So, first things first, pictures or in this case just one picture for now. My hard drive is currently incapacitated.

http://imgur.com/293ntfq

This is a 1968 Plymouth Fury III with a 383 4-bbl 3-speed torque flite not sure on the rear end.

This is my first restore project. The car was a gift from my grandpa. The title reads antique.

Pros:
Mechanical:
It runs and is in overall good shape in my opinion. The VIN number of the body and motor match.

New oil filter (YES!)

New fuel pump and filter.

New (to me) belts.

Cosmetic:
I have the fender skirts, they are not attached in this photo. I think they may be the originals because the original paint color matches fairly well.

I have the trim that is not attached.

Body lines are good.

New white wall tires. The ones that it came with were mismatched and in bad condition.

Cons:
Mechanical:
Lifter noise. Probably my fault; I took it on a friends bachelor party and may have rally raced it a bit and may have dented the oil pan. Didn't notice and drove it home; on the way home the oil light came on so I added oil but I think the damage was already done.

The gas tank may be rusted. Just a hunch based on what came out of the lines when I replaced the fuel pump and filter.

Oil pump is worn out. May have also contributed to the lifter problem.

Old in general. The belts where ragged when I got it, they have been replaced since. Many hoses are old. The wiring looks like about 15 different amateur mechanics tired to wire the thing.

153000 miles. This is a guess because the odometer doesn't have a hundred-thousanths place. The odometer reads just 53000 miles.

Another guess is that the four barrel carb was not original at least according to the VIN on the motor. Additionally, I think the cam that is currently installed is not the original. Can't complain about those much though.

Cosmetic:
There is some rust around the fenders, the a/c doesn't work but all the parts (as far as I can tell) are there. There is a bulge in the rear drivers side quarter panel. The trim is taken off the rear quarter panel and the trunk. The dash pad is cracked. Several window crank handles are missing from the interior.

The paint, or primer, or whatever the black stuff is awful. It is chipping and pitting every where. It is applied unevenly and is fading even more. It was certainly not a good primer job.

I have been told by an old car guy that it used to be a soft top. He pointed out what looked like remnants of a soft top near the base of the hard top sits now. Don't know if it is true or not.

Interior roof is ripped in several places.

Plans:
Rebuild the engine/transmission hopefully back to stock. Purchase bolt on performance enhancers e.g. new carb, intake, exhaust, etc. I don't want to bore the cylinders or anything permanent.

Rebuild/replace suspension, brakes, electrical, other systems (that I don't know a thing about) as needed.

Restore the rest of the car vinyl, paint, interior, chrome, trim.

Abilities:
I usually do most of my own mechanic work. I take it to the shop to get it diagnosed and then do the actual work myself with the help of my dad who is an actual mechanic. He is more of a chevy guy but the way the treats and talks about this Mopar you wouldn't know it.

My experience, save what I have done to the Mopar, is on imports. I have to say I do like working on the Mopar quite a bit more, there is actually space to fit tools and god forbid your hands.

I have never rebuilt an engine but feel relatively confident in my mechanical abilities and my dad has rebuilt a number.

This seems like a lengthy post so I am going to end with a question. How does one replace the dash pad? Mine is cracked so do I have to find a car with the exact same color interior to get a new one or can the plastic be reapplied over a new pad from any car?

 

nice red x

 

68 Chrysler 440 motor had a small Holly 600cfm ? 4bbl from the factory could be ?? It most likely had a vinyl top not padded top.

Rebuilding the engine is easier than today's front wheel drives just bigger. Until you get the motor apart and measure the cylinders you won't know if it needs a rebore or not. You need to start by disassembling everything and have it cleaned !!!

Dash pad is very expensive !!! Check with JustDashes. Also if you find a used one you can us some vinyl dye spray paint

 

welcome to the site! i've a '68, too. stick around and ask questions as they come up!

 

So I have started the rebuild...finally. I had to finish up with school and in my unemployed state I am able to work on it almost every day.

I have the engine out of the car and have removed the valve covers, carb, intake, and oil pan. I have sand blasted the old pan and primered it, and cleaned out the inside really well. I sand blasted the valve covers today and will probably have them primed before the end of the day.

I also had the radiator checked out. It was toast so I bought a new one from a local radiator shop. I thought about having the old one re-cored but it was more expensive. When I saw the final cost of the new (after shipping) I should have just had the old one re-corded. I still have the old one and the radiator tech said it was the original so I will eventually get it re-cored and put back in the car.

I have bought all the gaskets for the engine from O'Reilly's. The one they have in town in an awesome parts store, the guys really know their stuff.

My plan is to take it back to the original color but I am having a hard time figuring out what that is. I have read there were only 17 color options when these were sold but I can't find a listing of these options anywhere. Does anyone know where I can look to find these original options for color?

I will put up some pictures later for a progress report.

 

Update: Picture Album

http://imgur.com/a/fWVzu#0