Who thinks they can save this 1973 Fury III

McPherson 57

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I bought this a year ago with the intention to use it for parts. 318 727 runs and drives and stops. My daughter thought we should save it so I started buying parts. 1 nos right rear 1/4, one Texas trunk lid, one Texas rear bumper, one lower rear valance. Tail light extension. I have tried to find a frame shop to straiten the frame but no one wants to try. I believe the frame is only bent behind the axle. The interior is beautiful. I am considering selling it to someone who would like to fix. It is (not) rusty.

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Na the roof is buckled, your going to really need another rust free car to fix this one economically, I mean they got laser frame tables now but I'm sure the basic factory frame alignment dimensions a nowhere near what the laser specs are now-a-days. I remember one of the Graveyard Carz shows where they had a vendor come in and measure up a mint original car for laser specs. I'm sure there is none for this Fury.

If that was my car and someone rear ended me it would for sure bring out the 'Ray Donovan' in me.




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You need to call around and find a car guy that works on old cars that will pull that. Call around and ask who works on old cars like this. Ask at the auto paint Supply store, they know all the guys working at home shops.

That buckled roof will come around quickly when it starts being pulled on. These body shops you see on busy street corners only want late model insurance jobs for the quick money. These guys don’t learn old cars in schools these days, they are a different way of thinking.

That car needs to be saved and you already found the parts for it.
 
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@azblackhemi is probably the guy to get an opinion from.

I think it could be fixed, but the question is how much it's going to cost. Back in the day, this would be fixed by buying a similar car with a smashed front and welding the two together. Pull it out and replace the frame rail might be the best bet.
 
Na the roof is buckled, your going to really need another rust free car to fix this one economically, I mean they got laser frame tables now but I'm sure the basic factory frame alignment dimensions a nowhere near what the laser specs are now-a-days. I remember one of the Graveyard Carz shows where they had a vendor come in and measure up a mint original car for laser specs. I'm sure there is none for this Fury.

If that was my car and someone rear ended me it would for sure bring out the 'Ray Donovan' in me.




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I don't want to fix it. Just hoping someone else does. These cars are to far and few between now days.
 
Anything is repairable as is this one, but is it worth it? This is a clean car but the repair cost will exceed the value.
 
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pains me to see a good clean car so mangled. looks really nice despite the obviious liick it took. trust no one physically hurt.

i couldnt economically save it, but i could make it live on in other cars should you decide to see it as is. (pm me if you iever decide to sell it)

good luck in any event.
 
I don't want to fix it. Just hoping someone else does. These cars are to far and few between now days.
It looks like a nice car but it did take a pretty good lick. What is it worth as is? $1000-1500?
 
If you got a pile of this... just take a little off the top!

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No seriously I think the keyword in my previous post was "economically" It's a nice car and if your really in love with the car anything can be fixed, but as far as pulling it out with the roof like that, I mean how do the doors open & close now? It is a hardtop, will you ever get it sealed up right or have to listen to wind whistle noises on long drives? Not to mention the lower door seals which could have air and water leaks. From a hit like that I guarantee the door frame area is going to be off and near impossible to get right. (JMO)

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I see that you are from Michigan .
If you are in the Grand Rapids area ,
Grapewood frame and axle can pull that .
You might be able to contact Steve's antique auto for info also .
I personally would fix it .
Just a few thoughts .
 
It would certainly be expensive and in the end, you would have more money in the car then it would be worth.....Like EVERY restoration of a c-body. This looks to be an exceptionally clean car, I certainly can't venture into this project but if I had the means/storage, I'd give it a shot. Not that it matters for you but there is a frame shop in Meadville PA that could pull it. As a recommendation for a potential buyer, look for a frame shop that's been in business for generations.
 
I see that you are from Michigan .
If you are in the Grand Rapids area ,
Grapewood frame and axle can pull that .
You might be able to contact Steve's antique auto for info also .
I personally would fix it .
Just a few thoughts .
Maybe shoot this guy some under car pics and ask for a ball park estimate on the repair. Post the $ figure here. A potential buyer would know what the baseline cost was before bodywork and make an educated decision.
Good luck. And sorry about your car.
 
I'd love to save it, but timing isn't the best for me right now.

I have a friend who's pulled some minor wrecks for me in the past. I'll print out some of your photos of the car and hopefully I can run over to his place on Friday and get his opinion. He's fixed some pretty heavy hits over the years, so I'm sure he'll have a good idea of what it would take to get this one back in shape.

Jeff
 
I know that much of those wrinkles in the metal can be relieved with several careful body pulls, but the best way to do that car would be to do a "rear clip" installation. Which would need donor car for the rear sheet metal. KEY thing is that this is a UniBody car and that could complicate things a good bit. Getting the new sheet metal on it square would be an issue, too, plus all of the welding to make things right, just to get "to paint". BUT at $100.00/hr labor (or more), the cost to do these things would escalate quickly.

Unfortunately, it IS too nice of a car to part out, but unless somebody's "in love with it", parting it out would probably be the best thing to do. Consider, too, that the rear floor pan is probably tweaked and kinked, too . . . and all that would entail to correct it. Plus the fuel tank and lines. Even at least one rear spring.

Even if it had been a fancier big block car, the ultimate fate would be the same, I suspect. Unfortunately, the "business decision" decision would be to take your time and part it out, or let somebody else do that. There ARE lots of good parts there, for sure.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67
 
Once you figure out how much you need out of it you can start a sale thread here. Someone will latch onto it, straighten it out and give it a good home.
 
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I stopped at my friend's on Wednesday to get his opinion on the Fury.

He didn't think that it would be a big deal to get it right again. He suggested that I check with a local body shop that does his heavy pulls. I probably won't have time to go there tomorrow, but I will do so as soon as I can to see what they have to say about it.

Jeff
 
I bought this a year ago with the intention to use it for parts. 318 727 runs and drives and stops. My daughter thought we should save it so I started buying parts. 1 nos right rear 1/4, one Texas trunk lid, one Texas rear bumper, one lower rear valance. Tail light extension. I have tried to find a frame shop to straiten the frame but no one wants to try. I believe the frame is only bent behind the axle. The interior is beautiful. I am considering selling it to someone who would like to fix. It is (not) rusty.

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Looks drivable. Maybe never be able to get it back to show condition, but it shouldn’t become a Toyoyo.
 
Drivable but the leaf spring is jacked so it throws off the balance of the car.
Yea that's the big question too is if the uni-body has been 'kicked' to one side. I mean I've bent quite a few front stubs in my day and with a good alignment guy you can get the car back to running straight with some 'shade tree' frame straightening with a port-a-power. but if the *** end uni-body is kicked and not brought back perfect it'll 'crabwalk'. Fine if you just want to drive it around town to Sunday car shows, but for long drives on the Interstate as this car was designed for?

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