Unleashing the Fury - Taking a Storied Plymouth on Its First Drag-And-Drive at Sick Summer
Friends can steer you into some good decisions, as well as some questionable ones. In the case of this 1968 Plymouth Fury, Nick Parisi got the good vibes and eventually the good car.
“It was purchased and built by very good friends in Pittsburgh in 2007,” said Nick. “Diane McQuade is who had the vision for the car and originally built it with help from our friends.”
Originally a Nevada car with a 318 cubic inch small block, Nick made the decision to purchase the Plymouth from Diane in 2021. The 318 engine no longer resides in the Fury, as the engine bay now houses a mildly built pump gas 440 cubic inch powerplant, backed by a 727 transmission with a 4500-rpm stall converter.
Providing a little extra power is a somewhat hidden NOS-brand nitrous plate kit, and a progressive controller, which yielded an 11.30 at 118 mph on its first pass at the track.
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Despite its limited drag strip use, Nick has been putting the car to good use under his ownership. “I’ve done Roadkill Nights a couple times with it, but this is my first drag and drive event as a participant,” he said.
When he tried to registered for Sick Summer, Nick got on the wait list at first, but did a host of upgrades to the Fury over the winter anyways.
“I went through the whole suspension of the car over the winter,” said Nick. “I added Cal Tracs on it, along with Viking shocks and mono-leaf springs.
Once I got in from the wait list in February, I ordered a new Strange S60 rear end with a 4.10 gear set, and Wilwood disc brakes.”
What attracted Nick to Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes for his first drag-and-drive event? “I’m originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and am incredibly excited to run at Great Lakes Dragaway,” he said. “Also planning on doing the whole event with no trailer and not swapping tires. I leave it on ET Street SS radials year-round.
I've been hooked on drag-and-drive since I spectated for a few days at Hot Rod Drag Week in 2016. Fast street cars are awesome.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Nick Parisi.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com