Any help with a 68 Fury III 440 Conv decoding & other info?

[TxSwimDad]

Here is the short version. I am helping a neighbor who is interested in this car and we are trying to evaluate everything we can before he commits to it. The owner wants $12,500. Any assistance with this info is greatly appreciated! We also understand that the 440 conv in yellow is quite rare. Any productino numbers on that combo?

Here is the fender tag:




One other item that is in debate is whether the engine compartment would have been black originally or not. The car is yellow. Here is my recall of the day.

Immediately upon arrival there is the Fury III Convertible (not Sport) sitting out on the gravel driveway in front of a very old single wide trailer house.














We meet the owner (retired mechanic) and you can already hear his pride for the car. It is a little fuzy as to whether he or his uncle has owned this car since 1991. He says they shared it and he will have the title in his hands this week.

A walk around of the car quickly shows cracking paint on the passengers door. The rockers were un affected. Hmmm, no body work, huh?



The rest of the survey divulges nothing else bodywise. The trunk seal is loose and there is fresh standing water from the rain the night before in the trunk that he hasn't finished drying out. I re-align the gasket to help minimze more water getting it. There is also some in the rear floorboards on the new carpet.




In November he lost his storage space when that storage owner sold the property only to push this car out in the parking lot and left a message for the car owner to come get his car. Since Thanksgiving it has been sitting outside in what I could diplomatically call a low income neighborhood.

This car was Ziebarted early in life and it appears to have done its job very well. I saw no missing plugs from that work.


Fender Tag info:
Car: no data
Engine 440cid 4 bbl HP V8
Transmission: 3-Speed Auto
Build Date: December 28
Axle Ratio: 3.23
Interior: Black Vinyl Bench. Black interior
Paint : No Data

Moldings:
A1 Body Belt Moldings

A1: 26” Radiator
D9: Front Disk Brakes

VIN Decoded: PM27L8D2#####
Shows it as a Fury w a 440/375hp motor built in Belvidere, Il.

Observations:

Passenger door was repaired long ago. Body filler has gone through shrinking & showing cracks through the paint. 2 or 3 slide hammer holes are found on the interior of the door shell.

Various seals need replacing or alignment.

Standing water in trunk and rear floorboards from the night before. Both are very solid and no showing of rust. We left things so that the interior would air out some.

TF727 did not seem to shift into 3rd gear. Suspect a mechanical adjustment.

Ignition has been updated to the electronic mopar ignition.

Ziebart is still very much intact. I saw no Ziebart plugs missing.

OEM exhaust manifold, intake manifold/carb, fuel lines, receipts(dated to 3/69), service manuals are all included.

Some of the power windows need service to operate w/o assistance.

Drivers side of bench has weak springs though it was re-upholstered in 03.

Dash looks remarkably nice.


Front disk brakes have been upgraded to Cordoba brakes. Stops very smoothly and predicatably.

Rear bushings, shocks & springs were replaced.

Addition of rear sway bar.

Matching numbers (unconfirmed) 440 was rebuilt ~ 5000 miles ago (~$4500) He kept the original manifolds, carb and fuel lines should anyone rather have those.

Time for a ride!!!!

The engine starts right up w/o smoke or noises. Yes it was a cold engine to start with. After a few minutes of warm up we pull out and enjoy a spirited though not abusive drive with the power top down. Yes it was a chilly ride. Looks like some commerical about old man drugs as two middle aged guys drive along laughing.

Power was plentiful as was the braking. The steering was typical of these mamoth cars.

All in all everything is in excellent shape and all the power options and tilt/tele wheel seems to be functional.

Body wise the pass door was the only let down. There are door dings and minor dings on the hood. Many have been repaired w/ the old style bottled paint brushes so of course you can see every one of them.

[Skwerly]

Nice find!

I must say first that I am no expert, but I have owned mine since 1994. MY engine bay is the same color as the rest of the car. I do not know if that is original, but I suspect it was. Therefore, I would not see why it would be different on a big block car. Maybe though.

I would say that car is worth every bit of the asking price, and probably 5k more haha. Yellow 440 convertible? Oh yea, man, you scored here. I hope someone can come in soon and decode that tag for you, but for the price of a Nissan Sentra with no options, I say you can't go wrong .

Good luck, friend!

[rexus31]

Yeah, I'd say somebody did a quick rattle can job on the underhood and in the trunk. Both should be body color with only the fron of the core support blacked out:

[TxSwimDad]

Awesome folks. thanks for the info!

[John Van]

Nice find! from what I can tell from the fender tag,u1=it was a special order car,if you could find the original owner that be great!h7=fender turn signal indicators,k7=pass side mirror, A1=26inch radiator,D9=front disc brakes,K8=power windows,don't know the rest sorry!

[Morrigan_Aria]

abc OPTIONS:
h7: Fender or Hood Mounted Turn Signal Indicators
k7: Passenger Outside Manual Mirror
u1: Sold Car When Built (Somebody Ordered It)

ABC OPTIONS:
A1: 26in Radiator
D9: Front Disk Brakes
K8: Power Windows
R1: AM Radio
S1: Air Conditioning
X1: Tinted Glass (all)
Y1: Black Convertible Top
AXLE: 3.23 Rear Axle Ratio
INTERIOR: Black Interior.
PAINT:
OTHER:

MOLDINGS:
30: Body Belt Mouldings
78: Wheel Lip Mouldings

P= Plymouth Full size
M=Medium
27=2 door convertible
L8=440-4v HP V-8

That's what I can decipher.

[TxSwimDad]

Fantastic! Thanks for the info everybody.

The only thing I can't seem to find is the prod qty for a yellow 440 conv now. I came across the v8 conv numbers but none specifically for color & 440.
Thanks again.
Les K

[Morrigan_Aria]

http://www.galengovier.com/

You might be able to contact Galen through his website.

[67 GTX]

it is a good looking car