Cheap Full Sizer? 1969 Plymouth Fury III
There’s no doubt about it, I like old full-size American sedans, hardtops, convertibles, etc. I think the reason is that there were so many, absolutely everywhere, at one time and now they’ve become the seldom seen. It’s a style, that for a myriad of reasons, has fallen way out of fashion for the average motorist and it’s not going to return. In the ’60s and ’70s, that full-size marketing slot was dominated by Chevrolet and Ford, and to a lesser extent, Plymouth, the third leg of the Detroit triumvirate. Well, today, to make up for the lack of Mopar presence, I’m going to shine the automotive E-segment light on a 1969 Plymouth Fury III. Located in Englewood, Colorado, this fuselage-styled four-door hardtop is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $1,100 with fifteen bids tendered as of this writing.
Plymouth followed the same basic trim level scenario as did their competition with the VIP at the top, the Sport Fury occupying the “sporty” niche (think Ford XL500 or Impala SS), the bread and butter Fury III, such as our subject car (Galaxie 500 or Impala), the Fury II for budget-minded buyers and finally, the Fury I, occupying the bottom rung and serving fleet needs. Fury III body styles included four-door sedans and hardtops, two-door hardtops and convertibles, and a Suburban station wagon. Plymouth came in fourth place in the 1969 production race with 751K total units with the Fury III representing 234K of that total output.
The seller tells us that this very faded Fury has a solid body, minimal rust, and no water damage. I thought it was faded silver but after viewing the open trunk and engine compartment, I’m thinking that it is gray primer. The C-pillar trim indicates that there was either a two-tone finish applied or perhaps a vinyl top covering in place at one time. And if that’s the case, this car may be better off without it knowing what a rust magnet it can be. There is no visual evidence of crash damage though the rear bumper has seen some friction and we’re told that the passenger side taillight is broken but still operates. Of note are the chrome-plated steel wheels – a popular replacement item in the ’70s.
I decoded the VIN, and there are no surprises with this Belvidere, Illinois-sourced Fury. The engine is a 230 gross HP, 318 CI V8, a real Mopar workhorse if ever there was one. This example has been modified with a four-barrel carburetor which supplants the original born-with two-barrel fuel mixer. The seller claims “Starts and drives“, so you can take that for what it’s worth. This Fury has seen 105K miles of experience and as long as the engine has been maintained and not abused, I’d expect it to still have a good deal of remaining life. As is usually the case, a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission gets the “go” to the rear wheels.
The interior is in fair shape, the driver’s side of the front bench seat is split, the carpet is worn and dirty, and I imagine that carpet topper is covering up some dash pad mayhem. Beyond that, it looks good and I’m surprised at the clarity of the instrument panel.
Back in my teenage years, I knew plenty of families that owned one of these “fuselage” styled Plymouths though I often associate them with the five-oh since they were a pursuit favorite and could handle a pretty thorough drubbing. This car is probably not going to trade hands for a lot of $$$ – it’s a no-reserve auction, and it wouldn’t take much to make it really presentable though a quality paint job is not cheap these days. Here’s to hoping this less than common full-sizer finds a new home that will appreciate it for what it was, what it is now, and what it can be, right?
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Comments
I always thought these were a nice looking car.
I looked at one that belonged to a friend’s mother,until
she passed away.It was that “Plymouth Green” color
that was common on ’69’s.
It was in really nice shape,& I think they wanted
$500 for it,but I decided that it was too big for my needs
at the time.
Hello angliagt…I did own two Fury’s a 71 gran and a 68 Police with 440 c.i…..loved them both! Could not help but notice your name and it brought to mind my real passion…Ford Anglias of England.
Here’s something I found:
https://youtu.be/nabVvof7jp4
jules
I had a ’60 105E that i’d always planned on restoring.
Had to sell it when we moved from California to SW Virginia.
Wish I’d finished it & still had it.I still have a lot of Anglia
books,articles,brochures,etc. that I should sell off.
Love those Dagenham Fords….had a 1952 Anglia. a 1952 Prefect, a 1959 Anglia Escort and in 1962 I bought a new 105E. Rugged little beauties, all!
There is a Museum in Dagenham with a sample of every car ever made there!
My brother had a ’70 Coronet in that green back in the mid-90s. It must have been owned by the proverbial little old lady who drove it to church on Sunday – low miles, no rust, no options, 318 2 barrel – drove perfectly, and was cheap!
Nothing to look at it, of course, but was cheap and a blast to tool around in.
It was one of those cars that you own for a year or so, have fun with it, get tired of it, and then dump it. Then, you see a car like this now, and wish for those fun days again. If this were in my back yard, then – maybe.
In Aus these were badged Dodge Phoenix. I have a ‘70 model – which I love!
Photo PLEASE… I’m dying to see what a RHD one of these looks like!
My dad had the gold with black vinyl top. I absolutely love riding in those floating boats.
Perfect ride..as is, for a trailer park supervisor, or his assistant trailer park supervisor 🍺 🍸 🚬
Stan, only if that assistant trailer park supervisor can keep his shirt on. .
He’s allergic to shirts 👕 370zpp
omg 🤣🤣🤣!!!
Looks like an old police car. I remember, Wisconsin, and many other states, used these as cruisers. I knew a guy that bought a surplus cruiser, 100mph was no problem,,
https://wisconsindot.gov/PublishingImages/about-wisdot/newsroom/photo-gal/Historical/WisDOT-Internet_Historical7_State-Patrol6.jpg
We had Furys in Ct. In that time frame.I always liked their styling….and of course the 440!!
I don’t think so – looks like it had a vinyl top at one time.
The Dodge Monacos had no problem reaching 130.
He’s allergic to shirts 👕 370zpp
When I got my first car , a 62 Olds 88 the seller had bought one like this from the Sheriffs dept. Tan, tan taxi cab interior, 440, 4barrel, dual exhaust.Never forgot the sound and how it pushed you back in the seat. I will never forget the ride he gave me and Dad.:-)
Surprisingly decent shape besides the homely paint and utility trailer wheels. Could be respectable with a little body work, paint and those C body road wheels up in the garage attic…oh wait!
Hope it doesn’t end up in a demo derby. These are still somewhat affordable darlings of that bunch.
All these late 60’s / early 70’s MOPARS were boats – ugly by today’s standards (I’ll probably get all kinds of flak for that comment) but for us baby boomers, it’s what the red-blooded ‘Merican families were driving at that time. For all their vinyl (tops and seats and whatever), they bring back great memories for me with the entire family loaded up: going on vacation, to church, to Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving (as cliche-y’ that sounds, that’s what we did), etc etc etc. If for nothing other than those things, these vehicles are priceless. RIP to all the adults of my youth. And thanks for the memories. Hope my kids will say the same of me, and my cars.
Dad bought a 68 Dodge Polara station wagon in yellow for the family. 383 strong engine
Love your comment Charles, It’s all relative…for me growing up in the 1940’s & 50’s the “low priced three” represented by Ford, Chevy and Plymouth were cars for the common folks. Things like automatic transmission, power windows, big engines, air conditioning & power steering were only found on luxury brands such as Packard, Buick, Cadillac & Lincolns.
Then Detroit saw the huge marketing ploy of making the low price three into the “big boats” loaded with options…regular folks could play big shot, ride in style and be somebody!
My 68 Caddie and my 71 Gran Fury were pretty much equal in all respects…comfort, ride, handling, power and reliability except for thousands of dollars difference in price! Yep, Joe average was now living living large in “Fat City”!
Absolutely Jules – regular working guys drove plain Chevys and Fords and Plymouths throughout the 50’s and early 60’s. If you had AC and tinted windows and fancy wheel covers, you had ‘arrived’. I remember a classmate who lived in a very small house, even by the standards of the day, but whose father drove a Chrysler Imperial. We truly thought they were RICH. And who could blame those guys? Came back from WWII, bought whatever sized house was available, stayed in it til nursing home time. Almost nobody moved to a bigger house. 5-6-7 kids? Two or three BR frame house? No problem: that’s why God invented bunk beds. What else could you get to show how far you had come except by getting a bigger, fancier car? And Detroit was only too happy to oblige.
It was at least 25 years ago when my oldest brother bought one of these for scrap. It was a complete car with a 318 and I am almost positive it was a 3 on the tree. Been a long time now, but it had manual brakes and steering. I took the pulleys off it for a 340 Duster that I have
I had a 1969 Fury with the VIP trim package. A potent 383 was a nice combination. A big car with a huge trunk but overall a nice two door car.
In high school (1979), I bought a ’72 Fury II police interceptor for $300 from a kid I hung out with. HE paid $25 from the Village of ___, NY little PD where we lived. The car spent its entire life doing speed traps on a single two lane road where the speed limit was (still is) a VERY strictly enforced 30mph. 32? you’re getting nailed – and back then the tickets were a small fortune. Anyway, that was what that car was for. I think they have three vehicles total. So anywho, when I got this car it needed an alternator. Not just ANY alternator either – it was a “Leece-Neville” 250 amp one. I don’t remember how much it was, the parents had to underwrite it if I remember correctly. But yeah, had it for maybe 6 months or a year and I sold it to another kid. Not bad. It had a 400 4 bbl. Factory dual exhaust. NO a/c… Wasn’t all that fast, but it sounded good.
I bought a ten year old,ex Canadian embassy Fury III rhd sedan, all black with white stripe side trim,red vinyl seats,383/Torque Flite, and stacked headlights which I think was the last year for the style in 1967. Being in South London it was the first of many Amazing American Automobiles I had the experience of owning and this car went like a rocket when the loud pedal was pressed! It was in fine shape cosmetically but the tranny went out about a week later and the dealer offered me a TransAm with 454 in black and gold as a loaner but I took my older brother’s advice ( he had an all black 63 Galaxie 500 two door hardtop, flat rear window with 352 Hurst shifted four on the floor and dual Thrush mufflers) and I bought a friend three row 61 Country Sedan with much slower 352!
Great memory Norman!
I had an ex-police Fury! It was a 1968, 440 cubic inch. What a performer at 270,000 miles. Last year for the stacked headlights. Loved the straight line performance!
Fun it was.
We had one. It wad a silver blue metallic. Back window rusted out. Tradedbitboutbin 73 for an Audi. Loved that car. Cross country trips in it 5 times in 4 years.
Had a 69 2 door, penn state inteceptor 440 i put 2 piece hedman headers,wienand intake & 735 holley + a shift kit inbthe torqeflite shoulda dine 391 rear gear, but,needless to say, shed haul the mail! 140 certified spedo, seen it once, that was enuff!
Hey I just can’t believe the lack of comments on the enormous size of the trunk ! I had a friend in H.S. who had one he got kicked out of his house which was no problem for him. Because he just put a queen size mattress in his trunk and had an instant R.V.
This fury is pretty bare bones, but it does have the “light package” you can tell by the turn signal indicators on the top of the fenders, I believe this package included, a light in the truck, glove box, under the hood, floor kick panels ect.