for sale 1967 Plymouth GTX 32,000-mile survivor *SOLD*

[Matt Harwood]

 

*SOLD* I'm not going to call this a "barn find" (although I guess by not calling it that I'm implying that it actually is a barn find). It was recently pulled out of a garage where it had been entombed for almost 20 years. The second owner passed away in 2001 while the car was in winter storage in a buddy's barn As these things go, that buddy offered to "take care" of the GTX for the widow, so he kept storing it. After seventeen years or so, it became obvious that he was just assuming that the car was his and stopped returning her calls when she asked for it to be returned. That's when she called a friend who somehow managed to smooth things over and exchanged a pile of 1970 Roadrunner project car for the GTX. It was a mess when they dragged it out, but she and this friend worked through the car and did all the right things to get it back into shape without erasing any originality. 

 

It does have just 32,827 original miles, and it does have original paint and interior, so I'm OK with calling it a survivor. It has its original 440 cubic inch V8 and 4-speed gearbox, and while the undercarriage is a bit crusty, this car has never seen salt so it is 100% solid. Chrysler wasn't too exciting in the naming department, so the dark blue paint is called, unremarkably, "Dark Blue" and I have no doubt it is 100% factory-applied enamel. It's quite handsome and yes there are some chips here and there, with the most notable issue being a few droplets on the hood and left front fender as if someone sprinkled some brake fluid there. It's not enough to even show up in photos, but it's there. I'd leave it alone because the rest is so darned nice. Laser-straight bodywork and it has been a very long time since I've heard a Chrysler product with doors that close like these. Nice chrome bumpers, clean stainless, a gorgeous tail panel. i'm not really a Mopar guy, but I think these are handsome cars that are far more appealing than the redesigned '68s. 

 

The black and white interior is likewise all original, right down to the carpets. It's had mats for most of its life, so they're nice, and the embossed seat covers have deeper and crisper details than the repros you get today. A long shifter sticking out of the transmission tunnel gives this GTX a no-nonsense feel and it feels tight and precise in a way that you don't get very often in a vintage muscle car. The big steering wheel and horn ring are in excellent shape and all the gauges are fully operational as is the original AM radio. Weather seals are supple, the windows seal up tight, and the trunk is spotless. There's a reproduction trunk mat, but that may very well be the original spare tire living in there today.

 

It didn't take much to get the muscular 440 up and running, but boy did that sucker smoke! A leak down test revealed that the rings were shot and compression was iffy on about half the cylinders. They had it rebuilt by a well-known local machine shop that specializes in Mopars and they did a fine job putting it back to stock. As long as the engine was out, they also rebuilt the water pump and alternator, had the radiator cleaned, and sent the carb out to be rebuilt. Although they painted the engine, they wisely left everything else alone, including the original air cleaner and exhaust manifolds. The engine bay was scrubbed but nothing was refinished or replaced if it was still in good shape. New ignition components, belts and hoses, and a fresh clutch on the flywheel all make it work right. It starts quickly and easily, idles smoothly like big Mopars do, and there's effortless torque at every speed. It only has a few miles on it, so I haven't hammered it, but these are quick cars. This car doesn't have many options, and they were tempted to add power steering--which is easy on Mopars, just change the steering box and add a pump--so the widow could drive it, but she ultimately decided it was a survivor and didn't want to change things. I can definitely respect that. As I said, it's tidy underneath but not detailed, but there's zero critical rust anywhere on this car. The beefy Dana 60 rear end has 3.54 gears and a Sure Grip inside, and they were even able to reconnect the old exhaust system which uses ancient Midas mufflers for a soft V8 burble. The brakes came back to life with fresh fluid inside and there's fresh BFG rubber on the original Magnum 500 wheels. 

 

It carries a reproduction VIN tag, which is perfectly legal, because the buddy removed the original in an attempt to prevent her from reclaiming the car. No worries, the title is clean.

 

Does the rebuilt and painted engine disqualify this from HPOF competition? I don't know. I do know this is the tightest, smoothest, most well-mannered Mopar muscle car I've driven in a very long time. I love survivors and untouched cars and this one gets almost everything right. It's got an interesting story, great colors, a 4-speed, and it sure does like to hustle. Price is $37,900, making it one of the cheaper GTXs on the market. It's a really nice car and if you're a Mopar guy, you know what a pleasure they are to drive. Thanks for looking!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2019 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Ed Luddy]

These are a nice driving 60's muscle car. They handle much better than the GM's. I was lucky enough to have a friend who owned a 67 GTX. His was originally a 426 Hemi that had been replaced with a nice lumpy 440, original 4 speed and Dana. Very tight car for it's era!

[TexRiv_63]

I recently bought a rotisserie restored 67 GTX 4 speed because I had one in my youth. It looked gorgeous but had too many "upgrades", I wasn't happy with it and sold it after a short ownership. If you would have had this car when I was shopping it would still be in my garage now. A great opportunity for a Mopar person!

[Matt Harwood]

SOLD! First person who saw it in person took it home. He's an experienced Mopar collector who owns three of the 17 1967 Super Sport Belvederes, so he knows his stuff. He couldn't get it on his trailer fast enough!

[TerryB]

Good cars don’t sit around too long!

[JamesR]

Congratulations on the sale of that beautiful car. Mopar sure did things right from the mid 60's to early '70's and that car shows it. I loved that era of GTX when I was a kid because that's what Mannix (Mike Connors) drove...a convertible version, anyway. 😉