Hi everyone, I just signed up for the forum.
I have been a fan of the full-size Mopars for a long time. It probably started when I was 14 and my dad decided to buy a new car. Mom, dad and I made the rounds of the dealers and looked at Ford LTDs, the new-for-'71 big GMs, especially the Pontiacs, and the Dodges and Plymouths. I was a car-crazed kid who read all the magazines and nagged my parents to take me to dealers in the fall during new model year introductions, so I was very engaged in the whole process.
The folks were picky, and I remember getting a bit frustrated with them, until one day we were at the local Chrysler-Dodge dealer. They had a '71 Newport coupe on the showroom floor, along with a '71 Monaco 4-door hardtop. Mom loved the color of the Chrysler and not the Dodge, but wanted a 4-door and liked the styling of the Monaco, especially the rear end with the full-width taillights. The solution: special-order a '71 Monaco 4-door hardtop in the colors she wanted: Y-9 Dark Gold Poly (the Chrysler name was Tawny Gold) with a matching vinyl roof and a gold cloth and vinyl interior.
Since it was a special order, I convinced the folks to let me help pick the options. Having read the car mags for years, I knew that you had to order heavy-duty suspension (according to the car writers at least), and remembered reading that the engineers at Chrysler all liked the 383-2bbl engine for their own cars, so those went on the list along with a bunch of other stuff. Imagine my disappointment when it was delivered with the standard (for Canada) 318 V-8 along with a few other missing items! I suspect that the salesman and my dad went over the list after I left the office and scratched off a few things.
Nevertheless the car was beautiful and I loved it, especially the interior with the Fury-style dash, the high-back front seats, and the padded door panels. We had it for a while, until my dad had some health issues and decided it was too big for him to handle. It was sold and disappeared for a while, although I actually saw it 20+ years later one day in the mid-90s, still driving around town! I never saw it again or I would have approached the owner about buying it back.
I have loved the fuselage cars ever since although I've never owned one. I always look at ones that appear on the internet and lust after them. My real passion is for 1970 or '71 Sport Furys or Monacos, although any fuselage draws my interest, and I certainly would not turn down a nice Polara coupe or convertible. For the last 20 years I have had a '68 Olds Cutlass that I restored and now enjoy. But as I approach retirement I find myself thinking that maybe a fuselage would make a good project.
I suspect I won't be posting a whole lot, but you never know, and I will always have questions no doubt. Thanks for having me!
Greg
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
I have been a fan of the full-size Mopars for a long time. It probably started when I was 14 and my dad decided to buy a new car. Mom, dad and I made the rounds of the dealers and looked at Ford LTDs, the new-for-'71 big GMs, especially the Pontiacs, and the Dodges and Plymouths. I was a car-crazed kid who read all the magazines and nagged my parents to take me to dealers in the fall during new model year introductions, so I was very engaged in the whole process.
The folks were picky, and I remember getting a bit frustrated with them, until one day we were at the local Chrysler-Dodge dealer. They had a '71 Newport coupe on the showroom floor, along with a '71 Monaco 4-door hardtop. Mom loved the color of the Chrysler and not the Dodge, but wanted a 4-door and liked the styling of the Monaco, especially the rear end with the full-width taillights. The solution: special-order a '71 Monaco 4-door hardtop in the colors she wanted: Y-9 Dark Gold Poly (the Chrysler name was Tawny Gold) with a matching vinyl roof and a gold cloth and vinyl interior.
Since it was a special order, I convinced the folks to let me help pick the options. Having read the car mags for years, I knew that you had to order heavy-duty suspension (according to the car writers at least), and remembered reading that the engineers at Chrysler all liked the 383-2bbl engine for their own cars, so those went on the list along with a bunch of other stuff. Imagine my disappointment when it was delivered with the standard (for Canada) 318 V-8 along with a few other missing items! I suspect that the salesman and my dad went over the list after I left the office and scratched off a few things.
Nevertheless the car was beautiful and I loved it, especially the interior with the Fury-style dash, the high-back front seats, and the padded door panels. We had it for a while, until my dad had some health issues and decided it was too big for him to handle. It was sold and disappeared for a while, although I actually saw it 20+ years later one day in the mid-90s, still driving around town! I never saw it again or I would have approached the owner about buying it back.
I have loved the fuselage cars ever since although I've never owned one. I always look at ones that appear on the internet and lust after them. My real passion is for 1970 or '71 Sport Furys or Monacos, although any fuselage draws my interest, and I certainly would not turn down a nice Polara coupe or convertible. For the last 20 years I have had a '68 Olds Cutlass that I restored and now enjoy. But as I approach retirement I find myself thinking that maybe a fuselage would make a good project.
I suspect I won't be posting a whole lot, but you never know, and I will always have questions no doubt. Thanks for having me!
Greg
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
