A forgotten 1960 Plymouth Fury surprised its new owner when the engine fired up after what may have been decades of sitting in a field. Getting the massive sedan moving, however, turned into a much bigger challenge than starting it.
The old Plymouth recently found its way to the YouTube channel Street Rat Garage, where its new owner planned to see how much life remained in the neglected car. He paid less than $2,000, despite knowing very little about its history or mechanical condition.
With towering tailfins, huge chrome bumpers, and a body that seems to stretch forever, the four-door Fury reminds you how bold American car designs once were. Years of outdoor storage have left their mark, but much of its original character remains.
Nobody knows exactly when the Plymouth last drove on public roads. The owner found registration paperwork from 1998 and a historic plate dated 2016, leaving open the possibility that it had been parked for anywhere from several years to nearly three decades.
A Surprisingly Easy Start
The Fury came from an old high school friend who owns another example and drives it regularly. This one had clearly seen better days, though its body appeared fairly solid beneath the worn paint and older repairs.
Inside, the front seat had been covered in poorly fitted upholstery, several door panels were missing, and someone had installed a strange wooden piece along the roof. The original steering wheel was gone, too, having been taken for the owner’s friend’s car.
Fortunately, the engine was still intact. Under the hood sat a 225-cubic-inch Slant-Six, an engine known for its simple design and durability.
After connecting a battery charger, the owner turned the key to see whether the engine would crank. It did, so he added some gasoline directly to the carburetor’s float bowl and tried again.
Much to his surprise, the engine fired almost at once, prompting an excited reaction.
“Are you kidding me? That’s it? You just put gas in it, and it runs?” he asked.
The engine stopped after using the small amount of fuel supplied, but another attempt brought it back to life. A quick oil check showed the level was just below full, and there was no obvious smoke during those first brief runs.
No Way To Stop
Getting the engine running was only part of the job. Before moving the Plymouth, the owner discovered that the gas pedal had rusted away from part of the floor, leaving a hole around its mounting point.
The brakes were an even bigger concern. Opening the master cylinder revealed that it was completely dry. He added fresh brake fluid and pumped the pedal, only to hear a squirt as the fluid escaped through a damaged line and spilled onto the ground.
With no working brakes or steering wheel, the Fury was nowhere near roadworthy. Still, the owner wanted to find out whether its push-button automatic transmission could move the car.
Using a wrench to turn the steering shaft, he selected drive and eased the Plymouth forward under its own power. The transmission engaged, and the enormous sedan rolled out of the garage.
Getting Back Inside
Outside, the Fury looked better in the daylight. Its gold paint was visible beneath an older repaint, while the chrome trim and dramatic rear fins gave the owner plenty of reasons to keep working on it.
Getting it back into the garage was less enjoyable. Without brakes, he had to use the transmission controls to manage the car’s movement. At one point, the Fury began moving forward when he expected it to stay in neutral, raising concerns about the linkage.
“God, this is scary. This is scary. This is scary,” he said as he struggled to position the car.
After several tense attempts, he shut off the engine and pushed the Plymouth the rest of the way by hand. It barely fit beside a Monte Carlo parked inside.
The owner noticed some smoke during the final attempts to move it, adding another item to the repair list. Before ending the episode, he outlined plans to fix the brakes, install a steering wheel, replace the worn tires, and see whether the Fury could eventually return to the road.