one place with a car or truck or motorcycle and just boiling smoke off the tires. How easily amused does a person have to be to think ‘wow is that cool’….? Really, it’s just dumb.
Also #notafan of burnouts, r s.
#$$$upinsmoke
I couldn’t agree more RS the only even duber than doing that with a car is doing it with a diesel pickup, how do you spell LOSER!!!!!
I give up, what’s line lock
Line lock is a system that locks the front wheels to prevent the car from moving during a burnout.
The button on the shifter activates an electronic solenoid that operates the front brakes only – allows you to spin the rear wheels at will, with the front brakes (trying) to hold the car in position.
A linelock once energized holds line pressure to one or both of the front wheels .depending on how it’s plumbed. Pressure is held till the button is released. As mentioned it can be used for burnouts or as I noted earlier it can hold a car when starting on an incline from a red light so you don’t have to work all 3 pedals plus worry about rolling back into the guy behind you which usually is too close for his own good.
Ahhhhhhhh, didn’t know that. Don’t think my ’64 Impala SS had that
A 64 Impala SS does not need line lock if the driver knows how to light the back tires up whilst keeping his/her foot on the break just enough to stop the front wheels from moving whilst the back wheels are permitted to make nice rubber marks on the pavement so that the police know where his/her car was when he/she does this sort of thing.
Bob
The line lock is for use on the starting line so you don’t roll and red light
Thomas, not really. Maybe drivers at grudge nights and T&T’s use it that way, but not racers. The switch is awkward and is difficult to release in a consistent manner, which is needed for a competitive reaction time. They are good for burnouts, but not so much at the starting line.
Steve R
Not sure what I did back then, it was 52yrs ago😂
I do remember having to change the center carrier bearing a couple of times on the SS
Power disc brakes? Where’s the vacuum booster?
If this was a convertible Fury III, I’d be heading out to see it.
In September 1969 I found a bright red with black interior & top, 1966 Fury III convertible on the local Chrysler dealer’s used car lot in Rockville, MD. Car had the rare 440 engine, with the special red 440 hood ornament & Super Commando fender emblems, column shift 727, bench seat, and factory tilt/telescope steering wheel. Also had the Sport Fury turbine-vane wheel covers. I still have photos of the car the day I bought it.
Bought this 3 year old car, in like new condition with only 19,000 miles, and paid a whopping $700 for the car. The salesman told me they wanted to get rid of it before winter weather hit. The salesman actually talked me out of buying a very beautiful 1964 Town & Country wagon, loaded with all options including a Hi-Po 413 and dual A/C, white outside with blue leather bucket seats & console, with floor shift automatic. They were only asking $350 for it, and I remember it as having only about 25,000 miles.
I shoulda, coulda bought both, but that red convertible ended up breaking the tie. And as that slick salesman reminded this young guy in high school, the girls would like the convertible better than the wagon! He was certainly correct!
Traded it in on a new Dodge B200 LWB tradesman van. I ordered it loaded with all sorts of options including factory A/C, and because it was a very late 1973, I was able to order it with the floor shift 4-speed overdrive, along with that reliable 318 V8, but no windows down the side, no carpet behind the front seats either. Needed the van for my growing antique car parts business. Drove that van thru 49 states, and over 250,000 miles.
I’ve looked for my red Fury III convertible for over 30 years, but never was able to find it.
Bill McCoskey I’d like to see those pics. I’ve had a lifelong love affair with the 66 Fury, probably initiated when my dad bought a new Fury III wagon in April of 66. I own what used to be a 66 Fury III convertible originally sold at a dealership in Rockville, MD. It was a plain Jane 383-2bbl, auto trans, AM radio and heater car in dark red metallic with black top and interior. It even had painted wheels with dog dish caps. I stripped the car to the unibody and put it back together using parts from half a dozen Sport Furys. Hey, it was 1982! They were just nearly worthless old cars back then.
Pete,
You probably saw Richard Day and I at a couple of Mid-Atlantic Packard meets riding in my red Fury III convertible. If you bought the dark red car at Maryland Motors on Rockville Pike, I may have looked at that car hoping it might have been mine.
In 1972 I had bought a huge hoard of Packard parts in Central Jersey, and was selling parts out of that cavernous Fury trunk & back seat area.
Since I’m not a paying subscriber to BF, I don’t think I can post photos anymore, but if you’ve got an email or text number, I can send them to you directly.
Pete, if you still check Barn Finds, since I’m now a full member I can post photos, so here is the first photo I ever shot of the car, the day I bought it.
Last year I ran across the original build sheet for the convertible, so I ran the VIN and discovered the car was for sale! It was a couple of hours away in PA, but when I saw the photos I realized it had been stored outside for decades with the top in shreds. No floors at all. Even the frame rails were rusted terribly. The entire cowl had rusted away from years of leaves blocking the drains in the cowl vent. Sadly, I had to take a pass on the car.
Seems some guys had (have) a button for nitrous, usually out of site and not the case here.
Beautiful Plymouth here meant to rock, great color combination, rims are spot on for the look, hey if the 383 can get up all the power to it. 4.11’s will get a bit nervy at highway speeds but that was the compromise before overdrive was offered like today and it’s not like it has 4.56 or even lower gears which will drive most people batty.
Very nice.
There are a few little things I’d change, but I like this car a lot.
Car should reach 24 grand.
Looks like will not reach the reserve
hey where are the Brakes do not see them .says POWER BRAKES . WHERE ARE THEY? ANYBODY KNOW?
There are more factory 4-speed 66 Furys out there than I expected. Seems like a new one is always popping up at large Mopar gatherings.
If this one dropped into my lap I’d return it to the original drivetrain condition. If I want quick acceleration I’ll drive something smaller and lighter. I can just imagine the revs on this thing at highway speeds. Oy.
I’d make it original too. For me there is a lot more fun in driving something right out of automotive history than something that’s been made faster. There will always be much faster cars anyhow. Just let me drive the old beast the way it was made.
Ditto r s
I had a class mate in high school who owned a 1966 Satellite hemi with 2 four barrels, it had the sweetest sound when he nailed it, and it hauled ass!
This is a really clean straight car with a 4:11 rear it could go stop light to stop light pretty good I bet!!!
i am currently in possession of this car. and i can confirm, back to the 3.55 gears now, that she is a ripper and a joy to drive. if anyone knows the previous owner or who built this i would like to get build specs on the engine.