Help required for a newbie!!!

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Mon Sep 11, 06 9:09 pm

Well, my midlife crisis came early….. I’ve recently bought myself my first American motor, a slightly ratty ’67 Plymouth Fury VIP 2 door fast-top, as a 30th birthday present to myself. I’ve always fancied an old American car and got myself the Fury as a refurbishment project with plans to restore and upgrade it. I don’t know a huge amount about classic American motors or restoration but what I don’t know, I’m planning to learn as I go.

Now I need to start asking some daft questions to fill in a few of the gaps in my knowledge so I have a clue what I’m dealing with and am looking in the right direction for the right parts.

Any answers would be greatly appreciated!

Here goes….
1. What exactly are torque converters and stall converters? I’ve been poking about online and have seen them mentioned but only have a vague (and probably wrong) idea what they are and what they do (not even sure if they might be the same damn thing by different names!)

2. As the beastie handles and turns like your average oil tanker I’m wondering about upgrading the suspension a wee bit from its current torsion bars and leaf springs set-up to something a little less wallowy. Any advice on updating the suspension to a bit of a more modern package and possible suppliers?

3. The interior is totally worn out and seriously needs seats, door cards, etc. Local firms are quoting multiple thousands of pounds for a custom leather retrim. And good sources recommended for replacement seats and similar interior trim?

4. I have no clue about the wheels and tires at all. Can anyone throw a few specs my way for what will actually fit without any work needing done underneath and just bolt straight on? A mate has pointed me towards a couple of pictures of Torq Thrusts and a couple of other American Racing wheels but I have no idea what offset, back-spacing or diameter I can get away with on the car without needing any work done. Any advice would be welcome.

5. Any advice/recommendations for converting the car to disc brakes? I’m planning to open up the cars potential power a bit so the Plymouth will turn to a bit of a sleeper and give the local boy racers in their plastic euro-hatches a bit of a fright around town. With the drums needing a helluva shove on the pedal to bring the car to a rest as it is a bit more power could probably do with a bit of an upgrade to the brakes too.

6. I was thinking about a higher performance carb for a bit more straight-line poke. Can someone advise me what size the standard 2-barrel carb on the 383ci V8 is and what a good street upgrade might be?

I know I’m asking pretty basic and daft questions but at some point I guess everyone had to find these things out for the first time

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks folks,

Craig
UrbanWildman

Dave-R · Post by **Dave-R** » Mon Sep 11, 06 9:32 pm

Welcome to the club.

Dave-R · Post by **Dave-R** » Mon Sep 11, 06 9:32 pm

I am glad i took a huff and will not answer tech questions any more. It would take me all night to answer that lot!!

At least you put your hands up and admitted you haven't a bloody clue. But don't worry. There are plenty of people here to advise you.

Here is my simple and understated answers just for fun.

1. The thing that takes the drive from your crank in the engine and drives the transmission (gearbox to you). It works like an automatic clutch.

2. You are driving a 2.5 ton barge. How do you expect it to handle?

3. Make your own.

4. Use a tape measure.

5. Disc brakes are probably possible as most cars came with discs as an option.

6. A bigger carb does not mean more power. This is not Max Power land. This is the real world!!

No offence intended. I have been on the wine.

You will get a lot of real help here. Don't worry about that. Good times are ahead for you now you are a member of the Mopar "clan".

Holly · Post by **Holly** » Mon Sep 11, 06 9:33 pm

Welcome

1. A torque convertor is a fluid coupling between the engine and the auto gearbox. The stall speed is the amount of engine revs needed before it 'locks'. Standard stall speed is about 1200rpm, you can increase the performance with a higher stall speed, kind of like slipping the clutch in a manual car.

2. First thing to try is fitting new shocks, KYB GR/2 shocks are stiffer than stock. Springs can get saggy with age, new ones aren't as pricey as you might expect. Also wheel/tyre choice and steering component condition can affect the handling alot.

3. Should be able to get a new interior without breaking the bank, though you may have to hunt for good 2nd hand parts for some pieces. Learning to do some of the trimming may save you alot of money

4. The wheels will probably be 4 1/2" PCD (bolt pattern diameter) and you'll be able to fit larger wheels. Typical tyre sizes are 225/60R15 fronts and 275/60R15 rears, but theres alot of choice

5. You may find fitting a brake booster helps more than fitting discs, which can be pricey.

6. To upgrade the carb you'll need a different intake, I'd suggest looking at the matched sets of carb, intake and cam that Summit Racing sells to get an idea of what you can have. Headers (tubular exhaust manifolds) can free up alot of power but can be a pain to live with day to day.

Hope this helps, I'm sure others will chip in with better info

Oh, and don't mind Dave

charger01 · Post by **charger01** » Mon Sep 11, 06 9:40 pm

I`ll keep it simple.... Hello & welcome

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Mon Sep 11, 06 10:00 pm

Dave wrote:I am glad i took a huff and will not answer tech questions any more. It would take me all night to answer that lot!!

At least you put your hands up and admitted you haven't a bloody clue. But don't worry. There are plenty of people here to advise you.

No offence intended. I have been on the wine.

You will get a lot of real help here. Don't worry about that. Good times are ahead for you now you are a member of the Mopar "clan".

No offense taken dude. Cheers for the welcome, your answers gave me a good laugh anyway!

I tend to dive in the deep end and hope for the best, I don't do things by halves so this little automotive escapade of mine is either going to be a fantastic triumph or a spectacular failure.

Realising how little clue I had about what I was taking on was a definite "Oh bugger....." moment though

I'll probably feeling like a total fool for a while I think

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Mon Sep 11, 06 10:13 pm

James K wrote:Welcome

Hope this helps, I'm sure others will chip in with better info

Oh, and don't mind Dave

Cheers, its given me a few places to start and pointed me in the right direction.

I quite liked Dave's brutal honesty!

Can't help thinking of my own sarcy response to a few of his answers though

2. Like a hungover whale?

3. I want it to look better not worse! I'll give you the number of the sewing teacher from my old school, she'll vouch for my complete lack of fingers and over abundance of thumbs!

6. Its NOT??? Thats it! I'm NEVER trusting Sat Nav again!!! Daft thing keeps telling me I'm driving in a field or, worse, a river and to return to the nearest road! And then the wonderful advice telling me to turn left, continue for 600 yards and turn right..... which I would have done if there wasnt a block of flats 100 yards in front of me after the left turn.

Sorry, my reality cheque bounced!

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Mon Sep 11, 06 10:14 pm

charger01 wrote:I`ll keep it simple.... Hello & welcome

Cheers dude

latil · Post by **latil** » Mon Sep 11, 06 10:16 pm

Welcome

Another Fury

Get yourself a manual (available on disc these days) and don't hesitate to ask on here.

Alex · Post by **Alex** » Mon Sep 11, 06 10:21 pm

Welcome to the club and forum, all your questions will be answered don't worry !

Kev · Post by **Kev** » Mon Sep 11, 06 10:46 pm

I vote Dave's response to a Newbie; "Post of the Decade"!

Welcome aboard Fella! Hope all your Q's are answered. A Score sez they WILL all be answered in due course. Post each Q as a separate posting in the relevant section. I wish Dave was still answering Tech as it would have been a bit quicker for ya!

Once again, Welcome!

Holly · Post by **Holly** » Mon Sep 11, 06 10:50 pm

Yeah, but it would have taken longer to read ...

Rebel · Post by **Rebel** » Tue Sep 12, 06 12:23 am

Hi and welcome

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Tue Sep 12, 06 5:09 pm

Hello

Is this a big block or small block car?

The suspension will most likely benefit from a freshen up, you might find a lot of the components are worn and could do with replacing. Bushes is a good bet you can transform the feel of the car by putting polyeurethane bushes in place of the rubber ones. However, road vibration and noise will increase.

I suggest:
- You tackle one issue at a time with the car, it's so easy to get lost.
- Buy lots of books, obviously relevant ones.
- Buy lots of tools, again relevant ones.

On the interior, do Legendry do a C Body set? Guys?

TrevD · Post by **TrevD** » Tue Sep 12, 06 8:03 pm

Hi and welcome , as you have found out we are a friendly bunch, sometimes taking the micky a little. daves answes are spot on if a little uninformative, james seems to have answered them well so i wont waste your time saying it again, but if you can swing a spanner you dont need to spend a fortune all the answers are available from the people on here. as for the interior its a personal thing , you get what you pay for so im using all carbon fibre pannels (cos its free

) and bucket seats