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1959 Sport Fury Review and Test Drive
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56D500boy
Posted 2017-08-01 2:03 AM (#545274)
Subject: 1959 Sport Fury Review and Test Drive



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Bumped into this on Youtube while looking for something else:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQAQ1qtrTbI



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Chrome58
Posted 2017-08-01 4:07 AM (#545275 - in reply to #545274)
Subject: RE: 1959 Sport Fury Review and Test Drive



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It's always interesting for me to see and hear other cars driven ...

I've never driven another old american car before my '58 Plymouth, so it's a new experience to me.
And as I've restored it completely, I'm still unsure about how it drives and how it should drive.
For example, I seldom drive it past 60 mph, because it seems to me that the engine is too much strained past that speed.
But it could be just a case of driving too much contemporary cars where the overdrive is standard.

So those kind of videos are really interesting for me.

Thanks for sharing.
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Sonoramic60
Posted 2017-08-01 10:17 AM (#545287 - in reply to #545275)
Subject: RE: 1959 Sport Fury Review and Test Drive


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Chrome --
You'd be surprised at the capabilities of American cars from the Forward Look era. Properly maintained and tuned cars with new suspension components and tires drive quite easily on American freeways and have no problems keeping up with normal traffic flow. But those old drum brakes with their small braking surfaces, coupled with the greater mass of the cars themselves, do require a much longer distance to stop. This, of course, can pose a problem in heavy traffic when you try to leave that longer distance from the car ahead of you and one of our local jerks cuts in and out of lines of cars. But simple caution permits easy cruising on American streets and highways.
Personally, since my interest in those cars is directed to the "muscle cars" (or high performance jobs) of those days, I have a tendency to flog mine a bit more than most people. Here in Colorado in the western plains there often are long stretches of straight open road that are clear of traffic and which offer opportunities to "blow the cobs out." I easily "pegged" (i.e., put the speedometer at it's max level) my '60 Fury (SonoRamic Commando engine) and '65 Sport Fury (426 CID/365 HP, 4-speed), but they only go to 120 MPH. I kinda sorta got the speedo in my 300C (392 CID/375 HP) to barely nudge the 150 mark, but the best I could get my '65 Corvette (327 fuel-injected CID/375 HP) to show on its 160 speedometer was 150. Even considering the error inherent in those 50+ year old instruments, the cars still have their old punch and with their big torque ratings are also very potent in acceleration, easily smoking the tires "off the line" and chirping them at shift points.
Ordinarily, I drive all of them at normal highway speeds (60-80 MPH) to shows and love just to cruise for the pure enjoyment of them with windows rolled down (and top down in the Vette). They were made to drive, so go ahead and drive your car and have fun with it, especially when you get waves and "thumbs ups" from passing cars.
Joe Godec
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imopar380
Posted 2017-08-01 4:13 PM (#545315 - in reply to #545274)
Subject: Re: 1959 Sport Fury Review and Test Drive



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Don't be afraid to drive it!! I've put 29,000 miles on my 60 Saratoga since 2008, taken it all over Vancouver Island (where I live), and through Washington, Oregon and California to Chrysler ( WPC Club) meets. 2 weeks from now it's going to take us to Tacoma, WA to the WPC National.

Edited by imopar380 2017-08-01 4:14 PM
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Powerflite
Posted 2017-08-01 4:28 PM (#545316 - in reply to #545274)
Subject: Re: 1959 Sport Fury Review and Test Drive



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A set of 2.76 or 2.94 gears will reduce the rpms at highway speeds and make it cruise just like a newer car. That's what I do and I really like it that way. Low speed acceleration is reduced, but I think that aspect on a forwardlook is overrated anyway.
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1960fury
Posted 2017-08-01 5:41 PM (#545321 - in reply to #545274)
Subject: Re: 1959 Sport Fury Review and Test Drive



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what Joe said. i have a 2.93 axle and my 60 383 seems to have a sweet spot at around 75 mph when it seems to cruise effortlessly and produces a pleasant humming sound. also at that speed i mostly cruise with the drivers window down. try that with a new car. just love the vent windows.
that said you just can't or shouldn't drive these cars like a new mercedes at a constant 130 mph on the autobahn. yes, an overdrive or a 4th gear is what i miss the most in these cars.

Edited by 1960fury 2017-08-01 6:22 PM
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Powerflite
Posted 2017-08-01 6:19 PM (#545327 - in reply to #545321)
Subject: Re: 1959 Sport Fury Review and Test Drive



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With a lot of money and effort, you can get overdrive. '62-'65 727 case with '66-up internals & tailshaft, with gear vendor overdrive. This would give you push button shift with overdrive. But the overdrive ratio is only .78:1
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Sonoramic60
Posted 2017-08-01 7:09 PM (#545329 - in reply to #545327)
Subject: Re: 1959 Sport Fury Review and Test Drive


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Lads --
Different strokes for different blokes. I just like the idea of having them as they came off the line since I'm trying to return to the days of my misspent youth.
Incidentally, the "C" has 3.36 gears, the Fury 2.93s, the Vette 3.70s, and the Sport Fury 3.23s -- all with Sure-Grips (except the Vette as it has Posi-Trac) and they all get about the same MPG: about 7-9 in town and 11-13 on the highway. But they are all really fun cars to drive as I especially like to go through the gears of the 4-speeds on winding roads and sit back and cruise on the boulevards with TorqueFlites.
They are great cars and this old fudd is truly fortunate to have them.
Joe
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Chrome58
Posted 2017-08-02 4:59 AM (#545352 - in reply to #545329)
Subject: Re: 1959 Sport Fury Review and Test Drive



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Actually, I think that several sounds coming from the chassis are deceiving me into thinking that the engine is strained past 60 mph.
For example, I'm almost positive that my exhaust lines are touching the chassis at several locations, which gives a humming sound stronger than the engine noise.

I should also say that my engine has a tendency to overheat, and the few times I went past 60 mph, the temperature was up to 220°F on the top of the radiator.

When those 2 problems will be solved, I will probably try to see more of what the car has to show me. Because I know she has.
I have a dual quad intake, and when I cruise up to 60 mph, I know that I use only the first carb, because as the spring of the 2nd card is harder, there's a hard spot in the gas pedal travell that I'm not crossing.

I think my axle ratio is 3.15 but I'm not sure about that (it should be 3.31 though).

Edited by Chrome58 2017-08-02 5:01 AM
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plymouth
Posted 2017-08-02 9:57 AM (#545359 - in reply to #545274)
Subject: Re: 1959 Sport Fury Review and Test Drive



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My Imperial with 413/727 and 2.93 gear ratio is a very good highway/freeway car. It loafs along at 70-80mph with ease. The engine, steering gear, suspension has been rebuilt and all other parts serviced. With the combination or air conditioning and auto pilot, it makes the car feel even more effortless.

Edited by plymouth 2017-08-02 9:59 AM
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58 DESOTOS RULE
Posted 2017-08-16 12:02 PM (#546337 - in reply to #545274)
Subject: RE: 1959 Sport Fury Review and Test Drive



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56D500boy - 2017-08-01 1:03 AM Bumped into this on Youtube while looking for something else: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQAQ1qtrTbI

That's a good video. The only obvious mistake I could spot in it was the young man who incorectly identified the standard Fury horn ring as a "rimblow" ring. To my knowledge, no FL car had this kind of horn ring. The rimblow ring was offered in the late 60s to early 70s and consisted of metallic contacts covered with rubber mounted on the inner circumferance of the steering wheel. (I saw a 1970 Dodge Dart with such a ring) When one squeezed the steering wheel, the contacts were brought together and that sounded the horn. I believe this was an optional item and most people wanted a standard horn ring or button instead.

Also, I thought the Swing out seat were supposed to swing out automatically when you opened the door. In the video the young man has to move a lever to make them swing out. Maybe it was manually operated in the Plymouth. ?

 



Edited by 58 DESOTOS RULE 2017-08-16 12:03 PM
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