Needs Some Love: 1966 Plymouth Fury III Convertible
Here’s another droptop with potential, a Furry III. The seller says it could use some love, but couldn’t we all? The Furry is a full-sized Plymouth and the III was the top trim model until the Sport and the VIP models were added. The VIP or “Very Important Plymouth” is the luxury model. This droptop is listed here on craigslist and located in Stockton, California. It was stored from 1991 until recently but is said to run and drive. It has a 318 V8, the smallest V8 option. The $8,500 asking price seems high, but it’s been listed for a couple of months so perhaps the seller will be open to more realistic offers.
The seller provided a couple pictures of the back seat but only one tiny peek of the front seat and dash. The door panels, as well as the upholstery, looks pretty nice from what is in the pictures.
The seller provided a few pictures underneath. It looks especially nice under here. Things appear to be solid with only a few spots of surface rust.
This Fury has been listed for a couple of months so you’d think there must be something folks see that they don’t like. For example, both quarters have been badly resprayed and the trim is missing. It seems they were repaired and judging by the quality of the paintwork, it might not have been done well. It’s a Washington car, so there shouldn’t be much rust except possibly in the floors, typical of convertibles. This convertible looks nice, but we’d need a lot more information to have any idea what it’s really worth. If the quarter panels are not filled with bondo, there are no big mechanical issues, and the interior is as nice as what is shown in the pictures, this could be a nice summer driver.
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Comments
I think it’s more then a bad paint job on those quarters.
Just in back of wheel looks a lot like the “body repair” I was doing at age 15.
I can almost say with certainty that this will need lots of work including replacement quarter panels, trunk floor, wheel wells etc. Hard to source parts and when you do they fit.
I just finished my 66 Sport Fury Convertible and went through it all.
Also trim is impossible to find.
For the 60’s, I’m more of a GM guy. But I have always loved the 65-67 Fury body style, especially in a convertible. A 66 Sport Fury convertible is high on my wish list! I’d love to see a few pics, Rod K, I bet she’s a beauty !
I am having troubles getting pics attached. I will reformat and try later.
Just for your info this body style was only available for 2 years 65 & 66.
Yes we love it and it turns heads only 3418 made with most crushed at this time. Best part is our granddaughters love it. The nine year old is into old cars so much she is going to the car show with me tomorrow.
Rod K –
In September 1969 I traded in my 1957 supercharged Packard Clipper sedan at the local Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in Rockville, Maryland; Maryland Motors. They had a bright Red 1966 Fury convertible on the lot, the car had done only 16,000 miles from new, 1-owner who I was told had bought a new Chrysler 300 convertible back in the spring. The Fury was factory equipped with the very rare [for a Plymouth] 440 TNT engine, with the red upright Plymouth hood ornament with the numbers 440 on it.
I had been looking at another car on the lot; a 1964 New Yorker wagon, loaded with all options including dual A/C, White with blue leather and bucket seats! The wagon only had about 20,000 miles and they were only asking $550 for the car, state inspection included.
My dad was the first to spot the Fury convertible, and he talked me into spending the extra money; I drove home with that 3-year-old low mileage convertible, for only $750. The salesman said they wanted the car off the lot because cold weather was coming to town. It wasn’t until the next day when dad noticed the numbers on the hood ornament, and realized he had suggested a muscle car purchase for his 17 year old son!
Bright red with a black interior and black top, and those deep dish finned “turbine wheel covers”. My car even had a tilt & telescopic steering column. When we first looked at the car, it was missing the padded center piece for the steering wheel, and they promised in writing to replace it. They tried over & over again to order that padded piece with the Plymouth emblem in the center, but were never able to obtain one, so the parts department finally ordered the only one still available from MoPaR – and my steering wheel from that point on had an Imperial emblem in the steering wheel. I miss that car.
Traded it in on a brand new 1973 Dodge B-200 LWB cargo van, needed for my antique car parts business, but that’s another story for another day.
Great story. I wish mine had the 440 but I will happily live with the 318. One of the reasons I bought this car was that I learned to drive on my Dad’s 66 Fury II. Same bronze colour.
I would bet that you often wish you had this car again.
I could write a book on my love affair with 66 Fury models but I don’t have time. It probably started with dad’s purchase of a brand new 66 Fury III wagon in April of 66 and my later purchase of a 66 Sport Fury coupe as a first car.
I just want to say to Bill that one of my later purchases was a 66 Fury III convertible that was for sale near the Phila Zoo in 1982. It came with the dealer invoice which showed that it was sold by Maryland Motors in Rockville, MD. This was a Plane Jane convertible with only the 383-2bb, auto trans and a radio as options. It was burgundy with a black top and interior, body color wheels with dog dish hub caps. Still have it but not in that form.
I like this car a lot. But not $8,500 worth of liking it.
Definitely would need an in person, detailed inspection before purchase.
Huh. I didn’t realize Plymouth made the Fury AND the Furry. Interesting but I can’t see much fur.
I did not see a picture of the engine, so does it a polyspherical 318 or the later LA 318? I still need to get over my 68 B-Body convertible before I can do more than look.
These came with the Poly.
The shackle looks to be broken the bolt is missing!
Best Cash Offer Takes It !!
What’s this supposed to mean? If someone offers him $850 (dropping a decimal point), he’ll sell it?
Not Likely !!
LOL !!
Black vinyl.
You have not lived until you’ve ridden in a convertible with black vinyl…
I had a big Ford Sunliner convertible with a black interior, back in the early 70’s when we all wore short shorts. It’s hard to describe the feeling from jumping in on a hot day without thinking.
I think I still have the burns on the back of my legs….
price s does seem high, saw one in saskatchewan,,canada, where i reside, our prices are much cheaper here, the price was $ 2 grand canadian, same shape.more or less. no inspection here! either
Really? I’m the only one who thinks Furry III is funny? (1st paragraph 2x!)
No, I did not immediately think “Furry III” was the 3rd in a series of an anthropomorphic subculture known for wearing animal costumes and allegedly performing… well… nevermind. :)
Love the old FM converter under the dash. Indispensable in the 70’s.
Fury 123 sedan , coupe or convertible; they were really nice cars , and you could order as you wish.
Rod K – Of the roughly 1,500 cars & trucks I’ve owned over the years, That red Fury convertible is one of the few that I wish I could find again. I still have the build sheet that was stuffed under the seat, and I’ve checked the VIN with most of the states in the mid-Atlantic region to see if the serial number comes up, but alas, I suspect the Dodge dealership I traded it to, sold the convertible to a southern wholesaler, as I never saw it again, and I’ve lived my whole life within the region. Last fall I did see a red Fury convertible go roaring past us, I did a police 3-point turn and followed him home, but alas, it had been a baby blue car that was repainted red many years ago.
I just found an old Polaroid photo of the convertible, taken about 1970. The emblem on the front fender in front of the wheel opening [where the “Commando V8” emblem would normally be placed] is a big block “Sonoramic Commando V8” emblem. I guess it was Chrysler Corporation’s way to advertise that massive 440 TNT engine, but none of the Plymouth manuals or brochures mention it except for 1960/61, and then it refers to the famous Chrysler 300 E & F series cross ram manifolds with twin 4 bbl carbs. This car didn’t have dual carbs, only a single 4 barrel carb, with the dual snorkel air cleaner.
That picture makes my chest hurt. It pretty much shows what I did to my Fury III convertible to make it into a Sport Fury. Including the 440.
I made the modifications only because the car I bought was in such bad condition. As a Phila city car literally every panel except the hood was damaged. Once retired from service the car was parked behind the owner’s house where open windows allowed stray cats to take up residence. Use your imagination to picture what I towed home and why gutting the interior was necessary. Man oh man if only I had the time to take on projects like that again.
Bill keep looking they are still out there and at a reasonable price. These don’t command the big dollars even though there isn’t many left. Wish I had the build sheet but no luck. The guy I bought it off told me he had it but couldn’t find it. He is a hoarder and it literally took me all day to get the car out of the barn.
Mine has some nice options such as power windows, power brakes, power steering,automatic, buckets & console,variable speed wipers,4 way flashers and fender skirts.
The red Fury had power steering & brakes, they were standard on the Fury III & Sport Fury. I wished it had power windows and always hoped to find a ’65 to ’67 Mopar convertible in a junkyard with them, but never did. I actually bought a Fury III hardtop’s bucket seats, console and steering column [paid $10 for everything], but discovered I would have to give up the T&T steering because the parts to change it to a floor shift T&T setup would not work. And the other reason I didn’t change over the seats was with the bench seat, the girls would snuggle up against me when it was cold out and the top was down. As for the fender skirts, I did have a set, but I preferred the car without them, I liked the look of those turbine rib wheel covers.
No, neither was standard on the Fury III or Sport. The 66 Fury III wagon my dad bought new in April of 1966 had manual steering and manual drum brakes. Had the 383 though. God my mom hated driving that car. And the 66 Sport Fury I bought in 1978 as my first car had power steering but manual drum brakes. Detroit offerings had crazy standard equipment back then. Even top level cars like the VIP (Very *Impressive* Plymouth) had the 318 with a column-shifted 3-speed manual transmission as standard equipment. Weird. A few years ago I saw a 66 Sport Fury for sale on ebay. It had the 318 and the column-shifted 3-speed manual transmission. The console had a top plate that wasn’t cut out for the shifter! As I understand it when a manufacturer advertised the base price for a model with standard equipment they had to build a certain number of units that way. Not that anyone wanted them.
Not only are the 1/4s awful, the spring bolt is completely missing!!!!