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Ariving from Texas |
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Stored years under a tarp in Houston means rust holes in the roof! |
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| The matching numbers 361 engine is now bored and stroked to 450 c.i. |  |
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I found a 1963 wagon body that I'll be using to get the old car back on the road. It will take lots of time to get this donor cut up and grafted into the original body. I don't expect the body shell to be done for at least 5 years. |  |
The body shop where the wagon was being worked on burned to the ground in December 2010. The engine was painted and ready to install and it was there, too. I had the restored interior (door panels, dash pad, seats) stored elsewhere so they were saved. The original engine and transmission for my 1963 Polara were installed in the car, too. Also destroyed were my 1956 Plymouth Fury and the 1963 Savoy station wagon body that was the Fury’s donor.
Most of the Fury wagon needed replaced to be a really good car so I would say fenders, dash, glass and trim would have gone into the finished product. I have the steering wheel, seats and door panels safe. I have been stocking replacement parts for it so I guess it would have been a tribute car anyway. I have another body and I will keep folks informed.
It is with great sadness that I share with you what remains of the 1963 Plymouth Fury Station Wagon from Houston.
As noted, the body shop in Indiana caught fire in the early morning hours of Tuesday, 12/7/2010. Besides my two 1963 Plymouth station wagons and my 1956 Plymouth Fury, there were other losses, including a 1963 split-window Corvette that was ready to push into the spray booth, a 1970 LS6 Chevelle, a 1970 Mustang Mach 1 that was completed except headliner, a 1956 Crown Victoria (stainless steel top), a 1964 Malibu SS, 1951 Mercury lead sled, 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air -- not to mention a half dozen late model vehicles.
I had really big plans for the original Houston-based station wagon. The engine and interior were already restored and ready to go in the car. However, the original body was so bad from being under the tarp for twenty plus years that I had a 1963 Plymouth Savoy wagon from California that was going to be the body shell for all the original hardware and glass once refinished. The Savoy also perished.
I recently returned from a trip to Indiana and this is the first time I had been able to get back there since the fire to see the damage, first hand. There is nothing salvageable, so we gave them all last rights. Hopefully their DNA will end up in a new Charger or Challenger!
 Burned 1963 Fury wagon front fender driver side |
 Burned 1963 Donor 1963 Savoy Wagon |
 Burned 1963 Fury passenger quarter panel |
 Burned 1963 Fury Wagon dash |
 Burned 1963 Fury wagon front |
 Burned 1963 Fury wagon, front |
 Burned 1963 Fury wagon front passenger side |
 Burned 1963 Savoy burned passenger rear |
 Burned 1963 Fury wagon driver side quarter panel |
 Burned 1956 Plymouth Fury |
Thankfully, no one was injured in this tragedy. The body shop owner already has a new building erected in the old location and is trying to get it finished before winter.
If anyone knows of a 1963 Plymouth Fury station wagon for sale let me know. -- whuston383 AT earthlink . net -- A Commando 361, 9-passenger, with factory air would be a huge plus.
