Never before have we understood so fully the phrase “The whole is more than just the sum of its parts.” The sum of the parts pictured on these pages is a really nice ’65 Sport Fury convertible. In fact, it’s probably one of the nicest Mopars you’ll ever see, taking both a Gold Certificate in the OE-certified judging at the ’98 Mopar Nationals, and the requisite Mopar Muscle–sponsored Best of Show honors. But this car is so much more than hundreds of perfectly restored parts reassembled with precision and care.
Back in November 1964, Dwight Hunter decided it was time to buy his girls a convertible. Sis was in her senior year in high school, and Mom really favored the looks and style of a drop-top. Dwight strolled down to Edwards Chrysler Plymouth in Knoxville, Iowa, and spoke with his brother-in-law, Bill Gonder, who was a salesman at the dealership. On November 26, 1964, Dwight wrote a check for $3,257.75, and Bill handed Alice Hunter (Dwight’s wife) the keys to a Copper convertible. Mrs. Hunter drove the car for a couple of years before passing the keys down to her daughter, Dwyta, who drove the car through her college years. After she completed her education, she returned the keys to her father.
Dwight drove the car for a few years until it was son Randy’s turn to earn his tassels, and the faithful Fury was given to him as college transportation in Michigan. After Randy graduated in 1980, he returned the keys to Dwight, who drove the car regularly until March 1997, when the convertible’s odometer had registered 172,000 miles, and Randy—once again—was given the keys.
Dwight has always been fond of his cars—this ragtop Mopar in particular. Dwight’s fondness wasn’t lost on Randy, who not only still owns his first car (a ’71 Challenger R/T), but also owns Pioneer Auto Restoration in Wauchula, Florida, where he helps other car owners preserve their vintage iron, as well as his own. Randy thought it would be nice to restore the convertible to showroom condition for his dad, so he had the shop guys start work on it.
But this is more than a “restore the car for dear ol’ Dad” story. Randy loves Mopars, and if the car was going to be restored, it would be restored the correct way—all the way. That meant nothing short of winning a Gold Certificate in the OE-certified class at the ’98 Mopar Nationals. This is the best of the best, where entrants undergo a stringent judging process before they are even allowed in the OE tent. Most people are glad to make that first cut, and many use the first year as a “pre-judging” test, to see what needs to be fixed, so they can be real contenders in the following year. But Randy wanted it all, and he wanted it the first time out.
Pioneer has restored many vehicles for concours showing, so the crew was fairly confident of its abilities. They grabbed video and point-and-shoot cameras, and spent the first few days photographing every detail on the car—paint runs, inspection marks, metal finishes, the splatter paint in the trunk (which everyone said wasn’t supposed to be there), and any other detail you can imagine. Then, a textbook disassembly began, and every part was removed, inspected, evaluated for restoration or replacement, tagged, bagged, and shelved. Once the vehicle was stripped down to nothing but a shell, everything was dropped into the chemical-stripping tanks at Revivation, Pioneer’s sister company (“Strip Search,” Feb. ’98).
Once the car came out of the tank, the process of reskinning the rear began, as the quarters had more than just a little plastic filler in them, and there were some small rust holes at the outer edges of the trunk floor. Rather than repair the rear, Randy decided to replace it, and a donor was found in Arizona. Dale Loder made the two cars become one, and Jeff Thompson finished everything until the whole car was glass-smooth. Finally, the Copper Metallic paint was applied, and the reassembly process began.
Good restoration is about more than knowing what you are and are not capable of. The key is knowing who can do what you cannot—perfectly. Pioneer isn’t a machine shop, so the 383 block was sent out and rebuilt to factory specs, as was the 727 trans. The two-barrel went to Daytona Carbs, and the wiper motor assembly, starter, and fasteners went to Concours Creations in Orange City, Florida, for proper finishing and replating. Rich Berlisk and John Grinwald offered invaluable tech advice and a steady stream of calls went to Roger Gibson Restoration.
Then of course, there was the nationwide scrounging for parts. The engine-turned, Sport Fury-only decklid trim was found at Carlisle. An N.O.S. ribbed muffler was shipped from Brad’s N.O.S. in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The hood emblem came from Southern Michigan, at Great Lakes Mopar, and the 383 insert was from Mitchell Motors. Other pieces, too numerous to list, were found from coast to coast.
Companies such as Year One, The Paddock, and Legendary Auto Interiors proved to be invaluable, and they were called frequently. Randy thanks Legendary, in particular, for its help in painstakingly reproducing the Fury’s unique Copper and Black seat covers and door panels.
With July nearing, Chryslers at Carlisle was just a few weeks away. Randy wanted to take the car out for its maiden voyage, and a judged scrutiny to see what needed to be redone for the Nationals in August. By the end of the weekend, everybody was talking about “that real pretty convertible Fury,” and Randy returned to Wauchula with the Best of Show trophy and a small list of things that needed to be fixed. Another mad thrash was started which included replacing the alternator, radiator hoses, and even repainting a quarter-panel! When August rolled around, the car finally was ready for the long trip north.
Of course nothing ever goes perfectly smooth—the day before they would leave for Columbus, the brakes weren’t working. The master cylinder was rebuilt that night, the car was loaded into the trailer, and they left for Ohio early in the morning. Randy flew his dad to Columbus and showed him the car. That was the first time Dwight had seen it in one piece since the restoration began 16 months earlier. By the end of the weekend, the Fury was the buzz of the judged show area, and Dwight was a bit overwhelmed. On Sunday, everyone knew the Fury was the nicest car in the OE tent. The awards presentation confirmed that fact—the car took a Gold Certificate and Best of Show. Randy met his goal, and then some, in restoring the car for his dad.