Need advice on a 68 fury wagon

I am going to go look at the following fury wagon tomorrow http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/3734840702.html

Was seeing if anyone out there might know of some specific places I might look for trouble that are known for this vehicle or ways to tell if it was covered up with bondo easily. Talked the guy into 1800 as well and think it's a decent deal if its not full of rust.

 

Looks like a pretty decent wagon. On any old wagon, places to inspect carefully for rust include the bottom of the tailgate (check the condition of the weatherstrip on the rear glass). Also check the spare tire well inside the right rear quarter panel. The rocker panels and "dog leg" section at the leading edge of the rear wheel wells are also areas to check. Check the frame rails, floor pans, the floor of the storage area (or third seat foot well). The bottom of the doors, and the bottom of the fenders are areas to check on any old cars. The wiper pivots at the cowl frequently leak on old cars, so check for damage under the front carpet. If leaves have collected below the vent openings in the cowl, you may find rust on the firewall as well.
This Fury looks pretty nice. Good luck. Take a couple different strengths of refridgerator magnets. If a weaker one doesn't stick in suspect areas of the body, try a stronger one to see if theres any metal near by that a magnet would stick to. Unless the paint is pristine, the owner shouldn't mind you seeing if a magnet will stick.

 

Looking at the pictures, I have a strange feeling you are going to find a LOT of rust/bad repair on this one. It looks like the passenger quarter, in particular, is very bad. I also wonder about a car in this shape coming from Texas. Check carefully. It looks more like a rust belt car than a Texas car. Check the suspension carefully, too. It is sitting MILES low. If it was lowered, and that is something you like, great. If it has sagged, it needs some major repairs, and those rear leaf springs are not inexpensive. Also, check the front subframe very, very carefully. The mounts and braces for the torsion bars can crack. They can be gusseted and repaired, but it does mean work. Check the state of the engine too. Those old Chrysler engines are strong, but it is nearing 50 years old, and a little neglect goes a LONG way. Same with the transmission. Check the doors, and door gaps, too. That is the fasted way to see if the unibody has started to sag. Make sure the doors open and close smoothly. Binding can be a sure sign of sag, and that can get expensive in a HURRY.

On the up side, it looks like it is a Fury III wagon, and they are fairly rare. Back in the day, contractors bought Fury I wagons and used them up quickly then scrapped them. People who needed a new car, but on a tight-ish budget, bought the Fury II, since it was a nicer car for not much more money. Again, often used hard, put away wet, and scrapped young. People with more money often bought the Sport Suburban wagon, as it was the nicest of the lot. The Fury III was sort of the orphan step-child, as it was nearly as expensive as the Sport Fury, but not quite as nice. If it is better in person than it seems, it may well be a good buy. I hope so, but I have a feeling you are looking at a major project. Good luck, and keep us up to date.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. Going to grab a 22ft trailer and head down there today to look/pickup the vehicle. I figure for 1800 as long as its not a total rust bucket it will be worth turning into a decent car hauler in the future. I will be buying a '14 stingray this year sometime and need a car hauler that not everyone has (old c10 series pickup anyone lol?). I doubt I will keep the 318 in it and just drop in a crate motor as it is 50 years old. He claims to have the front end and engine redone so we will have to see. As to the lowering he said he did it himself so I will be asking the process he used and parts involved. It will take some convincing to get me to throw the cash at this guy. On a lighter note, I am willing to drop around 15k after the initial purchase, so having to get some pricey work done is definitely EXPECTED on something this old. Was expecting to frame off restore this baby so I can keep it forever. Good idea on the fridge magnets..... I will take rare earth magnets and some common fridge ones to check out the body. I want to believe this is an original Texas vehicle though as snowy weather and old cars didn't mix well......

 

Good luck. You won't be doing a total frame off restoration though. It has unibody construction. It doesn't have a separate frame.

 

Thanks for the heads up. Got more pics from the guy and honestly I am going to wait on this one. He isn't sending good shots of that passenger side and I don't want to waste my time money and gas to travel for nothing. I have a few local rides I'm looking at still.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/sdf/cto/3743743872.html

http://texoma.craigslist.org/cto/3704609744.html

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/cto/3702513953.html

I like the polara but want to talk it down some due to the body needing full paint.

 

The Polara is probably a better choice than the Fury. The Polara has the 383 which I think would be better for trailer towing and adds greatly to the value. Some here would love to maintain the patina on the Polara just the way it is. If the remaining paint on the Polara is original paint, you know that nothing is hidden. The biggest concern with the Polara is if the surface rust on the top side of the car has caused any major pitting in the metal. If so, there will be alot of work prior to painting.
I think you should look at both cars carefully, even if you've already decided against the Fury. I'm sure you were planning to repaint the Fury anyway. The Polara and the Fury are basically the same car under the skin, so its worth looking at both to compare differences in condition. The Polara may be twice the price, but you may well find that its worth the extra money if the body is in better condition.
Since it has a 383, you may want to consider keeping that rather than swapping in a crate motor as you had planned for the Fury. If necessary, you can rebuild the 383 for less than purchasing a crate motor.
The Checker is a rare wagon, but if you're only going to have one wagon, I just don't think a Checker would be the wagon to have.

 

X2 with Jims 68 Cuda. For $3500 or maybe a tad less with everything thats been done to that Long Roof already that's a good buy. I'd stay away from Macco and Earl Schibb for the repaint tho'. You get what you pay for and if you can afford $75-$100 an hour for prep work go for it. Or do the prep work yourself and Find a shooter that doesn't want your 1st born child in payment for good work. FYI, PPG and Detzler are both running about $140 a pint in todays world. If you go 2 stage (Base coat-Clear coat) figure a minium of 2 quarts of each + reducers and hardeners to blend 'um. Now pick your color and get after it Jer...See how helpfull we are when it comes to helping you spend your $

 

Yah the crate motor install was going to be a replacement for the 318 for towing but the 383 is a boss to work with. If it is not torn up I will just build that engine up instead. If that is the original paint then I will do my best to have that patina saved and cruise as is. If not then it is getting a FULL on custom paint job. Regardless I would be changing the ENTIRE interior to some houndstooth two tone to match the paint or if the old paint stays a new leather interior. I used to own an 80's mercury wagon and miss that baby to death. My dad got rid of it when some idiot banged into my rear door and kinked it so it wasn't able to be closed or fixed without replacing the whole door. That charity better be HAPPY they got a perfectly good car that just needed a door replaced. After that I was stuck driving around in a 90's model suburban. Same crappy gas mileage and none of the fun.

 

I talked to him today and his bottom line is 3k. I will be saving up and praying that no one snags this while I am waiting on funds to clear....... When it comes to paint jobs and body work, I refuse to scrimp so you will not be seeing a Macco job on this baby. I expect to spend 4-5k on paint and body for a full on job of that size.

 

While I can certainly appreciate the desire to do it right and not skimp on the body work and paint, you should be aware that the price can rise quickly far above what you might think its going to cost. I remember the experience that a member of The Barracuda Owners Group Forum had. This guy had taken a Barracuda to a body shop expecting to spend up to $10,000 on body work and paint. It came as quite a shock when they presented him a bill for six times the amount he was expecting.

If the car will be garaged, and a show piece then by all means, do it right. But, if you'll be driving the car regularly and parking it outside, then don't just automatically rule out Maaco.
Maacos are franchises, and some are a world apart from others depending on the dedication of the particular owner/manager and the skill of the painter.

For my 67 Coronet hardtop, I needed minor body work (only rust was on the passenger door). The car is parked outside, so I really couldn't see putting alot of money into it. I removed the trim, had a glass shop remove the front and rear glass and took it to my local Maaco. This particular Maaco is owned by an enthusiast who loves old cars. His painter also paints for a local Rod shop as well. They went out of their way to make sure I was happy with their work and the paint color.
They have three different choices of paint service price points. I went with the highest quality paint service. The body work was extra. The car was painted two years ago, and although it won't win any trophies, I am satisfied with the quality for the price, and I get positive comments on the car frequently. More than the paint itself, its all about the prep before painting. The most expensive part, of the body work cost, was the labor of having them strip much of the body down to bare metal by hand.

 

That Buick is a beautiful car for towing and has the advantage of a full frame. The downside is that it is not as large, being a post-downsize model. They are great to drive, though. That Polara looks to be complete. I would definitely plan on a full repaint, though, as the patina is a little far to be any good for the metal. Having the 383 is always a good start as it is a good engine, with lots of torque. At least it looks to be straight and clean, just suffering from a lack of paint. Certainly well worth a good look.

 

I like that Polara, the interior is probably trashed if it sat in the sun enough to burn all that paint off.
I really like the huge racks they have.

5k for a paint job is dreaming if you have a shop that knows what they're doing do all the prep work and then use decent paint to shoot it.
With resto work you get what you pay for and if you have to ask how much you can't afford it.

 

I love the winch on the front of the Checker. The Polara looks solid, and has a tone of "Patina". As to you original question, I also recomend taking a fridge magnet to any car inspection. It will tell you right away if there is bondo hiding under the paint. Good luck with the search.

 

I would save the Fury as a last resort unless you really wanted one.
Looks like both rear quarters have a ton of rust hidden by paint. Around the tail lights there seems to be heavy rust or damage, tons of bubbling and the paint looks a little different in color. The passenger side has damage and if the owner won't give you better pics of these areas, then it wouldn't be worth the drive. The front driver fender seems to have some damage, the grill is squashed down in the center and the bezels on the drivers headlights seem wrinkled toward the fender side.

That Polara looks a lot more solid.