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HybridZ

Would this make a good daily driver?


violacleff

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Hey guys, I've been wanting another Z since I crashed mine, but have come to realize that I'm not going to find one as badass as mine was for under 15k.

 

My new interest is in old convertibles, specifically the plymouth fury.

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/plymouth/fury/360027.html

 

These seem to go for a pretty good price. What's the best mileage I could pull from one of these babies? Are they pretty reliable?

 

I suppose I should find a fury forum but, Hell I just miss posting here!

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The Fury hasn't started skyrocketing in price yet like many of the other cars of the era.

 

A lot of people say that old cars are unreliable. I have a '68 Camaro and it is pretty reliable. Sure it has some interesting quirks, but that is part of the experience. If you don't make a lot of modifications and you keep up with maintenance, there is no reason that it should be any less reliable than a newer car. In fact, due to the relative simplicity of the older cars there is less to potentially go wrong.

 

As for fuel economy... that is part of the price you pay for a cool car with a 440 big block. Sure, you could swap in an overdrive and do a little better... but you're probably looking at sub-20mpg without really trying to improve economy.

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I think I'd be happy with 16-20. From what I've read, the fury's usually pack a 318 or 383. I really don't want/need a lot of muscle, just a good cruise. I'd really love to have a camaro, but those command a pretty high price. I haven't seen any good mopar forums on par with this one. I'll keep looking.

 

Nice camaro btw. Do you drive it daily?

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Thank you violacleff. When I first bought it I drove the Camaro daily. But since then I've fixed it up enough that I've turned it into just a fair-weather cruiser. I decided that it would be better to buy a beater to drive daily and have the Camaro for fun on the weekend.

 

If you like the Fury, you might also want to check out the Pontiac Tempest.

 

I'd guess 15mpg is probably about right for most V8 muscle cars of the era. I was knocking down about 15 in the Camaro with a small block, Th350 transmission and a 3.73 rear gear.

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Our 72 Chrysler wagon with a 440 gets between 10 and 14mpg; generally towards the lower end of the range.

 

 

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I was going to say. Big blocks are not know for their fuel mileage. I would have guessed 12. Those old cars are heavier than they look. No unibody, heavy frames, thick sheet metal and no plastic.

 

That particular car needs a new top.

 

You might also have trouble getting parts for something that old. Nissan supports the old Z's better than most other manufactures.

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I was going to say. Big blocks are not know for their fuel mileage. I would have guessed 12. Those old cars are heavier than they look. No unibody, heavy frames, thick sheet metal and no plastic.

 

That particular car needs a new top.

 

You might also have trouble getting parts for something that old. Nissan supports the old Z's better than most other manufactures.

 

Pop, two out of three's not bad.:D Thirsty daily drivers, and our wagon weighs in at 5000 pounds.

 

But that is with a 'unibody' (only a front subframe); Chrysler products have been unibody since about 1960... I know my 63 Pymouth was unibody, and our 57 wagon wasn't.

 

 

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Pop, two out of three's not bad.:D Thirsty daily drivers, and our wagon weighs in at 5000 pounds.

 

But that is with a 'unibody' (only a front subframe); Chrysler products have been unibody since about 1960... I know my 63 Pymouth was unibody, and our 57 wagon wasn't.

 

 

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Now that you mention it my 69 Camaro had a "unibody" rear half also. But not exactly optimized for light weight.

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You can easily retrofit a late model 360 and o/d tranny. That will get ya up to 16 or better possibly and add reliability. Gear it around 3.08 add headers and a good ignition system. Nice thing is that it will still look stockish with the TBI Mopar uses... I'd make sure I stock up on light lenses as I find them and maybe some body chrome. Anything else you can find or retrofit as time goes by.

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