Works in Progress
1963 Plymouth Sport Fury
Al Lager writes:
Editor's note to Al: AOL says your e-mail is not working. " ----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors ----- lilal8609@aol.com" Please update your e-mail address.
My name is Al Lager. I'm 16 years old, and for the past two years during the summer I worked with my father at a hardware store he manages. I was working in the back warehouse and noticed a nice looking car. I brought my dad back there to look at it and he was amazed: it was a '63 Sport Fury, 361, with 80,000 miles, in very good condition!
As I worked the two summers I had gained enough courage and money to ask my boss if she would like to sell that car to me. She said "yes." I was so excited!
So my father and I looked at it wondering where to start and we realized that it was already in really good shape:
- The original paint job was still like new after a wash, just a few scratches here and there.
- The tires, all the chrome, headlights, brake lights, mirrors, hubcaps, everything was there and intact; nothing broken.
- The interior was a little hard from sitting there for over 26 years but it smoothed out pretty nice.
After all this I realized that I had a nice restoration project ahead of me! I am only 16 but I realize this car is a classic and a beauty!
My dad brought it home for me today -- Christmas Day 2001 -- with all new hoses, belts, and a battery. My father and a man from his work had been working on it for 1 month or so to get it ready for me by Christmas. Mr. Toney, my father's coworker, was very knowledgeable about cars. He did a lot of the preliminary work.
So on Christmas I went outside because they said there was one last gift. I was so surprised to see my Sport Fury, it looked so, awesome!
I asked him for the keys as I was going to start her up! But, to my dismay, there had been a slight problem, the gas tank had rotted and we needed a new one. My father had already found and ordered one, thankfully.
There is still much to do on the car, the interior is still kind of hard, the paint is a little scratched, but those are very simple to fix.
As I continue to fix her up I will send pictures of the car.
I also want to add some horsepower, since the car is in such great shape I need to spend some money on her somewhere.
Update February 13, 2002
Hello, I just wanted to update on my car....
I recieved the gas tank and along with my dad installed it, but the sending and recieving unit was all rusted so we needed a new one of those too. So we took the gas tank back out, then put the new sending and recieving unit in. The letters PLYMOUTH across the hood were a hassel to find but we finally found those and put those on. The brakes were pretty shot, but they are working pretty good now. Everything looks pretty good now except the timing seems to be off a little, but we can fix that with the timing light. It runs smooth, so right now my father and I are looking for an Intake Manifold and Headers. I have a Holley 4-Barrel Carb, but im not sure if it will fit the manifold or not.So I will write back when i get more done to it.. And next time I WILL have pictures for you... Thank You.
Lucky guy, Al!
You have excellent taste in Mopars, and a wise Dad and good friends.
The '63 Sport Fury is a very scarce Mopar nowadays.
Don't upgrade until you drive the car a while, in my view. The 361 is a Mopar big block, after all, and provides good torque. :-)
Regarding upgrades, maybe go through the brake system and replace the hydraulic hoses and steel brake lines, and upgrade to a dual master cylinder.
Once you are certain the car will reliably stop, then think about more mods.
Gary H.
December 26, 2001
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