Simon remained on the sidelines of professional racing for several more years, choosing to enjoy the safety and security of office positions versus the constant threat to his life insurance policy that accompanied professional racing.
In 1988, Simon started Killer B Konversions as a side venture to quell some boredom, and over the years, Killer B has produced amazing restomods such as this '65 Fury convertible.
Originally a 318-powered Fury III from the factory with a column-shift automatic, Simon hunted down the drop-top in Minnesota in June of 2004. Rough but still drivable, Simon had the Fury shipped to Lake Havasu City in Arizona. From there, Simon drove it to Harbor City, California. Then the Fury was stripped of items such as the interior, drivetrain, and exterior chrome. Applying modern engines to classic cars was what 50s hot rodders were all about, but this time around, Simon had to deal with computer controls and fuel injection.
Interestingly, the Fury's suspension had been rebuilt before the purchase, leaving Simon to focus on other problems. He had both quarters replaced, as well as two frame patches around the rear torque boxes. Other metal fabrication included a manual-transmission hump installation, ditching the TorqueFlite for an A833 manual four-speed gear box provided by National Transmission in Lomita, California. For the power plant, Killer B went the modern route. An '04 Magnum was the sacrificial lamb, offering up its 5.7L Hemi and large 18-inch R/T Magnum rims and tires. A custom air box and intake was fabricated to tunnel cool air down the throttle body. A four-wheel disc conversion lets the large C-Body use those big meats in optimal fashion. The Drum Garden out of Wilmington, California, and Scarebird Mechanical of Lynnwood, Washington, helped convert the drums to modern rotors and calipers.
All the interior work was aimed at bringing the Fury back to factory appearance but with new and plush modern flare by The Upholstery Works in Harbor City, California. The return to the factory paint color wasn't much of an argument, but the choice to make it a pace-car clone steered the final outcome of the Killer B Fury: a street rod of true hot-rod-cruising heritage.
Fast Facts
Owner: Simon Menzies, Lomita, CA
Car: '65 Plymouth Sport Fury III convertible
Color: DuPont white
Engine: 5.7L Hemi, 348 ci, 340 horses from a '04 Dodge Magnum R/T, stock manifolds leading to Borla mufflers
Transmission: A833 four-speed manual transmission, Hurst linkage, and Keisler clutch
Rearend: 83/4 Chrysler rear, open 3.23 gears
Wheels/Tires: '04 Dodge Magnum 18-inch rims, '04 Continental self-sealing 225/60/18 tires
Quarter mile: N/A
When the word restomod is...
When the word restomod is thrown around, this is exactly what we at Mopar Muscle envision: the perfect marriage of new technology and classic styling.
Custom fabrication is the...
Custom fabrication is the name of the game when it comes to this restomod. Look at the polished tubes leading to the throttle body. Talk about clean.
In 1965, 18-inch rims were...
In 1965, 18-inch rims were unheard of on production cars, but now it's a common option. How the times have changed.
An original pace-car badge...
An original pace-car badge is the finishing touch to this build. Simon made this plain-Jane 318 automatic into a Hemi four-speed convertible cruiser.
Stuffing an A833 four-speed...
Stuffing an A833 four-speed in a C-Body has definitely been done in the past, but with a 5.7L Hemi...