I bought this car over 20 years ago off a used car lot in Seattle with all intentions of fixing it up. I had a roundbody Falcon at the time and a Comet convertible parts car. The roundbody got sold and the parts car was sitting at my dad's place. I drove it for a bit then decided to start gathering parts. Well, life took it's usual twists and turns and I got a job here in Baltimore and moved, leaving the Comet behind at my dad's, where it sat in a carport for the last 16 years.
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3345619a.jpg)
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3345619d.jpg)
fast forward to this past week. I've finally got room in my garage, so my dad got the car running and brought it out of the carport where it had gotten filthy, though not rusty.
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385087b.jpg)
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385087c.jpg)
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385087d.jpg)
It's being picked up today by a shipper and brought over here to Baltimore this week. I finally will have a chance to put it together, though I still haven't decided what drivetrain I want in it. Probably a typical V8 5 speed combo (it's already a 4 on the floor, but since it is a 6 cyl, the 4 speed is a Dagenham unit, with a broken 3rd gear). Maybe I'll go with a "big" six, but that depends on availability around here. I'll get more pics when it arrives and I get it cleaned up.
Oh, and this Pshop is the plan. 15" American Racing Salt Flat wheels with a black cherry pearl paint, but most ly stock bodywork (rolled pans front and rear with trimmed up bumpers, but stock other than that):
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385117d.jpg)
Still with the red interior.
Sick.
That's beautiful.
There was a recent episode on PowerBlock, formerly Horsepower TV, where they rebuilt a Ford 6 adding on a few speed parts. It turned out pretty well. Ideally, a small-block Windsor with Cleveland heads would be ideal. Good luck with the project.
Since it's originally a 6, I'd like to keep it that way, but it needs to have power to match highway use around here. To that end, it's also getting the disc brake conversion for modern stopping power. The kits are pretty reasonable.
I think it's cooler when guys hop up the 6 cylinders a little bit instead of automatically swapping in a V8.
Quote from: hotrodalex on March 31, 2014, 12:16:56 PM
I think it's cooler when guys hop up the 6 cylinders a little bit instead of automatically swapping in a V8.
It's nice to see something different, I agree.
Split manifold and a couple of pipes and they sound pretty good.
I like those wheels, they look good on almost anything.
Out-there suggestion - SVO motor
Quote from: Secret Chimp on March 31, 2014, 02:03:21 PM
I like those wheels, they look good on almost anything.
Out-there suggestion - SVO motor
That would be cool or go even crazier by putting a Ecoboost 3.5 in there.
I had thought about the turbo 4, as a number of falcon guys have done it, but it takes a lot of fabricating and weighs as much as the 289/302. I'm looking into the Aussie Falcon 4.1 liter (250 cid) crossflow 6 from the '80s, as it's based on the US 200/250 block and would be a literal bolt in. With the aluminum head and crossflow design, it's lighter than the stock Falcon 6 and makes much more power.
I know its more expensive but a coyote would be cool in this car. Lighter than the 289/302 and significantly more powerful.
Cool project, nice of your father to keep it for so long.
Quote from: SVT32V on March 31, 2014, 04:16:47 PM
I know its more expensive but a coyote would be cool in this car. Lighter than the 289/302 and significantly more powerful.
Cool project, nice of your father to keep it for so long.
Much wider too though.
Yes, but at least not as wide as the 4.6 or 5.4.
Amazingly the height and length of a coyote is less than an LS3.
Height, maybe, but coyotes have long tails.
Cool car, Chris!
Supercharged 6 cylinder is the obvious answer.
Coyote would be nice, but it wouldn't fit between the shock towers, which woudl mean a Mustang II suspension conversion as well, and then we start jacking the budget up. Would also need a narrowed 8.8 rear end and narrowed rear frame with a mini-tub in order to clear enough tire to handle 400+ hp.
Budget allows for a sub $1000 drivetrain upgrade, which means modded 6 or mild 289/302 w 5 speed.
Now if people want to contribute to the "drop a Coyote in the Comet" fund, I'd be more than happy to lean in that direction... lol!
For my other Comet, I originally found a complete T Bird Super Coupe with the supercharged 3.8 liter V6 that would have gone in there quite nice. That would stil be a cool option if I could find a 5 speed one cheap enough. Still pretty heavy, though.
With sub $1000 for drivetrain, it isn't going to be a coyote.
I would want efi just for the lack of pollution, perhaps an explorer 5.0 can be found.
I wouldn't think that a T5 would be too expensive.
I can get an entire 5.0/t5 combo for about $800 from an older Fox setup. Also, if i can get some one to narrow the rear (one side needs 3" removed from it) I can get a complete Ford Explorer rear end with discs for $100.
Well, I hate car transport companies, at least the brokers.
I put the Comet's tow out to bid online and got back dozens of responses. I had put it out there as an inoperative car, as I didn't know if it would be able to be driven onto the trailer. Accepted the $825 bid of one company, and talked to the owner. Told him that it had been started, but might not run onto the truck, which is why I listed it as inop. that way if the truck arrived and it wouldn't start, there would be no surprises.
He put it out to bid on the transport boards and got back a best offer of $950, which I assumed was the best that anyone woudl do fora non-running car. I accepted the bid and teh car got picked up. My dad actually drove it up to the truk, they hauled it on, then he kept the battery, (which was the deep cycle one out of his motorhome). The truck left the driveway and I ended up getting a call from the transport company. THey wanted to charge me another hundred bucks becaeu the car was no not running (battery removed). I told them I SAID it was inop in the initial requst and on the original quote. They said that no one told them that and that they had bid on a running car transport. Apparently the broker put it out on the boards as a running car.
Of course, I called the broker who said "but you said your dad had got it running." To which I replied, "I still said it was listed as inop as I didn't know how LONG it would run, so treat it as an inop car." He wouldn't take any responsibility for changing the listing from inop to operable and hung up on me. When I called the transport company back, they said, "well, the car is in Tacoma now. You can come get it, or we can deliver it back to your dad's house for a fee."
FUCK! So now I've been taken for another hundred, putting the entire bill up over a grand. But the car is on it's way, so I guess that's a good thing.
Funny thing is, I looked into IRS for this car, and thought, wonder of the Miata setup would fit. Turns out, the Miata rear end is 4.5" wider hub to hub than the Falcon/Comet rear... yes, this car is narrower than a Miata....
driving out to meet the truck...
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385161b.jpg)
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385161c.jpg)
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385161d.jpg)
Quote from: ChrisV on April 01, 2014, 11:09:41 AM
Funny thing is, I looked into IRS for this car, and thought, wonder of the Miata setup would fit. Turns out, the Miata rear end is 4.5" wider hub to hub than the Falcon/Comet rear... yes, this car is narrower than a Miata....
Well, when you consider vintage negative wheel offset vs modern positive wheel offset the difference is probably not as much.
I think a good tri link setup ought to perform adequately for the street.
Quote from: ChrisV on March 31, 2014, 03:30:12 PM
I had thought about the turbo 4, as a number of falcon guys have done it, but it takes a lot of fabricating and weighs as much as the 289/302. I'm looking into the Aussie Falcon 4.1 liter (250 cid) crossflow 6 from the '80s, as it's based on the US 200/250 block and would be a literal bolt in. With the aluminum head and crossflow design, it's lighter than the stock Falcon 6 and makes much more power.
Needs a turbo on the side of the block as well. :lol:
Hahaa. yeah, well then we're talking custom pistons for that, as well. :lol:
RB25DET?
No. I may have been going with the 1UZ for the other project, but I want to stay ford powered for this one.
Is it, currently, numbers matching? If so, any point in keeping it that way?
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.
Right now, the trans is a Mazda unit that my dad adapted to the 6 due to the broken 4 speed, but the engine is original. I'm going to keep the original around for restoration sake if someone wants it, so what I'd like to do is just bolt in upgrades. The original engine is DAMN slow, however, and not really up to keeping up with modern traffic. So I was looking at the later 200-250 6 cyl, though the Aussie version of the 250 with the crossflow head bolts in and gives over 150 hp in stock form, which should be plenty for the 2300 lb car. I've found the Aussie 250 cid crossflow 6 with trans available in the states for under $600, which makes it quite affordable as an upgrade.
http://www.ausfordparts.com/ebay/250efi/ (http://www.ausfordparts.com/ebay/250efi/)
Sideways SHO V6? Not sure if anyone's ever mounted those longitudinally.
I've seen the SHO in a TR7/8 before.
(http://www.team.net/TR8/Conversions/Cimages/TRSHO.jpg)
http://www.team.net/TR8/Conversions/SHO.html (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.
Cologne V6?
Quote from: 280Z Turbo on April 01, 2014, 12:14:52 PM
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.
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.
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.
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...? :lol:
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.
Cool. I'm excited to see the progress. :ohyeah:
How about the 4.0 straight six from an old Cherokee? Tough as nails, plenty of grunt and available everywhere dirt cheap.
Quote from: Madman on April 01, 2014, 02:12:30 PM
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.
Pudda treefiddy innit.
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:
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385224c.jpg)
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385224d.jpg)
Way cool. This thing's gonna be boss.
Sweeeeeeet.
Cool!
washed up...
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385229c.jpg)
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385229b.jpg)
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385229a.jpg)
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/52992/3385229d.jpg)
I'd almost be tempted to leave the exterior quite like that. Looks awesome.
Was that mostly just dirt on the chrome or was there some corrosion, too? Looks like you did a nice job polishing it up.
Mostly just moss and algae from sitting outside in the PNW.
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.
Great story.
Quote from: Madman on April 11, 2014, 09:55:54 PM
Looks like you have plans for the New Beetle, too.
Looks like a convertible that needs a new roof.
The car looks sharp. :ohyeah:
What are you gonna do about that broken taillight? Can't imagine that's an easy part to find.
Quote from: hotrodalex on April 11, 2014, 11:20:15 PM
The car looks sharp. :ohyeah:
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 (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)
Well never mind about that last sentence then. :lol:
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):
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/4587/3385124c.jpg)
Ahh, the blues and pinks of the MTV decade...
That's a pretty similar paint job that my neighbor's old '69 Camaro drag car had.
...does it have a 350
Awesome. Simply awesome.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on April 12, 2014, 10:21:40 AM
Ahh, the blues and pinks of the MTV decade...
Quote from: hotrodalex on April 12, 2014, 10:42:01 AM
That's a pretty similar paint job that my neighbor's old '69 Camaro drag car had.
yeah, they are gone now:
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/4587/3385243c.jpg)
(http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/4587/3385243d.jpg)
What a PITA to match the yellow. It was supposedly "Corvette yellow" according to the previous owner. Well, there have only been 57 shades of yellow on Corvettes over the years, so I ended up matching it by eye.
This thread is seriously awesome. What a cool car.