'63 Mercury Comet S22 coming home...

[280Z Turbo]

Sideways SHO V6? Not sure if anyone's ever mounted those longitudinally.

[ChrisV]

I've seen the SHO in a TR7/8 before.



http://www.team.net/TR8/Conversions/SHO.html

I think it's pretty wide, too. There's not much room between the shock towers. The 289/302 just barely fits and it's quite narrow due to being a pushrod engine. The car's no wider than a Miata for the most part. 2300 lbs, 56in track. I originally thought of the Zetec 2.3 DOHC engine, as it's light and was put in Rangers as well as the Miatas. But they still seem to want too much money for a used one out of a wrecked Miata or Ranger.

Usually when peopel want to put in the wider engines in Falcons, they go to the Mustang II front suspension, which involves a lot of fabricating and/or cost. A lot of stuff fits, then, though.

[280Z Turbo]

Cologne V6?

[FoMoJo]

Yuck. Numbers matching...

I don't know what will happen to the collector car market when my generation is in their 60's, but I think the emphasis on numbers matching BS is likely to fade away.

It's just a matter of rarity.  Old cars that have managed to keep their original components are really hard to come by.  If they are close to mint, they belong in a museum.  For old cars that have had major component replacements, or are in rundown condition, I do like the idea of restomods. 

[280Z Turbo]

Don't get me wrong, I look at early Corvettes with fender flares, ugly rims, and overchromed engine bays and cringe.

But I also cringe when I see guys fretting about NCRS points and rolling on dangerously old bias ply tires.

My dad's corvette was badly molested by the PO, so I'd like to keep it looking period correct while enjoying some modern modifications for better performance.

[ChrisV]

Yeah, that's where I'm at. I want the car to have better braking and be able to safely keep up with modern traffic, so it's getting a bit more engine and good brakes all around. And since the interior isn't perfect, and replacement parts for Comets are as scarce as rocking horse poop (falcon stuff is all over, however, but the patterns and styles are different), resto-mod becomes teh perfect choice.  But, I'd like for this project to keep it as close to factory style upgrades as possible without breaking the bank.

[giant_mtb]

That color will look wonderful.

Do you have any idea of a timeline for the project?  I'm sure like most car projects it'll end up taking longer, but it's good to have a goal, right...?

[ChrisV]

it all depends on the money. I wasn't planning on starting it now, but my dad was clearing out his property, due to being in his 70s and no longer working on cars. So I got it over here to get it out of his place. I'm going to initially do detailing and cleanup and safety things to make it driveable in this form, then start working on updating as time goes on.

[giant_mtb]

Cool. I'm excited to see the progress.

[Madman]

How about the 4.0 straight six from an old Cherokee?  Tough as nails, plenty of grunt and available everywhere dirt cheap.

[Mustangfan2003]

How about the 4.0 straight six from an old Cherokee?  Tough as nails, plenty of grunt and available everywhere dirt cheap.

Keep it all Ford.  It drives me nuts when these hicks put 350s in everything.  Besides if you want a truck I6 a Ford 300 I6 isn't that hard to find.  They used it in the F150 for ages and it was pretty reliable. 

[Rupert]

Pudda treefiddy innit.

[ChrisV]

Well, it made it here, finally. At 11pm last night. It was supposed to be delivered in the afternoon, according to dispatch, so I took time off work to wait for it. Guy finally arrives, and since he's got a semi with the car carrier trailer, he can't park anywhere near my house. So he parks up on a main street a mile away and calls me to come meet him. In the dark.

So I take the new battery and a gas can, and head up there. Unload the car, which had a flat tire (and no way to fill it. That's ok, I'll drive on it, since I was going to replace them anyhow). Put gas in it, put the battery in it, and it fires right up. Cool. Flick on the lights. Hey, look at that, all the filthy lights light up. So I drive it slowly back from there to my house, past the cop shop, with the flat rear tire flapping against the bodywork. Parked it in the driveway and got pictures this morning.

I'll clean it up this weekend and inventory the car. Most parts are inside it (like the rest of the trim). The interior is on a bit worse condition than I remember it, but I expected that considering where it's sat for the last 16 years. I'm just surprised that it fired up and ran so well. Anyway, here it is at the house, finally, this morning:

[Secret Chimp]

Way cool. This thing's gonna be boss.

[giant_mtb]

Sweeeeeeet.

[BENZ BOY15]

Cool!

[ChrisV]

washed up...

[Soup DeVille]

I'd almost be tempted to leave the exterior quite like that. Looks awesome.

[giant_mtb]

Was that mostly just dirt on the chrome or was there some corrosion, too?  Looks like you did a nice job polishing it up.

[ChrisV]

Mostly just moss and algae from sitting outside in the PNW.

[Madman]

Is that a Model A hot rod I see in the garage?  What's the story on that one?

Looks like you have plans for the New Beetle, too.

[GoCougs]

Great story.

[hotrodalex]

Looks like you have plans for the New Beetle, too.

Looks like a convertible that needs a new roof.

[hotrodalex]

The car looks sharp.

What are you gonna do about that broken taillight? Can't imagine that's an easy part to find.

[Soup DeVille]

The car looks sharp.

What are you gonna do about that broken taillight? Can't imagine that's an easy part to find.

http://www.taillightking.com/Mercury_Small.htm

This guy looks to have a couple parts on hand that might work, even if you have to buy that whole left side assembly and mix and match/

(God bless the internet: even 10 years ago that search might've taken weeks)

[hotrodalex]

Well never mind about that last sentence then.

[ChrisV]

Hehehe. There's actually an extra set of taillights in the trunk.

The Beetle is a friends. and it needs the rear window glued back into the top, which is why it has the tarp on it. And the Model A is my brother in law's, which is in the garage to have the '80s graphics removed from the sides (sanding down and repainting it this weekend now that it's warmed up):

[Soup DeVille]

Ahh, the blues and pinks of the MTV decade...

[hotrodalex]

That's a pretty similar paint job that my neighbor's old '69 Camaro drag car had.

[Secret Chimp]

...does it have a 350