1967 Plymouth Fury III 318

Furyus67

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Howdy folks. I have been lurking in the background of this forum for quite a while. Now I'm about to start being a part of it.

I have a 1967 Plymouth Fury III, 318, with 71,000 miles. It hasn't been driven in 4 years and probably hasn't been started in about 3. My plans are to take the engine out and have it overhauled. My engine builder is an 80 year old friend who still runs his auto shop every day.

While the engine is out I would like to do the Disc brake swap. As you can see in my picture the current master cylinder is leaking down the firewall and the pedal currently goes to the floor. When I take the top of the MC, it's the rear of the two compartments that's drained out. While I have it apart I figured I might as well do the brakes. If anyone has a power booster and master cylinder that is compatible with the disc brake swap please let me know.

Also while the engine is out I will be detailing the engine bay. Once I get the car up and running I will get the body work and interior done. I would like to stop and go first, then worry about looking good. I hate to just see the car sitting, I want to get it running good again. I will try to keep the forum updated as I do things.

The car is currently at my father's house, as I live in a townhouse. This evening I was able to take off the radiator, alternator, power steering pump, and fan. I plan to pull the engine on the 29th, if not before.

Thank you in advance for the wise words of the forum!
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Be the perfect time to go thru the suspension also. Control arm bushings, ball joints and steering linkages as necessary etc. That's a very nice looking Fury. I like that roofline.
 
The power disc brakes that were stock for this car were the dual piston caliper type that were a PIA. They are hard to find parts for at this point, so I would not recommend that type of conversion. With a 318 stocker, you probably do not need discs anyway. The standard power brake booster for drum brakes is still available and might be a better choice if you need more braking action. Your current brakes are leaking and probably do not stop well but properly maintained you should find them more than adequate with the drum booster. Nice car, by the way.

Dave
 
While the engine is out I would like to do the Disc brake swap.

I have a 69 Fury III with a 440 and still run drum brakes although they are power assisted.
 
Looks like a great car. My recommendation is to pull the tranny and do it at the same time as the engine. After sitting this long chances are it’s going to leak anyways. I agree with the other comments that properly maintained drums work very well especially if you add a booster.
 
Be the perfect time to go thru the suspension also. Control arm bushings, ball joints and steering linkages as necessary etc. That's a very nice looking Fury. I like that roofline.
I did get a quote from Laura at Springs n Things. I will most likely order the front end rebuild kit and rear leaf springs.

The standard power brake booster for drum brakes is still available and might be a better choice if you need more braking action. Your current brakes are leaking and probably do not stop well but properly maintained you should find them more than adequate with the drum booster. Nice car, by the way.
Dave
Does the power brake booster make the much of a difference? Maybe I could just replace my non-power one and see how that is. That way I'm not opening up a bigger can of worms with the disc brake conversion.

Looks like a great car. My recommendation is to pull the tranny and do it at the same time as the engine. After sitting this long chances are it’s going to leak anyways. I agree with the other comments that properly maintained drums work very well especially if you add a booster.
What would I be overhauling on the transmission? I was talking to my engine builder and he said leave the transmission in and just replace the screen and the fluid from the bottom side. Educate me please.

Thanks for the compliments!
 
I did get a quote from Laura at Springs n Things. I will most likely order the front end rebuild kit and rear leaf springs.


Does the power brake booster make the much of a difference? Maybe I could just replace my non-power one and see how that is. That way I'm not opening up a bigger can of worms with the disc brake conversion.


What would I be overhauling on the transmission? I was talking to my engine builder and he said leave the transmission in and just replace the screen and the fluid from the bottom side. Educate me please.

Thanks for the compliments!
Unless you know the history of this car and what has or has not been done to the tranny you are taking a gamble it will be in good condition. Many things can be wrong with it and I can almost assure you it will be a leaker once you get it going. Once you make a decision to pull the engine it takes very little effort to remove the tranny and get it overhauled. It’s more of peace of mind to insure that your power train is up to snuff and you can enjoy it once you get going. Just think how disappointed you would be once the engine is in and the tranny fails or you have to constantly fight leaks.
By the way the car looks like it is definitely worth the effort. Good luck with it.
 
I did get a quote from Laura at Springs n Things. I will most likely order the front end rebuild kit and rear leaf springs.


Does the power brake booster make the much of a difference? Maybe I could just replace my non-power one and see how that is. That way I'm not opening up a bigger can of worms with the disc brake conversion.


What would I be overhauling on the transmission? I was talking to my engine builder and he said leave the transmission in and just replace the screen and the fluid from the bottom side. Educate me please.

Thanks for the compliments!

A properly working power brake booster will give you significantly better braking. The conversion is pretty much a bolt on. You will need to scavenge a salvage yard to find the mounting bracket for the power brake booster as it is different than the one used on standard brakes. Master cylinders are the same.

Dave
 
Unless you know the history of this car and what has or has not been done to the tranny you are taking a gamble it will be in good condition. Many things can be wrong with it and I can almost assure you it will be a leaker once you get it going. Once you make a decision to pull the engine it takes very little effort to remove the tranny and get it overhauled. It’s more of peace of mind to insure that your power train is up to snuff and you can enjoy it once you get going. Just think how disappointed you would be once the engine is in and the tranny fails or you have to constantly fight leaks.
By the way the car looks like it is definitely worth the effort. Good luck with it.
The car has been in the family for 15 years now, driven regularly for the first 5, the last 10 not so much. Last 4 not at all. I know in the last 15 years nothing has been done to the transmission but, it was running fine prior to 4 years ago. I guess I should still consider pulling the tranny too though and ive it a look. That would be quite frustrating for it to be acting up once everything is back together.

A properly working power brake booster will give you significantly better braking. The conversion is pretty much a bolt on. You will need to scavenge a salvage yard to find the mounting bracket for the power brake booster as it is different than the one used on standard brakes. Master cylinders are the same.
Dave
I think I'm going to just take this route then. Definitely would be cheaper and would save money for things like the front end kit, interior and paint. Do you think this booster would work? For Sale - Power Brake Booster, Firewall Reinforcement Plate, Master Cylinder, "C" Body Cars.
 
The car has been in the family for 15 years now, driven regularly for the first 5, the last 10 not so much. Last 4 not at all. I know in the last 15 years nothing has been done to the transmission but, it was running fine prior to 4 years ago. I guess I should still consider pulling the tranny too though and ive it a look. That would be quite frustrating for it to be acting up once everything is back together.


I think I'm going to just take this route then. Definitely would be cheaper and would save money for things like the front end kit, interior and paint. Do you think this booster would work? For Sale - Power Brake Booster, Firewall Reinforcement Plate, Master Cylinder, "C" Body Cars.

That would appear to be a disc brake booster off on an Imperial, different unit. The mounting plate might be the same, not sure.

Dave
 
Would I need the brake pedal off the power booster car as well?

Probably, the whole thing, bracket and pedal comes out as a unit. If you get the whole thing you know you have everything you need. I have had better luck finding used boosters and having them rebuilt (www.boosterdeweyexchange.com) rather than the crap shoot with poor quality Cardumb units that are redone overseas. If you are at a salvage yard, be sure to get the manifold fitting for the booster vac line while you are at it.

Dave
 
I've got a line on the power brake set up off a '68 polara with drum brakes. Would this booster, pedal, mc work for my situation? Here is the only photo he has right now.
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I ordered the front end rebuilt kit and rear leaf springs from Springs N Things last night.
Got a power brake booster and fuel tank from @swisherred
Engine comes out Sunday and will be at the builders on Monday.

Time to get this party started!
 
Well I had the intention to pull the motor today and leave the transmission in the car. when I went to spin the flexplate to remove the bolts, I couldn't get it to rotate. The spark plugs are removed. So then I tried the breaker bar to the crankshaft method.....nothin doin.

I just had the motor turning over no more than a month ago. Could it really have seized that fast? I used a breaker bar with a long pipe on the end too. Still nothing. So if I'm not able to crank the motor what do I do? If I pull it with the transmission connected is there anyway to tear down the engine and eventually get it so you can disconnect it from the transmission?
 
Well I had the intention to pull the motor today and leave the transmission in the car. when I went to spin the flexplate to remove the bolts, I couldn't get it to rotate. The spark plugs are removed. So then I tried the breaker bar to the crankshaft method.....nothin doin.

I just had the motor turning over no more than a month ago. Could it really have seized that fast? I used a breaker bar with a long pipe on the end too. Still nothing. So if I'm not able to crank the motor what do I do? If I pull it with the transmission connected is there anyway to tear down the engine and eventually get it so you can disconnect it from the transmission?

The torque convertor can be slid free of the transmission once the bell housing bolts are removed. There really is not room to do this with the engine in the car so you should remove the engine and transmission as a unit and pull the transmission free of the engine with both units out of the car. This way the front shaft, pump and convertor are not damaged in the process. The convertor will be held in place by the flex plate and the transmission can be pulled straight back with the housing bolts removed. And yes an engine can seize quickly if moisture is present. You can try a 50/50 mix of ATF and diesel fuel in the cylinders to see if that will free the engine. Most likely you are headed for a rebuild.

Dave
 
The torque convertor can be slid free of the transmission once the bell housing bolts are removed. There really is not room to do this with the engine in the car so you should remove the engine and transmission as a unit and pull the transmission free of the engine with both units out of the car. This way the front shaft, pump and convertor are not damaged in the process. The convertor will be held in place by the flex plate and the transmission can be pulled straight back with the housing bolts removed. And yes an engine can seize quickly if moisture is present. You can try a 50/50 mix of ATF and diesel fuel in the cylinders to see if that will free the engine. Most likely you are headed for a rebuild.

Dave
Thanks Dave! That will be Sundays project.
 
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