1970 Fury III Convertible 126115 miles: Intro & Planned 440/727 Swap

1970FuryConv

Old Man with a Hat
Joined
Aug 8, 2014
Messages
5,894
Reaction score
5,689
Location
Richmond, VA
Current Condition:
I took these pictures in my driveway on February 1, 2020. Not perfect, but a nice driver.
IMG_20200201_141640111_HDR.jpg
ps2.jpg
ps3.jpg
ps4.jpg
ps5.jpg
ps6.jpg
ps7.jpg
ps8.jpg
ps9.jpg
ps10.jpg
 
Very interesting car with a white on white combo Ben. Please correct me if i'm wrong, but if I remember right this a currently a 318 car? Best of luck with the upcoming "transplant". It will definitely give you more power with a 440, but will literally suck on gas. I will be following this.
 
ps11.jpg

Plan is to convert from this 126000 mile unrebuilt 318 with rebuilt 904 to 440/727
ps12eng.jpg

ps13eng.jpg

Fender Tag
fender-tag-jpeg.jpg

M85 Bumper Guards
R11 AM Radio
V01 Monotone Paint
V5F Body Side Moulding
26 26 inch Radiator
V3W White Convertible Top
A01 Light Package
G11 Tinted Glass
H51 Air Conditioning with Ft. Heater
L31 Turn Signal Lite Hood/Fender
M31 Body Belt Moulding
EW1 Paint Code Alpine White
M4F8 Medium, Split Bench, Green
EF8 Upper Door Frame, Dk. Green
A23 October 23 Production Date
T07544 Order#
E44 318 2bbl
D31 A904 3-speed
20190210_123524-jpg.jpg
 
Very interesting car with a white on white combo Ben. Please correct me if i'm wrong, but if I remember right this a currently a 318 car? Best of luck with the upcoming "transplant". It will definitely give you more power with a 440, but will literally suck on gas. I will be following this.
Trust me, it sucks on gas now. Plus the car only gets driven 500-1000 miles per year.
 
History: I bought the car on September 28, 2013 from a guy named Conrad in Connecticut. Conrad had owned the car for 20 years. He was selling because he has a 1966 Charger and an AMC Javelin, and he had to let something go. Great guy to deal with on the phone. Really liked him. I bought car for $3500, which given the low level of rust was an unbelievably good eBay price. The irony was that cars were selling at that amount 7 years ago. I originally was going to bid on this car when it first came up on eBay in 9/8/2013 and missed out on bidding, but the car didn’t sell so I ended up getting it the 2nd time it came up in September 2013. I paid $600 for the car to be transported from Connecticut to Virginia.

As a Connecticut car, with very little rust, this car was garage kept for almost all of its life. In fact, one of the reasons that Conrad sold it was because he had moved and only had a 2 car garage, so my 1970 Fury convertible got rained on for a year until he finally decided to unload the car. That rain didn’t do much for the carpet which rotted out from leaks, but otherwise there wasn’t really too much damage from the year of rain. Green interior was ratted out and needed to be replaced, so I went with white seats/black dash.
Pictures from Connecticut, summer 2013
Front Qtr View.jpeg
Rear Quarter View LS.jpeg

Dash.jpeg
Rear Seat.jpeg
 
Beginning of the plan: on September 30, 2012, I bought the 29-body Sport Fury pictured below. The car was originally 383/727 gold on white, but had been repainted light blue and then purple over top. It was a vinyl top car and had rot around the C pillars and rot in the rear subframes. Being a West Virginia Ohio Maryland car and living most of its life outside, it had rust holes in the front stub frame, bottom of the a pillars, perforation in the top of the roof, rust holes at the back of the door sills, different small holes in the floor board, heavy bondo in lower quarters and fenders behind wheel wells, and the list goes on. I paid $2000 for the car, essentially because it had a running 440 V-8, white c-body front bucket seats that I liked even though they aren’t original to 1970 cars, wheel rims and tires that I liked, front disc brakes, and a working hidden headlight grill.

Still, for me, it’s a gut-wrenching decision to part a C body, I worked on the car for a year. And finally decided to go with my original plan of using the car for parts.
p1.jpg

p1a.jpg
p12.jpg
p10.jpg

Car was left parked in a field, probably leaning to left side
p3a.jpg

Subframe
p2a.jpg

Stub frame
p13.jpg

Mopar purple 440 E code 1969 coming out 8/30/2014
p2.jpg

Been waiting a long time to get into my 1970 Fury
p4.jpg

Worry not, engine is at machine shop. Will not be purple much longer.
 
If the parts car had disc brakes, this would be the time to do that upgrade as well. You have an after market master cylinder that looks to be a drum brake unit with a drum brake booster. Most of 318 cars also had 8.25" rear ends and that will also need to be replaced as the small rear end can't handle the 440 torque. The existing 26" radiator should be able to handle the 440 if it is in good shape. A/C system has been removed, if you plan to keep A/C, be sure to pull the evaporator box and have it flushed. Would be a good time to check the heater core as well as they are a PIA to replace. Most 440 cars also have a heavier rear spring set, so check the leaf count on the 318 set vs the 383 set. Good Luck.

Dave
 
In the fall of 2013, it was time to change the interior from ratted out green seats, holy carpet, and scuffed green door panels, to the white interior that I envisioned.

I took the white bucket seats and buddy seat out of the 1970 Sport Fury and cleaned them with POR 15 Marine Clean.
Bucket LS2.JPG
Bucket RS1.JPG

Buddy seat mounts: welded in 1970 Sport Fury. Measured position. Hammer and punch to break welds. Short bolts and nuts to install in 1970 Fury III, (thread side up)
Buddy Seat Mount 1.JPG
Buddy Seat 2.JPG

As far as the door panels, quarter window panels, and rear armrests, I found that Duplicolor white vinyl paint is absolute junk. It could not cover and left yellow haze no matter how many coats. @CanCritter recommended that I go with SEM white vinyl paint. After several thin coats with 4 cans of SEM 15453 Gloss White $12.95 each, I finally had something nice looking. I could have used the door panels from the 1970 Sport Fury, but they had wood trim with sport fury lettering, which I didn’t want in my Fury III. Also, Fury III convertible quarter window panels have no wood trim and are unique to Fury convertible, so they wouldn’t have matched. I ended up trading the Sport Fury door panels and quarter window window panels to Gary @Wollfen in exchange for repairing the dash panel of my 1972 Fury III.
Door Panel RS1.JPG
Rear Panel LS1.JPG

I went through all the floor electrical connectors especially the ones for the rear seat armrest lighting. Installed the black carpet. Then buddy seat, the door panels, quarter window panels and armrests. I also shined window cranks and door handles. After installing all these, I had paid Page Auto Upholstery to form and white vinyl the rear seat. I bolted the redone rear seat in the place. I last drilled holes for seat rails on the transmission hump side of both bucket seats. I installed the bucket seats and the interior looked like this.
DSCN8957.JPG
5-4-14 Interior 3.JPG
5-4-14 Interior 5.JPG
 
4 years later, from October through December 2017, I did the work to change the dash from green, with scuffs and scratches in the dash shell and holes in the dash pad and a worn out looking wood trim panel, to smooth black shell and black dash pad. Took the opportunity to go through all the wiring and clean up all the shorts and resistance. I am put everything back together to find that it made my car interior look 100% better.
D1.jpg

If anyone has an excellent black steering wheel, I'm interested
D2.jpg

D3.jpg

Need to thank @polara71 for his guidance in changing my speedometer backing plate. As you can see the plate from the convertible is severely rusted. However, amazingly, after very light cleaning, the plate from the 1970 Sport Fury was like new. I moved the mileage spool, carefully from the Fury convertible plate to the Sport Fury plate.
D9.jpg
D7.jpg

D4.jpg
D5.jpg

Cracked green dash
D6.jpg

I bought this pad from Bud in Edison NJ. $120. Made a couple of small repairs. Repeated Meguiar's vinyl cleaner over several days
D8.jpg

Dash Shell after air grinder and roloc medium surface disks
D10.jpg
 
Last edited:
Dash shell in primer
D11.jpg

Never use Duplicolor clear. Goes on globby and uneven. Basically had to sand surface even and repaint.
D13.jpg

Assembled and installed
d14.jpg

2 pics in garage
D16.jpg

d17.jpg

2 pics after test drive
d18.jpg
D19.jpg


D12.jpg


D13.jpg
 
If the parts car had disc brakes, this would be the time to do that upgrade as well. You have an after market master cylinder that looks to be a drum brake unit with a drum brake booster. Most of 318 cars also had 8.25" rear ends and that will also need to be replaced as the small rear end can't handle the 440 torque. The existing 26" radiator should be able to handle the 440 if it is in good shape. A/C system has been removed, if you plan to keep A/C, be sure to pull the evaporator box and have it flushed. Would be a good time to check the heater core as well as they are a PIA to replace. Most 440 cars also have a heavier rear spring set, so check the leaf count on the 318 set vs the 383 set. Good Luck. Dave
Hi Dave, Thanks for the good luck.
Brakes, your point about weak brakes is well taken. Brakes were a problem when I bought the car. See power brake/disc swap below
Axle, that's coming
Radiator: small block will not work, unless swap sides for inlet and outlet. Have big block radiator from 1970 SF. Any recs for a good recore shop that won't kill me on price? Virginia area would help on shipping.
AC will not be reinstalled. I only drive the car with the top down, except for an occasional 5-mile run to keep oil/fluids in position
Heater Core: I should have done it when I did the dash, but I use the car so little in cold weather. A local shop had a minimum $300 recore fee. I said, "To hell with it." and moved on.
Rear springs: have a set from 1970 SF. Has an additional leaf. Need to see about stance.
Torsion Bars:
Torsion Bars, Dial Caliper:
· Convertible: .982” RS and .985”LS. Lot’s of adj remains on t-bar bolts. Strange that stock for 318/340/426/440 is .98, but 383 and station wagon is .94
· SF: by contrast 383 engine .945” both sides, No need to switch torsion bars
Torsion Bar Specs.jpg

Power Disc Brake install March-April 2014
Original manual brakes. Usual rust from brake MC against firewall.
B1 DBMC.jpg
B1.jpg

Power and manual brake booster backing plates are different
B2.jpg

Die grinder, roloc disc, sand paper
B4.jpg

White paint
B6.jpg

1970 SF brake booster after 4 coats Rustoleum gloss black
B6A.jpg

Power brake pedal is on left. Sold manual pedal $80 to someone on FB who wanted less strong brakes on his 73 c-body??? Strange but true.
B6B.jpg

Used late model disc-brake aluminum master cylinder: Mancini Racing MRE49315 4-2 Bolt Adapter. Mount 2 studs with blue thread lock on threads going into adapter and 1/4 turn with channel locks after hand tight. Allows 1992 B350 Ram Van MC to bolt into position.
· Need original tan 3/8" spacer plus 3/8" 4-bolt to 2-bolt adapter to place the aluminum MC where rod is resting against back of MC piston without pushing on it. Have full Master Cylinder travel.
B8.jpg


B7.jpg
 
March-April 2014 Disc Brake Conversion
1970 SF had disc brakes, which I swapped onto the Convertible.
Had rotors resurfaced and replaced calipers with units from Advance Auto.
Convertible Left side after Pickle Fork and BFH (removed tension from torsion bar 1st)
B11.jpg

Disc Brake Spindle from 1970 SF, left side
B14.jpg

Left Side assembled
B9.jpg
B10.jpg

Right Side
B13.jpg
B15 RS.jpg

Chose not to worry about 2 small grooves. Don't think they make a difference in braking performance for a car driven 500-1000 miles/year.
 
My machinist has been sick with stomach flu since Wednesday last week. Not much progress on engine.

as @Davea Lux pointed out, 8.25 rear will not handle HP 440. I took the 8.75 rear out from under the 1970 Sport Fury parts car. The following is the prep work and install on my 1970 Fury convertible, during October and November 2016.
Axle cleaned
1 20161002 Post 1st Clean Up 1 V1.jpg

Left side axle, LH threads. Changed to RH thread before install
2 2014 a1 LHT.jpg

Needed seals both sides
3 2014 Axle LS Oil Seal & 2 Inch Socket.jpg

Left side axle had green bearing probably 1st generation, since 70 SF had been sitting since 2000. 1st gen green wore out at 25-28K miles. I had one crack the RS axle shaft on my 69 Monaco. Wheel/tire/brake drum/axle flange came off while driving down a mountain road in Kentucky. Was lucky I didn't go over the guard rail. Quarter panel, wheel well, trunk extension, package tray supports, lower c-pillar badly damaged. I had invested $17000, car worthless. Couldn't prove anything. But HATE green axle bearings. NEVER AGAIN!! (for anyone who is concerned, supposedly the problem is fixed with 2nd generation green axle ball bearings. However, I believe nothing compares in lateral strength in turns to the OEM Timken tapered roller bearings.)
4 2014 Axle LS Shaft Green Bearing.jpg

Green LS axle brg in foreground. Original tapered still on RS axle shaft
5 a1 LS Green.jpg

LS axle shaft, Got all the parts. Machinist cold pressed on tapered bearing so as not to damage tempered steel of axle shaft. Nuzier unit, 11 tons of pressure to install
6 a1 LS tapered 10-24-16.jpg

LS, no adjuster
7 a1 LS tapered, no adjuster 10-24-16.jpg

LS, new seal
8 a1 LS seal.jpg

LS axle shaft with greased tapered roller bearing, installed
9 a1 LS brake BB.jpg

Danger averted
10 a1 LS drum.jpg
 
Last edited:
Some other steps during process
RS axle shaft gets grease
11 a2 RS grease.jpg

RS axle bearing end play adjuster. I did adjust using a dial gauge, but you can tighten until no play, then loosen until slight play.
12 a2 RS Adj installed.jpg

Center Section 742, 3.23, 1965
13 a5.jpg

742 case
14a6.jpg

14a6.jpg

Power Lock, plate clutch, sure grip
15 a4.jpg

8.75 mtg surface cleaned
16a7.jpg

17a8.jpg

Axle reassembled with new gasket. Obviously had to have center section and brake backing plates in place before axle shafts could be installed
18a9 reassembled, new gasket.jpg

Sure-grip Additive from Advance Auto
19a10.jpg
 
Brake Work
20a11.jpg

21.jpg

New wheel cylinders
22.jpg

23.jpg

Brass Brake Line Junction
24Brake Junction.jpg

Installed
25brake junction1.jpg

8.25 Leaves
27 axle leaves.jpg

8.75 painted POR 15 gloss black
26a axle painted.jpg

8.75 goes in
28 Axle Going Under Car V3.jpg


22.jpg
 
Site keeps duplicating pics and adding them back when I edit them out.

Locating nodule for axle spring perch
29 Leaf Ctrg Nodule.jpg

U-bolts and shock mounts
30.jpg

Installed
31 U-bolts & Shock Mts.jpg

8.75 mounted on leaf springs
32 DSC01986 Axle Mounted on Leaf Springs V4.jpg

8.75 installed
33 installed.jpg

34 installed.jpg

904 driveshaft longer than 727. Reinstalled 904, but still have 727 driveshaft
35 Dshaft 727 vs 904 full length.jpg

Trans slip yokes also different
36 Dshaft 727 vs 904.jpg

NAPA 246 u-joint installed on 904 shaft
37 new ujt.jpg
 
Back
Top