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[ron59sfhemi]

Hello, My name is Ron. Came across your site and thought I'd inquire and try to find a '59 Sport Fury I had built in the mid-sixties. Just wondering if it's still around or perhaps if anyone had seen one like it over the years.I was in western Pennsylvania at time just out of high school, working at an Ohio steel mill, and a Mopar fan.
I found a gold '59 Sport Fury that I got at a lien sale for $75. I had a '58 Chrysler 300 series, 392 (380hp) Hemi from a wrecked car, but in a '53 De Soto at the time. I installed the hemi engine (gave the original Golden Commando away) and had the car repainted a gold color not much different than the original champagne. It had a little rust in the front fenders, so I replaced them with fiberglass ones from J.C. Whitney, I recall. Also removed the fake spare tire from the rear deck. It had original style, narrow, whitewall tires and original hubcaps. I drove it over the fall of '65 and into spring of '66 when I entered the military for four years. I drove it down to Memphis where I was stationed, but did not bring it out to California when I was transferred out here. My brother and his friends took it to a local drag strip in western Pa or eastern Ohio and blew the transmission. When I returned home in 1970, it would start but not move.
I got married to a California native and we moved out here leaving the car for my parents to eventually sell or dispose of and that's all I know. Except that it perhaps was sold to a man in Ohio named Red Thorpe, who was my supervisor when I worked in a steel mill near Youngstown. He also was the person who had originally put that hemi engine into the De Soto to use as a family car before I picked it up.
If anyone back east has perhaps seen a '59 like this over the years, it would be comforting to know that it survived. It was a beautiful, almost luxury car to me with a great ride and comfortable to drive. Most of the time, I just ran it on a single 4 barrel manifold. I do remember the names on the dash plaque for whom the car was built - 'Ray & Ethyl Rhodes'. I tried researching this through Chrysler archives, but they said no records were kept of the dash plaque of listings. I had removed the plaque from the dash but think it was placed in the glove box.
Thanks for the forum. If nothing else, it's just another story of a car I wish I would have kept, but other aspects of life got in the way at the time. Thanks, Ron C.

[Denver 59 Fin Convert]

Wow! Neat story Ron! We can only hoped that it survived to today...Do you have any old registration or insurance card that might have the VIN on it? That would help hunt it down. One of our Members, Matthew Keij (from Holland) is keeping a Registry of 59 Plymouths as he comes across them. So with that VIN number he might have it tracked down for you already. Maybe your brother might have something from his Drag Racing days.

Though having a 392 Hemi in it might be a give away to anyone who owned it today, but It would have another engine in it if it did survive as someone who spot the First Generation Hemi and liberated it from the SF right away.

And thank you for your service to the country back in the 60's. We appreciate it very much!

We have some 59 Forum members in California, What part of it do you call home these days?

John Q.

[ron59sfhemi]

Thanks for the reply.
No, I don't have any VIN, license or insurance info that would be helpful in my search. Only the 'Built For' plaque that I remember and Chrysler says it's not traceable. Don't really have many good pictures either. My brother came across a couple he sent me last week. One, taken in summer of '66, is of the rear fins from above and side as my brother & I were looking at or working on a '51 or '52 Plymouth with no front fenders, in our parents' driveway. Neither of us remember ever working on or having that car - but there we were. The other is a small, faded b & w Polaroid taken at my base in Memphis, TN. Maybe I'll post them them if I can figure it out.
My son, with a little help from me, has built a reproduction '32 highboy, flathead roadster - all steel. It's a neat car and typical of CA back in the day. He did all of the work himself except the engine build. We hope to take it to LA Roadster Show in June. Then, he may sell it to help with down payment money to buy a house for his family.
Home for me these days is in Costa Mesa, Ca. Orange County, Between Newport Beach and Santa Ana. Don't see many '59s out here. Did see one for sale out of San Diego at the Del Mar Good Guys Show a couple years back. As I remember, he was asking about $55K for it. It was painted a metallic green/blue. It was a National first place Hershey winner. I still have his 'for sale' sheet with his name & number. Don't know if it ever sold.
Regards, Ron C.

[rogerh]

Unfortunately the dash plaque would only help you trace ownership backwards.
Having no record of VIN number, you'd never be totally sure you found your car, if it did in fact survive.
Knowing who your folks sold it to helps, bit just a little.
There are ways to track down Red Thorpe, if that was his given name. (You could try contacting the mill for info on him. Knowing which city and state he lived in helps more.)
Frankly, the survival rate of these cars is very low. Rust was a big problem-yours had that AND a busted transmission.

I will repeat a portion of a story printed elsewhere on this List:
I was able to get the names and addesses of the ten or so people who owned my Belv cvt prior to me, but only because it spent its entire life within a 250 mile radius of NW Iowa.
Now of course there is the Privacy Act, and you can't get that info from DMV anymore.
Some of the folks remembered the car, some had since died, some I could never contact. They were all up there in years.
The car sat inoperable for many years.

[ron59sfhemi]

Red Thorpe has long since passed. He did have a son & daughter but I don't know if I have time or effort to look them up. We pretty much knew where he lived. I'm sure my brother had been to his place. Whether he actually was the one who got the car isn't for sure. It may have just been towed to a local wrecking yard in New Castle, PA. Neither of my brothers remember for sure. A year or so ago my older brother & I did go to an old wrecking yard in Ohio near where Red lived and was known to do business with, figuring that when he died, his family got rid of the car. They're cleaning out that yard and really didn't have much these days. They did remember Red, but not the car. One saving grace for the rust part, is those fiberglas front fenders.
Thanks, Ron

[big m]

Welcome to the '59 SF site!

If I were in your shoes, I would contact local car clubs near the area where the car was, most car guys have the habit of noticing old cars residing in backyards and pastures. Old car parts suppliers may be of assistance as well, as someone may have asked whether parts are available for that model. it is unlikely the car travelled far from where it was last sold.

---John

[Matthew Keij]

Welcome!

I wish I could say I have this car in my database but I don't.
I'll keep looking

[rogerh]

Not having the VIN is the real monkey wrench.. DMV will track VINs for you, although they black out the names and addresses.
Your car may be sitting yet in someone's farm or backyard. The Walter P. Chrysler Club has members in Ohio and Western PA, and all over. They have a national website as well. Before you give up, contact them and throw out your request!

[ron59sfhemi]

Thanks all for the ideas. Will sit down and try to formulate a plan to research further. Maybe put my 2 brothers to work, back there in PA. Ron C.