#43 - 20-year itch Fisher Fury

#43 - 20-year itch Fisher Fury

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FNG

Original Poster:

4,288 posts

229 months

Saturday 10th August
quotequote all
This one has been a long time in the making.

I was involved in the kit car industry 20 years ago and while what I was doing was quite far removed from the mainstream cars around at the time (which then, as now, was Cobras, Sevens and some other bit players), two cars I always had in high regard were the GTM Libra as I believe the most professionally and cohesively designed kit I’d seen, and the Fisher Fury as the one tearing up the racetracks in the 750MC championship.

But life gets in the way, focus wanders off to other kinds of car, I experimented with all sorts trying to find a single car that does daily duty and trackdays, job changes and house moves affect what you can run. And I gradually forgot about kit cars.

Fast forward to 2 years ago and the family is looking to move house. The main stipulation was it had to have a double garage, preferably bigger.

So of course we ended up in a lovely place with a 13ft x 13ft garage. But! with huge potential to extend it rearwards and get it to 30ft x 13ft. That’ll do me!!

How many of you have moved and then seen the fund you set aside for moving in costs get eroded far faster than you ever expected? Well, that. Plus the garage extension ends up in the 25k bracket, which is what I paid 10 years ago for a custom sized 19ft x 16ft garage!

So here we are. Switching to metric, I’ve got a garage of length 3.69m and two motorbikes in it. I can only ride one… I want a toy car… let’s look at the usual suspects.

205 GTi 3.705m
Mk1 Golf GTi 3.710m
MX5 NA just forget it
S1 Elise 3.72m
VX220 about the same

Oh FFS.

So I turned back to kit cars. Lightweight, easy on their consumables, usually cheap engines etc, tinkering always needed. Ideal.

Don’t like sevens, never have never will.
Libra is a bit too much of a daily / not quite the right thing for a total change from daily driving.
Sylva do good cars… let’s get looking.

3 months later, saving hard, very few have come on the market and they’re all in the 8-10k bracket, which is too high. Then on Monday just gone, one pops up on eBay.

It’s yellow, hmmmm not ideal but ok.
Lightweight chassis.
1700 crossflow on 40s, tran-x SC/CR 4spd.
Sierra donor, so IRS rear end.
Age related plate, not a Q.

At a price I couldn’t quite believe. Not thinking I had a chance, I messaged the seller on eBay, Facebook and Instagram and asked to view. The seller said of course.

By a happy circumstance the family were away camping while I slog on at work, so I arranged to view Tuesday evening and got myself up there. Seller is an absolute gentleman, in very sad circumstances, selling for very sad reasons hence the low price. Deal was done there and then - it’s a no brainer.

The listing was getting over a thousand views a day, many requests to pay immediately and come and collect, but I give the seller big respect because he sold to me, the first person who contacted him and came to view rather than the first person who offered online.

I collected it yesterday.



It’s epic. It roars beautifully on throttle, chatters on neutral throttle and pops on decel sometimes. The gearshift is snickety snick perfection. You just have to think it into corners. I tuned in pretty quickly but it was a 100 minute motorway run home so there’s been no heroics, I am not good enough to be pushing it, I’ll bed myself in slowly.

I had loads of looks, waves and pics on the way home. One fella filming me so I dropped a gear and pinned it for his TikTok post or whatever. Questions in the services. One of those cars that makes people feel good. I’m glad about that.

And here we are home


The acid test - will it fit?


Yep, with 2 bikes (they’re both up for sale til one of them sells) I can get in to the bench at the back albeit no working space. I reckon it’ll be just about doable once one bike is gone.

The job list is compiled and growing.

Main thing is the brake travel is too long. Goes way past the throttle pedal so it’s hard to brake hard at all, let alone without catching the throttle too - pedals are close together and I have wide size 12s. See if a new larger master cylinder will help there.

Secondly while I fit (and I’m 6’3” so it wasn’t a given) I think the seat will go back a little further to improve the foot to pedal relationship - but the runner is stuck.

Then a few minor jobs - good degrease of the engine bay, remove the tax disc holder (what’s that, grandad?), check it out mechanically, hoover it out, make a phone bracket, and make a plan for the cabin trim as it’s a funny mix of carbon panel and carpet, vinyl trim and grp.

Am I happy? No I’m absolutely stoked. I channeled my inner Stirling Moss on the Miglia on the way home and loved feeling like a kid in it.

If you have the means, I urge you to get one.

FNG

Original Poster:

4,288 posts

229 months

Saturday 10th August
quotequote all
Oh and #43? This is my 43rd car in my 34 years of driving. I’m guilty of not being happy with what I’ve got and yearning for the next thing cos it’ll be even better (sometimes, I’m right as well!).

But, like my 325ti daily, the Fury feels so good I can see me not moving on past 43 for a fair while.

Also shout out to zephyrspeedshop on here who reminded me of these fantastic little cars via his build thread.

TrotCanterGallopCharge

432 posts

95 months

Saturday 10th August
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Thanks for posting,

Looks a great car, & good to have a positive outcome from a sad situation. Think the colour suits it, it's a fun car & yellow suits that vibe!

Good to see taller folk can fit in the smaller stuff. I've looked at Furys & their Sylva cousins, as you say, few & far between.

You'll probably find things to change/fix to your personal taste, & looking forward to updates!

Enjoy your new toy!

FNG

Original Poster:

4,288 posts

229 months

Saturday 10th August
quotequote all
Thanks for the kind words.

The yellow is great actually. It just wasn’t in my shortlist initially - it grew on me as soon as I saw the car.

I’ve done little today apart from remove the tax disc holder, free up the drivers seat runner and paint the bolts holding the rollbar top hoop black.

Bit of thinking about what I want to do and what needs doing, and trying to do the latter first rather than the shiny bits!

hairy v

1,277 posts

149 months

Saturday 10th August
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Well done OP - that looks brilliant! I really liked the look of these back in the day but couldn't scrape the cash together ... now you've got me wondering.

Mr Tidy

23,817 posts

132 months

Sunday 11th August
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That's a great post FNG - congratulations. thumbup

I also think it looks fine in yellow, and it sounds like you've been enjoying it.

I noticed you mentioned your 325ti, and got reminded again that I still miss mine. frown

FNG

Original Poster:

4,288 posts

229 months

Monday 12th August
quotequote all
Mr Tidy, you really really need to get another 325ti, you are clearly pining away the whole time you don’t own one biggrin

I’ve been surprised how much mine has got under my skin in a relatively short time. I’m terrible for buying in a wave of excitement and enthusiasm for a new love, then dumping them within the year but this one, I feel like it’s time at last for some commitment rofl

NDNDNDND

2,144 posts

188 months

Monday 12th August
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I've wanted a Fury for about twenty years too - I'd love one!

Congratulations on the purchase OP, looks great fun!

FNG

Original Poster:

4,288 posts

229 months

Monday 12th August
quotequote all
Anyway, busy weekend of doing other stuff mostly, but I managed to get out for 40 minutes yesterday and therefore got a few more pics, we all love a few pics.

It’s got the frenched-in rear lights which I prefer. Think something could be better about the rear end though, perhaps a pair of vents below the lights. I’ll have a think, long way down the list anyway.




An engine, saying 1700cc, ex Caterham apparently? Also can see the split rims much better in this pic. Looking desperate for a polish. Bridgestone fronts and Falken rears, another one for the bottom of a long list.




Dash. You can see the important bits of the tacho and rev counter through the steering wheel but by no means the whole gauge. Unsure on this. I was initially thinking digital display but there’s no great need to change it all I don’t think. I may try a slightly larger wheel (maybe with a quick rack) but not sure I’ll have clearance to my knees then.

I reckon a new dash panel, keeping the two main gauges where they are and putting the smaller ones in a line above the tunnel might be the go here. I also got an oil temp gauge in the box of spares so that would make a line of four 52mm gauges.




View from the rear quarter




And just to prove it has a right hand side as well biggrin




Front indicators. These are going, and soon. My preferences are either to delete and fit round indicators down below, but not sure I’ll manage to fill the holes left behind and colour them to the gelcoat, or replace with something a bit lower profile (and without fake carbon effect) then put a pair of carb trumpets in the lower holes to attach brake ducting to. I’ll give this some thought cos once I’ve enlarged those lower holes for ducts, if I change my mind I’ve got a load more work to make indicators fit later.




Lastly, seats. Tight for me but just about ok. They’ll do.




I’ve got some thinking to do about the final look. It’s a mix of black and chrome trim at the moment, and I think it ought to be one or the other.

Black trim means dark LED headlights, to me, as black headlight rings round halogen units will look odd. Means replacing the internal mirror and painting the wiper arms black. And I’m replacing the exterior mirrors either way.

Chrome is more in keeping with the shape, the feel, the noise and the whole character of the car, and means wiper blades, external mirrors externally which is no bother. But internally the instruments, switches, column stalks, seats, internal panels, shifter and handbrake are all inappropriate. And that’s a lot of work.

Mr Tidy

23,817 posts

132 months

Monday 12th August
quotequote all
FNG said:
Mr Tidy, you really really need to get another 325ti, you are clearly pining away the whole time you don’t own one biggrin

I’ve been surprised how much mine has got under my skin in a relatively short time. I’m terrible for buying in a wave of excitement and enthusiasm for a new love, then dumping them within the year but this one, I feel like it’s time at last for some commitment rofl
I did keep it for over 3 years to be fair and only swapped it for an E91 when Mum taxi duty included a wheelchair that would fit in the boot rather than dropping the rear seats in the Compact, which were a PITA to put back up!

But I got less than £1,500 for my 103K mile 325ti Sport in 2018 and I can't get my head around paying at least twice as much for a higher mileage one now. Especially as my current E90 330i doesn't owe me much more than I got for my 325ti, and my other car is battering my credit card.

Anyway I can see why you want to change those front indicators, they just look like a screwed on afterthought.

FNG

Original Poster:

4,288 posts

229 months

Tuesday 13th August
quotequote all
Prices are finally going up on compacts, I usually buy just as a car is approaching the bottom of its curve. Then sell when it’s at rock bottom biggrin

So the honeymoon was a brief one.

Took it out for a drive last night and that snickety gearchange was worsening. I got home and the lever was rotating a little when selecting reverse.

So I took the gaiters off and, oh dear.



Yep, that’s an OE lever from a mk2 escort and the white bit is what it pivots in. Which has crumbled to bits, presumably as the transmission got hot on my route home the other day. And the fact it’s ancient. And made by Ford so was the cheap solution not the good solution even when new.

I’ve still to unscrew the bottom section from the gearbox shifter housing to gain access to as many of the little pieces in there as I can.



I have to say I’m slightly amazed that anyone would fit the original escort gearshift back on. I had a mk1 escort back in 1992 and it was a half baked piece of st design back then. Why you’d purposefully refit it when a new lever is 50 quid I have no idea!

Anyway a new rose jointed lever is now on its way to me.



The rod is tapered to narrow to 12mm where it’s tapped for the gearknob. It’ll need shortening and I suspect the diameter lower down will be too big for me to put a thread on. I’m no fan of grub screws but might be unavoidable.

In the meantime I need to remove the rest of the old lever, and get the tunnel top off to gain access to the shifter case to clean it out best I can. Looks to me like the chances of crap migrating forwards to the main box is quite low but I’ll take a better look with the panel removed.



To get the panel off I need to remove the little vertical panel below the dash fascia. And to get that off I need to remove the fascia.



Can’t help but feel this whole area could be made better while I’m there. But while I’m there usually means a car off the road for a couple of years, so I’m going to proceed with less optimism and idealism than I usually do in these circumstances, so I can drive the thing again soon.

Kit cars, eh? Who’d be mad enough to buy one someone else has built? boxedin

FNG

Original Poster:

4,288 posts

229 months

Tuesday 13th August
quotequote all
Well that went well!

No really, it went well jester

Tunnel top removed without disturbing the dash. Yay.



Removed the remnants of the old gear lever



Hoover nozzle down there and seven lumps of plastic came out. Wipe around and it’s not bad. I’ll revisit tomorrow with more implements but I’m confident the vast majority of the broken bits are out, and am happy that if I clean up the rod itself that’ll stop contamination into the main case.



Replacement rose jointed stick is ordered and on the way so it won’t be long til we are back on the road.

FNG

Original Poster:

4,288 posts

229 months

Tuesday 13th August
quotequote all
I need to remember to take all my pics in portrait don’t I.

Galveston

734 posts

204 months

Tuesday 13th August
quotequote all
Love this.

I spent my summer hols in 1991 helping my brother build a Sylva Stryker. I would love a Fury but suspect at 6’7” that’s mission impossible.

Zephyr Speedshop

2,338 posts

159 months

Wednesday 14th August
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Yay another fury friend clap

Looks mega buddy. I sore it come up for sale and thats a crazy price.

Mine wasn't far off that and it was broken, and not as nice a build/spec.

You will probably find a few things that come up if it's not been used in a while. The previous owners bodges do have a habit of popping up every know and then. I can't have many left though it's not alot of car. biglaugh

FNG

Original Poster:

4,288 posts

229 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
Galveston said:
Love this.

I spent my summer hols in 1991 helping my brother build a Sylva Stryker. I would love a Fury but suspect at 6’7” that’s mission impossible.
I dunno. As said I’m 6’3” with 34 leg, I reckon without a seat there’s 3” behind my back and 2” under my arse. Plus it was driveable when the seat was stuck one notch forward, which will be another 20-30mm even if not ideal.

So a bag seat made from foam could see you right. Made properly it would be at least as comfortable as a hard shell GRP seat. Happy to measure up if you like.

If you tried the Sylva when you helped build it, I’m pretty sure the Fury is a bit bigger in all dimensions. Certainly I’d read that I wouldn’t fit in an early Sylva and wondered if I even had a chance of fitting in the Fury.

It’s made me think actually. My seat has a small crack midway up and I am thinking of swapping it with the passenger one. But a bag seat would get me a bit lower which would reduce buffeting on my head, get my head well below the rollbar, and have me looking through the centre of the screen rather than the top quarter.

FNG

Original Poster:

4,288 posts

229 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
Zephyr Speedshop said:
Yay another fury friend clap

Looks mega buddy. I sore it come up for sale and thats a crazy price.

Mine wasn't far off that and it was broken, and not as nice a build/spec.

You will probably find a few things that come up if it's not been used in a while. The previous owners bodges do have a habit of popping up every know and then. I can't have many left though it's not alot of car. biglaugh
Thanks! How does it feel to be inspirational? biggrin it was your thread that reminded me of these and started wondering if one would fit in the garage.

My group of car mates had agreed between themselves that since i drove it 70 miles home (and the consensus is I was brave / stupid to!) it wasn’t going to throw up any problems. I think they’ve been proved wrong getmecoat but am not expecting anything terrible now.

There’s bound to be niggles though, it’s done 3200 miles since build and has spent about ten years of its life since then periodically laid up. And it’s a kit car…

About the price, yeah I struck very lucky. Didn’t allow myself to think I’d be the buyer given the interest it created. So I’m very fortunate.

A bloke at work had one a few years ago and confided that he was watching it “waiting for the price to drop” as it was a bit expensive “because it has an old engine” rofl

I’ll stick with my old engine for now I reckon.


Zephyr Speedshop

2,338 posts

159 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
FNG said:
Zephyr Speedshop said:
Yay another fury friend clap

Looks mega buddy. I sore it come up for sale and thats a crazy price.

Mine wasn't far off that and it was broken, and not as nice a build/spec.

You will probably find a few things that come up if it's not been used in a while. The previous owners bodges do have a habit of popping up every know and then. I can't have many left though it's not alot of car. biglaugh
Thanks! How does it feel to be inspirational? biggrin it was your thread that reminded me of these and started wondering if one would fit in the garage.

My group of car mates had agreed between themselves that since i drove it 70 miles home (and the consensus is I was brave / stupid to!) it wasn’t going to throw up any problems. I think they’ve been proved wrong getmecoat but am not expecting anything terrible now.

There’s bound to be niggles though, it’s done 3200 miles since build and has spent about ten years of its life since then periodically laid up. And it’s a kit car…

About the price, yeah I struck very lucky. Didn’t allow myself to think I’d be the buyer given the interest it created. So I’m very fortunate.

A bloke at work had one a few years ago and confided that he was watching it “waiting for the price to drop” as it was a bit expensive “because it has an old engine” rofl

I’ll stick with my old engine for now I reckon.
I'm not often and inspiration biggrin,

That's mad to think it was over priced. Nice Running ones seem to be in the 7-9k territory.

And nothing wrong with a crossflow if it works. Do you know how much power it's supposed to be making. I'm sure the ad said something like 150/160 which seems Abit optimistic. mine goes really well with 130. And wasn't slow when I got it, and it was sub 115 .

FNG

Original Poster:

4,288 posts

229 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
Yeah the ad said 155 (allegedly) so I took that as very optimistic.

The engine is from a caterham super sprint 1700 which was rated at 135bhp so it could be a bit more having loosened up, could be a bit less having worn or never been able to make 135 in the first place.

Don’t mind really, it revs happily, sounds awesome, goes quick.

Smitters

4,082 posts

162 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
Love a Fury. Love a yellow car. Absolutely a brilliant combo.

Re the indicator holes, perhaps a repurposing as brake cooling? Probably totally unnecessary, but might be a reasonable way to fill a gap without turning it into a bodywork nightmare?