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Expert
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Location: Fairfax, Minnesota | My son grabbed these on his cell phone. It may have been the only FWLK vehicle there. Totally restored
Edited by Ray 2017-03-19 4:41 PM
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 Ply1.jpg (173KB - 130 downloads)
Ply2.jpg (152KB - 125 downloads)
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Member
Posts: 46
Location: Minneapolis, MN | Wow!! Beautiful car. |
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Expert
Posts: 1287
| Lads --
Totally restored?!/!?
As we used to say in New Mexico, "El Toro Poopy!"
At least the block seems to be red, if somewhat more scarlet than bright MoPar red, but the ram tubes should be gold. It's hard to tell, but it looks as though the clear plastic of one or the other optional steering wheels ("Aero" or optional round) was recast in white; the standard wheel would be all green. Plus, those dorky wire wheels are definitely a no-no. Back then, a few dealers may have conned some of the old fudds trying to escape from the glories of the Model A era into the MoPar Muscle age into buying sets from their dusty back room stocks, but they never were a factory (repeat, FACTORY) option on any '55-'61 Plymouth.
But it is a very nice car and beats my old Big-Tailed Beast all hollow. I'd sure love to have it.
Joe Godec
'57 Chrysler 300C, '60 Fury SonoRamic, '65 Sport Fury 426-S/4-Speed, '65 Fuelie Vette |
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Expert
Posts: 1497
Location: Fairfax, Minnesota | I almost edited that out, due to lack of specific knowledge of the photographer and his dad (me). Thanks for the additional information. |
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Location: Parts Unknown | 1960 Plymouths were blessed with some of the ugliest wheelcovers
Mother Mopar's men ever mustered during the Forward Look era. I'd
be running wires, dog dishies, ANYTHING to NOT be running stock
wheelcovers, if I owned a 60 Plymouth ! 
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New User
Posts: 2
| so to sonoramic60(Joe), I assume by the screen name you consider yourself the expert?
This is my car actually thanks for posting it guys. The colors on the valve covers, air cleaners and sono tubes, varied greatly plant by plant, you could virtually find every combination. This would have been a St. Louis car. most likely red instead of gold and the rams painted silver or left raw. The red looked like jack...hence the gold version typical in one of the other plants which by the way...this combo existed as well. The block red is pretty much spot on, the picture and lights enhanced nicely, frankly took a lot of convincing to keep it on the block as well as you may gather "factory" means very very little to me. as to the wheels, they were optional on Chrysler products as early as 53 with the chrysler/imperial and available through 66 on chrsyler/desoto/dodge/plymouth...although few ordered after 60 when the aftermarket wheel craze started. If you need some doc on this I would be happy to send you some. Of course you had to have the good sense and taste to order them and the money to cover the costs. Both things are still true today and I agree with doctor desoto the others were the ugliest ever produced. Never did care for the clear plastic on the Aero wheels always looked dirty, solid green was just as ugly. This one is color matched to the car, that's the cool part of being in charge of the build...you get to choose. Half of the best options on this model car were dealer installed accessories, but again you had to have extra cash back then to throw at novelties in some cases. This car has almost all of those, probably the highest number of options and special feature you will find on one car. And if they are not on it yet, they will be when I find NOS versions. So Joe post a pic of your beast and we can compare or bring it out to the next car show and I will meet you there and we can show against each other. Just curious if you think that someone that chooses to undertake a project like this, doesn't do all the homework to know what was "factory" or not and really needs a lecture from an armchair expert. Maybe, just maybe that person built it how they liked it and couldn't care less what is factory or what the expert thinks. |
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Expert
Posts: 1287
| Wolfie --
You did blow it. As I said, wires were NEVER a FACTORY option on any Plymouth. Some may have had MoPar part numbers, but were never listed as factory options and were had by judicious use of the "999" code on special orders, a la Uncle Tom McCaHill's 300F with a New Yorker decklid rather than the "Toilet Seat," as there were a few unsold sets gathering cobwebs in back rooms. I can also tell you that since I am a product of the times who also had such a car back then and who devoured all the kinds of car stuff that came on the newsstands, no self-respecting gearhead wanted wires. Back then, they required tubes and were virtually impossible to keep in true with those high-torque ram-inducted engines so only guys who wanted "show" and not "go" cars would have wires. So there may have been an odd Plymouth or two back then that had them, they were add-ons in an attempt to personalize or customize them. For me to have proof of the car coming off the line with them, I think I would need the build record.
Not only did I have a '60 Fury back in 1960-1964, but my current BTB is a survivor that had only 43,000 on the clock when I bought it from the heir of the original owner and it, too, is a St. Louis car. Being a survivor, I did not "build" it as I wanted, but basically left it alone, so it is probably the most original '60 around anywhere. To see the car within a month after I got it, check Al Wilson's 1960 Plymouth homepage. It was also featured on Dennis Gage's "MY Classic Car" and the October 2014 edition of "MOPAR Action."
Yup, I do consider myself an expert because I not only have my un-restored car now, but I also had one back when they were knew. Now don't get me wrong and please note that I did say, "But it is a very nice car and beats my old Big-Tailed Beast all hollow. I'd sure love to have it." It's just not my idea of a total restoration, but I do like the car very much.
BTW, have you consulted Darrell Davis's book on the ram Plymouths?
Doc --
From your previous comments about me, I am sure that if Jesus Christ Himself would tell me that the Fury is His favorite car (after all, He drove the money changers out of the Temple in a "Fury"), you would instead look for some other old guy on the back roads that remembered the event and said He drove a DeSoto.
Joe |
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Expert
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Location: Houston | I like the wire wheels, who cares if they are 'original' or not?
Wheels and tires are a lot like batteries....they are part of the car, yes, but part of the car that can be changed from original and no one cares. That's because they are easily changed, easily refitted, and it makes very little difference in the car itself. Well, almost no one cares.
I prefer the term 'fixed up' over restored, anyway. Being 100% stock is fine for a handful of cars and owners...but life is too short to worry about trivial details.
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New User
Posts: 2
| you surely do like your assumptions. only redeeming point is you did end with "I like it", but I am not one to leave it all just lie there.
- I did not post this and never have used the would Factory or line you did, I said available
- I could give sxxx less about whether factory / line or not , in fact I do not think I even said restored
- I have all the same books you do
- what makes you think I or family member did not have one in 1960 when they were new(or knew as you say)? case in point this one?
enjoy what you drive ,I will simply enjoy mine...the way I chose to build it greg's right life is too short |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 494
Location: Alberta | Guys let's make up here I'm not the moderator so don't get confused, the word "restoration" • the process of repairing or renovating a building, work of art, vehicle, etc., so as to restore it to its original condition: the altar paintings seem in need of restoration. Interputation • a stylistic representation of a creative work or dramatic role: two differing interpretations, both bearing the distinctive hallmarks of each writer's perspective. The above comments made are derived from some use of the english language. This is not twitter, Facebook or whatever social media you use outside this forum. This forum has developed a mutual respect for it's active members and in doing so has obviously been in place for a number of years based on respect admiration and experience with some professional advise to responding to common problems in the restoration process be it what it is. |
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Expert
Posts: 1287
| Wolfie --
Don't get your back up. Mea culpa. Please note that I not only said that I like it, but even more than that, i.e., "But it is a very nice car and beats my old Big-Tailed Beast all hollow. I'd sure love to have it." It's hard to be more complimentary than that and let me even reiterate, IT IS A BEAUTIFUL CAR!
My issue that I have seen five SonoRamic '60s pass through Barrett-Jackson as "over-the-top" restorations with three being outright fakes (they did not start out as ram cars), another that started out as a 361 SonoRamic car but ended up first with a 413 and then later with a 383 the next go-round, and the fifth had so much chrome on it that it looked like a low rider. But all were purported to be as "correct" restorations. Things such as those don't do any of us any good.
If you built that car the way you wanted it, you did an excellent job and more power to you. But believe it or not, there are some dumb old fudds in this world that are so set in our ways that we don't view it as a total restoration -- a work of art most definitely, but not really a restoration.
Incidently, survivor or no, my Beast has a few things that aren't kosher as well, for example:
- The chrome skirts are strictly something that I added myself after I bought the car. I had three sets on the one I had back in 1960-1964, but after the third was swiped, my insurance company put the kibosh on any more so I went to Baby Moons (they were in style then). The original skirts were not MoPar types, but Foxcraft that I bought for the then substantial amount of $19.95 from a local automotive parts store. The ones I have now set me back about $150.
- Initially, I put narrow band whitewalls on the present BTB just to replace the polyglass belted tires that were still on the car. I really didn't like the wide whitewalls once the narrow banded ones came out in about 1962 or so, but last year I caved in to convention and got the "gangster" skins.
- The swivel seats are not automatically operated by opening the door, but have the manual '59 mechanisms.
- The carb linkage does not have the more familiar slotted carb rods, but threaded jobbers that bolt directly to the bellcrank. I have a tech letter stating these were supposed to have been recalled and replaced, but evidently since the car was located on a ranch in the wilds of Colorado, this was never done.
- The fender wells don't have the removeable panels to facilitate plug changes.
- The engine compartment is not body color but rather a kind of dull primer.
These last four conditions lead a few of us (mostly old fudds) to believe that the car may very well have been a "mule" or early test vehicle because it lacks the features found on later production models. This may also be the reason that although the car was shipped from St. Louis to Denver on October 25, 1959, it wasn't sold until February 23, 1960. This is a rather long time for a high-performance car to sit on a dealer's lot and conjecture is that it may have been used as a factory rep's car in the interim. While I do have the original invoice, there is no mileage stated.
Again, I didn't mean to insult your car as that would be completely wrong of me, but rather that I didn't, and still don't, regard it as a restoration. But again, it is a magnificent car and mine pales next to it.
If you don't mind, send me a PM and perhaps we might be able to compare notes on our cars without loading down the system with our stuff. There aren't that many genuine ram cars out there anymore and we should stick together.
Joe
Edited by Sonoramic60 2017-03-21 12:04 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 673
Location: Malung, SWEDEN | Welcome to the forum William! Nice car you have there! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 673
Location: Malung, SWEDEN | 
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7400
Location: northern germany | wdwolf - 2017-03-20 5:17 AM
as to the wheels, they were optional on Chrysler products as early as 53 with the chrysler/imperial and available through 66 on chrsyler/desoto/dodge/plymouth...although few ordered after 60 when the aftermarket wheel craze started. If you need some doc on this I would be happy to send you some.
factory optional wire wheels for 60 plymouth? yes, please post some documentation on this! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 494
Location: Alberta | Imperial Club Info on wire spoke wheels http://www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Wheels/wire.htm. Some personal experience here discussed feel free to check it out |
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Expert
Posts: 1287
| Ray --
Did Mr. Wolf ever get in touch with you? I am really sorry that he felt that I may have been a bit too harsh on him, but I surely did not mean to be. He does have a nice car and I would love to get in touch with him since ram FLKers are very rare indeed.
He may have been somewhat sensitive, but disagreements about horses, and cars, are what lead to races. And speaking about races, he could not been as humiliated as I was when another '60 ram Plymouth absolutely ran my first SonoRamic into the asphalt on a drag strip back in 1961. To add insult to injury, it was not even another Fury, but a doggy green Savoy 2-dr post. It was bad, and he got through the quarter at least 10 car lengths ahead of me.
Joe |
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Minneapolis World of Wheels
